Mia Manansala begins the novel with an author’s note that she wrote this during a dark time in her life, while dealing with the effects of the pandemic. Her protagonist chef, Lila Macapagal, is struggling with some issues of her own, after her ex was murdered in the previous novel, and she herself escaped a close call with death . Lila is again dealing with a murder in her town, while acting as a judge in the Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant. The pageant was developed to give the winner a generous college scholarship, and Lila herself was a previous winner. But when the pageant’s major sponsor turns up dead by a river, and her cousin Bernadette is the main suspect, Lila cranks up her detecting skills to prove Bernie’s innocence.
I enjoyed this novel as much as I did her first one, Arsenic and Adobo. The glossary and pronunciation guide to the Filipino honorifics and words used throughout the novel was a definite plus, as well as the recipes included at the end. After reading the food descriptions, I was dying to try some of the dishes mentioned, so I need to find a good local Filipino restaurant!
An additional bonus is the inclusion of chapters one and two Mia’s next book in the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen series, Blackmail and Bibingka. I’m looking forward to reading it…
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