Why Did I Listen To Arsenic And Adobo by Mia P. Manansala?
I am slowly starting to get into cozy mysteries. I know, just what I need, ANOTHER GENRE. Seriously, when my TBR pile is so big, I really, really do not need a new genre. However, Arsenic And Adobo by Mia P. Manansala was such a fun read! I was glad to add it to my reading list. Of course, I am trying to get through Netgalley books and Volumes audiobooks so it just made sense to give Arsenic And Adobo a listen.
What’s The Story Here?
Arsenic And Adobo is the first in a new cozy mystery series called the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen mystery series. As the book opens, Lila Macabagal has moved home from Chicago to nurse a broken heart from a bad break up. She finds herself working for the family restaurant. Her aunties, dubbed the Calendar Aunties due to their names, keep trying to matchmake her. Everything changes in an instant however, when this food critic who is a total jerk and who happens to be one of Lila’s exes ends up dropping dead in the restaurant after eating something he was served. Lila and her family comes under suspicion. As Lila is the suspect and she knows she didn’t do it, she has to find a way to clear her name and so, she investigates the case with her best friend, her Calendar aunts and her pup.
How Did I Like Arsenic And Adobo?
I was getting One For The Money vibes, Stephanie Plum vibes a little bit from Arsenic And Adobo. That’s probably because my experience with cozy mysteries is so limited that I guess no matter what I read, I will get those vibes. Overall, I loved this book. There was so much food described that I felt so hungry while listening to it and like I wanted to try some new to me foods. I loved the meddling of the Calendar Aunties and that one shared a name with me. And Lila’s relationship with her best friend was great too — even when they had a falling out. I did not solve the mystery early which is something I liked. Maybe more seasoned cozy mystery readers will. By the way, if you are looking to explore this genre — Manasala’s debut is SO likable. Highly recommend.
How’s The Narration?
The audiobook of Arsenic And Adobo is narrated by Danice Cabanela. I can’t speak to if Cabanela’s Tagalog pronunciation is legitimate. I can only rate based on narration style. As it turns out I loved Cabanela’s narration. She voices Lila perfectly. I found myself really getting into the story and really being able to picture Lila as a character from this narration. It is 9 hours and 20 minutes long. I listened to it sped up to 1.5x as I tried to get through a backlog of books. It was not hard to understand or get into while sped up.
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