Dominoes, Danzon, and Death by Raquel V. Reyes

Item: Dominoes, Danzón, and Death
Rating: 5
Author: karenbaron

Posted September 29, 2024 by karenbaron in #BookishRecipe, Mystery, Review, Series / 0 Comments

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Dominoes, Danzón, and Death

by Raquel V. Reyes

Series: Caribbean Kitchen Mystery #4
Series Rating:

Published by Crooked Lane Books on November 19, 2024
Setting: Coral Shores, Miami, Florida
Genres: Cozy Culinary Mystery
Pages: 320
Format: Audible Audiobook, Hardcover, Kindle
Source: NetGalley
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon

Latina sleuth and culinary master Miriam Quiñones-Smith is cooking up a storm in the fourth installment of the Caribbean Kitchen mystery series.

It’s been three years since food anthropologist and cooking show star Miriam Quiñones-Smith had her last brush with death. Her Spanglish culinary show, Abuela Approved, is topping the charts. Her parents are back in Miami and living with her in Coral Shores. And her kids are great. But when bones start popping up in unexpected places, Miriam’s idyllic life is threatened.

Her husband Robert’s much-delayed hotel project screeches to a halt when human bones are unearthed. Tribal representatives, forensic archaeologists, and a pompous professor rain down on the possibly ancient site. Then a fake skeleton with the name "Smith" etched into it is found floating in the bay with an ominous note. Is it a threat to Miriam’s husband or her inlaws? And when Miriam’s boss Delvis is seen going off on a tour guide who marched through the crew-only area on set and is later found dead, Delvis is declared the main suspect.

To protect her family and friends, Miriam must dig up the truth that has been hiding in plain sight.

Dominoes, Danzon, and Death by Raquel V. Reyes is set a couple of years after the last book. Miriam and her family are hilarious.

Will Miriam solve all the mysteries that are taking place in her life?

Miriam Quiñones-Smith

Miriam has been enjoying her life without solving mysteries for the last three years, and she’s quite happy about that. She is a loving mother of two amazing kids, a great wife, a loving daughter, and the not-so-great daughter-in-law to the Smith family. That is because she’s Latina and is on a cooking show. The parts I loved in this story are when Miriam is filming her segments, being with her family, and being with her mother-in-law. Miriam is a great person, and it is easy to see why so many people can talk to her instead of the cops.

The Mystery

Miriam’s husband, Robert, is trying to build a hotel on the golf course, but that’s met with another troubling dilemma. They found a dead body and some other things. Not only does Miriam have to hear about this from her husband, but she also finds out that her in-laws are being threatened. Of course, she also finds a fake skeleton. Is it fake? While filming an episode for her show, they found out a tour guide had been killed later that day. Miriam has her work cut out for solving all of these crimes. Are all of them connected, or just two of them? I’m so happy I got at least one of these mysteries figured out!

Five Stars

I am giving Dominoes, Danzon, and Death by Raquel V. Reyes five stars, and I recommend reading this series. The one thing I do have to say is that Ms. Reyes does use Spanglish in this book, but thankfully, she gives an English translation of what was said afterward. To me, that made it easier to read. Ms. Reyes has created an incredible group of people in this book. Dominoes, Danzon, and Death by Raquel V. Reyes is my first book by this author, and I enjoyed it. I am definitely putting the first three on my TBR.

Don’t forget to check out the recipes in the back. Some of these sound pretty good. They are Frita Cubana/Cuban Hamburger, Bocaditos, Miriam’s Tortilla Espanola, Palmeras, and Cuban Natilla.

Caribbean Kitchen Mystery

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Dominoes, Danzon, and Death by Raquel V. Reyes.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

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About Raquel V. Reyes

RAQUEL V. REYES writes Latina protagonists. Her Cuban-American heritage, Miami, and Spanglish feature prominently in her work. Mango, Mambo, and Murder, the first in the Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series, won a LEFTY for Best Humorous Mystery. It is being adapted for screen as “Miami Spice.” Her work has been nominated for Agatha and Anthony Awards and has won an International Latino Book Award Gold Medal. Raquel’s short stories appear in various anthologies, including The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2022.