Welcome back to Shady Palms, Illinois, and the busy Brew-ha Café. Several women-owned businesses in town are experiencing break-ins, with cash stolen. Lila Macapagal, whose family restaurant and corner café demand a lot of her time, is preparing a list of goods to serve for Valentine’s Day. DEATH AND DINUGUAN are not a happy combination
Dinuguan is a meat dish served at Filipino restaurants such as those in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery series. A recipe is given at the back. I see that it’s typical of cultures that use every part of the animal, so readers might be willing to adapt the recipe to omit any items they can’t get or don’t wish to face. There are also sweet goods recipes, including honey combined with crisped rice and cayenne with chocolate.
Desserts, coffees and chocolates fill the pages. Given the seriousness of the content, I thought perhaps too many mentions of delicious food were provided. Lila’s boyfriend, Jae Park, learns that his cousin Hana Lee, the chocolatier at Choco Noir, has been seriously injured in the latest break-in. Her work partner, Blake, turns out to have been killed. Jae offers to take care of Hana’s little girl, Aria, at times. Aria loves Lila’s Dachshund. Suspicion falls on an estranged ex who may have been stalking one of the women, but that would make it a separate issue from the rash of burglaries. The police are investigating, and so is Lila with all her aunties, because now it’s not just dollars, it’s personal.
DEATH AND DINUGUAN is the sixth mystery featuring Lila from Mia P. Manansala, and it appears to be the final book in the series. I thought an earlier story left Jae mostly on the sidelines, so I am pleased that he forms a greater part of the picture in this instance. There are many names, family connections, businesses, not just in Shady Palms but in the next town over. For this reason, I suggest the mystery will be best for those who have already enjoyed earlier books in the series.
DEATH AND DINUGUAN provides community and entrepreneurial effort. The small businesses are determined to use the best ingredients and serve customers with too many options, given the complications of allergies, food intolerances and dietary choices. All anyone wants to do is make a living doing what they love – cooking in various forms and providing hospitality. The Filipinos, in particular, seem to do this very well. I have enjoyed this series and will miss the spicy scents and new words I found in every tale. And the brave little Dachshund Longganisa.
Love is in the air for the citizens of Shady Palms, but Cupid’s arrow isn’t the only thing striking the town—not with another killer on the loose.Things are looking up for the Brew-ha Cafe, and Lila Macapagal can’t think of anything that could break the spell, especially with Valentine’s Day coming up—she can’t wait to celebrate with her boyfriend, Jae Park. Adding to the lovey-dovey atmosphere is Hana Lee, Shady Palms’s newest resident. She’s also Jae’s beloved cousin and chocolatier at Choco Noir, the latest addition to the town’s culinary offerings. Everything is coming into place for Hana, who left her old life in Minnesota behind to work at Choco Noir, owned by her best friend.Unfortunately, beneath the sweet surface of Shady Palms runs a bitter undercurrent, as a series of attacks against women-owned businesses in the area escalates from petty theft to assault and murder when Hana is found knocked unconscious inside Choco Noir, and the chocolate shop owner is put out of business—for good.With Hana left in a coma, a murderer hiding amongst them, and the safety of the women entrepreneurs of Shady Palms at risk, the Park brothers team up with the Brew-ha crew to put a stop to the villain before they strike again.
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