Mango, Mambo, and Murder by RaquelV Reyes
Miriam Quiñones, PhD food anthropologist, married to Robert Smith, with a four-year-old son, lives in NYC. When they move to Florida, his mother’s money settles them in the exclusive Coral Shores, where Miriam confronts snobbery, adultery & murder.
Miriam does not fit into Coral Shores, with its fancy women’s club and fitness center. Regardless, her mother-in-law and husband pressure her into attending a luncheon where she is seated next to Sunny Weatherman, who drops dead, face first, into her chicken salad. Soon, her only ally and high school bestie, Alma, is accused of the murder and of dealing drugs. This puts amateur sleuth Miriam on the case.
One subplot is about her suspicions that her husband is having an affair. Back in NYC, Miriam and Robert lived in a small apartment, and he was dedicated to helping the environment. Now they live in a big house. He is working for a developer and buying furniture and cars. She is unhappy with this new life where they have lots of money, but Robert is never home.A second subplot is about her opportunity to have a cooking show on the local Spanish-language station. This is possible because the station has a childcare center. In this book, wherever Miriam goes, there is childcare available. When she takes a class at the fitness center, they have childcare. If organized childcare is unavailable, the staff at the diner or the local police are happy to entertain Manny, and Manny is always happy to meet new people. Manny is left with a large assortment of people and never experiences separation anxiety.
While this book deals with drugs (cocaine), murder, and anorexia, it is a cozy mystery where Miriam, her family, and friends are never in jeopardy. The book also includes recipes and a cute calico cat named Flossie who has kittens. One is gifted to Manny, who names his calico kitten Camo, as in camouflage.
Miriam is raising Manny to be bilingual. She is the Spanish-language parent, and Robert is the English-language parent. The book includes plenty of untranslated Spanish dialogue. I don’t read or speak Spanish, but I did not find this to be a problem.
A fun cozy mystery.
Author bio: Raquel V. Reyes was raised in oppositional cultures. Her early childhood was not unlike an I Love Lucy rerun with a heavy-accented, handsome Cuban father and a red-headed Southern mother whose smile brightened the room. Raquel’s soul food is croquetas with a Jupiña chaser. She lives in Miami.
Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for Omega Cat Press books and book recommendations.
