About the Book
When murder mars the grand opening for Lila Macapagal’s aunties’ new laundromat, she will have to air out all the dirty laundry in Shady Palms to catch a killer…
Lila Macapagal’s godmothers April, Mae, and June—AKA the Calendar Crew—are celebrating the opening of their latest joint business venture, a new laundromat, to much fanfare (and controversy). However, what should’ve been a joyous occasion quickly turns into a tragedy when they discover the building has been vandalized—and the body of Ninang April’s niece, recently arrived from the Philippines, next to a chilling message painted on the floor. The question is, was the message aimed at the victim or Lila’s gossipy godmothers, who have not-so-squeaky-clean reputations?
With Ninang April falling apart from grief and little progress from the Shady Palms Police Department in this slippery case, it’s up to Lila and her network to find justice for the young woman.
The Calendar Crew have stuck their noses into everybody’s business for years, but now the tables are turned as Lila must pry into the Calendar Crew’s lives to figure out who has a vendetta against the (extremely opinionated yet loving) aunties and stop them before they strike again.
My Review
I have also read the second book in this series, and while it wasn’t a standout to me, something about cozy mysteries typically call to me so I decided to accept this review request also. We follow along Lila and her godmothers, who band together initially to celebrate the Calendar Crew opening a new laundromat, to grieving as Lila’s cousin is found murdered just shortly after arriving in town. Lila takes on sleuthing duties to find the killer, knowing her godmothers have often intervened with the lives of others around town, and someone could be holding a deadly vendetta against them – and that they might even still be in danger.
I really like that the series focuses on Filipino culture, delicious food (and recipes!) and the tight-knit family. The writing style isn’t particularly fast-paced and from time to time I would get a little un-interested in picking back up my Kindle. I thought the mystery aspect was good, I wasn’t quite sure who the killer was until closer to the end, and there was some interesting scandal around Lila’s cousin and why she was actually visiting from the Philippines. Could be a good one to check out if you love a cozy mystery focused around food, just not a personal favorite of mine.
3 stars
