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Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

Mystery

Arsenic and Adobo

Debut

We love supporting debut authors. Congrats, Mia P. Manansala, on your first book!

Early Release

This is an early release that's only available to our members—the rest of the world has to wait to read it.

by Mia P. Manansala

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Volume 0
Volume 0

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Quick take

That awkward moment when your ex-boyfriend gets poisoned in your restaurant and everyone thinks you did it.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Puzzle

    Puzzle

  • Illustrated icon, LOL

    LOL

  • Illustrated icon, Whodunit

    Whodunit

  • Illustrated icon, Quest

    Quest

Synopsis

When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She's tasked with saving her Tita Rosie's failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case.

With the cops treating her like she's the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila's left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longanisa, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block…

Free sample

Get an early look from the first pages of Arsenic and Adobo.

Arsenic and Adobo

Chapter One

My name is Lila Macapagal and my life has become a rom-com cliché.

Not many romantic comedies feature an Asian-American lead (or dead bodies, but more on that later), but all the hallmarks are there.

Girl from an improbably named small town in the Midwest moves to the big city to make a name for herself and find love? Check.

Girl achieves these things only for the world to come crashing down when she walks in on her fiancé getting down and dirty with their next-door neighbors (yes, plural)? Double check.

Girl then moves back home in disgrace and finds work reinvigorating her aunt’s failing business? Well now we’re up to a hat trick of clichés.

And to put the cherry on top, in the trope of all tropes, I even reconnected with my high school sweetheart after moving back to town and discovered the true meaning of Christmas.

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Why I love it

I adore the cozier side of mystery fiction. I seek out that sweet spot where you can be completely swept up in a book, but also know that the story won’t take too dark a turn. I want a terrific mystery with characters I enjoy spending time with and a happy ending. When there’s a multicultural cast and good food thrown into the mix, even better. So I was thrilled to get an early look at Mia P. Manansala’s debut, Arsenic and Adobo, a stand-out cozy mystery full of heart, the importance of home, and tons of good food.

To get over a horrendously bad breakup, Lila Macapagal has moved home to help her family’s struggling restaurant. Unfortunately, when her loathsome food critic ex-boyfriend drops dead while eating there, things go from bad to worse, and Lila and her family are implicated. To save herself and the restaurant, Lila takes it upon herself to discover who the true killer really is.

I wish I could transport myself to Shady Palms to hang out with heroine Lila and her amazing friends—not to mention eat the Filipino-inspired cooking. (Luckily Manansala shares recipes with readers. YUM.) If you’re in the mood for a lighthearted and laugh-out-loud mystery romp, hanging out with a fun cast of characters, and drooling over the delectable food from Tita Rosie’s Kitchen, be sure to pick up Arsenic and Adobo. I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

Member ratings (30,460)

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Debut authors
View all
Weyward
Lessons in Chemistry
The Stone Witch of Florence
Honey
All We Were Promised
Shark Heart
The Road of Bones
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
Dinner for Vampires
Ink Blood Sister Scribe
Homeseeking
Definitely Better Now
Dirty Diana
A Thousand Times Before
Ariadne
Lunar Love
The Wishing Game
The Collected Regrets of Clover
The Days I Loved You Most
Thistlefoot
The Wives
Adelaide
Here After
Spitting Gold
Did I Ever Tell You?
Middletide
The Teller of Small Fortunes
Northwoods
A Flicker in the Dark
This Spells Love
A Short Walk Through a Wide World
The Storm We Made
Neighbors and Other Stories
The Husbands
More
You, Again
The Love Hypothesis
Red, White & Royal Blue
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Maame
The Circus Train
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The Other Black Girl
The Push
Age of Vice
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Paper Names
We Are the Brennans
Black Cake
The Last Russian Doll
Olga Dies Dreaming
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Bringing Down the Duke
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