3.5 stars

This is the fourth book in the 'Caribbean Kitchen' cozy mystery series, featuring Miriam Quiñones-Smith, a Cuban-American food anthropologist and amateur sleuth. Miriam hosts two Caribbean culinary shows, a Spanish version called 'Cocina Caribeña' on the morning program UnMundo, and an English version called 'Abuela Approved' on YouTube.

Miriam and her husband Robert Smith live in the Coral Gables enclave of Miami, Florida and have a six-year-old son Manny - who loves to cook, and an almost three-year-old daughter Sirena - who adores seafood. The Smiths have a lovely home, which they now share with Miriam's parents, who previously managed a hotel resort in the Dominican Republic. A good part of the book is about Miriam's colorful family, friends, and co-workers, which adds extra fun to the narrative.

The Smiths are happy in Coral Gables, the major downside being that they reside near Robert's mother Marjory - a snobby racist who looks down on Latinx people, including her daughter-in-law. Robert has finally read his mother the riot act, but Marjory still has a hard time being civil to Miriam.

In the past, Miriam has helped the Miami police solve crimes, and Detective Frank Pullman likes to call her Jessica Fletcher, Veronica Mars, or Velma, sobriquets some of Miriam's friends have picked up. To this, Miriam responds, "I am more Jessica than Veronica or Velma. Bodies just show up in my vicinity. I don't go looking for them."

In this story, Miriam's sleuthing instincts kick in when human bones are found at a building site. Miriam's husband Robert, an environmental engineer, is overseeing construction of a boutique hotel at the edge of Coral Gables golf course when bones and a pottery shard are uncovered at the location. The remains are thought to be a Tequesta Indian, in which case the bones must be returned to the tribe, but not before Miami police investigate the age of the bones and the circumstances of the interment.

With Robert's encouragement, Miriam takes an interest in the bones, and she meets Dr. Gregory Vander Bell, an anthropologist who heads Miami's Grove College museum, which has a large collection of Tequesta artifacts; Dr. Alice Cypress, from the Tribal Historical Preservation Office; and Dr. Victoria Bustinza, a forensic archaeologist.

When it turns out the golf course bones aren't ancient, but belong to a twentysomething Indian man murdered two to three decades ago, Miriam helps the police uncover the killer. The novel also features two subplots. In one, Miriam's director at UnMundo, Delvis Ferrer, gets into an altercation with a pushy tourist, who's later found murdered. The police suspect Delvis, and Miriam is determined to clear her boss's name. In another storyline, someone is threatening the life of Robert's father, Judge Smith, who's made some unpopular rulings on the bench. Robert's mother Marjory comes down from her high horse to ask Miriam to investigate.

Besides being a good mystery, the book is liberally sprinkled with Caribbean folklore and Spanglish. For instance, Miriam's investigations are assisted by Oyá, the Yoruba orisha (god) of graveyards and the wind. Miriam's dad builds a shrine to Oyá in the backyard, where Miriam leaves spicy dishes like black-eyed pea soup with sweet potato and coconut milk. Miriam then beseeches the orisha, "Oyá, por favor, acepta esta comida en gratitud por tu guía y tu protección." In return, Oyá guides Miriam's amateur sleuthing.

The novel is enhanced by the inclusion of snippets about Florida history, West Indian culture, and Caribbean foods, which are a mélange of African, Spanish, Mexican, and indigenous cuisine. At the end, the book has recipes for Frita Cubana (Cuban hamburger); Bocaditos (appetizer sandwiches); Tortilla Española (quiche); Palmeras (cookies); and Cuban Natilla (custard).

I'm a fan of this multicultural series, and look forward to Miriam's next adventure.

Thanks to Netgalley, Raquel V. Reyes, and Crooked Lane Books for a copy of the book.

There are three mysteries in this book. The first is Miriam Quiñones-Smith's husband Robert's hotel project gets delayed when a set of bones is found while they were digging the dirt. When they realize this is not an ancient site but a more recent murder Miriam has to put together the clues she's seen with the different scientists involved in the dig to figure out who did it. The second is that there are notes threatening Robert's family and Miriam must help protect the family during their time of need. The C plot of the book is the actual murder which Miriam is in the periphery rather than in the middle of the action.

This book was really fun. I thought that the addition of a possible ancient site and the fact that there was an old murder to solve was really cool. I enjoyed Miriam's antics but I did think that there were too many characters and that the third mystery kind of faded into the background and would have been better in another book. Overall I thought it was an enjoyable read and would recommend it to anyone looking for a light and fun mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Raquel V. Reyes for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

bilingual-conversations, Spanglish, elitism, greed, friendship, families, family-dynamics, family-expectations, family-history, Latinx, contemporary, series, TV/film-industry, TV personality, multicultural, multigenerational, multilingual, cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, recipes, culinary, Caribbean-peoples, cultural-anthropology, cultural-differences, cultural-diversity, cultural-exploration, cultural-heritage, Florida, situational-humor, banter, food-anthropology, foodie, witty, Miami Florida, suspense*****

A murder, a skeleton of indeterminate age, some very old bones, and a crowd of extremely interesting characters make up this fast paced cozy mystery.
Miriam has a PhD in culinary anthropology, lives mostly in Miami, has a foodie program on Spanish language TV, is married to a wonderful husband (whose mother is from The Pit), and has two small sons. Very current problems and people.
As one who isn't bad at printed Spanish but awful at spoken, the bilingual English/Espanol adds a lot to everything. The cultural aspects are a good learning experience, as are the food anthropology lessons and the recipes (even though I live in the upper Midwest and often can't get some ingredients), and the political attitudes, not to mention learning about flora and fauna of the Carib tropics. I love everything about this fun series! Book 4 of A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery
I requested and received an EARC from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
Book 4 of A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery Available Nov 19, 2024

It’s been a while since seen Miriam, again, Covid kept everyone confined to home. But the pandemic is in the past and Miriam‘s cooking show is back out and exploring public spaces.

During a shoot for her show, Mary witnesses an extremely rude tour guide who clashes with Delvis. when the draw guide is found murdered in a theater where Delvis interacted with a woman again, Miriam finds herself trying to figure out what happened as well as what’s going on with her mother-in-law. The family and work didn’t keep her busy, this surely will. Has it been too long, or are Miriam’s instincts still sharp enough to solve a case before murderer can stop her?

I really enjoy this series. I love the Spanglish because my Spanish isn’t all that great and it makes me work a little on a few words. I love the history of the food that Miriam provides and I love her family unit and friends. Every single entry delivers a delicious mystery that feels like a visit with friends.

I adored this cozy mystery! The group of characters were fantastic, and I loved the beach setting. I enjoyed the plot twists and the mystery. It was well paced and well written!

I enjoy this series so much! It's a good mix of sass, Caribbean culture, and murder. I love Miriam's voice: "His cologne was eau de I can snap your neck." Her family, Delvis, Jorge, and the rest of the secondary characters are great, and I always learn something about the history and culture of people in the Caribbean, in Miami, and more.

One thing I've really enjoyed in the past is the way she uses Spanish throughout, in small, easily decodable bits. I will say that the amount of Spanish felt increased in this book, including longer bits that I had to interrupt my reading of the story to try to decode. I didn't love that, but maybe it's purposeful, and that's okay.

This story felt a bit complicated, with a very large array of characters and multiple crimes. To me, it felt like one too many storyline was kind of stuffed in there. However, it's still a really readable book with a smart protagonist, and I look forward to the next one.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A great addition to an incredible series! Wonderful characters in an incredible setting. This book will keep you guessing until the end.

I love the Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series by author Raquel V. Reyes! I was late to the party reading these books, which in a way is good, because then I can read them one right after the other.

In book four, Dominoes, Danzón, and Death, Miriam’s family is targeted and even though she has sworn she is not a “Velma” solving mysteries, this time she has no choice but to step in and keep her family safe. Even her standoffish mother-in-law has to swallow her pride and ask Miriam for help when someone targets her husband the judge, and they are not safe. Miriam’s husband Robert also becomes a target, and there’s no way she will let any harm come to him.

The characters in this series are absolutely quirky, fun, and loveable. This book takes a deeper look into Miriam’s family, including her husband’s side of the clan. I very much enjoy how true to life all the characters are - I feel as if I could walk into another room and know who each and every one of them are, and be friends with them.

I admit it took me a while to get used to the Spanglish used in dialogue, but the author weaves in the translation smoothly enough that it’s easy to understand.

There was a lot of high action in this story, and several times it was edge-of-my-seat, so I read far later into the night because I just could not put it down. The story was very well plotted, and the ending was highly suspenseful.

The author really does her research into the various locations she uses in her books. She combines historical facts and contemporary issues in her stories and does it in such a way that I learned more than I ever could reading a dry history school book.

And the food! My goodness, I was hungry the whole time I read the book. I’m not much of an adventurous (or any type) of cook, but I can’t wait to try some of the recipes included in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane books for allowing me to read the advance copy. I’m very happy to leave my honest opinion.

Dominoes, Danzón, and Death is the 4th Caribbean Kitchen Mystery. It has been three years, one month, and three days since Mariam had her last brush with crime and death. That streak comes to an end when a tour guide, who had an argument with Mariam's producer, is murdered in an old theater. A skeleton floating near a seawall is found by Mariam and her friends, and bones turn up at a construction site run by her husband. Mariam finds out her in-laws are being threatened by anonymous notes. Majory has been put in time-out by Richard for her treatment of Mariam. Seriously, Majory is a Reddit mother-in-law-from-heck post waiting to happen. I enjoy this series and I am looking forward to the rest.

I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher and/or author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review..

Miriam, family, and friends (including a couple of police officers) have a few murders to solve - a tour guide killed in an old theater, a medical skeleton washes ashore, and bones turn up at her husband's construction site - who did they belong to and how did they die? Fun to see characters from a community not commonly portrayed in stories, and the information about history, food, and the people of Florida is interesting. The mix of Spanish and English is well done with sufficient translation or explanation given. The mystery of the tour guide's murder is rather overshadowed by the frequent discovery of bones and the other mysteries. Miriam and her husband Robert work well together, although I question a decision to go exploring on their own at the site of a murder at 2 am. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

Loved this book. The series is an intelligent blend of cultural history and knowledge mixed with an excellent mystery. I enjoy the characters, the plots, the delicious recipes and the artful blend of English and Spanish dialogue.

Things are looking up for the Smith family, that is until the excavation of bones rain on their parade. Another threat is afoot and it’s up to Miriam to figure out what is going on. The author did a very good job in presenting this mystery with a puzzling situation with bones and whatnots and clues melted into the finely tuned storyline. The eclectic cast of characters, the engaging dialogue (love the Spanglish), and the narrative that was visually descriptive put me in the middle of all the action. It was a joy to see that the kids have aged and her parents living with them and their roles in the telling of this tale. This was a fun read and overall, a delightfully charming tale and one of the best in the series.

Good series. Love the description of the different ethnic foods you find in Miami Florida. The explanation of the different dishes makes it interesting. The mystery and ultimate crime involves a museum, and bones were found at a construction site. I would recommend it. There are recipes too.

#DominoesDanzónandDeath #NetGalley is the newest addition to this series.
Its been a while since I read a book by the author, so I was happy to catch up with Miriam and the others in Coral Shores.
It's always nice to fall into a good book and get lost between the pages of a really good book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book .

I was excited to see a new installment in this series. I like how the author used a time jump to pass over the pandemic and age up the children a bit. I enjoyed the mystery and learned quite a bit about Florida’s early history. It was nice to return to Coral Shores and to see Miriam’s friends and family again.

I loved this. It's so hard to find a cuban main character. I'm also studying to be an archaeologist so it was another thing that made me feel close to the main character. Definitely would recommend