Death and Dinuguan
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Love is in the air for the citizens of Shady Palms, but Cupid’s arrow isn’t the only thing striking the town—not with another killer on the loose.
Things are looking up for the Brew-ha Cafe, and Lila Macapagal can’t think of anything that could break the spell, especially with Valentine’s Day coming up—she can’t wait to celebrate with her boyfriend, Jae Park. Adding to the lovey-dovey atmosphere is Hana Lee, Shady Palms’s newest resident. She’s also Jae’s beloved cousin and chocolatier at Choco Noir, the latest addition to the town’s culinary offerings. Everything is coming into place for Hana, who left her old life in Minnesota behind to work at Choco Noir, owned by her best friend.
Unfortunately, beneath the sweet surface of Shady Palms runs a bitter undercurrent, as a series of attacks against women-owned businesses in the area escalates from petty theft to assault and murder when Hana is found knocked unconscious inside Choco Noir, and the chocolate shop owner is put out of business—for good.
With Hana left in a coma, a murderer hiding amongst them, and the safety of the women entrepreneurs of Shady Palms at risk, the Park brothers team up with the Brew-ha crew to put a stop to the villain before they strike again.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Manansala misses the mark with the final installment of her cozy series featuring Illinois café owner Lila Macapagal (after Guilt and Ginataan). A series of robberies in the Chicago suburb of Shady Pines have targeted the town's female-owned businesses, making Lila and her colleagues at the Brew-ha Cafe fear it's only a matter of time until they're victimized. The stakes increase after the robbers hit candy shop Choco Noir, killing the store's owner and leaving new employee Hana Lee—the cousin of Lila's boyfriend, Dr. Jae Park—in a coma. The police mount a cursory investigation, but Lila calls Jae's older brother, private detective Jonathan Park (who happens to be dating Lila's aunt, Tita Rosie), to help her unravel the mystery. Manansala's cast remains charming, and the recipes for dinuguan and Mexican hot chocolate fudge are easy to follow, but the pace is lethally meandering this time, even for a cozy. Die-hard series fans will enjoy their last hurrah with these characters, but this is a step down from the previous books.
