Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel Reyes

 Welcome Back, Booklovers! I was barely reading cozy mysteries for awhile and then Nicole from Who Picked This Book reignited my love for them. Sometime you just need a book that's warm and inviting and takes you away from the world's problems. But I also still like mystery so getting a mystery without all the gore and trauma is nice.

This cozy was very different from most of the ones I've read. We have a main character Miriam Quiñones-Smith, who isn't a single woman in her 20s. She's a married woman in her 30s with a young child. Miriam and her husband have recently moved to Florida from New York but not to where she grew up in Miami but her husband's small hometown. She's adjusting to the new area and larger living space while reconnecting with an old friend and trying to meet people in the community. While attending a luncheon one of her tablemates passes out and is later confirmed dead and Miriam's friend Alma is being questioned as a suspect. 

She's also Cuban and her culture is present throughout the book in a very believable way. She speaks English and Spanish and will often switch between languages mid conversation which felt very realistic. There were enough context clues that you understand what she's saying. She's also trying to teach her son to speak Spanish despite his dad being a non Spanish speaker. And she has to deal with her racist mother-in-law who feels the need to show up to her house uninvited and call her by middle name.  On top of that her husband is getting cozy with his ex girlfriend and it feels like they're drifting apart.

As a food anthropologist her focus is on Caribbean cooking and she's very knowledgeable about staples from Spanish and English speaking islands. Since South Florida has a very significant Haitian popular it was nice to see that included here as well as she mentions going to Haitian bakeries and markets. She's also given an opportunity to do a cooking segment on a well know Spanish language tv station.

Honestly I wasn't that invested in the mystery but I didn't even mind it because I was just enjoying all the other aspects of the story. I think a lot of mothers may be able to relate to her because her husband is the main supporter of the household and she's at home with her son balancing keeping house but also this unique tv opportunity she's been given.