"Sleuthing was harder than I'd anticipated. What would Jessica Fletcher do if she were in my position? I thought about the hours and hours of 'Murder She Wrote' episodes that I'd watched with my mom. Angela Lansbury made it look so easy."

      -Miriam, from the novel
 

I selected this book because I was intrigued by the title, but I didn't know if I was going to like it at first. It didn't take long to get involved in the story and develop a fondness for the main character, Miriam---Dr. Miriam Quinones-Smith, a food anthropologist.

A Cuban American, Miriam has recently returned from New York to Miami with her husband Robert and young son Manny. She has reunited with her best friend, Alma, another very likeable character. Miriam is cursed with a xenophobic mother-in-law whom Miriam calls "bruja," witch; the woman is sure to let Miriam know she is not good enough for her son. After being introduced to some of the young women in Alma's circle, including yoga and "mambocize" classes, she is offered a TV spot featuring Caribbean cuisine. (Mambocize was an interesting portmanteau to this long-time Jazzerciser!) 

Within this new circle of acquaintances, a couple of mysterious murders are committed. When Alma is suspected of being involved and is arrested, Miriam becomes a sleuth in her efforts to clear her friend's name. Her investigation is conducted while she is worried her husband is having an affair with a former girlfriend with whom he has reconnected.

I enjoyed the humor in the novel and the challenge of translating the Spanish phrases sprinkled liberally throughout plus always trying to guess "who dunnit"! At the end of the book, the author includes recipes, appropriate for this debut series, Caribbean Kitchen Mysteries. I liked Mango, Mambo and Murder; it gets a 4 rating from me. I recommended it to a friend who knows Spanish and likes murder mysteries that don't get too intense. I will likely read another in the series sometime.