Archetypes & Anecdotes

“Books, Briefly” is back to spotlight Mia Manansala’s newest cozy mystery!

Title: Homicide and Halo-Halo

Author: Mia P. Manansala

“…while I didn’t agree with her idea of what a mother’s love was, I couldn’t deny that for both her and my mom, that was absolutely how they showed their love. That’s what their love amounted to. My mother had loved in the way that she knew how. It had never felt like enough. But maybe I needed to either let people love me in the limited way they could or learn to ask for what I needed out of a relationship. And if they couldn’t provide it… maybe I needed to learn to move on.”

Homicide and Halo-Halo – Mia P. Manansala

READ IF YOU LIKE: cozy mysteries, pageants, inclusive fiction, food descriptions, conversations of mental health, cheesy stories

MOOD: curious

Likes	Dislikes
Food descriptions are yummy and inviting!	Too many food descriptions and unrelated, random dialogue; not enough action
Conversations of mental health, including within cultures; representation is strong	Cozy mystery elements feel like they lack substance for me
Adorable cover with Longanissa (the dog!)	Needed stronger secondary characters

FINAL THOUGHTS: While I did like this book better in Manansala’s Tita Rosie’s Kitchen series, cozy mysteries are definitely an acquired taste. This one if darker than other cozy mysteries with the topic of mental health being at the forefront, but this is what made me like this one better; it felt like it had more substance. I wish there had been stronger secondary characters represented within this plot, as it currently feels too focused on the main character, limiting to a singular side of the story.