Lila is still dealing with the aftermath of her ex being murdered in her family's restaurant when she's asked to be the third judge in her small town's popular beauty pageant. While she's reluctant to do it, Lila agrees, since she's a past winner of the pageant and she has a new cafe to promote. Unfortunately, just as the multi-event pageant gets rolling, one of Lila's fellow judges turns up murdered, and Lila's cousin Bernadette is the primary suspect. Once again, Lila's pulled into solving a murder to help save her family.
This mystery series (start with Arsenic & Adobo) is fun, funny, and filled with mouthwatering descriptions of Filipino food (thankfully, there are recipes at the end!). But this second volume also has a lot to say about grief, trauma, and allowing yourself to heal. Manansala balances the fun and the serious really well, and turns out an excellent novel in the process. I'll definitely be reading more of this series!
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