Guilt and Ginataan by Mia Manansala

December 8, 2024

Guilt and Ginataan by Mia Manansala

It's time for the annual corn festival in Shady Palms, Illinois, and the owners of the Brew-ha Cafe are gearing up for the opening weekend. Known for the second biggest corn maze in the state, the festival draws crowds from all over the Midwest. After their booth sells out early, Lila, Adena and Elena decide to have a contest to see who can finish the corn maze first, but the fun comes to an abrupt end when they discover a body near the center of the maze.

A new mystery featuring the residents of Shady Palms. The aunties and Lola Flor don't appear in this story as much as in previous stories in the series, although there are still recipes at the end. Lila and Jae's sweet relationship continues to grow. Recommended for fans of cozy mysteries, especially those featuring food.

An example of ginataan, a sweet or savory Filipino dish cooked in coconut milk

Murder and Mamon by Mia P. Manansala

October 19, 2023

Murder and Mamon by Mia P. Manansala

Lila Macapagal and company are back for another cozy mystery set in Shady Palms, Illinois. Her three godmothers April, Mae, and June (aka the Calendar Crew) are opening a laundromat, which has started a war with the owner of the only other laundromat in the town. Just in time for their grand opening, April's niece Divina arrives from the Philippines, and the aunties figure they'll put her to work at the laundromat to keep her busy. But someone doesn't want them to open and vandalizes the laundromat, and the suspect list is long, since the aunties have offended most of the town residents at some point with their nosiness and gossip. Then disaster really strikes a few days later when Divina is found dead next to a washer.

The fourth adventure in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen cozy mystery series, complete with recipes. This entry is not as strong as some of the earlier books, with a lot of filler about food and meals. The romantic relationships are progressing slowly. There are recipes in the back for some of the yummy dishes. I worked for many years with Mia's mom, and I am so glad to see that Mia is fulfilling her dream of being a writer. 

Mamon cakes, a fluffy chiffon-y cake often made with coconut

Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia P. Manansala

November 10, 2022

Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia P. Manansala

Lila Macapagal and her friends Adeena and Elena have finally opened their cafe, the Brew-ha Cafe, in Shady Palms, IL, right next door to Lila's family's Filipino restaurant. They are getting ready to participate in the town's annual holiday bazaar, when Lila's prodigal cousin Ronnie returns home to Shady Palms as the new owner of the local winery. But when one of his financial backers dies suddenly after drinking one of Ronnie's wines, Ronnie is a prime suspect and Lila's aunt asks her to help clear his name.

This is the third book in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen series, a cozy mystery series centered around a Filipino family restaurant in a small town about 100 miles from Chicago. Lots of food and eating. There are recipes in the back of the books for some of the traditional Filipino dishes. I worked with Mia's mom, Marian, for years at the Chicago Public Library, and I know she is proud as heck of Mia. Very enjoyable mysteries.

Bibingka, a traditional Filipino coconut cake served during the Christmas holidays

Homicide and Halo-halo by Mia Manansala

March 14, 2022

Homicide and Halo-halo by Mia Manansala

Lila Macapagal continues to live in her hometown of Shady Palms a hundred miles from Chicago. Since solving the mystery of who killed her old boyfriend, she has been just drifting along, still working as a waitress at her aunt's restaurant, unable to push herself to open her new cafe with her BFF. When the town council decides to resurrect the teen beauty pageant, Lila is drafted as a judge since she won the pageant many years before. When another judge is murdered, Lila's cousin Bernadette looks like the most likely suspect. Although the two cousins have a rocky relationship, they join forces to find the real killer and clear Bernadette's name.

This is the author's second mystery and she wrote it during the pandemic and admits that it's not as light-hearted as the first one. I still found it to be enjoyable. I worked with Mia's mom at the Chicago Public Library for many years and they are a lovely family. We are all so proud of Mia!

Halo-halo is a Filipino dessert made with fruits like coconut, banana, and jackfruit, fruity gelatin, ube (which is purple yam, although I've seen recipes that omitted the ube and substituted mangoes instead) and shaved ice. Traditionally, you're supposed to mix it together before eating it so you get a taste of everything in a single bite.

A dish of halo-halo

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia Manansala

June 5, 2021

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia Manansala

After a bad break-up, Lila moves back to the small town outside Chicago where she grew up. She works at her Aunt Rosie's not-very-successful Filipino restaurant while trying to avoid her multiple aunties' matchmaking attempts. When a local food critic (and one of Lila's former boyfriends) keels over dead after tasting food at the restaurant, Lila become the prime suspect in his murder due to her relationship to the dead guy and because she works at the restaurant. She soon realizes that she is the ONLY suspect the cops are looking at, so it's up to Lila and her friends to do their own investigation to clear her name.

Light, fun cozy mystery, the first book in a new series. I worked with Mia's mother at the library for many years, and they must be so proud!

Chicken Adobo, a popular Filipino dish - every cook has their own version