Manansala also respects the intelligence of her audience. Manansala could have easily settled on the diversity that the Filipino family brings to the table, but instead she populates her world with a rainbow’s worth of varied individuals representing many backgrounds and experiences. Particularly delightful is the bantering, yet loving nature exhibited by the trio of April, Mae, and June (the Calendar Crew), the reciprocated loyalty of her best friend, Adeena, and the “required for a cozy” pet, the endearing doggie, Longganisa. Manansala has that elusive gift that allows her to truly bring her fictional creations to life – as though they are occupying the house next door. Notice that this did not say characters, and that is because Mia P. Lila’s family and friends are people readers will want to spend more time with. And Lila is not going to let the Kitchen close! Fortunately for Lila, Filipino families stick together no one is going to leave her out in the cold for a crime she didn’t commit. When one particularly vicious food critic – who also happens to be Lila’s ex-boyfriend – dies in the restaurant, Lila’s bad times suddenly get even more complicated. Our main character – and eventual amateur sleuth – is Lila Macapagal, who has returned to Shady Palms, Illinois after a particularly difficult break-up only to be challenged with helping to save her Tita Rosie’s Kitchen, which is a family-run restaurant suffering a downturn in traffic. Manansala’s Arsenic and Adobo feels so authentically from her soul, readers will recognize how this is the novel Manansala was destined to write – as only she could.Īrsenic and Adobo falls squarely into the cozy mystery tradition with all the beloved tropes and expectations that come along with that designation, however, the focus on Filipino culture brings a fresh, new perspective readers will not have seen before – especially in the crime fiction genre. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grant for unpublished writers, Mia P. While it is not the work for which she received the William F.

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