The second entry in the Caribbean Kitchen Mystery is just as funny, engaging, and clever as the first. Up-and-coming television cooking star and amateur sleuth Miriam is back with family and friends to solve another mystery in Coral Shores, Miami. As if it's not enough that Miriam has to keep finding and testing new recipes for her Latinx-style cooking show, adapt to her son being in pre-school, and get ready for a new baby, now her mother-in-law has also volunteered Miriam to be in charge of the Women's Club's annual gala. And now, to top it off, there's a body in Miriam's yard! Follow along as Miriam shakes up the country club set with some Caribbean flare while solving a murder in the process. Great characters and a tricky crime to solve set this cozy mystery apart from the pack.

Due to the numerous Spanish phrases in this book, I had to give up on it. A story without numerous Spanish phrases would have been more enjoyable. In my opinion, though, it would have detracted from it if I had no basic understanding of Spanish.


Translations of phrases in another language should be provided if you plan to use them. You may not know if these are relevant to the story if you don't speak Spanish. If you're planning to use food names in Spanish, you might want to translate them into English so people aren't taken out of the story.

In exchange for an honest review, I received a copy from #NetGalley and #Crookedlanebooks

Looking for a seasonal cozy mystery, this is it but it is also a cozy mystery with a surprising amount of facts around Caribbean cooking and Caribbean food and it’s history and preparation. The food bits actually had me googling for pictures of the fruit or even more of a description, it was fascinating - and I spent quite a bit of time in the Caribbean growing up in Venezuela. This was fascinating !
The mystery was well plotted and planned by intriguing and I felt right at home without having red the first installment of this series - even though I am now going back for it. This was so fun. If you're looking for a cozy mystery seasonal read this could be the ticket. @latinasleuths ' Caribbean Kitchen Mystery Series is so fun.
I usually stay with New England locations for a classic fall setting and wouldn’t have thought of Coral Shores , Fl, as a fall location, but author Raquel V. Reyes was able to create a cozy with a fabulous fall atmosphere in a warmer setting.

Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking publishes today, October 11, 2022 from @CrookedLaneBooks. Make sure to add it to your TBR list! A big thank you to @netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest book review.

This is the second in the Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series and takes place not too long after the first book (Mango, Mambo, and Murder) ends. Miriam is back, and finds herself involved in another murder mystery that may or may not have ties to the case she helped solve in book one.

Most of this book is set during October, so it was fun to read it during the spooky season. :) Like with the first book, I absolutely loved all of the descriptions of food and Miriam's cooking show "Abuela Approved." Besides her truly horrendous and racist MIL, I loved all of the interactions Miriam has with her family, and the Spanish woven into the entire book. I did struggle with the writing itself at times...sometimes the sentences felt flat and mechanical. Otherwise, I enjoyed the mystery and would still continue the series. :)

I had every intention of reading the first book but since this one published a month earlier than it was originally scheduled to, I took my chances. Even though I hadn’t read the first book, it was summed up so well that I don’t really feel a need to read it now. I liked these characters and their close-knit family and friends. The girlfriends squad was a hoot and I got a kick out of little Manny with his kitten.

I was quite overwhelmed with all the Spanish phrases so I finally quit using the Kindle translator and took Miriam’s advice she gave someone who wanted to watch her YouTube show and didn’t know Spanish: go for the context which worked fairly well. The book was really well-written with lots of likable and quirky characters.

There were times when I was pretty confused since the plot of the first book was twined up with this one, but at the end I was really glad to see that everything was thoroughly explained and I really appreciated that a lot. And as with all good cozies, the explanation took place my favorite way, with family and lots of food!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

I was hoping for so much more with the second book in this series. The first book had so much potential and just fell totally flat for me, but I know that is often the case with a first book in a new series so I was actually looking forward to book 2 and even more so because I had the audiobook for it as well [more on that later].

UNFORTUNATELY, this book was just not a good read [for me]. There is just so much wrong with it. The premise and location and the amazing diversity should make it a slam-dunk, but alas, no.

As I have stated in the previous books review, I do not speak Spanish. I know like 10 words and my numbers [THANK YOU Sesame Street]. That’s it. And this book is FILLED with Spanish. There are short paragraphs of Spanish. On some pages, more than half is in Spanish. The MC speaks to her young son exclusively in Spanish. ALL of the food descriptions are in Spanish [WITH no context – HOW are you supposed to know what is being fixed or what is going on if there is no translation or context? I am ALL for diversity in books and that is one of the biggest draws for me with this series, but if you don’t know the language, you are seriously SOL]. You get the picture. The problem with this is [and it’s not the language - I WISH I knew Spanish. It’s a fantastic language], there is NO translation. None. You are left guessing just what is going on and being said. Now, sometimes, it is fairly obvious because of the scene, but more often than not, I didn't have a clue. None. And stopping my audiobook to look up paragraphs of dialogue was also not something that was possible. To have this in the second book [and honestly, it felt like it was amped up even more. I finally gave up trying to understand what was going on and just went with what I DID understand. It took too much time to use the translator every 5 seconds], was extremely frustrating and felt like a lesson in futility.

And then there is the pregnancy issues. SO much misinformation here. SO. MUCH. MISINFORMATION. So many old-wives’ tales [which I totally get because culturally, that makes sense, but the author should have made notes from either the MC or someone else refuting it. Just because something is cultural, doesn’t make it true or less harmful]. Also, who goes three days without telling their spouse [OR, after a long conversation with said spouse, when they leave goes “Oh darn! I forgot to tell him about the baby again”. WHAT??] And do not get me started on her NOT going to the Dr., constantly putting herself in harms way AND not telling her boss [who finds out in a not good way and she is lucky she wasn’t fired]. It was all really upsetting and frustrating.

Along with all that [which were just some of the biggest issue I had], the book is about 50 - 75 pages too long. There was just too much filler and not enough mystery. Too much of this and that and not enough looking for a killer. It is like a regular book of fiction, with some romance, and mom’s play-group and then a murder or two just as a side note. Also, a very rushed reveal that was really unsatisfactory. Clearly, she is setting it up for book 3 [WHICH I will not be reading] and left a lot unresolved.

I was married for 16 years and I had a MIL almost exactly like the one in this book [and at times, she was worse]. It was one of the things I totally related to the MC on [the MIL in the book is racist and cruel and treats everyone like they are not worth her time, including her grandson]. I found that this was a HUGE trigger for me and spent a lot of the book upset and going down a memory lane I'd really rather avoid. Now, this is absolutely NOT the fault of the author obviously, but it DID affect my reading experience and therefore I feel it needs to be mentioned. The husband in the first book is portrayed as someone who ignores his family and it makes it seem he is having an affair, all which is upsetting naturally. Things work out and you think he will be better in this book. That’s a negative ghost rider [the pattern is full]. If anything, he is worse. He treats Miriam like she is a moron most days and talks down to her in such a way that I was wanting to yank my hair out. It is like he got around his mother and became almost a little drone of her and it is really gross and upsetting. No one should speak to someone like that and it bothers me so much that he treats her like she is beneath him a lot of the time.

Overall, I found little to enjoy or like about this second book. I like Miriam a lot less in this one and the whole “mystery” was just meh for me. I was really disappointed for sure.

Now, to the narrator. I was fortunate enough to also get an audiobook ARC for this book and that is one of the BEST things about this read. Frankie Corzo is an amazing narrator [and navigates the Spanish and the culture like a pro] and I love listening to her [even when I have NO clue as to what she is saying]. I would absolutely listen to her again and will be looking for other books that she narrates. Listening to her was the only reason I was able to finish this book. So well done.

Thank you to NetGalley, Raquel V. Reyes, Frankie Corzo - Narrator, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media for the book ARC and audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was actioned packed with so many moving pieces I never guessed who was responsible for what. I liked that this did something a little bit different by not starting with an outright murder but an attempted murder. It was hard to figure out the who dun it! I was trying to piece it all together but couldn't guess.

Miriam did make a lot of silly decision though. She was pregnant and worried about how certain foods and drinks would affect her but at the same time put herself and baby in harm's way.

I liked how she finally stood up to her monster-in law. Especially after being forced into planning the gala. However her husband continuously frustrated me as he made up excuse for his mother.

Miriam geeks out about food and I liked learning the little history behind some of these dishes and their islands of origin. I though we could do without some of the other stuff where she explained colorism and racism. That stuff felt a little too heavy handed.

But I loved reading about all the food and I loved her friend group so I plan on continuing with the series.

I read this book as an eARC, but also purchased the audiobook when it was published. This review will include some of my opinions about the audiobook.

Raquel V. Reyes is one of my new favorite authors. The mystery is fairly complex for a cozy. Having a food anthropologist allows for some really fun history of food to be included in the book, but also a lot of information about different cultures. Miriam is Cuban, but knows and shares about many other cultures and countries. I have learned quite a bit and look forward to more.

There are quite a few Spanish words and phrases used. My limited Spanish knowledge was enough to understand most of the phrases. Out of curiosity, I looked up the ones I did not know. But I realized quickly that looking up unknown words wasn't necessary. Everything was either paraphrased in English or enough context was used that not understanding the Spanish words did not hinder understanding of the book. (For example, curse words were not directly translated, but it was made clear that the speaker was swearing.) I still looked things up, since I like to learn new words.

<spoiler> While there was some drama with Miriam and Robert's relationship in the first book, but that is over in the second book. It was great to see an established relationship in a cozy mystery. While I enjoy cozies with new relationships being formed, this is a refreshing change. </spoiler>

Frankie Corso did a great job with the narration. I have looked up her list of books so I can find other books that she has narrated.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another delightful Miami mystery. I love these because I can practice my Spanish. I thought the tie ins to the first book were interesting and while you can read this one without reading the previous book, I recommend reading them in order. Plus you get a chance to fall in love with the characters. I was so happy Miriam gives her MIL what for and how to in this book and then shows her she throws a hell of a party. I look forward to more books in the series.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane for the eARC version of this book.

I recommend reading the first book in the series and not jumping in at #2 as I have. The story from the first book still plays heavily in the 2nd book. It may have been easier to follow had I read the first book and better understood the relationships of all the characters. I think if you're bilingual you will love the switching back and forth between languages. I am not but was glad to be reading with the kindle app and using the translator to help. Even though much of what was said was generally explained in the following paragraph, (some of it too general). I still wanted the Spanish phrases explained. I think I would have retained more of the language if the translation had been included right after the phrases. Maybe a good idea to enable the digital version with an instant pop up of the translation. Have it built in. My app wasn't the quickest.

The premise of the story sounded great. However, I often got the abundance of characters mixed up. And I had trouble with following the timeline of events. When I thought a short period of time might have passed it was actually a day later. The constant referencing to the mermaid threw me off as well. Made the timing seem off and was distracting. The MIL was also a big distraction. Why Miriam did not haul off and punch her I don't know.

2 stars with a strong recommendation to start with the first book. I would read more books by Raquel Reyes but i m not sure I will continue with this series.

I was looking for a full-on Halloweeny mystery and this novel does give out all these spooky vibes. Unlike other readers I wasn't bothered by the parts in Spanish but I agree that it would have been a good idea to offer translations in footnotes for those who don't understand. Overall, it's an entertaining light read but it could have benefitted from less descriptions.

This was a very enjoyable follow-up to Mango, Mambo and Murder, which was the first book in the Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series.

The main character, Miriam Quiñones Smith, is a Cuban-American food anthropologist with a concentration on the foods of the Caribbean, so there’s a lot of talk about food and some interesting background on some of the dishes Miriam prepares. She and her non-Latino husband and young son have recently moved back to Miami from NYC. They live in a snooty area called Coral Shores (presumably based on the real village of Miami Shores), because Miriam’s annoying, interfering (and racist/classist, frankly) mother-in-law has helped them buy a house there. The area is rife with social pressure and there’s a big emphasis on the local country club and the local Women’s Club. Luckily, her BFF from their school days, Alma, lives in the area. Alma hooked Miriam up with what was supposed to be a temporary gig on the Spanish-language network, filling in for a cooking pro who is on maternity leave.

There’s a lot of talk about Halloween and costumes, as the main action takes place just before and after Halloween. I enjoyed the descriptions of all the organizational work that goes into putting on a gala fundraiser (which Miriam’s mother-in-law roped her into). The mystery was a good one and there was more than one death to figure out in this story. Miriam really tried NOT to act as an amateur sleuth this time. I love her relationship with the local detective, Pullman. He teasingly refers to her as either Veronica (i.e., Veronica Mars) or Jessica (i.e., Jessica Fletcher).

While it’s not totally required to have read the first book to enjoy this one, I think that it would be better because there are a lot of references to things that happened in the first book and people who still have an impact on this story.

Warning: there is a lot of Spanish sprinkled throughout this book. Even if you know absolutely no Spanish, you will mostly get the meaning through context. Some of it is directly translated (i.e., repeated, but in English), but some of it is not.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

If you’re going to use phrases in another language, please translate them. I understood them but if you don’t speak Spanish, how are you supposed to know if these are important to the story? Some are in context but it’s nice to know for sure. Also, for a food cozy, if you’re going to use food names in Spanish, then it makes sense to expand on it and at the very least translate it so people don’t have to be taken out of the story trying to figure out what it is. The idea is to educate and promote the culinary treats of a different region and how can you do that if the readers don’t know what it is you’re showcasing? This is the main reason this series will never get higher than 3 stars despite being a good story. My other issue with this story is that it has to be read in order. If you missed the first one, there’s no point now, as the plot is rehashed in this one and the guilty party outed. Add in the unlikeable characters and weak ending, as much I loved the idea of the theme, I don’t think I will continue with the series.

This is a great follow-up to Mango, Mambo, and Murder! I found the story engaging and well-constructed. Also, I adore Miriam. She’s kind of my hero.

The series manages to honor the cozy mystery genre, while also breaking the molding in engaging ways. Unlike most cozies, the mystery and other events in this book stem directly from the first one. Also, Miriam, a 30-something wife and mother who embraces her Cuban-American culture, is not a typical cozy mystery heroine. (Though she does aspire to be Jessica Fletcher.) I really like how the author depicts the Miami area as the cultural kaleidoscope it is.


Note: This is the second book in the Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series. The events of this story build from the first book so it’s important to read them in order.

I have this habit of finding book series in the middle, so to speak. This is the 2nd book in the Caribbean Kitchen cozy mystery series and I found it delightful.
A woman who was booted from the local Fall Festival is found dead in the yard of Miriam, the MC who is also a food anthropologist and star of a Cuban-American cooking show. While Miriam juggles the responsibility of an annual gala held by the local Women's Club (thanks to being voluntold by her mother-in-law), she investigates two deaths and a series of poisonings.
I thought this book was medium-paced and it kept my interest the entire time. I did not figure out the culprit before the end of the book which I liked. The Spanish terms used in the book made me exercise my brain to remember the high-school Spanish classes I'd taken. I liked the characters and their interactions, especially between Miriam & her mother-in-law and Miriam & her son.
I do plan to go back and read the first book in the series, as this will help me with the worldbuilding in this series.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for furnishing an advance reader copy. In return this is my honest review and all opinions are mine.

Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking by Raquel V. Reyes.
Fall festivities are underway in Coral Shores, Miami. Cuban-American cooking show star Miriam Quiñones-Smith wakes up to find a corpse in her front yard. The body by the fake tombstone is the woman that was kicked out of the school's Fall Festival the day before.
 Miriam's luck does not improve. Her passive-aggressive mother-in-law puts her in charge of the Women's Club annual gala. But this year, it's not canapes and waltzes. Miriam and her girlfriends-squad opt for fun and flavor. They want to spice it up with Caribbean food trucks and a calypso band. While making plans at the country club, they hear a volatile argument between the new head chef and the club's manager. Not long after, the chef swan dives to his death at the bottom of the grand staircase.
Really enjoyable read. I did like Miriam she was my favourite. 5*.

I like Miriam. I think I'd enjoy having her as a friend. It might even bring back my neglected Spanish. That said, although new to this series, I was pleasantly surprised to find that after being thrown off my reading stride initially by the frequent use of Spanish, much of my Spanish came back to me. I wonder how much that might impact those who know little or no Spanish, however. To the author's credit, she makes no apologies for its use. Miriam notes that she and her non-Hispanic husband have made a real effort to raise a bilingual child, Manny. Having lived in Florida much of my life, I can attest to how valuable such a skill can be. Most was usually either indirectly restated or easily figured out, I'll note. Heck, we even learn a few words in Kreyol, such as "wi" means "yes"and "Mesi" means "thank you".

Fun with languages aside, however, the book takes an unflenching look at not just the different cultures that exist in South Florida but the pre-conceived notions and expectations of each. Miriam is a positive force, I should note, working to bring the people and communities together. She uses being delegated by her, uh, well, overbearing, superior-aired mother-in-law to organize the Women's Club's annual gathering at the upscale country club to bring in food and music from various cultures, something totally alien to the event until now. Unfortunately, Miriam, alas, seems to be a bit of a dead body magnet. She's there when the country club's head chef takes a header off the balcony at the club and dies. Another later dies. And that is just the beginning. Toss in foreign mafia/scheming, greed, racist snobbery, and more and you've gotten an idea of how complex the situation becomes.

Why was there a body stretched across the fake grave/tombstone in Miriam's yard? That wasn't part of their Halloween decorations. Is the vandalism of her house connected? What role does that cute little kitty, Camo, play? What sort of test does Miriam take? Is the MIL as hateful as she seems? Well, yeah, seems so. How does a costume malfunction cause more serious problems? What exactly does a culinary anthropologist do? Is it just Miriam's imagination that potentially dangerous people from the past keep popping up? Octopus? Would you like to try some octopus for dinner? What....oh, never mind. Enough teasers. Despite the slow-to-me start and my concerns over how the frequent use of Spanish will impact non-bilingual readers, I like Miriam and her crew/posse and am looking forward to her next adventures.

Thanks #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for letting me spend some time in my ol' stomping grounds of Florida. Hope to visit again real soon.

This second Miriam Quiñones-Smith book, finds Miriam busy planning the Country Club’s annual gala – thanks to her mother-in-law for putting her in charge without asking her. While having a meeting with her fellow colleagues, they hear the chef and manager arguing. Not long after, a thud is heard and the chef is dead at the bottom of some stairs.

Prior to this incident a relative of her husband, Robert, Lois, is found lying next to their fake tombstone on the front lawn having been attacked. Robert is the prime suspect since the two of them had fought the night before at the school's Fall Festival.

This installment has alot going on and Miriam is working to solve all of the "crimes". Robert frustrates me, he does nothing to shut down his mother's racist remarks toward his wife.

I did not enjoy this one as much as the first book, Mango, Mambo, and Murder, but I still found it to be an entertaining cozy mystery. I would like to suggest a "cheat sheet" for the non-Spanish speaking, to understand the interactions conducted in Spanish. I love the receipes.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC. The review is my own.

I missed the first in this series, but jumped in with the second. Miriam Quiñones-Smith has is married and has a young son. She is a food anthropologist and has a cooking show in Miami. She wakes up to find a dead woman in her front yard. She recognizes her as the woman who was thrown out the of local school's Fall Festival the day before. Also, Miriam's mother-in-law has drafter her to be in charge of the annual gala at the Women's Club. This turns up another body when attending a planning session at the club, an argument is overheard between the new head chef and the club's manager. The chef's body is found shortly after at the bottom of a staircase - did he jump or is something else going on? Then there are a few poisonings. Miriam seems to be at every location. Is she a suspect?

This was a fun cozy mystery and I enjoyed the characters. I did have a little trouble with some of the Spanish thrown in as I'm not a Spanish-speaker and only know a little of the vocabulary. I enjoyed the food descriptions and recipes. The plot was good, but a little hard to follow at times.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on October 11, 2022.

It's Halloween and Miriam has her hands full. Her horrid mother-in-law, who should dress up for Halloween as the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz, ropes her into putting together the Women's Club Fall Festival Gala. In the past it had always been a rather stiff event but with Miriam in charge it will be Caribbean flavored but she hadn't put murder on the menu.
First she finds that her front yard Halloween decorations has something added - a real corpse and she is known to Miriam. The next corpse comes on stage when the country club chef bites the dust. From then on things get very, very complicated. Miriam is a murder magnet but she also has a knack for investigating. First off, how are the deaths connected? As if the Gala and the deaths weren't enough to deal with her mother-in-law is detestable and Miriam finally stands up to her.
Aside from the mother-in-law I like the recurring characters. The setting of Coral Shores, Miami and the Cuban-American background make this series stand out. It also makes me hungry. Miriam has a PhD in food anthropology and a food segment on a Spanish language morning show. The food sounds awesome. The mystery is excellent, too. It's an entertaining puzzle from start to finish.
My thanks to the publisher Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.