Homicide and Halo-Halo

I really appreciated the author note at the beginning of the book. It let me know that Lila would be struggling in this book. So when I got annoyed with her, I knew I was supposed to be annoyed like the other people in her life. There was character growth in the side characters and eventually with Lila herself.
The mystery is pretty good. There are plenty of red herrings. I did eventually figure it out, but only a little bit before Lila did.
The setting of the pageant was done much better than I expected. It was dramatic, but also a good way to get to know lots of people and the wider community of Shady Palms.
The food was top notch! I was so hungry reading this. I liked the way that Lila put her own Filipino spin on typical coffee house foods.
This was an amazing follow up to Arsenic and Adobo. This is shaping up to be a fabulous series!