Series: Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery #1
Author: Mia P. Manansala
Publisher: Berkley
Released: May 4, 2021
Received: Own (BOTM)

Before I begin my review, I just want to take a second to thank BOTM for having this as one of their monthly choices. Before it popped up on that selection, I legit had never heard of Arsenic and Adobo (shame, I know). Considering how much I ended up enjoying it, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to read it.

Arsenic and Adobo, written by Mia P. Manansala, is the first novel in the Tita Rose’s Kitchen Mystery. It’s cozy mystery series, which means that there will be a lot of death and light humor involved.

Lila Macapagal was forced to move back home following a pretty rough breakup. In her small town, moving away – and staying away – was about the worst crime Lila could commit. Now that she’s back, she’s facing several difficulties. But she does love helping Tita Rosie’s restaurant right up until a customer drops dead right in front of her.

“So even though I was an only child, I had enough godmothers, cousins, aunties, and uncles to populate a small village. Or at least a relatively small town that began to feel smaller and more suffocating the older I got.”

First, can we just take a minute to talk about that cover? I sincerely think that I would have read this book for the cover alone, and I’m not ashamed to admit that. It’s fun and quirky and tells me a lot about this mystery series.

I am pleased to announce that the content inside lives up to the expectations set by that cover. Arsenic and Adobo is a light, entertaining, and sometimes comical novel following a series of crimes in a very small town. While it did have some darker moments (a guy did die, after all), overall, it really does fit into the ‘cozy mystery’ theme.

I really loved Lila’s perspective and all the struggles she seemed to keep coming up against. However, I’ll confess that I’m more than curious to see what sort of events will happen in the next novel. Is Shady Palms going to be the next Cabot Cove?

Regardless of your feelings for Cabot Cove, if you’re looking for a cozy mystery with endearing characters, go check out Arsenic and Adobo!