Foodies, Crime Novel Lovers, and Filipino Americans, rejoice. Arsenic and Adobo is a  suspense-filled story about a college-aged Filipino woman named Lila who returns to her hometown to help her family’s restaurant business, only for her ex-boyfriend to die in said restaurant while interacting with her. Not an ideal situation. Since law enforcement is treating Lila as the only suspect, she and her best friend Adeena begin their own investigation into who killed her ex and why, in order to save her family’s restaurant. 

Lila’s ex-boyfriend Derek also happened to be a food critic who was notorious for writing bad reviews of her family’s restaurant, as well as other local spots in her hometown of Shady Palms. Having moved back home after a horrible breakup, she has quite a bit to catch up on – for example, the fact that Derek’s stepfather is also Tita Rosie’s landlord and owner of the building that houses the restaurant, and the person in charge of leading the investigation happens to be a well-known drug buster. All evidence found during the investigations following the incident point to Lila being the murderer. If she doesn’t solve the case, she might go to jail and her family’s business will shut down for good. 

This debut novel from Mia P. Manansala is well-paced, has relatable characters, and is heavily sprinkled with food references and recipes. Readers of any ethnic background will appreciate the overall vibe of Lila’s family dynamic and Tita Rosie’s restaurant. Arsenic and Adobo has nosy and match-making aunties, cooks who find comfort in feeding people, and name-dropping when it comes to food ingredients (I’m assuming anyone of Filipino descent will recognize most if not all of the recipes touched upon in the story). These familiar elements will resonate with anyone who understands family obligations and expectations. The food descriptions might even make your mouth water.

Manansala provides a pronunciation and translation guide at the beginning of the novel, and a few authentic Filipino recipes at the end. Not being very familiar with the Filipino culture, I appreciated these tidbits of knowledge to help me along (even if I became frustrated that I couldn’t eat the food I was reading about). Arsenic and Adobo fills the void of Filipino representation in literature through her use of Tagalog, family traditions, and food. 

And yet, Manansala still somehow finds a way to satisfy those who love a good crime-solving novel. I tried to put the pieces together as Lila worked through her network of high school classmates, crushes, a possible new love interest, and fellow restaurant owners. Every interaction left me on the edge of my seat, hoping to find useful information that might lead to solving the crime. By the end, I wanted more of Lila, Tita Rosie, and the rest of her family – but I’m grateful that this novel is slated to be the start of a series. 

Mia P. Manansala made time to be a guest on an upcoming Cantina Conversation. We discuss how her Filipino heritage fueled her ideas for her story and what her love of food and cooking adds to the crime-fiction genre. Keep a look out for the interview and pre-order Arsenic and Adobo, which releases on May 4.