Mystery

Blackmail and Bibingka

Blackmail and Bibingka

  • Downloads：7953
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-10-22 06:53:03
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Mia P. Manansala
  • ISBN：059320171X
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

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？

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Reviews

Wendy ，

I love this series。 The characters are believable and relatable。 Also， the descriptions of Filipino food are mouth-watering。 There are recipes in the back of the book if you're inclined to cook。I was happy to read in the acknowledgements that there may be more titles in this series。 （This is the Third）。 Lots of fun and recommended for anyone who likes a cozier mystery and enjoys reading about different cultures。 I love this series。 The characters are believable and relatable。 Also， the descriptions of Filipino food are mouth-watering。 There are recipes in the back of the book if you're inclined to cook。I was happy to read in the acknowledgements that there may be more titles in this series。 （This is the Third）。 Lots of fun and recommended for anyone who likes a cozier mystery and enjoys reading about different cultures。 。。。more

Carly Bohach ，

Always a good time and always makes me hungry！

Lori Bonkoski ，

Lila and her family are about to celebrate the holidays when her long lost cousin returns to town。 He and his partners are opening a winery and their investors are with them to see the property。 When one of the investors is murdered， Ronnie becomes the prime suspect。 Lila will have to use all her friends and family to help him。 An interesting story of family and owning past mistakes。 Love these characters and learning more about traditions from other perspectives。 The recipes are always interest Lila and her family are about to celebrate the holidays when her long lost cousin returns to town。 He and his partners are opening a winery and their investors are with them to see the property。 When one of the investors is murdered， Ronnie becomes the prime suspect。 Lila will have to use all her friends and family to help him。 An interesting story of family and owning past mistakes。 Love these characters and learning more about traditions from other perspectives。 The recipes are always interesting as well。 A good story and a surprise at the end！ 。。。more

Liz （Quirky Cat） ，

Ohhh！ It's that time again！ No， seriously， we may only be three books in， but the new release of Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery has quickly become something I look forward to。 The latest installment is Blackmail and Bibingka， and it is pure perfection。tWe're heading into the Christmas season at Shady Palms， which means there wille lots of food and festivals。 And probably a murder or two， based on how things have been going here lately。 Lila Macapagal will be at the center of all this chaos， natura Ohhh！ It's that time again！ No， seriously， we may only be three books in， but the new release of Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery has quickly become something I look forward to。 The latest installment is Blackmail and Bibingka， and it is pure perfection。tWe're heading into the Christmas season at Shady Palms， which means there wille lots of food and festivals。 And probably a murder or two， based on how things have been going here lately。 Lila Macapagal will be at the center of all this chaos， naturally。tThe odds of mischief and mysteries increase when Lila's cousin， Ronnie， comes back to town。 The boy has always caused trouble， and his habits don't seem to have changed much as an adult。 Though only time will tell。t“If you've turned up after all these years just to break Tita Rosie's heart again， I'll kill you。 I'm serious。 And Ate Bernie will help me hide the body。" tGuys！ Words cannot describe how excited I've been for the next novel in Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery。 This has quickly become my favorite cozy mystery， and if you haven't given it a shot， please reconsider。 It's amazing。tBlackmail and Bibingka bring us back to Shady Palms – an area full of local cuisine， colorful characters， and a couple of murder cases。 Like many a cozy mystery， Lila Macapagal always finds herself in the middle of these investigations。 Mostly because she can't leave well enough alone; it's an oddly endearing trait！tI love that this story takes place during Christmastime （though I almost wish I had been patient enough to line up the holidays）。 It added even more charm and whimsy to an already abundant setting。Speaking of the setting， I think I enjoyed the setup more for this particular novel。 More than the beauty contest， at any rate。 This time， we're focused on establishing a new winery， which is fascinating on all fronts。 It also fits in nicely with the food-oriented themes。tThe mystery was enjoyable; the stakes were high （but not so high as to induce anxiety）， and the characters were on point。 Oh， and of course - Blackmail and Bibingka made me crave Filipino food like you wouldn't believe。 So plan for that。tAs always， I'm charmed by Mia P。 Manansala's writing and cannot wait for the next addition to this series。 Hopefully， we won't have to wait more than a year or two。Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy 。。。more

belle ☆ﾐ （thisbellereadstoo） ，

after leaving tita rosie for years， ronnie is back in everyone’s life in shady palms。 together with him is years of his mom yearning for his return and everyone else’s scorn。 they don’t trust that he’ll be back for long。 while most of them are happy for rosie， they are worried about ronnie because he was known for trouble。 with ronnie is his winery business partners and an investor couple。 however， denise soon passes away from methanol poisoning and ronnie’s business is in hot waters。 at the sam after leaving tita rosie for years， ronnie is back in everyone’s life in shady palms。 together with him is years of his mom yearning for his return and everyone else’s scorn。 they don’t trust that he’ll be back for long。 while most of them are happy for rosie， they are worried about ronnie because he was known for trouble。 with ronnie is his winery business partners and an investor couple。 however， denise soon passes away from methanol poisoning and ronnie’s business is in hot waters。 at the same time， tita rosie is receiving blackmail letters。 wanting to keep her family safe， lila goes on with life while trying to solve a mystery one final time。 life is great for lila。 her brew-ha cafe business with her best friends are going great， she’s constantly coming up with new and innovative bakes， and there’s nothing to complain about regarding jae。 when lila’s cousin is back in their hometown and a death soon follows， lila tries all her methods to sleuth the truth out。 i had so much fun。 once again， mia p。 manansala just pulled me into the story right away。 i wanted to know all about ronnie’s backstory–why he left， why he’s back–and about all the people that followed him to shady palms。 although the strangers that followed ronnie back aren’t overly suspicious， the whole shady palms community is interconnected that the murderer is bound to be an outsider so my whole attention was on them the whole time。 meanwhile， i’m loving tita rosie and a certain detective’s budding romance。 they were so adorable the entire time。 ronnie is， unfortunately， pinning for his business partner who is engaged， as well as keeping secrets。 thus， making him more dubious。 the whole family are pretty amazing。 they welcomed ronnie back even though they’re worried he might leave again。 however， they don’t give him any leeway when he started spewing stupid narratives that will hurt his mother。 overall， enjoyed this！ i can’t wait for what’s to come for mia p。 manansala now that this murder mystery trilogy is over。 more mysteries maybe？ 。。。more

Saykrid Smith ，

I’ve been so busy and way too tired to read as much as I want to。 But I am still going to make the best effort to complete my goal。 That aside， this was a really good one。 I didn’t expect the outcome to be what it was， so that was a great surprise。 I hope to see more from Tita Rosie’s kitchen。

Aya Castillo ，

**3。5 stars** I am eagerly waiting this book and while it is not the best， it is good enough to keep me entertained。 This is lighter than the second novel， but still entertaining。 Coming from a Filipino family， I relate *HARD* on close-knit relationships， gossipy aunts， food as entertainment set-up。 I love this series and will continue looking forward to the next installments。

Ashley ，

I still love the food descriptions but other than that， the writing isn't that great。 I find it interesting that in most cozy mysteries， the "heroine" doesn't actually *solve* anything。 They just kind of stumble onto the killer who confesses before trying to attack again。 It gets old after awhile。 I probably won't be reading the next one。 I still love the food descriptions but other than that， the writing isn't that great。 I find it interesting that in most cozy mysteries， the "heroine" doesn't actually *solve* anything。 They just kind of stumble onto the killer who confesses before trying to attack again。 It gets old after awhile。 I probably won't be reading the next one。 。。。more

Ashley Hart ，

This one is even better than the first❤️

terpkristin ，

When the black sheep of the family comes back to town suddenly， look out！ When he's accused of murder and then his family blackmailed。。。I actually figured out where this was going/whodunnit kind of early but didn't really get the motivation。 At least this was happier than the last book。 And tasty。。。 When the black sheep of the family comes back to town suddenly， look out！ When he's accused of murder and then his family blackmailed。。。I actually figured out where this was going/whodunnit kind of early but didn't really get the motivation。 At least this was happier than the last book。 And tasty。。。 。。。more

Teresa Green ，

I like this series a lot。 Think photos of the food would be helpful for ignorant reader- eaters like me。 That said I googled photos bibingka，etc。 This led to a pleasant discovery of Philippine restaurants in Pisa， Roma and Firenze nearest to me ！ Obviously not as fun as Lila and Tita Rosie。Can't wait for the next book。 I like this series a lot。 Think photos of the food would be helpful for ignorant reader- eaters like me。 That said I googled photos bibingka，etc。 This led to a pleasant discovery of Philippine restaurants in Pisa， Roma and Firenze nearest to me ！ Obviously not as fun as Lila and Tita Rosie。Can't wait for the next book。 。。。more

Katherine D。 Morgan ，

My favorite one in the series is still number 2。 I feel like this series follows a very distinct pattern， and while I’m not upset about it （the familiar is very comforting）， I do wish that the author would change it up， if only slightly。 I read it in a day （yay for being 250 pages！）。 It was fun， light hearted， and a palette cleanser。 Although God， Ronnie fucking sucks。 Like， sir， become more self aware and go to therapy for your trauma。 See you， book #4

Erin Shumate ，

I just love this series！ The quick wit and twists and turns will keep you reading。 Also the recipes at the back are to die for。 ;）

Jenn ，

3。5 stars

Jessica Bennett ，

Where's my invite to Winter Bash？！ As always， I'm unbelievably hungry and mentally satisfied with the latest installment in the series， and yes， still desperately want to meet the Calendar Crew！ Where's my invite to Winter Bash？！ As always， I'm unbelievably hungry and mentally satisfied with the latest installment in the series， and yes， still desperately want to meet the Calendar Crew！ 。。。more

Michelle ，

These books are so much fun， with tons of tasty food and recipes， as well as Filipino culture。

Kat ，

I’ll remember this series as a stand-alone with no sequels

Brynn ，

DNF。 Cozy mysteries aren’t for me， I made it about 1/4 through and just couldn’t do it anymore。 I read the first in the series and liked it but this is just like reading the same book over again

Kristen ，

I wanted to love this。 I did not。 I’m not ruling out reading the next book in this series， but I’m not saying I’m going to either。 I’m not going to put it on my ‘to be read’， but if I stumble across it， I may give it a shot。 Dialogue， plot， character development- all feel flat。 I did enjoy the recipes， so there’s that。

Michelle ，

Lila and her family have the worst luck。 There’s another dead body and this time Lila’s prodigal cousin Ronnie has closer ties to the deceased than anyone would like。Ronnie has been gone for 15 years。 He devastated his mom when he left。 He’s come back to town with big plans of opening a winery。 He’s even been producing a delicious new coconut wine。His mom is excited he’s home。 Lila is cautious。 Ronnie was a trouble maker before he left and even worse he hurt his mom by leaving。Shortly after comi Lila and her family have the worst luck。 There’s another dead body and this time Lila’s prodigal cousin Ronnie has closer ties to the deceased than anyone would like。Ronnie has been gone for 15 years。 He devastated his mom when he left。 He’s come back to town with big plans of opening a winery。 He’s even been producing a delicious new coconut wine。His mom is excited he’s home。 Lila is cautious。 Ronnie was a trouble maker before he left and even worse he hurt his mom by leaving。Shortly after coming home， one of his investors dies。 Her death is ruled as suspicious and there’s a lot of people who might be guilty。 Ronnie’s name is on that list。Lila finds herself， once again， trying to get to the bottom of the mystery to clear her family’s name。I actually guessed who the killer/killers was/were this time so I’m proud of myself lolIn addition to the mystery， we have a smart， lovable character in Lila。 I enjoyed all the foodie talk too。 I made the snickerdoodle bars recipe at the end of the book and they were delicious。Looking forward to seeing what trouble Lila finds herself in the middle of next time :） 。。。more

Safee-Naaz Siddiqi ，

Given that I’ve given the first two 2*， I don’t know why I keep reading the books in this series。 I guess they are light and not terrible and written with so much love！Still， there’s not much mystery in this cozy and， once again， the killer outs themselves and there is very little clever sleuthing。 There’s only one significant clue and so the identity of the killer is obvious。 Generally， there are less meanderings about food in this instalment （note: less yes， but still a lot - just about bearab Given that I’ve given the first two 2*， I don’t know why I keep reading the books in this series。 I guess they are light and not terrible and written with so much love！Still， there’s not much mystery in this cozy and， once again， the killer outs themselves and there is very little clever sleuthing。 There’s only one significant clue and so the identity of the killer is obvious。 Generally， there are less meanderings about food in this instalment （note: less yes， but still a lot - just about bearable）。 There is， however， an increase in meanderings about almost everything else。 Despite being light， it took me a long while to get into this book and for things to become interesting， and it still wasn’t that interesting。 And the worst thing is that this book didn’t have any interesting characters。 。。。more

Dale Wyant ，

I enjoyed the mystery in this book much more than #2。 Interesting characters and some good twists。 Glad Manansala is writing 3 more！

LindaPf ，

I absolutely love this series — after Arsenic and Adobo and Homicide and Halo Halo， Blackmail and Bibingka is equally delightful！ I feel the characters like Lila Macapagal， Tita Rosie and the Calendar Crew are old friends and Rosie’s restaurant and the Brew-ha Cafe are favorite dining spots。 I’ve listened to all three and the narrator， Denise Cabanela， is perfect！ My only regret is not having copies of the recipes that are at the end of the book。 I recently listened to an audiobook that came wit I absolutely love this series — after Arsenic and Adobo and Homicide and Halo Halo， Blackmail and Bibingka is equally delightful！ I feel the characters like Lila Macapagal， Tita Rosie and the Calendar Crew are old friends and Rosie’s restaurant and the Brew-ha Cafe are favorite dining spots。 I’ve listened to all three and the narrator， Denise Cabanela， is perfect！ My only regret is not having copies of the recipes that are at the end of the book。 I recently listened to an audiobook that came with a PDF map of the fictional town — I hope t，he author considers that for her audio customers。 The entire book is mouthwatering with all the descriptions of Filipino cuisine and desserts guest-starring in every chapter。 。。。more

Mary ，

I like this better than Homicide and Halo-Halo， though Arsenic and Adobo’s still the best in the series。 I should probably buy a copy of this book to get the salabat snickerdoodle squares recipe， though。 As far as the mystery goes， a little more convoluted， and for once in this series， I didn’t suspect the culprit。 Either that or I found myself spacing out for the first time。Also， as much as I like Danice Cabanela’s narration， she mispronounces “tuyo” here。 😐 The accent goes in the last syllable I like this better than Homicide and Halo-Halo， though Arsenic and Adobo’s still the best in the series。 I should probably buy a copy of this book to get the salabat snickerdoodle squares recipe， though。 As far as the mystery goes， a little more convoluted， and for once in this series， I didn’t suspect the culprit。 Either that or I found myself spacing out for the first time。Also， as much as I like Danice Cabanela’s narration， she mispronounces “tuyo” here。 😐 The accent goes in the last syllable。 。。。more

Zolutera ，

3。5 rounded up！I enjoy light， almost campy， detective/murder mystery series from authors like MC Beaton， Richard Osman， Tanya Kappes， Carolyn Haines。 I’ve added Mia Manansala to my list。 Props for infusing Filipino-American culture into her series！ This is her 3rd installment。 I look forward to her 4th！

Desiree ，

There are some stories that you just wish you could fall into。 This is one of them。 （Well， I could do without the murder if I feel into the story， but it's fine for reading about。） The Calendar Crew。 Lila's baking。 The amazing food at Tita Rosie's Kitchen。 The characters and food are what turn this cozy mystery series into a must-read for me。 （I even tried to search out some Filipino restaurants near me， but was unsuccessful。）Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an There are some stories that you just wish you could fall into。 This is one of them。 （Well， I could do without the murder if I feel into the story， but it's fine for reading about。） The Calendar Crew。 Lila's baking。 The amazing food at Tita Rosie's Kitchen。 The characters and food are what turn this cozy mystery series into a must-read for me。 （I even tried to search out some Filipino restaurants near me， but was unsuccessful。）Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Stephanie （read_with_steph） ，

In another cozy mystery full of Filipino culture， mouth-watering food descriptions， and， of course， murder， we see the return of Lila's cousin Ronnie， who left ten years ago without looking back and has suddenly appeared to open a new winery。 But when one of Ronnie's investors drops dead after drinking his wine， all fingers point to Ronnie。 Despite bad blood among the family， blood is thicker than water， and Lila can't help investigating the murder to clear Ronnie's name。 I felt similarly to thi In another cozy mystery full of Filipino culture， mouth-watering food descriptions， and， of course， murder， we see the return of Lila's cousin Ronnie， who left ten years ago without looking back and has suddenly appeared to open a new winery。 But when one of Ronnie's investors drops dead after drinking his wine， all fingers point to Ronnie。 Despite bad blood among the family， blood is thicker than water， and Lila can't help investigating the murder to clear Ronnie's name。 I felt similarly to this book as I have to the previous three in the series。 It's an extremely solid cozy mystery， with interesting crime plotting and fabulous food descriptions， but there's just something off about it I can't quite put my finger on。 Maybe I'm just not a fan of the author's writing style。 There's nothing per se wrong with the book， the vibes are just a bit off。 Thanks to Berkley for my eARC！ All thoughts and opinions are my own。4 stars - 7/10 。。。more

Maggie ，

Love this series and author！ Great read！

Britta ，

Content warnings: alcohol， alcoholism， cheating， death， murder， poisoning Lila Macapagal is back in the third installment of the Tita Rosie's mystery series in her beloved town of Shady Palms， Illinois。 Set around the Christmastime holidays， both Tita Rosie's Kitchen and the Brew-Ha Cafe are doing well。 But when Rosie's son， and Lila's cousin， Ronnie dares to show up after fifteen years of radio sense， tension and drama run high。 Rosie welcomes her son back with open arms but the rest of the fam Content warnings: alcohol， alcoholism， cheating， death， murder， poisoning Lila Macapagal is back in the third installment of the Tita Rosie's mystery series in her beloved town of Shady Palms， Illinois。 Set around the Christmastime holidays， both Tita Rosie's Kitchen and the Brew-Ha Cafe are doing well。 But when Rosie's son， and Lila's cousin， Ronnie dares to show up after fifteen years of radio sense， tension and drama run high。 Rosie welcomes her son back with open arms but the rest of the family is still hesitant， even when Ronnie announces he has bought the local winery with his two best friends in an attempt to be more stable and around。 But when the wife of their investor dies， Ronnie is a prime suspect。 Can Lila help to find the truth if her cousin is a murderer？Another joyous cozy mystery filled with family， food， and intrigue。 Lila is more calculated with her sleuthing， having learned lessons from the previous two scandals to rock shady palms （Arsenic and Adobo and Homicide and Halo-Halo）。 Gone are the days of do now， think later。 While I can appreciate the growth of Lila as a character， some of what I love about her has to do with her spontaneous decision making。 Speaking of Lila's growth， she is more confident in her abilities。 In the first two books， Lila was overcoming a rough breakup， reuniting with her family， and depression， all of which she has become stronger for。 Perhaps I am more tuned into Manansala's writing and clues but the mystery in this book wasn't as intricate。 One of the final reveals I had pegged early on but the other was a nice surprise of a I didn't see that coming vibe。 All in all， I love the world of Lila Macapagal that Manansala has created。 And I will unabashedly read anything in this universe as soon as I can get my hands on it！ And want to try every single thing that Lila comes up with （as long as there isn't any coconut）！ 。。。more

Doreen ，

10/15/2022 3。5 stars， and I'm so happy this series is getting 3 more books！ Full review tk at CriminalElement。com。 10/15/2022 3。5 stars， and I'm so happy this series is getting 3 more books！ Full review tk at CriminalElement。com。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Blackmail and Bibingka

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Blackmail and Bibingka&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Blackmail and Bibingka&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0