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The German-Jewish Cookbook: Recipes and History of a Cuisine

Gabrielle Rossmer Gropman, Sonya Gropman and Nach Waxman

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This cookbook features recipes for German-Jewish cuisine as it existed in Germany prior to World War...

The New Nourishing: Delicious Plant-Based Comfort Food to Feed Body and Soul

Leah Vanderveldt

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Nutrition and natural food expert Leah Vanderveldt puts the joy into plant-based cooking with over...

The Rocket Mass Heater Builder's Guide: Complete Step-by-Step Construction, Maintenance and Troubleshooting

Erica Wisner and Ernie Wisner

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Heating with wood is often considered a natural and economical alternative to electricity or fossil...

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2163 KP) rated Arsenic and Adobo in Books

May 5, 2021

Murder of an Ex

After a disastrous breakup with her fiancé, Lila Macapagal has moved back to Shady Palms, Illinois, and is trying to help her aunt save her Filipino restaurant. One issue the restaurant is having is Derek Winter, Lila’s high school sweetheart who has becoming the local food critic and has written several nasty reviews of Tita Rosie’s Kitchen. When he comes back for yet another meal, he winds up dropping dead in his meal. Now the police are looking at Lila as a murderer, Tita Rosie’s Kitchen is closed until further notice, and Lila feels like the only hope of a happy ending is figuring out what is going on herself. Can she keep herself out of jail?

This is a solid debut. The mystery starts off quickly, and Lila learns plenty of secrets on her way to uncovering what really happened. The climax is suspenseful and creative. The characters are all strong. We even learn a bit more about Derek that makes him a little sympathetic although not completely likable. The rest of the cast is strong. A few supporting players blend together, but that is done on purpose, and we see glimpses of their individual personalities. We do have the beginnings of a love triangle here. Some of Lila’s friendships are so strong already, they help make those characters more real for us. I did feel a few of the themes of the book weren’t quite as well developed as I would have liked. Hopefully they will be explored more in further books. If the descriptions of food make you as hungry as they made me, you’ll be happy to see the four recipes at the end of the book. This is a strong debut, and I already can’t wait to find out what happens next to the characters.