Autumn is in full swing for the town of Shady Palms—the perfect time for warm drinks, cozy cardigans, and…dead bodies?
The annual Shady Palms Corn Festival is one of the town’s biggest moneymakers, drawing crowds from all over the Midwest looking to partake in delicious treats, local crafts, and of course, the second largest corn maze in Illinois. Lila Macapagal and her Brew-ha Cafe crew, Adeena Awan and Elena Torres, are all too happy to participate in the event and even make a little wager on who can make it through the corn maze the fastest—but their fun is suddenly cut short when a dead body is found in the middle of the maze…and an unconscious Adeena lies next to it, clutching a bloody knife.
The body is discovered to be a local politician’s wife, and all signs—murder weapon included—point to Adeena as the culprit. But Lila knows her best friend couldn’t have done this, so she and her crew put on their sleuthing caps yet again to find the killer who framed Adeena and show them what happens when they mess with a Brew-ha…
Release Date: Nov 12, 2024
Series: Tita Rosie’s Kitchen
Book:Â 5
Publisher:Â Penguin Group
Imprint:Â BerkleyÂ
Price: $12.99
Lila Macapagal and her friends and business partners Adeena Awan and Elena Torres are excited that their cafe will have a booth at the Shady Palms Corn Festival. They’re hoping to draw attention and new customers to the Brew-ha Cafe through the delectable foods and drinks they’re offering there. During a break from their hard work, the friends explore the corn maze where Adeena discovers the body of Yvonne, who is the wife of a neighboring town’s mayor. Adeena is then found unconscious holding the murder weapon, and understandably becomes the prime suspect. Lila and Elena, who is Adeena’s girlfriend, won’t stop until they find the real killer and prove Adeen’s innocence.
Guilt and Ginataan is the fifth book in the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series featuring a Filipino-American family living in a small town outside Chicago. Several different Filipino dishes are mentioned in the story and some of the recipes can be found at the end of the book. In spite of the name of the series, Lila is the main character of the book. Her aunt Rosie is one of my favorite characters, but unfortunately she barely makes an appearance this time. Lila and her boyfriend Dr. Jae Park, a successful dentist, make a great couple.
In this book, there are tensions between Lila and Elena since both want to be the one to help Adeena. Throughout the book, Lila feels like a third wheel around the couple and at times this affects the investigation. I’m glad their feelings were eventually addressed but was disappointed that we found out the three women had talked instead of being a part of that conversation since we had read so much about the conflicts.
The investigation itself held my interest with plenty of red herrings and a solution that was hinted at, but that I didn’t expect. I don’t always like how Lila’s relatives disrespect her and make comments about her weight, but that has been toned down as the series has progressed. If you enjoy this author, then you will like the latest installment in this series.
~ Christine
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