by Cynthia Chow & Sandra Murphy

This week we have 3 food mysteries for your Thanksgiving feast of reading-Guilt and Ginataan: A Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery Book Five by Mia P. Manansala, Fondue or Die by Korina Moss, and Pumpkin Spice Puppy by Laurien Berenson. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of all 3 books and links to purchase them from Amazon at the end of each review.

Guilt and Ginataan: A Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery Book Five by Mia P. Manansala
Review by Cynthia Chow

Shady Palms, Illinois is celebrating its 35th annual Corn Festival, and the Brew-ha Café team is eagerly participating with their mix of Pakistani and Filipino treats. Owner Lila Macapagal and her business partners Adeena Awan and Adeena’s girlfriend Elena Torres have created corn-enhanced twists on their traditional desserts, even adding a Korean corn tea to their mais ube sandwich cookies, and corn ice candy. The Korean flavors come from Lila’s boyfriend Dr. Jae Park, who is as attractive as he is supportive (Lila isn’t too surprised that he is known around town as the Hot Dentist). Lila’s going to need that comfort when they discover a body in the enormous corn maze, with Adeena collapsed next to it while holding a bloody knife.

This isn’t the first time Lila and her friends have encountered a murder, but Adeena being a primary suspect certainly ramps up the stakes. The victim, Yvonne, certainly had her share of enemies though, as being the wife of Shelbyville’s Mayor Reyes means that her influence and political rivalries could be behind a plethora of motives. Shelbyville residents also tend to look down upon their lower-income neighbors, so even Shady Palms’ Mayor Gunderson could have had reasons for wanting his fellow mayor gone.

This fifth in the series focuses on the friendship between Lila, Adeena, and Elena. Despite being in a surprisingly healthy relationship herself, Lila is feeling like a bit of a third wheel now that her childhood best friend Adeena has someone else she goes to first for love and comfort. Her very relatable adjustment to having her longtime friendship change is empathetically handled as Lila learns how to communicate and better share her concerns. Lila’s adorable Calendar Crew godmothers Ninang April, Ninang Mae, and Ninang June – all hilarious and who even have their own book series – only briefly appear, but their absences are more than made up for by the rest of her family and friends. Lila of course takes the time to walk and care for her cuddly Dachshund Longganisa, who is appropriately named after a traditional Filipino sausage.

While food is of course central to Lila and her family’s business, this latest in the series tackles small town politics and intrigue. An outstanding element of these novels has been the inclusion of Filipino, Pakistani, and Korean traditions, with their food being a seductive entry point to their cultures’ traditions and beliefs. Tantalizing recipes such as Lola Flor’s Ginantaang Mais sweet rice and corn porridge are included at the end, while at the beginning of the book are Filipino definitions and pronunciation guides for common phrases woven in throughout. Lila continues to be an extremely likable and engaging lead character, whose intelligence is as elevated as her love of pop culture. This multiethnic mystery delivers a stellar mystery while also serving as a fun and easy entry point for readers to encounter fascinating new cultures and traditions.

You can click here to purchase the book from Amazon.

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Fondue or Die by Korina Moss
Review by Sandra Murphy

Willa owns a cheese shop, Curds and Whey, in Yarrow Glen but has a booth in neighboring Lockwood for their weekend Dairy Days Festival. Businesses have booths to sell their wares but the big attraction is the Miss Dairy pageant. Young women participate under the eyes of Nadine, the pageant director, and she demands perfection. Each year, her sister Mary Ann comes to visit and help.

This year, Nadine’s had an accident and hurt her ankle. She doesn’t let that stop her and is seen zooming from one area to another on a cart. The pageant is filled with the usual cries of “her costume is nicer than mine” and “my prop has a paint chip missing.”

Mrs. Schultz and Archie, Willa’s employees and good friends plus Baz, her neighbor, seem to have everything under control for the Curds and Whey booth so Mrs. Schultz is helping with the pageant. When she’s tasked with going to an old mansion on the grounds, used for storage of props and more, Willa and Baz go along–only to find Nadine’s body. It looks like a bookcase fell over on her—or did it have help?
Was it murder or an accident isn’t the only mystery to solve. Detective Heath is back in Willa’s life – she thinks (who can be sure?), Archie finds a potential girlfriend, Mrs. Schultz is a suspect, the pageant is going off the rails, and a long ago fire might play into what’s happening now.

This is book five in the series. Readers will be glad to see recipes included. The suspense builds in this book as cases from the past and present are under scrutiny and love may be in the air for Heath and Willa. This was an enjoyable read, the mystery a good one, the solution satisfying as a fondue snack.

Book six, Bait and Swiss, will be out at the end of April 2025 and is available for pre-order now.
Recipes at the back of this book include: homemade pimento cheese spread for sandwiches, extra-cheesy Alfredo, and fall fondue which contains pumpkin! There are also tips about cheeses and how to use them throughout the book.

You can click here to purchase the book from Amazon.

Pumpkin Spice Puppy by Laurien Berenson
Review by Sandra Murphy

Schools are prone to fundraisers that involve students going door to door with boxes of candy, wrapping paper, or other items you don’t want or need but feel obligated to buy. When Howard Academy has the idea of a treasure hunt, it’s a welcome change. Kids have to find tokens shaped like pumpkin spice muffins at local stores. The class with the most tokens wins. The shops have more business, kids are involved, parents are enthused, what else could you ask for?

Well, there’s always one person who has to complain and this time it’s the owner of the pet supply store. He left a message, didn’t explain, but asked to be contacted. As Melanie’s schedule as a special needs tutor gives her more free time than the other school employees, she’s tapped to solve the problem.

It’s going to take more than soothing hurt feelings or listening to a complaint. The storeowner is in his office, a knife in his back, and very dead. His Chow Chow dog is locked in the storeroom and frantic to get to his person.

Sadly, there are people who could want him dead—ex-wife, landlord, owner of the adjoining store, neighbors who didn’t like the Chow Chows he fostered (and let run loose for exercise), well, the list is long.

Melanie’s been involved in murderous crimes before, on solving the who-did-it end, of course. If the fundraiser’s going to bring in needed funds, keep the school’s reputation intact, and not upset the wealthy parents, she’s going to have to do her version of a treasure hunt, finding clues rather than tokens.

Melanie is a low key solver of crimes, sometimes assisted (welcome or not) by her Aunt Peg. With two sons, a husband, four Standard Poodles, and one indeterminant-breed spotted foundling dog named Bud, the renegade of the bunch, her life is hectic but enviable.

The mysteries are a mix of clues you’ll notice and those you’ll remember during the reveal. If you love dogs and a good tale, this series of 30 titles will keep you busy. Berenson has written three Peg and Rose mysteries, a spinoff of these books. If you’ve read the Melanie books, you’ll know Peg is wondering why it took so long to get her own series.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copy of all 3 books, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Thanksgiving 2024” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen November 30, 2024. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s the editor for the upcoming Yeet Me in St Louis, an anthology with stories from twelve St. Louis writers. Her own short stories have appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Magazine, and anthologies such as The Perp Wore Pumpkin and I (Almost) Died in Your Arms. ‘Lucy’s Tree’, published in The Eyes of Texas, won a Derringer Award from the Short Mystery Fiction Society. She lives in St. Louis with Ozzie the Westie Impersonator and his sidekick in crime, Louie the Cat.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.