Raquel V. Reyes

Miriam Quinones, after a stop in the Dominica Republic with her son Manny to visit her parents, heads to San Juan, Puerto Rico to do some work for her Miami cable show as the festivities for the Three Kings Festival begin. There are so many descriptions of yummy food--were there more because Miriam is pregnant and craving things or did they all just sound that good?! Her friend Alma pops up as the guest of a new boyfriend, a bitcoin investor that turns out to be walking on the edge. Properties in San Juan are being purchased and re done as homes for Miami big wigs. When Miriam catches wind of an elderly man who didn't want to sell and wound-up dead, she enlists her buddies to help figure out if the two are connected and find out a bit about a police corruption case too. It had a lot of layers to follow but was a good mystery read.… (más)

Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking by Raquel R Reyes
A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery #2. Cozy mystery. Can be read as a stand-alone. Significant Spanish included, most of which is easily translated in multiple ways by Miriam, such as answers to questions or restating the situation so the phrase is understood. It’s is not a one-to-one translation but listening to sentences immediately following will give you the context.

Once again, Cuban-American cooking show star Miriam Quinones-Smith wakes up to find a corpse in her front yard. Since it’s her neighbor, she feels justified in snooping around, asking questions and searching for answers. In the midst of that, she is also put in charge of the Women’s Gala at her mother-in-law’s insistence and Miriam ends up in the middle of a second death investigation. All this, while still filming her cooking show and finding out she’s in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Lots of family interaction and delicious sounding cooking even when it’s the cause of poison, revenge or more innocent for the show or family. Most of the dual language is through her four year old son as he speaks Spanish with Miriam and English with his father. I found her “pregnancy brain” thoughts to herself a bit off the mark, although they did add a bit of humor. A lot going on in Miami apparently.
Entertaining and educational. I put together the poison clues and really loved the husband’s reaction when Miriam actually stood up to her mother-in-law.

Since several other reviews posted they had trouble understanding the Spanish, I feel it’s important to restate this:
Significant Spanish included, most of which is translated in multiple ways by Miriam, such as answers to questions or restating the situation so the phrase can be understood. It’s is not a one-to-one translation but reading or listening to sentences immediately following the Spanish will give you the context.… (más)

Mango, Mambo and Murder by Raquel V Reyes
A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series #1. Spanish-language mixed with English throughout.
Miriam Quinones-Smith moves with her husband and children to Coral Shores, Miami, a rather exclusive resort area. But she’s closer to her family so that makes her happy. Her friend Alma, gets Miriam a job on a Spanish-language morning show as an on-air cooking expert where she successfully wows the crew and audience. Miriam is also invited to an exclusive country club event where one woman faints and another dies. Miriam is soon in the middle of the investigation of a Cuban herbalist and helping Detective Pullman ask questions of the club members.

A mystery series starter that is complex and yet follows a general cozy mystery format. The most interesting variance here is the amount of Spanish that’s included in the dialog that isn’t alway interpreted but it’s mostly clear in the end what is said. That’s accomplished by Mariam answering questions in the alternate language or restating the question. It’s quite cleverly done. There were some comments or sentences not restated, but those were generalized. The family drama adds depth to Mariam’s character but I still have questions on some of the money issues. Perhaps those will be answered later in the series.
There are several recipes included at the end of the book that sound quite tasty.
An entertaining premise. I’ll probably continue this series when time permits.… (más)

The latest in the Caribbean Kitchen series seemed all over the place to me. Miriam and her son Manny head to the Dominican Republic to visit with her parents and find them worried over a never-ending list of repairs in the resort that they manage. She's only just gotten settled there when she finds out that she's off to Puerto Rico to film a Three Kings Day special for her show. Her BFF Alma, buddy Jorge, and long-lost cousin are on-hand to get caught up in a confusing plot that includes crypto-currency, money laundering, and unscrupulous real estate deals. It seemed like too much for a single book, and I found the ending rather sudden. It wasn't a bad book, but not quite the same as the two previous books in the series. Read the first two before picking this one up.

Thanks to Crooked Land Books for access to a digital ARC on NetGalley.… (más)