Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes

Series Name: Caribbean Kitchen Mystery #1
Genre: Cozy
Release: October 12, 2021
Purchase Link

Cuban-American cooking show star Miriam Quiñones-Smith becomes a seasoned sleuth in Raquel V. Reyes’s Caribbean Kitchen Mystery debut, a savory treat for fans of Joanne Fluke and Jenn McKinlay.

Food anthropologist Miriam Quiñones-Smith’s move from New York to Coral Shores, Miami, puts her academic career on hold to stay at home with her young son. Adding to her funk is an opinionated mother-in-law and a husband rekindling a friendship with his ex. Gracias to her best friend, Alma, she gets a short-term job as a Caribbean cooking expert on a Spanish-language morning TV show. But when the newly minted star attends a Women’s Club luncheon, a socialite sitting at her table suddenly falls face-first into the chicken salad, never to nibble again.

When a second woman dies soon after, suspicions coalesce around a controversial Cuban herbalist, Dr. Fuentes–especially after the morning show’s host collapses while interviewing him. Detective Pullman is not happy to find Miriam at every turn. After he catches her breaking into the doctor’s apothecary, he enlists her help as eyes and ears to the places he can’t access, namely the Spanish-speaking community and the tawny Coral Shores social scene.

As the ingredients to the deadly scheme begin blending together, Miriam is on the verge of learning how and why the women died. But her snooping may turn out to be a recipe for her own murder.

Dru’s Short Musing:
What a fun book that had me completely immersed in all aspect in this light and fresh whodunit. This well-written drama comes alive with the visually descriptive narrative from the engaging bilingual dialogue to a lovable cast of characters, and to a setting befitting the title. Coming back to her home state finds Miriam dealing with her mother-in-law antics, her waylaid husband, and her desire for more. It all comes to ahead when her BFF is arrested for murder and paying homage to Jessica Fletcher.

The author did a great job in staging this mystery with a pool of suspects who had stronger motives to want the victim dead. There were plenty of hints that kept me glued to the pages as one by one the field of suspects shrunk where only one person was standing holding the bag. I enjoyed the snippets of backstory for each of the characters which gave us more insight into the role they were portraying in this first book.

This was a delightfully entertaining and charming tale and I look forward to more exciting adventures with Miriam, Alma, Roberto and Manny.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.