Book Review: ARSENIC AND ADOBO by Mia P. Manasala. Berkeley Prime Crime// Penguin Random House, 2021.
Read & reviewed by Jane Mack, May 2022.
Spoiler Alert! This review may focus your attention in ways you might not otherwise use and give away the mystery as you read the book.
ARSENIC AND ADOBO is a cozy mystery by a Filipino-American author. Cozy mysteries were popularized by Agatha Christie, queen of the mystery genre. They feature an amateur sleuth, small town setting, crime or violence off-the-page, and oftentimes a device or gimmick, like a hobby, interest, or pet that becomes an important feature. They are light reading, not great literature.
THE SET UP
ARSENIC AND ADOBO centers around the main character, Lila (Leela) Macapagal, a second-generation Filipino whose parents died in her childhood. She was raised by and once-again lives with her aunt, Tita Rosie, and her grandmother, Lola Flor in Shady Palms, Illinois.
The small town of Shady Palms got its name from its founder, who planted palm trees along the main street. When he discovered the climate of Illinois would not sustain them, and replaced them with artificial replicas. There’s a yearning for someplace tropical in the name of the town, and this is a subtle reminder or connection to the Filipino community throughout.
Lila, after time in Chicago, has returned to Shady Palms and works at her Tita Rosie’s kitchen/restaurant. She is nursing a broken heart from a bad relationship. Lila is also coping with an array of mixed feelings that include resentment about the demands her family puts on her, fear of getting trapped in Shady Palms, and the comfort of being among people who love and care about her, including her best friend, Adeena Awan.
THE CHARACTERS
Adeena Awan, a Pakistani Muslim, has known Lila since high school. She’s working as a barista in the neighborhood Java Jo’s. She doesn’t eat pork, and her presence and friendship has challenged Lila’s family to accommodate her. Tita Rosie modifies her recipes in order to sustain the family penchant for serving food as comfort to everyone.
Tita Rosie and Lola Flor have their Filipino women friends who hang out at the restaurant. They are named April, Mae, and June, all godmothers-Ninangs- to Lila so that she refers to them as the Calendar Crew.
The landlord of Tita Rosie’s restaurant is the unscrupulous Mr. Edwin Long. He also happens to be the step-father of Derek Winter, Lila’s ex-boyfriend from high school. Derek is now a restaurant critic with a negative pen, especially about Tita Rosie’s.
In the background, we see Kevin Conoway, owner of Java Jo’s and hear about Nancy Winter, mother of Derek and wife of Mr. Long.
Adeena’s brother, Amir, is a lawyer, called to the rescue, as we meet Detective Jonathan Park. Detective Park appears as a friend of Tita Rosie, but a man determined to “do his job.” This is a catch-phrase for finding evidence that Lila is guilty. Detective Park’s brother, Doctor Jae, works as a dentist down the street. He has a steady stream of customers referred to him by Kevin of Java Jo’s, who sells such hard biscotti they hurt.
THE CRIME
Lila is an outstanding baker and culinary artist, trying to expand Tita Rosie’s standard, delicious Filipino fare. When the story opens at Tita Rosie’s, Lila is at Tita Rosie’s. Soon she is serving trays of various dishes to Derek and his step-father, Mr. Long. As the meal comes to an end, the ube crinkles consumed and only one dessert left, Derek falls face forward into ginataang bilo-bilo. He is unconscious. After the paramedics take him away, Lola Flor gets a call that he died and Mr. Long blames Tita Rosie’s food.
THE FUN
Between more and different Filipino dishes of food, the family and friends come together to support Lila and Tita Rosie. Detective Park seems intent on gathering evidence that points at Lila as the culprit. The Calendar Crew make a list of restaurant owners that Derek panned, and insists that Lila visit them and get their stories. She does!
She also takes some time off to play with her dog, Longanisa, a/k/a Nisa, named after a sausage. Lila tries to ignore her feelings for Amir, who is now her attorney. When she meets Doctor Jae, the dentist, she is immediately enamored with his good looks and good manners. And Lila dredges up some hometown information from old contacts, including family like her cousin Bernadette, her Ninang’s son Marcus, and her high school nemesis, Janet.
THE COMPLICATIONS
As in all good cozy mysteries, there are twists and turns. Janet is found unconscious, and Detective Park blames Lila. The health inspector is conveniently away and can’t approve re-opening of Tita Rosie’s. Tita Rosie is worried they’ll lose the family business due to non-payment. Mr. Long seems intent on evicting them. Just as the health inspector comes back and is ready to inspect, vandalism at Tita Rosie’s upsets those plans. She loses all her food, as well as faces costly repairs.
Other complications involve the various restaurant owners that Derek criticized; Derek and Mr. Long’s side-hustle; and Detective Park’s investigation results about Derek and about Lila herself.
The wake for Derek brings another death and more complications and suspicion of Lila.
TROUBLE ON THE HOME FRONT
Lila is reeling with all of the problems, trying to stay positive to support her family and maintain enough energy to keep going forward, when she learns that Adeena’s plans for them are to stay in Shady Palms and open a business together. All along, she thought they were both eager to escape the small town, and if they ever went into business together, it would be somewhere else. As their divergent views come into clear conflict, Adeena cuts off communication, leaving Lila feeling alone and more confused than ever.
THE SOLUTION
Nearly all modern cozy mysteries set up a confrontation between the killer and the sleuth, and require some adroit handling to get the sleuth alone for this. ARSENIC AND ADOBO also uses this technique and does it without too much fuss.
After the confrontation, which Lila obviously survives, Detective Park says: “…I have some questions for you.” And Lila replies: “Lucky for you, I’ve got the answers, Detective.” This is a story where the amateur sleuth does solve the mystery.
WHAT I LIKED AND WHAT I DIDN’T
I truly enjoyed all of the Filipino-American culture, which was the cozy device to make the novel homey. Much of the food and culture was familiar to me, but some of it wasn’t. I thought the story was well-written and well-paced, with characters introduced in a way that made each of them both memorable and important to the story.
I also liked that I figured out the killer half way through the novel, but never guessed the motive. But I also missed a significant clue / connection that came out from the investigation. So the final reveal was both satisfying and elucidating!
Also, there’s a glossary at the front and recipes at the back that make this novel accessible and fun.
There’s very little I didn’t like. Nisa the dog had too small a role! She seemed unnecessary as the story was told. I’m also not a fan of any kind of cover-up, and didn’t think one was necessary here at the end, as self-defense is a defense. And then there’s the confusing relationship of Lila and her home-town high school crowd. I was surprised or disappointed at the way Lila and Janet interacted at the end. And I felt that Lila’s emotional decision regarding her family and Adeena was a little too pat, although not unbelievable. It was certainly consistent with the warm and cozy feeling of the genre.
Others have commented in reviews on Amazon and elsewhere that events just happen, that the Detective isn’t realistic, and the characters aren’t deep. Much of that criticism is accurate, but I didn’t find any of these flaws interfered with the forward motion of the story, the connection to the characters, and my overall enjoyment of the novel.
IN SUMMARY
It’s not great literature, with deep psychological insights or compelling suspense or life-altering lessons. It’s a cozy mystery, fun to read, easy to digest, and ultimately satisfying. So, I’d rate this as nearly perfect and a great addition to the cozy mystery genre.
Stars: *****