Arsenic and Adobo

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala was published in 2021. It is a cozy mystery novel with elements of romantic comedy. Manansala draws upon her personal experience growing up in Chicago to bring the setting of Arsenic and Adobo, Shady Palms, Illinois, to life. She also draws upon her Filipino heritage to educate and entertain readers who are not familiar with her culture. Arsenic and Adobo won a RUSA Award and is the first in the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series by Manansala, which includes three more books. Manansala also won the 2021 Agatha Award for Best First Novel and was shortlisted for the 2021 Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery/Thriller. The novel explores race and socioeconomic class through themes of The Importance of Food, Economic Vulnerability and Labor Dynamics, and Familial Pressures and Personal Identity.

This guide cites the Berkley Prime Crime 2021 paperback edition.

Content Warning: This guide describes and discusses the source text’s treatment of racism, fatphobia, drug addiction, and drug overdose.

Plot Summary

Lila Macapagal moves back to her hometown, the fictional Shady Palms, Illinois, after discovering her fiancé is cheating on her. She works in her aunt’s restaurant, Tita Rosie’s Kitchen, and reconnects with her high school sweetheart, Derek, a food critic. However, she learns that Derek has been targeting her family’s restaurant and other restaurants. He writes poor reviews for the local newspaper and is involved in illegal scams with the health inspector, Mr. Nelson, and the landlord, Mr. Long, who is also Derek’s stepfather. Shortly after she stops seeing Derek, he visits Tita Rosie’s Kitchen with Mr. Long, collapses in his food, and dies in the hospital. There is arsenic found on his dishes.

Lila becomes the main suspect in Derek’s murder because Mr. Long planted drugs in her locker at the restaurant. After discovering this planted evidence, Detective Park arrests Lila. Another woman, Yuki, joins Lila in the jail cell and talks about Derek. Lila’s family mortgages their restaurant and house to bail Lila out. Lila’s godmothers give her a list of restaurants that Derek has swindled to investigate. With her childhood friend Adeena, Lila conducts an unofficial investigation. Adeena’s brother, Amir, is Lila’s lawyer and advises against this course of action.

Lila first talks to Janet, her high school bully, who works at the hospital. Janet and Lila end up arguing about Janet’s fiancé Terrence, who Lila used to date. Then, Lila visits Adeena while she is working at Java Jo’s. When Lila breaks a tooth on a pastry ordered by Adeena’s boss, Kevin, he offers to pay for her to see a dentist. She is immediately attracted to the dentist, Dr. Jae, who is Detective Park’s brother. After her tooth is fixed, Lila and Adeena go to Stan’s Diner, the first restaurant on her godmothers’ list. The owners describe how Derek, Mr. Long, and the health inspector attempted to scam Stan’s Diner, but the diner had a loyal following and Derek’s reviews weren’t popular yet.

Next, they visit El Gato Negro, another restaurant on the list. Adeena is attracted to their waitress, Elena, and Jae flirts with Lila. Elena tells them that Derek’s scam caused her aunt and uncle to leave town. Lila plans to meet Janet at Sushi-ya, but Janet never shows up. Lila talks to Akio and Yuki, who run Sushi-ya, about Derek’s scam. After lunch, Lila goes to Janet’s office at the hospital and discovers Janet beaten and unconscious. Detective Park, again, views Lila as the prime suspect. He informs her family about the restaurant supply smuggling that Lila and her ex-fiancé were involved in, but she explains that her ex pinned all the blame on her.

The next day, Lila and her family meet Mr. Nelson and Mr. Long at Tita Rosie’s Kitchen and discover it has been vandalized. Later, they learn that Mr. Long and Mr. Nelson were involved in the vandalism. Detective Park interviews Lila’s family and friends. Adeena, Amir, and Kevin, as well as Lila’s godmothers and their children, help clean up the vandalism. To show their gratitude, the Macapagals make dinner for everyone. Jae brings flowers and competes with Amir for Lila’s attention. Adeena and Lila disagree about opening their own cafe.

The following day, Lila returns to El Gato Negro and talks to Elena about Derek’s scams. Elena and her mother make bath products, and she tells Lila that the police searched their greenhouse after Derek’s death. After their talk, Lila goes to Derek’s wake, meets Mr. Long’s sister, and talks to Terrence. Terrence and Lila go to Big Bishop’s BBQ after leaving the funeral home. Lila learns that Janet is currently in a coma but, before the assault, she made a statue of Lila’s dog. Lila also learned that Derek ran his scam on the owners of Big Bishop’s BBQ. Terrence tells her that Derek sold drugs in addition to scamming restaurant owners.

Next, Lila visits Mrs. Long, Derek’s mother, and discovers Mr. Long’s corpse in the kitchen. Lila later learns that Mrs. Long killed Mr. Long. Detective Park brings in Lila’s aunt Rosie for questioning because her knife was the murder weapon. Lila stops at Java Jo’s and argues with Adeena. After that, Lila meets Yuki at the funeral home and learns about her affair with Derek. Then, Mrs. Long reveals that Mr. Long and Derek met with the health inspector at Java Jo’s.

Adeena calls Lila and tells her that the lab results from the medical examiner reveal that Derek died of nicotine poisoning and only had a low level of arsenic, which Mr. Long was giving him. Their call gets cut off abruptly after Adeena says she knows the killer’s identity and screams. Lila goes to Java Jo’s and discovers that Adeena’s boss, Kevin, murdered Derek because Kevin’s sister, Jo, died of an overdose of the illegal drugs that Derek sold her. Kevin was also the one who assaulted Janet because Janet helped Derek get the drugs he sold to Jo.

Lila helps Adeena escape from the backroom where Kevin tied her up and hid the statue that Janet made. Lila throws the dog statue at Kevin, putting him in a coma. The health inspector Mr. Nelson confesses to the scam that he was running with Mr. Long and Derek. Detective Park reveals that Derek had turned informant for him, and Mr. Long was slowly poisoning Derek for working with the police. Lila allows Mrs. Long to skip town, and, in exchange, she gives Lila the deeds to Tita Rosie’s Kitchen and Java Jo’s.

When the detective allows Tita Rosie’s Kitchen to reopen, Lila has a party with her friends and family. Lila vows to be a better friend and family member. She, Adeena, and Elena plan to turn Java Jo’s into their own café, called Brew-ha.