Of you like mystery and suspends as well as want to learn some Mexican history and culture then this is the book for you. Good job Nancy!

My rating could have been higher as I had fun in reading this cozy mystery but I'm not a fan of reckless MCs and Blanche is definitely reckless in this story.
It's a fast and entertaining read, I liked the mix of culture and mystery and think that the quirky characters are fleshed out.
I want to read other books in this series.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

* Thanks to Light Messages Publishing and NetGalley for an advance copy for review purposes *

Blanche Murninghan and her cousin Haasi Hakla are visiting Mexico City as an assignment for their local newspaper. While visiting an exhibit of Mayan artifacts in Palacio Nacional, including some mummies, Blanche notices that one of the mummies seems to be of more recent manufacture. While investigating this mystery, the two women get involved with the local organized crime.

I was drawn to this book by the colorful cover and the promise of a cozy mystery set in Mexico City. As a chilanga, I enjoyed seeing Mexico City through the author's eyes, with all the colors and sounds of the Zocalo coming front and center. I appreciated the narration of the myth of Coatlicue and Coyolxauhqui (although I was surprised the main characters did not visit the Anthropology Museum). I loved reading about the outing in Reforma and Chapultepec, brief history lesson included. And plenty of food beyond tacos is described - tortas, pozole, you name it (although it saddened me that the barbacoa was dismissed, oh, my beautiful much missed barbacoa). While I adored the setting, Blanche's insistence on throwing herself into danger for no reason did not sit well with me. I was extremely anxious the entire time - people kept warning Blanche that you do not mess with drug lords, that journalists that poke too far can end up dead, that the police was already investigating the issue, but she completely disregarded the local advice. Thankfully, she deals with what has to be the most incompetent and understaffed drug lord in the country, but I did not appreciate the levity with which drug lords and female homicides ("feminicidios") were treated.

Blanche and her sister-cousin, Hassi, head to Mexico City on assignment for their articles. The first day there they go to the museum to see an exhibit and Blanche notices one of the mummies doesn’t look like it’s from the time period stated. This opens a whole ball of wax with someone following them from the museum and discovering that there is more going on than they could have even imagined.

With history, mystery, murder and new love, this book has a lot going on in such a short vacation time. Being on the West Coast of Florida, I was ready for them to get back to Santa Maria (Anna Maria) Island. I’ll check out the next in the series to see what the ladies are to in the next book.