What a great book and having not read the first book I didn't feel as if I had missed anything and thought this book was the perfect holiday cosy read.

I loved the setting, loved the theme, loved the characters. It is well written and easy to read but it wasn't boring or slow. Oh and did I say I loved the cooking/food aspect as I am a foodie!

This is a book I would share and would recommend.

First of all how adorable is this cover I love it. I loved that this is set in Miami. This is the second delightful Caribbean Kitchen mystery. It does not disappoint and even if you didn't read the first one it is easy to follow along. Cuban-American cooking show star Miriam Quiñones-Smith wakes up to find a corpse in her front yard. Can you even image the sight that must have been. Honestly this book was full of murder and mayhem.
Miriam has her hands full of disasters in this one.
#CalypsoCorpsesandCooking #NetGalley

Fun cozy mystery series set in Miami. Miriam and her circle of friends and family are once again finding dead bodies. Fitting for Halloween, but not fun when the killer looks at you. Enjoy this one, which is book 2 in the series. Read the first one, so this continues nicely. Like the touches of Spanish now and then, although it helps that my Mexican husband is close by to translate. Some phrases do not make sense to him, as they are different slang, but can still get the idea. Fun story and author. Would highly recommend. Less with the mother-in-law would be appreciated.

Aqui Vamos - Back to the Cape Shore area of Miami in the second in the Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series., and the reading fun continues. I've read the 1st in the series and was excited to see the series continue. After reading this one I hope it continues for a long long time.
I was hooked right from the start! It's the Halloween season and Miriam's domineering mother-in-law has "volunteered" her to work for the Women's Club Fall Festivals. Miriam brings along with her a younger,diverse group of women to the Club - I loved that!
Similarly to book one there is a fair amount of Spanish and I really feel it adds and emphasizes the Latin mood the book has. The reader . whether they know Spanish or not. will still be able to understand what's being said.
The mystery was a solid one and I really enjoyed trying to figure it out as I read..

I'd like to thank NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and the author for the opportunity to read and review this great book.it publishes on 11/8/22

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane books for early read. Enjoyed reading about all the characters in this story. Love a great cozy mystery. Author did a wonderful job.

Food cozy lovers will enjoy this spicy take on Cuban culture and food. Following Miriam in her struggles with being in the middle of a police investigation as well as plan a charity event on top of that having to deal with her horrible mother in law, makes this read full of interesting twists and turn.
#CalypsoCorpsesandCooking # Raquel V. Reyes

Thanks to Crooked Lane books and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was amazing! I did not read the first book in the series, but for me, it didn’t seem to matter and I plan on reading the first in the series next! I absolutely loved the cozy mystery and especially loved the environment, food and writing. I loved the mix of Spanish language in the book and it was perfect for the vibe of the story. I’d absolutely read more of this series if written!

3.5 Rounded to 4

I love cozy mysteries and always look for new ones to check out. One of my favorite things about them is that despite being a series, they can most often be read standalone. Calypso, Corpses and Cooking is the 2nd book in the Caribbean Kitchen Mysteries. It's a fun and delightful read.

I absolutely love all the different cultures and food (love me some food 😂) represented here. The only thing that bugged me was the different language throughout (which was very often). A lot of it wasn't given meaning or interpretation to so it definitely made for a stilted and jagged flow as I tried to figure out what was meant.

Don't get me wrong, I love when other languages are used in books but when it's not explained or I have to stop reading to go look up an entire sentence (or two), it disrupts the love of the book as a whole.

At any rate, I still loved the underlying mystery and the friendship between the MC and her crew is just perfect. Another of my favorite things with cozies is the friendships and small town vibes.

This would be a perfect Spooktober read, especially for those who like the Halloween vibes but not all the gore and horror. I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy. All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.

This is the second book in this Caribbean Kitchen mystery series. Miriam Quiñones-Smiths hateful mother in law puts her in charge of the Women's Club annual gala. During the first planning meeting at the club the chef dives to his death at the bottom of the grand staircase. Was it murder or suicide? Several deaths follow.
This was overall a good read with likeable characters and a good storyline. Unfortunately for me. all the Spanish used in this book made some parts hard to understand and the ending was just too complex for a cozy mystery. Thank you for the advance copy netgalley.

This was an excellent read! Most of what made me anxious and unsettled in the first book is addressed in some way or another in this volume. We still get many of the amazing features from the first book: bilingual characters easily transitioned in with dialogue and context clues, mouthwatering food descriptions, realistic and complex characters, and a mystery that will have you guessing with every twist. It was great to experience Miriam becoming more confident and situated into her new environment. We really see her blossom in this book as she grows closer with new and old friends, strengthens her healthy family connections, and settles into her role as a semi-celebrity. I look forward to reading more of this series as Miriam and her squad support each other through any new dangers and drama.

This is the second book in the series and I thoroughly enjoyed it!! The book has action, thrill and just enough mystery to keep you guessing. Awesome read!

In exchange for an honest review, I received a free copy of CALYPSO, CORPSES, AND COOKING (Book 2 of the Carribbean Kitchen Mysteries) by Raquel V. Reyes. I enjoyed this book as well as the first. Miriam's poor relationship with her mother-in-law is not aided when the MNL drops the responsibility for planning a fundraising event on Miriam with scant weeks before the event. Miriam's latest trip to the country club for a planning session ends with another dead body. With other people attached to the country club going missing or getting sick, Miriam finds herself attempting to balance her work and family life with a healthy amount of murder investigation. I really liked this book and recommend it to fans of cozy murder mysteries with food/family/publicity themes.

#CalypsoCorpsesandCooking #NetGalley

Second in the series and just as enjoyable as the first! I love the multicultural influences. Also liked the use of Spanish because we all could learn something new. The story plot is solid and enjoyable. Looking forward to the next. Thanks #netgalley and #Crookedlanebooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

A very descriptive storyline with a nice wide variety of diversity and culture throughout the book. Unfortunately this book didn't end up being in my interest set as a reader but I could appreciate the humour and mystery that the author put into the storyline to make a strong likeable female main character who was also a mother and skilled chef. I have to say I did quite enjoy the recipes included at the end of the book, I thought it was quite fun.

The second book in the author's cozy Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series continues the story of Miriam Quinones-Smith, who has recently moved to Florida with her family. With a Ph.D. in food anthropology, Miriam had hoped to do some teaching, but in the previous book she lucked into a hosting stint on a Spanish language channel's cooking show. She becomes involved in a murder investigation when a neighbor is found unconscious in her front yard, while also taking a leadership role in planning a charity gala and supervising her young son, Manny.

As with the first in the series, the author's use of Spanish language felt excessive to me as part of the non-Spanish-speaking audience. Even when I was able to figure out what the Spanish words, expressions, and sentences meant, or to look them up on my Kindle, I found it distracted me from the story. Also, I felt that the law enforcement officer who is in charge of the investigation comes off as unprofessional, especially when he confides to Miriam (a civilian) that he has something on the mayor that will keep the latter from disciplining him--and shows her pictures! And Miriam's rigid, elitist mother-in-law and a couple of other characters are a bit too one-note.

There is little reference in this book to what happened in the first in the series, which would have made for an easier transition from one book to the next, and I would have liked to read more about Miriam's career as a presenter in a TV cooking show. Also, her frequent ruminations (in italics) about who could have committed the murders, and why or why not, left me feeling that the mystery may be too convoluted.

The highlights of the book are the well-drawn details about food, food history, and Hispanic culture, which I found fascinating and appealing. And as the author is a recent Left Coast Crime Best Humorous Mystery winner for her previous book, I am confident the series will appeal to a wide audience. I wish her continued success.

My thanks to NetGalley at Crooked Lane for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

The 2nd book in the Carribean Kitchen Mysteries did not disappoint. In the first book, Miriam snoops so much she often gets in trouble, but I really appreciated the passive why she stumbled upon clues and bodies. The people, food anthropology, and crazy situations keep me coming back to this series. And I WILL be trying some of the included recipes. This whole series is YUM! Also, it's definitely helping me learn Spanish.

Another great read, something sinister is stewing—in Raquel V. Reyes’s second delightful Caribbean Kitchen mystery, This book had suspense, intrigue, action, and a good who done it!

The gorgeous cover of Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking caught my eye, and I absolutely love to readFall/Halloween themed cozy mysteries.
This book is entertaining and I enjoyed it, however, I found the Spanish words distracting, and it took away part of the "cozy" for me.
This is just my opinion and my rating is not affected this.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
#CalypsoCorpsesandCooking #NetGalley

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books, in return for an honest review. This is the second book in this series. It’s a series I highly recommend. Miriam Quinones-Smith has a doctorate in culinary anthropology. When she, her husband and young son relocate back to Coral Shores, Florida, that’s both good and bad. Miriam reconnects with her Latino family, but they also live near her rude, racist, and condescending mother-in-law which is its own challenge. Bullied into the organizing the annual Women’s Club Gala with less than two week’s notice, Miriam brings her research of Caribbean influences to the food, music and decorations. During the first meeting at the country club, the head chef is murdered. Things go from horrible to disturbing when Miriam’s neighbor is poisoned, and a missing woman is found in Miriam’s front yard while suffering a head wound. So many things to solve, while also managing two TV shows and keeping her family going!
Miriam and her friends are wonderful. Ms Reyes does a superb job of integrating issues of modern cultural intersection and misunderstandings, along with a solid mystery (or two). Miriam speaks Spanish and those interjections are sprinkled throughout the book as she speaks with her son, family members or friends. I truly hope this series continues for many, many books to come.

I love me a good cozy mystery when I need a break from the hard core thrillers and this book was a great read.