Thank you PRH Audio for the ALC of Death and Dinuguan in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Published: November 25, 2025
Summary:
Love is in the air for the citizens of Shady Palms, but Cupid’s arrow isn’t the only thing striking the town—not with another killer on the loose.
Things are looking up for the Brew-ha Cafe, and Lila Macapagal can’t think of anything that could break the spell, especially with Valentine’s Day coming up—she can’t wait to celebrate with her boyfriend, Jae Park. Adding to the lovey-dovey atmosphere is Hana Lee, Shady Palms’s newest resident. She’s also Jae’s beloved cousin and chocolatier at Choco Noir, the latest addition to the town’s culinary offerings. Everything is coming into place for Hana, who left her old life in Minnesota behind to work at Choco Noir, owned by her best friend.
Unfortunately, beneath the sweet surface of Shady Palms runs a bitter undercurrent, as a series of attacks against women-owned businesses in the area escalates from petty theft to assault and murder when Hana is found knocked unconscious inside Choco Noir, and the chocolate shop owner is put out of business—for good.
With Hana left in a coma, a murderer hiding amongst them, and the safety of the women entrepreneurs of Shady Palms at risk, the Park brothers team up with the Brew-ha crew to put a stop to the villain before they strike again.
My thoughts:
The sixth, and final, book in the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series and I’m so bummed it’s over! This has been such a fun cozy mystery series to read — not only for all the great food descriptions but also all the characters we’ve come to love…oh how I will miss them!
But, let’s talk about this last book. This latest installment just might be my favorite – the focus, and where the crime takes place, is in a chocolate shop! Be still my chocolate-loving heart!! If only this book came with little samples of all the delights they mentioned – yummy! Anyway, as usual, we have our gal Lila determined to figure out what really happened to Hana, and of course the rest of the Brew-Ha team is there to help, along with the aunties and everyone else.
This series has been such a delight from start to finish. I loved being immersed in the Filipino culture, learning about the foods, and meeting these characters who ended up feeling like friends after all this time. I can’t wait to see what Mia P. Manansala has in store for us next…I’ll definitely be watching to find out!
Audio thoughts:
I listened to this one as I have with the previous books because the narrator, Danice Cabanela, was back and she is just amazing. Her consistency with the voices is perfection!
Books in this series:
- Arsenic and Adobo
- Homicide and Halo-Halo
- Blackmail and Bibingka
- Murder and Mamon
- Guilt and Ginataan
- Death and Dinuguan
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