The appeal of this book is less the mystery and more the setting. Cuba in the early 2000s is a dark place, and that atmosphere permeates the story. Dovalpage captures the paradoxes of life on an island paradise under an oppressive rule.

It was nice to read a murder mystery that was smart and represented other cultures honestly, and not in a typical, cheesy, or stereotypical manner. I did not complete the book, but it was still enjoyable - just not entirely my cup of tea.

Loved the food blog and recipes aspect. Made me want to visit Cuba as a foodie destination. Such an interesting peek into Cuban culture and life as seen through native Cubans and tourist.

Death comes in through the Kitchen is a somewhat nontraditional mystery set in Cuba in 2003. I chose this book because of the unique setting and I enjoyed reading about Cuba, a place I know very little about. The book was well-written, with the story told from several character's points of view. That is a bit different for a mystery. Unfortunately I didn't really like any of the characters and that is key for me in enjoying a story. The quality of this book was very good but the style was just not to my taste. It might be a good match for readers that enjoy unique settings or that like culinary mysteries. In fact, as it is not written in the normal mystery genre style, it may be a good match for someone that doesn't typically read mysteries.

I loved the recipes , Cuban culture references, and Yarmila's blog posts but I didn't care for the other characters. Thanks to Soho Press for an ARC of this title via NetGalley.

As someone who has spent time in Cuba, I thoroughly enjoyed this solid novel,, more for the atmosphere than the mystery. The writing is right on, the tone is entertaining, and the atmosphere is intoxicating and bang on. I really enjoyed this fantastic novel, and very happy to hand sell and recommend.

Death Comes in Through the Kitchen was disappointing. The fish out of water American in Cuba could have been much more interesting. The murder mystery could have been more compelling. It was a slog to read this book through to the end - the characters were unlikable and unsympathetic and the action often got bogged down by minutiae. What kept me going were the few and far between moments where I felt like I was in Cuba with the characters.

Stupid San Diego journalist gets involved in a virtual relationship with a Cuban food blogger and thinks he is going to marry her. He arrives in Cuba with a wedding dress. She doesn't meet him at the airport, and when he arrives at her place, she's dead. The story goes downhill from there. The Cuban authorities think he's a government spy. He discovers his beloved is also seeing another man. He has no rights because he's in Cuba during a time before the United States resumed relations with the country. The dead girl is not who she appeared to be. The book falls flat, fails to engage the reader, and wastes paper or bandwidth. I received an advance reader's copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and that is the only reason I kept reading it.