Arsenic and Adobo

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

What I was expecting: A fun murder mystery with a lot of food and family drama.

What I got: Pretty much exactly that. I found the writing style a bit slapdash, with personal details thrown in right when you need them. Oh, we’re being investigated for murder? My friend and I just happen to have solved crimes in high school! The investigation mostly involved getting the same story from four different people and then her friend figured out the culprit before Lila did. 

The family drama was fun, with everyone trying to be matchmakers and having family connections all over town. Very small town drama. Lila was so oblivious to what was going on with her family and friends. She also, of course, has two extremely eligible men interested in her.

Reading it did make me very hungry. Plenty of page time was spent on food and recipes and the dedication of Lila’s family to feed and take care of everyone.

This is obviously set up to be a series! There’s lots of set up and unresolved family tensions to work with. I don’t think I’ll pick up any of the sequels. I didn’t really enjoy the writing style. Like I said earlier, it felt slapdash and spent a lot of time rehashing exactly what was going on. And, unfortunately, I liked the best friend Adeena more than I liked the main character!

Manansala started her book with a note that she wrote from her own experience being Filipino-American raised in Chicago and it was pointed out to her that some of her plot points – especially with regards to police treatment of people of color – might be upsetting to her audience. She also had resources for learning more about the extremely violent drug war in the Philippines. I just liked that she took the time to educate herself and others.