A fresh and delicious new cozy mystery that will make you hungry for mangoes and adventure!
— Amanda Khong, Bookish Brews
Bookish Brews Snapshot
Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes
Miriam is just trying to get accustomed to having to move to Coral Shoes, Miami. At least she has her best friend Alma introducing her to everyone, until someone face plants into her salad and dies at an event. The worst part? The police are blaming Alma! Miriam knows she needs to do what she can to clear her best friend’s name.
😭 Emotional 🎭 Dramatic 🌺 Friendship Goals 🔎 Mystery
- Genre: Mystery
Book Review
Fun, twisty, delicious, adventurous, sweet, Cuban, easy-going, cozy
Ever since reading my first cozy mystery back in March, I’ve been itching for the comforting, delicious fun of another one. I even got so excited I made a whole list of diverse cozy mysteries with Mango, Mambo, and Murder included! Ever since I got my hands on it, I’ve been taking this book in little by little and enjoying every moment. There is something so comforting and lovely about cozy mysteries. They are silly in the best way and dramatic in an exciting way and almost always make me so hungry! Mango, Mambo, and Murder is a perfect addition to the genre and a wonderful Caribbean mystery (and I can’t wait to try some recipes in the back!)
After moving to Coral Shores with her husband to be closer to his family and so her husband can work at the family company, Miriam has trouble adjusting to Miami. When her best friend, Alma, takes her to an event to help get her acclimated to the area and the neighborhood, someone passes out face-first into their salad! To make matters worse, for some reason law enforcement seems to think that it was Alma? Miriam is dedicated to doing what she can to clear her best friend’s name because she knows it definitely was not Alma!
The thing that I love about cozy mysteries is how easy they are to read. This sounds like a bad thing depending on what mood you’re in, but sometimes I just love a book that I can read while kind of daydreaming. Books that I don’t have the mental capacity to be fully invested and submerged in a deep and encompassing world. There is a wonderful lightness in cozy mysteries similar to the lightness of romantic comedies. Books where you don’t have to invest your entire soul into at every single moment. Now that is not to say that the cozies are not good, they’re truly wonderful! There is an incredible skill that goes into making a cozy mystery light, funny, mysterious, confusing, twisty, delicious, and fun all at once and Raquel V Reyes does it all so well. Mango, Mambo, and Murder is a perfect cozy mystery executed in the best way.
What surprised me the most about this particular cozy mystery was the balance. I honestly believe balance is usually the most impressive thing about most cozies because they incorporate so many different moods and vibes all while remaining light and breezy, and Reyes absolutely nails it. This book will make you hungry, it will make you roll your eyes at Miriam, it will take you along for the ride, but it also makes sure you know you are in good hands. This book was a delight to read and I can’t wait to try some of the recipes in the back of the book!
Mango, Mambo, and Murder is the perfect read if you are looking for something light and breezy. There is clear skill in crafting a story that takes on so many moods all at once and Raquel V. Reyes manages to skillfully and artfully balance them all perfectly. You will be stressed, hungry, and eager all at once!
