Five Mango Smoothies for Mango, Mambo, and Murder

Mango, Mambo, and Murder, the first book in Raquel V. Reyes's new Caribbean Kitchen cozy mystery series, is an absolute delicious delight, introducing readers to food anthropologist, mother, and amateur sleuth, Miriam Quinones-Smith. Miriam, her husband, and their young son, Manny, have just moved from their home in New York to Coral Shores, Miami, nearer to her husband's family and her best friend, Alma. Miriam has enough on her plate as she attempts to raise her son, navigate her mother-in-law's microaggressions, deal with her husband's strange and suspicious behavior, and find some footing in her new home. An already stressful phase of her life is thrown into chaos when a couple of young socialites in Coral Shores drop dead and the cops start to suspect Alma.

This book is a true joy. Miriam is smart and capable. Alma is bright and fun-loving. Coral Shores is full of colorful characters from the obnoxious (Miriam's mother in law) to the lovable (Miriam's new friend Piper). There is the major mystery (why are all these 30-year-olds dropping dead) but that's paired with some personal mysteries as well (why did Miriam's father forbid her from speaking to her cousin years ago? what is going on with Miriam's husband and why does he keep hanging out with Coral Shores' mean-girl Juliet?). The book, much like Miriam, Alma, Manny, and a handful of other characters, is bilingual with chunks of the dialogue written in Spanish. The descriptions were vibrant and I often felt like I was right there with the characters.

Mango, Mambo, and Murder has many of the hallmarks of a good cozy mystery: a small town "everyone knows everyone" feel, a protagonist who is new in town/back in town, a talented chef (and some of that chef's recipes), extremely close friends (one of whom gets accused of murder leaving the other to prove her innocence), a detective who inexplicably gives a lot of information to a lay-person, and even a cat! MM&M subverts the genre in key ways, though. The cast of characters is truly diverse in a genre overpopulated by primarily white authors and characters. Miriam has a husband and while there is some interpersonal conflict there, our protagonist doesn't have budding attractions to a man (or multiple men) in town and there isn't the threat of a love triangle. The cops in this town, too, aren't bumbling behind the amateur detective, leaving her to fumble her way into a life-threatening situation.

I found this book truly delightful. On a personal note, I sometimes struggle with cozy mysteries because, as much as the genre may appeal to me, the books are often rife with microaggressions of their own. Many times, I have found myself initially drawn to a character and narration, only to be very disappointed when the (few and far between) minority characters are stereotyped, the queer characters are written with a mocking hand, and the protagonist clearly favors a feminine ideal. In a genre that, so often, upholds the white, heterosexist, patriarchy, Mango, Mambo, and Murder is a refreshing change of pace.