Murder and Mamon is the 4th-book in Mia P. Manansala's Culinary Cozy Mystery series, Tita Rosie's Kitchen.
Set in the town of Shady Palms, this series follows Lila Macapagal and is full of food, friends and family drama. I have vibed with every book in this series so far and have really enjoyed getting to know Lila, her family and friends.

In this installment, Lila's godmothers, April, Mae and June, lovingly known as the Calendar Crew, are embarking on a fresh business venture; a new laundromat. Also new is that Ninang April's niece, a recent art school graduate, gets sent from the Philippines to Shady Palms by her family. She'll be staying with Ninang April and the plan is for her to help out at the laundromat.

Instead of the Macapagals celebrating their grand opening though, they find their building vandalized and April's niece lying dead with a threatening message scrawled beside her.

Devastated by all that's occurred, the Aunties are beside themselves with grief and fear. Who would target them like this? According to the threatening message, it appears that perhaps their well-known meddling and gossip may have finally pushed someone over the edge.

With the local police making little progress, Lila feels compelled to begin her own investigation. She'll do whatever she can to protect her family. With one family member dead, Lila isn't willing to just sit back and risk more.

I really enjoyed this. It was exactly the fun-spirited story that I needed right now. There's just something about returning to a beloved Cozy Mystery series, reuniting with characters that feel like friends and solving oftentimes OTT-cases with them, that I will never grow tired of.

I'm a true sucker for this series. I will never stop reading them. As long as they're published, I'll be picking them up. It's just my kind of Cozy. While this wasn't my favorite in the series, I do think it is a super strong installment. I liked getting to know even more about the Aunties, as Lila is forced to dig a little more into their personal lives in this one.

I also found the conversations regarding why the victim came to the United States in the first place rather interesting. It involved a bit of a scandal and Lila had to try to figure out the ins-and-outs of that as well.

The mystery had me stumped. I had a lot of suspects, everyone seemed suspicious and I even questioned if the victim was who the killer intended to take out. At the end of the day, it was just a lot of fun. Pure entertainment.

I would recommend this series to any Cozy Mystery fan, particularly if you enjoy Culinary Cozies. There's a lot of food talk in these books, with vivid, mouth-watering descriptions. If you don't walk away hungry, you may not have a soul.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I'm such a fan of this series and am already anticipating the 5th-installment. I cannot even begin to imagine what sort of craziness the Macapagal family is going to get involved in next, but you better believe I want a front row seat!

Murder and mamon did not disappoint for the next book in the tita Rosie’s kitchen series. Lila is back to her detecting and trying to solve yet another murder her family finds themselves right in the center of. This book will keep you guessing what’s going to happen next right down to when everything starts to unfold. How one family can find themselves wrapped up in so many murders is beyond me. But, keep em coming!

In this fourth edition another murder has occurred in Shady Palms and this one is closer than ever.

This is a fun story as we continue to follow Lila and the calendar crew. This time their secrets and pasts may catch up with them!

I like these for the cozy vibes and the food descriptions! Everything always sounds amazing!

I look forward to more with these characters soon!

This was another cute installment to A Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery series. I really enjoy reading these books in between heavier ones. And these stories always make me hungry with new recipes the characters come up with.

I really enjoyed this book! I found it super entertaining and love all the characters in the series. Cute story with a little bit of murder.

It's the grand opening of the Shady Palms Laundromat and there’s refreshing drinks, spongy mamom cakes, and ummm …. a dead body?!⁣
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I absolutely love hanging out with Lila and her Brew-ha Café besties, the Calendar Crew of gossipy godmothers, and the rest of the Shady Palms crew (most especially Miss Longganisa 🐶) The shenanigans continue with Lila still baking up all the deliciousness, and still solving mysteries - this time the murder of Ninang April’s niece who was visiting from the Philippines. ⁣
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As per usually, the SPPD is no help, there are so many suspects, SO much delicious food, and it’s up to Lila and her her network to find justice for Divina. This one was so fun and had the most suspenseful conclusion. But don’t you worry - there’s more to come in this series and as usual - lucky for us - there’s recipes included! ⁣
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I was never a cozy reader - much preferring my guts and gore - but Tita Rosies Kitchen Mystery series has changed that! And this was my favorite cozy, foodie mystery in the series so far!

This is the 4th book in the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen mysteries. These books are funny cozy mysteries. In this book, Lila has to investigate her aunties after their newest business, a laundromat, is broken into and vandalized and a dead body is found. Is someone trying to get back at the aunties for something they said?

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

Lila’s three gossipy godmothers are celebrating their joint venture, a new laundromat. That is until a body appears. There is little progress from the police. Lila takes it upon herself to investigate the murder. I loved the aunties. This was such an entertaining mystery!

Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I am happy to say that the fourth book from Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery lived up to the magic of the series debut. If you are looking for a cozy mystery featuring Filipino culture and a strong family system, this series is one you should add to your list. Murder and Mamon gave the readers a deeper look into the “Calender Crew” and how their antics can rub their neighbors the wrong way. Manansala continues to impress with both her character-building and storytelling talents.

Lila and the Aunties are on the case again. It's always fun to revisit Shady Palms although it always seems to end in murder! This is the fourth book in the series, but each book can be read as a standalone. The recipes included sound fantastic and I always enjoy the Filipino food descriptions. Lila and her friends have opened a Cafe and now the aunties are opening a laundromat. Vandalism and murder have everyone on high alert and with a new mystery to solve. Will they find the killer??

Another win in this fun series. Manansala skillfully weaves important and difficult topics into an otherwise cozy mystery series. I've grown attached to the characters through each successive book.

I’ve been reading the full Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series and I just finished book four, Murder and Mamon. If you are just catching up, check out my reviews for the first three books, Arsenic and Adobo, Homicide and Halo-Halo, and Blackmail and Bibingka. Outside of the first book, Murder and Mamon has been my favorite of the series.

This time Lila is back to amateur sleuthing with a mystery centered around the Calendar Crew. This group of godmothers were a much-deserved focus for a new book, since they always bring something fun to each of the previous books. In Murder and Mamon, the ninang’s are opening a laundromat in Shady Palms, but someone isn’t happy with them. When someone winds up murdered at the laundromat, Lila enlists the help of her friends and loved ones to help solve the crime before someone else winds up dead.

About the Book | Murder and Mamon

Since this is a series I’m following from book 1, I keep a character list so I can remember who’s who in the town of Shady Palms. Feel free to skip to the review if you don’t need the plot or character summaries!

Setting

The Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series is set in Shady Palms, IL, a smallish town with a very diverse set of residents, restaurants, and businesses. Murder and Mamon is set in springtime a few months after Christmas and the events of Blackmail and Bibingka.

Plot

Lila’s godmothers Ninang April, Ninang Mae, and Ninang June—also known as the Calendar Crew—are opening their own business in Shady Palms. But it seems their laundromat (and the Calendar Crew themselves) is causing some controversy around town. Ninang April’s niece Divina has come to visit for a while from the Philipines and help out. Soon after arriving, it becomes clear that Divina may be the subject of some controversies of her own.

The opening is off to a rocky start when the new laundromat is attacked with vandalism. As if that weren’t enough, they find the body of Divina next to a threatening message. Was the message about Divina or the notoriously gossip-y Calendar Crew?

As Ninang April grieves and the police force (newly without Detective Jonathan Park on the case) struggles to make any progress on the case, Lila and Jonathan decide to team up to help find some clues to who might be behind the murder and vandalism.

But as Lila gets deeper into her investigation and search for justice, she uncovers some things about her ninangs that make it clear they may have been the target. The Calendar Crew has spent years gossiping about the people of Shady Palms, but now it is their turn to be under the spotlight. It’s clear it isn’t who has a vendetta against the Calendar Crew, it’s which person took revenge into their own hands?

Characters

Lila Macapagal is the main character and narrator of the books. She is Filipino, helps at her family restaurant, and is a co-owner of the Brew-Ha Café with her friends and business partners, Adeena and Elena. Lila’s expertise is baking, and she makes the baked goods and treats offered at the café.

Adeena Awan is Lila’s best friend, co-owner of the Brew-ha Café, and the person who develops the beverage menu. Elena Torres is the third owner, creates herbal and organic bath products for the café, and is Adeena’s girlfriend. Amir Awan is Adeena’s brother and an attorney. He previously had expressed interest in Lila, but now is dating Sana. Sana Williams is owns a coaching business and hosts Sunday sangria nights for Lila, Adeena, Elena, Izzy, and their friend Yuki.

Ronnie Flores is Lila’s cousin and Tita Rosie’s son. He runs the Shady Palms Winery with his partner Izzy Ramos Garcia. Tita Rosie is Lila’s aunt and owns Tita Rosie’s Kitchen. Lola Flor is her grandmother (her late father’s mother). Jonathan Park is a former detective who recently retired from the police force. He is in a relationship with Tita Rosie. Dr. Jae Park is his brother who is a local dentist and is in a relationship with Lila.

The “Calendar Crew”—Ninang April, Ninang Mae, and Ninang June—are a group of non-blood-related godmothers (Ninang) who act as aunties to Lila and are friends with Tita Rosie. They are just opening a laundromat next door to the dry-cleaning service Ninang June’s late husband left her.

Marcus (who works security at the Shady Palms Winery) and Joseph (accountant) are Ninang Mae’s sons. Ninang June’s daughter Bernadette Arroyo is a nurse at the local hospital and a nemesis-turned-friend of Lila’s. Divina is Ninang April’s niece who has come from the Philippines to stay with her. Clara is Divina’s friend and the daughter of one of her live-in housekeepers in the Philippines.

Ultima Bolisay is a member of the Macapagal’s church and owns a laundromat chain in town. She is very unhappy about the Ninang’s opening a new laundromat in town. Nabila Bolisay is Ultima’s daughter and best friends with Teresa Uy, the manager of Ultima’s laundromat. Father Santiago is the leader at their church. Tita Lynn Mari Belgea is Tita Rosie’s best friend who just returned from taking care of her mother in the Philippines.

Yuki Sato and her family own Sushi-ya. Katie Pang is Lila’s apprentice at the Brew-ha Café. Her best friend is Joy Monroe, who serves at Tita Rosie’s Kitchen. Terrance Howell is Lila’s friend and the graphic designer for the café. Stan and Martha Kosta are the owners of Stan’s Diner. George and Nettie Bishop are the owners of Big Bishop’s BBQ. Mary Ann Randall is the head of the PTA. Her best friend is Helen Kowalski. Leslie Kowalski is Helen’s daughter.

Glen Davis owns the local hardware store and has a grudge against the Ninang’s since they spread the word that he was having an affair with a woman named Clarissa. Erica Davis is his wife. Detective Nowak and Sherriff Lamb are working on the case from the police force.

Review | Murder and Mamon

The Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mysteries have been such a fun series to read along with. Murder and Mamon felt like it was back to the magic of Arsenic and Adobo—I think because the mystery focused back on the town and community of Shady Palms. I always enjoy Lila’s family and friends, but the broader Shady Palms community is really where some of the magic of the series lies. In Murder and Mamon, we even saw Lila back out at the other local restaurants interacting with the owners—something that was a fun throwback to the first book.

The Calendar Crew are probably the characters I was most excited to see featured out of the full cast. They have been in each of the prior three novels as comic relief—a mix of head shaking at their antics and fondness for them as godmothers to Lila. Here, they are front and center as they open their new laundromat. What should be celebratory turns dark after vandalism and the murder of April’s niece Divina threaten to push them out of business.

The Mystery

There were several things going on in this mystery. The first was the Calendar Crew themselves finally being called out for their gossip. We learn that while they may spread these stories with good intention, it also has led to more than one life being destroyed. In fact, many of the people in Shady Palms have turned on the Calendar Crew, and even those that haven’t are fed up with them. One of the main themes through this mystery is whether they will see how their behavior—even if well-intentioned—has led to bad situations for the subject of their gossip. As a result, one of the possibilities is that the vandalism and Divina’s murder were done to get back at the Calendar Crew.

Another thread that is followed in this mystery surrounds Divina herself. It isn’t clear whether she was the intended victim of the crime or a mistake made in the dark laundromat. Lila does investigating to understand more about Divina—why she left the Philipines and what she had been up to since arriving in Shady Palms. I won’t spoil it but Divina had a fascinating backstory in the Philipines. This was perhaps the most interesting part of Lila’s sleuthing for me, because the things from Divina’s past seemed like she was running from demons, not towards a new life.

There was more to Divina, though, than her past. It becomes clear upon her arrival and introduction to Lila and her friends that Divina is after a man. She doesn’t seem bothered by whether that man is in a relationship either, or at least, it bothers her but doesn’t prevent her from pursuing them. Not only does this quality rub some people (Lila included) the wrong way, but it also leads to some difficult situations that are uncovered in the wake of her murder and the subsequent investigation. Divina is an interesting character, and one I would have liked to know more about before her death.

The other primary thread that could link to this mystery is around Ultima and the laundromat chain she owns. Ultima only appears in the book infrequently, largely because her rivalry with the Calendar Crew means she steers clear. However, she’s present enough (and with a strong enough grudge) that she’s a strong viable person of interest. The trouble becomes how to get her to talk. Lila is able to solve this to a certain extent by getting closer to her daughter Nabila and her friend Teresa (who manages the laundromat). Again, I don’t want to spoil it, but there is a lot more happening with the laundromat rivalry and Ultima’s business than appear on the surface. This was another interesting thread that I enjoyed following as Lila tracked down information about Ultima and her business.

Other Thoughts

One challenge that many of the cozy mystery series have over time is that the author holds the characters a bit too closely. As the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series has evolved, I’m seeing the same trend occur. Each new book gives another character (or several) their redemption arc. This is fine in theory, but it means that the tension in the next book has to be manufactured somewhere else.

I’ll give a few examples of this. In the first book. Bernadette is a rival and had a fun love-and-argue dynamic with Lila. Now, Bernadette and Lila are friends and all of that fun, snarky energy has dissipated. In the first book, Yuki is having an extra-marital affair and has quite an altercation with Lila, but now she’s serenely attending sangria night with them. Ronnie was the golden boy gone missing, now he’s back in the fold. I could go on and on about this, because it means that each new book has to have an even larger cast of friends who are clearly not going to be a viable suspect, and we have to constantly have new people brought in to be the contrast to the good people.

What I expect is that the Calendar Crew—who have brought non-stop fun even in the smallest moments in the series—will now be reformed gossips, unwilling to engage in any of their previous behavior. This means that going into the next book, I’m not even sure who can be the rival needed to add tension to the book. Perhaps it will be the PTA ladies (specifically Mary Ann). The tension is needed to make the book and cast more interesting.

While I’m on the subject of things about the characters that is starting to make the series drop off in my eyes—I have to mention the couples. Every single person in one book suddenly emerges with a relationship in the next one. Some were cute and needed—such as Tita Rosie and Detective Park. Others are baffling. You could have found me gobsmacked at the reveal that Amir (who let’s not forget was originally Lila’s crush) is suddenly buying a house with Sana! Did we even know they were interested in one another? Did we see them interact in prior books? This reveal shook me!

Add to that Adeena and Elena (whose relationship I like) being partners with Lila, and we also don’t get Adeena and Lila’s friendship anymore as a duo. Everything now is the three of them. Lila’s relationship with Jae was an exciting build through the first few books, but now has turned sappy and frankly boring. Everyone has been coupled up and each new book brings a larger and larger cast of couples and fewer and fewer single people. At this point the only independent character we have left is poor Marcus, who is the butt of jokes in each book for his mom trying to set him up and no one being interested in him.

Final Thoughts

If I sound harsh, I only mean this criticism with love. I enjoy this series immensely and when the mysteries are good (as the mystery in this book is), the series shines. However, the pedestal that all of the characters end up on is starting to push the series off balance. With each book, we are subjected to more time spent on catching up with the characters who aren’t bringing much to the table anymore, and less on the mystery.

The actual mystery and pool of suspects and motives here were great! I hope that Manansala is able to allow her cast of characters to breathe a bit more. These books need flawed characters and everyone may be just a bit too shiny at this point, which lowers the tension in the book.

Overall this is a great mystery and readers can easily jump in without reading the other books. I do recommend reading in order if you do the full series because the characters tend to have shifts in their relationship and story that pick up in the next book, and may be confusing if you skip around.

As always, I look forward to the next book in the series!

Lila and the Aunties are on the case again. It's always fun to revisit Shady Palms although it always seems to end in murder! This is the fourth book in the series, but each book can be read as a standalone. The recipes included sound fantastic and I always enjoy the Filipino food descriptions. Lila and her friends have opened a Cafe and now the aunties are opening a laundromat. Vandalism and murder have everyone on high alert and with a new mystery to solve. Will they find the killer??
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Danice Cabanela, is fantastic!

Murder and Mamon is a cozy mystery involving Lila Macapagal. Her godmothers have opened a new laundromat and are celebrating their new business venture - until a body is discovered there.

I wanted to read this book because I enjoy cozy mysteries - and I was intrigued by the cute dachshund on the book cover! It was a fun read, with likable characters, some great, unexpected (for me!) foodie passages, and a lively storyline. I have not (yet!) read the other books in this series but it worked fine as a standalone read.

I recommend Murder and Mamon for fans of cozy mysteries; this is a very enjoyable read!

This was a great addition to the series! I really enjoyed this one and all of the Chicago suburb references. It’s so cool to read and know it is taking place in my state! I loved all of the cozy food and loved how exciting they were. I always love how creative the books in this series are. Mia did it again! I couldn’t put this one down as I kept trying to guess who the murderer was. Loved every minute!

This is prob my favorite cozy mystery in the whole world. This one, is crazier than the previous installments. I absolutely loved it. Craziness in a book is my thing. Magapagal needs a badge, somebody get her a badge!

Another solid episode in this series of cozy mysteries! As with all of the previous books, I like Lila as a character. I love all of the Filipino rep in the book. I grew up in a predominantly Filipino neighborhood, so a lot of the food, Tagalog words, and family dynamics remind me of home. And I was happy to see Lila's Ninangs included more prominently in this book, but I did miss seeing Tita Rosie and her Lola a bit more. For anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery and mouth watering food description, you'll likely enjoy this series of books.

I've read every book in this series and this is my least favorite unfortunately. I figured out the killer at the 50% mark which is forgiveable but all my elaborate theories were tossed aside for a lackluster explanation.

One of the best parts from the first two books was the Filipino cuisine but the food descriptions are now taking up more space than the mystery. I once praised the characterization especially for the genre but now there are too many overly peppy characters who don't really add anything.

It was also offputting of Lila and Jonathan to call the ninangs gossiping "admirable" since their intentions were good....... There were several scenes I hoped they'd reprimand them or make them take accountability or just understand when to stop. A little gossip can be fine but these titas are toxic.

I'm not giving up on this series yet because seeing Filipino American representation in the cozy mystery genre is still so wonderful. Thank you Netgalley for providing this advanced readers copy.

TITLE: MURDER AND MAMON
A Tia Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery
AUTHOR: MIA P MANANSALA
PUB DATE: 09.19.2023 Now Available

Murder and Mamon is the fourth book in Tia Rosie’s Kitchen culinary cozy mystery and it just gets better and better. I find that this series can be read as a stand alone but the series is so amazing you really should get them all.

If you are new to the series - it’s about a Filipino American family living in Shady Palms, a small town in Illinois. Lila Macapagal is the main character along side her aunties April, Mae and June aka the calendar crew - Lila and her two friends Adeena and Elena now run a cafe. In this installment the calendar crew is opening a laundromat together, but succumbs to vandals and a relative visiting from the Philippines dead. As always, Lila’s sleuthing comes to the rescue to protect her family.

I love this cozy mystery series and the recipes included are a must try. I love getting to know the gossipy aunties a little bit more in this book, and as always Lila and her pup alongside her BF Jae is always fun to follow as they investigate. I enjoy the twists and of course guessing who the culprit may be.

I love visiting Shady Palms even though there is always a bit of murder involved alongside yummy Filipino delicacies.

🎧Danice Cabanella narrates the series and have done an amazing job capturing Lila and all the characters - really makes the reading experience even better - her dynamic voice acting really captures the story!

My favorite book of the Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mysteries! It feels like Lila is finally settling into her amateur sleuth role while also rejecting the idea. And the fact that her boyfriend doesn't like BUT goes with her to investigate rather than tell her to stop, is GREEN FLAG MATERIAL.