Title: Homicide and Halo Halo
Author: Mia P. Manansala
Release Date: Feb. 8, 2022
Format: Paperback
Where to buy: Bookshop | Amazon
My Rating: 4.25/5.0
Synopsis
Things are heating up for Lila Macapagal. Not in her love life, which she insists on keeping nonexistent despite the attention of two very eligible bachelors. Or her professional life, since she can’t bring herself to open her new café after the unpleasantness that occurred a few months ago at her aunt’s Filipino restaurant, Tita Rosie’s Kitchen. No, things are heating up quite literally, since summer, her least favorite season, has just started.
To add to her feelings of sticky unease, Lila’s little town of Shady Palms has resurrected the Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant, which she won many years ago—a fact that serves as a wedge between Lila and her cousin slash rival, Bernadette. But when the head judge of the pageant is murdered and Bernadette becomes the main suspect, the two must put aside their differences and solve the case—because it looks like one of them might be next.
My review
Book two of Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery was even better than the first. I really enjoyed the first in this series. As I mentioned, I hadn’t really heard of cozy mysteries before I read Arsenic and Adobo, but I can now confidently say that I am hooked. I particularly appreciated that the author did not shy away from how things that happened in the first book affected the characters.
Post traumatic stress disorder is real and Lila is experiencing it. Manansala includes a note at the beginning of the book that this was written during the pandemic when both she and the character were really struggling with their mental health. I sincerely enjoyed how she handled mental health in the book. She highlighted the resistance to attend therapy, the perception people have of mental health issues but also the internal perception and shame many of us who struggled with going to therapy have felt.
Lila at one point makes the comment that “Asians don’t go to therapy.” This prompts another character, a black woman, to point out that going to therapy is looked down on in many cultures, not just Asian. That it’s about overcoming the stigma. Let’s be honest, that stigma is everywhere and it has got to stop. Each of us has our own issues and therapy helps us handle them. I’m at the point in my life that I’m more suspicious of people who aren’t in therapy. It seems unnatural.
As before, food plays a huge role in Homicide and Halo Halo (so many recipes to make). As a part of Lila’s PTSD she is really struggling to come up with a menu for the shop she is opening with her best friend, Adeena and Adeena’s girlfriend (not sure). First of all Brew-ha… yes please. I would pay too much money for drinks, pastries, plants, and skincare from this shop. Second of all, I love that it is their own witchy little shop where they are mixing an american style coffeeshop with their history and culture.
We also get to spend more time with Bernie who Lila has had a longstanding rivalry with courtesy of family drama. I love Bernie’s attitude and the fact that she won’t take shit from anyone. What I loved more, though, was the chance to see some of Bernie’s vulnerability as she and Lila worked to overcome their differences and clear Bernie’s name.
A couple of new characters were introduced, and I hope we get to spend more time with them in the coming books. I love strong women who are working their asses off to do good in their community and that’s just who these women are.
We also finally get a bit of a resolution on that love triangle, but I’ll let you read that for yourself. If you are looking for a cozy mystery and maybe a couple of recipes for what sounds like amazing food, this book and this series are just for you.
