Arsenic and Adobo

Lila Macapagal, the narrator of Manansala’s outstanding debut and series launch, notices two unwelcome customers at Tita Rosie’s Kitchen, a Filipino restaurant run by her aunt in Shady Palms, Ill., where Lila has moved after a devastating breakup with her fiancé. Ed Long, the restaurant’s landlord, is trying to close the place down, and Long’s stepson, Derek Winter, a steady customer, consistently writes negative reviews about its cuisine on his blog. Derek just happens to be Lila’s former high school boyfriend, and when he dies of food poisoning after eating “the Filipino culinary equivalent of hygge,” Lila is the prime suspect. Determined Lila and her best friend, barista extraordinaire Adeena Awan, take it upon themselves to find the real killer and unmask the conspirators targeting Tita Rosie’s Kitchen. Chock-full of food lore, this delicious mystery will leave readers hungry for more of the adventures of Lila, her friends and relatives, and her chunky dachshund (who is named after a kind of short, fat sausage). Cozy fans are in for a treat. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. (May)