Join Angela and Marta for their discussion of popular cozy mystery novel, Mango, Mambo, and Murder (A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery Book One) by Raquel V. Reyes 🔎

ABOUT THE BOOK

Cuban-American cooking show star Miriam Quinones-Smith becomes a seasoned sleuth in Raquel Reyes's Caribbean Kitchen Mystery debut, a savory treat for fans of Joanne Fluke and Jenn McKinlay.

Food anthropologist Miriam Quinones-Smith's move from New York to Coral Shores, Miami, is traumatic enough without having to deal with her son's toddler tantrums and her husband's midlife crisis. Her best friend, Alma, adds some spice back into Miriam's life when she offers her a job as an on-air cooking expert on a Spanish-language morning TV show. But when the newly minted star attends a Women's Club luncheon, a socialite sitting at her table suddenly falls face-first into the chicken salad, never to nibble again.

When a second woman dies soon after, suspicions coalesce around a controversial Cuban herbalist, Dr. Fuentes--especially after the morning show's host collapses while interviewing him. But then, Detective Pullman learns that the socialite's death resulted from a drug overdose--and an anonymous tip fingers Alma as the pusher.

Pullman persuades Miriam to ply her culinary know-how and her understanding of Coral Shores's Caribbean culture to help find the killer and clear Alma's name. While her hubby dallies with his ex-girlfriend, Juliet, Miriam quizzes her neighbors for answers and researches all manner of herbs.

As the ingredients to the deadly scheme begin blending together, Miriam is on the verge of learning how and why the women died. But her snooping may turn out to be a recipe for her own murder.

GoodReads Page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56706291-mango-mambo-and-murder

MARTA'S LINKTREE: https://linktr.ee/wordhoundwriter

ANGELA'S LINKTREE: https://linktr.ee/angelamariahart

THE COZY MYSTERY BOOK CLUB'S LINKTREE: https://linktr.ee/cozymysteryclub

Do you love the Scottish Shire mystery series? The Cozy Mystery Book Club read book one in the series, Murder in a Scottish Shire, and loved it! Enjoy my conversation with the talented and prolific cozy author, Traci Hall.

In the Interview We Discuss:

🔎 How to Write as a Duo

🔎 Creating a Long Running Cozy Mystery Series

🔎 Finding Your Writing Tribe

🔎 Lack of a Love Life (in a Cozy Mystery)

🔎 Book Boyfriend Material

🔎 Movie-Inspiration (Creating Cozy Characters)

🔎 New Ideas

ABOUT TRACI HALL

My favorite part of writing is coming up with a story idea and then fleshing it out until there is a brand new world–-with characters that could be people you’d hang out with. Real issues, even in a fictional setting, need to resonate with the reader and I love mixing it all together. History with a romantic twist, add female guards and hot, sexy knights/nights :). An ancient curse? Even better! Or maybe you’d prefer sensual contemporary romance that takes place in a small town by the sea, where hearts are healed and love rekindled. Sand, sun and true love. Or how about the wild frontier of the Pacific Northwest? Gold mines, silver guns, emerald rivers. If young adult is more your style, I’ve got boys in trouble, girls in trouble, or a teenage scientific prodigy raised in a Wiccan environment who blames the full moon for her problems. When it comes right down to it, the characters are what drive the tale. They keep us up at night to read Just One More Page…

Fun Fact: Traci Hall also writes as Traci Wilton and Ellie Brannigan.

Traci's Website: https://www.tracihall.com/

Angela's Website: https://angelamariahart.com/

The Cozy Mystery Book Club's Website: https://thecozymysterybookclub.com/

Have you read Murder, She Knit? Then you need to listen to my interview with the Knit & Nibble creator, Peggy Ehrhart. Learn about Peggy's cozy writing process, crafting the perfect victim, writing an ongoing cozy mystery series, and all sorts of knitting fun.

ABOUT PEGGY

Peggy Ehrhart is a former English professor with a doctorate in Medieval Literature. Her Maxx Maxwell mysteries, Sweet Man Is Gone (2008) and Got No Friend Anyhow (2011), were published by Five Star/Gale/Cengage and feature a blues-singer sleuth.

Peggy is currently writing the Knit & Nibble mysteries for Kensington Books. Her amateur sleuth, Pamela Paterson, is the founder and mainstay of the Arborville, New Jersey, knitting club, nicknamed Knit and Nibble. Knit & Nibble #11, A Dark and Stormy Knit, was an August 2024 release; An Irish Recipe for Murder appears in Kensington’s 2025 St. Patrick’s Day novella anthology, Irish Soda Bread Murder; and Last Wool and Testament is due out in May 2025.

Peggy's Website: https://peggyehrhart.com/

Angela's Website: https://angelamariahart.com/

The Cozy Mystery Book Club's Website: https://thecozymysterybookclub.com/