Homicide and Halo-Halo

By: Mia P. Manansala

Narrated by: Danice Cabanela

Death at a beauty pageant turns Tita Rosie's Kitchen upside down in the latest entry of this witty and humorous cozy mystery series by Mia P. Manansala.

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.

Critic reviews

"While the follow-up to Arsenic and Adobo is a cozy mystery, it’s darker, dealing with PTSD, predatory behavior, dismissive attitudes toward mental health, and other issues. Filipino American food and culture, as well as family and community, remain essential elements in the story."—Library Journal, starred review

Quick, light and fun listen

I liked this book as a sequel. You get to learn a lot more about Lila and some of her 'whys' and you have a whole lot of folks helping out throughout the book to gather info/inverstigate. Maybe improbable that the detective asks everyone for help in one breath and then says don't spread or share stories but I didn't put that much stock into it. Good for a light, fun and quick listen. Interested in what future adventures everyone gets into.

Proud Pinoy Reader

Love the series and I look forward to more. Filipino details on food is well researched.
Although I think the Aunties' diction could be improved, they do sound like that sometimes.

Cute story

While the storyline was cute, My recommendation is complicated. Culturally I learned a lot. The narrator is awesome. The one thing that bugged me was all the detail given to cooking and the recipes. I don’t like to cook so that is a me thing. I would have appreciated this book as a Plus Catalog offer rather then spending a credit. I read the first book felt the same and now without a doubt I know I will not buy the next one.

Super entertaining!

Loved it! I like the way the recipes are incorporated within the story. Very entertaining!

Loved just as much as the first book!

This book picks up right where Arsenic and Adobo ended...all the same characters, plus some new ones and a new murder to solve! The character conflicts introduced in the first book all develop further and some are resolved. The series promotes equality and identity acceptance of all people with very relevant societal topics. Most importantly, this book series not only is a murder mystery, it is also a beautiful exploration of Filipino culture, food, and family values. If you love food and to travel, you will love the multiculturalism that Manansala promotes in the series.

P.S. There is also a small amount of romance :) I CANNOT wait for the third book to come out!