Review: 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?

• Title: Blackmail and Bibingka
• Author:  Mia P. Manansala
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Publication Date: October 4th, 2022
• Genre: Cozy Mystery 
• Targeted Age Range: Adult
• Content Warnings: Substance abuse and mentions of drugs and alcohol, gambling addiction, infidelity, emotional abuse, police and police corruption, family abandonment, physical violence, mentions of suicide, blackmail, vomit (chapter 4), death and murder (poisoning)
• Rating: ★★★★.5

Once again, Mia P. Manansala has crafted a fun, witty, emotional, and thrilling cozy mystery! The third installment in the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen series, Blackmail and Bibingka, is the perfect addition to the series — it has all the heart as its predecessors, Arsenic and Adobo, and Homicide and Halo-Halo, in addition to a mystery that will keep you on your toes until the end.

I was so excited to revisit Lila, Adeena, Elena, and the rest of the Macapagal family, and I was not disappointed! Something that I love about Manansala’s writing is that she blends simple every day life and high stakes sleuthing very smoothly. We all know that I love a good suspenseful and dark mystery, but sometimes I want a lighthearted mystery and this series truly is perfect for that. I loved the backdrop of the holidays for Blackmail and Bibingka, especially since Christmas is my favorite holiday. Although there wasn’t much mention of the holiday season beyond the events going on in Shady Palms and the food,, I didn’t really mind.

Blackmail and Bibingka introduces us to a new member of the Macapagal family, one that we’ve only heard about in passing, Tita Rosie’s son Ronnie. Ronnie, like the other men in their family, left Shady Palms and never looked back — Lila, Tita Rosie, and Lola Flor haven’t heard from him in over ten years. That is, until Ronnie decides to return with his business partners Izzy and Pete to open The Shady Palms Winery. Tita Rosie is thrilled to have her son back in town, but Lila and Lola Flor have their reservations — and with good reason. Ronnie has always brought with him a lot of drama and chaos, and this time is no exception.

Now that we’re into the third book in the series, the Macapagal family, Adeena, and Elena have started to feel like my own family and friends, and let me tell you, just like Lila I am very protective over Tita Rosie. Because of that, it really broke my heart to see her get hurt and disappointed by Ronnie over and over again. The way he spoke to her was so out of line, especially since all she ever tried to do was help him. He would say how much he loved and missed her, and how he appreciates her kindness, and then in the same breath, blame her for mistakes that he’s made and act like she abandoned him instead of the other way around. I was glad that both Lila and Lola Flor called him out on his behavior multiple times, and while he most definitely ends the book in a place that would allude to major character development, I am still a bit wary of him. I hope that if we see more appearances by Ronnie in the rest of the series, he has grown up a bit and treats his mother better.

There were a lot of players in the mystery this time around — and I loved that. With the death taking place so early in the book, there was a lot of time for sleuthing and discoveries as the story progressed. I had my suspicions early on, and while I had the correct players, my thoughts on details and motives changed and evolved as the story went on. I had a lot of fun trying to piece together all the clues that Lila discovered, and I really liked that the “Calendar Crew” — Lila’s godmothers April, Mae, and June — was so involved this time around as they’re so meddlesome and entertaining. The mystery’s conclusion was filled with high action and high stakes, and I thought Manansala did a great job of piecing everything together and making it make sense.

One of the things I always look forward to when reading a Tita Rosie’s Kitchen mystery are the descriptions of the food, and this one did not disappoint! There were so many recipes and dishes that sounded so delicious, my mouth was watering just reading about them! Among the many amazing treats mentioned, the ones that I really wanted to try were the lavender chai latte, chai gingerbread cookies, and mango peach crumble cookies — you can bet that I will be looking up similar recipes this holiday season in addition to tackling some of the recipes listed in all the three books!

For me, this series is more than a mystery series — it’s about home and family. This series makes me feel like I have a small piece of my grandma back, and for that I will be forever grateful. I’m truly so happy that there will be another three books in this series as I can’t wait to see what other shenanigans Lila and her family can get into. If you’re looking for a series that’ll bring you comfort and excitement, this is the one for you.

Links for Blackmail and Bibingka: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound