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Homicide and Halo-Halo

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Homicide and Halo-Halo

By: Mia P. Manansala
Narrated by: Danice Cabanela
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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. Amateur Sleuths Cosy Culinary Adventures Detective Fiction Mystery United States Women Sleuths Women's Fiction World Literature Witty
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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
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I appreciated the author's note at the beginning where she says she was also struggling through the pandemic like the rest of us.
Lila got herself into a little less trouble this time, but still managed to come out of this bruised and shaken up. A great story overall, but felt a bit out of sync, the events felt glued together by sheer force and the whole story had a weird flow to it, very uncoordinated somehow.

Another great story from Lila and friends

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Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audio book. Glad Mia was able to touch on the topic of mental health and how it is seen within Filipino culture. Hamilton references are always plus too.

Excellent Narration!

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