Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia P. Manansala
When her long lost cousin comes back to town just in time for the holidays, Lila Macapagal knows that big trouble can’t be far behind in this new mystery by Mia P. Manansala, author of Arsenic and Adobo.
It’s Christmastime in Shady Palms, but things are far from jolly for Lila Macapagal. Sure, her new business, The Brew-ha Cafe, is looking to turn a profit in its first year. And yes, she’s taken the first step in a new romance with her good friend, Jae Park. But her cousin Ronnie is back in town after ghosting the family fifteen years ago, claiming that his recent purchase of a local winery shows that he’s back on his feet and ready to give back to the Shady Palms community. Tita Rosie is thrilled with the return of her prodigal son, but Lila knows that wherever Ronnie goes, trouble follows.
She’s soon proven right when Ronnie is accused of murder, and secrets and rumors surrounding her shady cousin and those involved with the winery start piling up. Now Lila has to put away years of resentment and distrust to prove her cousin’s innocence. He may be a jerk, but he’s still family. And there’s no way her flesh and blood could actually be a murderer…right?
This is book three so there could be spoilers from the first two books below. I do think it could be read as a standalone, but is better as a series.
I’m quickly making my way through this series but book five doesn’t come out for awhile. I’m just having fun reading these. Even with some more serious topics, I find them mostly light and easy. In this book, Lila’s cousin Ronnie is back. It’s been over ten years since he left and hasn’t talked to anyone. He shows up with business partners and they have purchased the local winery. One of the people gets murdered after drinking wine and it makes Ronnie the prime suspect. As much as he pisses Lila off, he’s still family and she wants to help. She gets to know all the new people better, but she also knows the killer could be any of them. Lila finds out a huge secret of Ronnie’s while investigating.
I gave this book 4 stars.
Have you read this? Is it on your TBR?
