Before I get too far into the review of Mia P. Manansala’s fifth Tita Rosie’s Kitchen mystery, Guilt and Ginataan, let me mention that Ginataan is food cooked with coconut milk. Because the amateur sleuth, Lila Macapagal, is Filipino, and the co-owner of the Brew-ha Cafe, Filipino food plays an important part in all of the books in this series.

Lila and her friends and co-owners, Adeena Awan and Elena Torres, are working a booth at the Shady Palms Corn Festival. Most of the customers enjoy the food, but Adeena has an interesting encounter with the wife of Mayor Judy Reyes from the neighboring town of Shelbyville. Yvonne is a little in-your-face and pushy, but Adeena handles it well.

After that first day of the festival, Lila and the others decide to try the corn maze, the second largest corn maze in the state. They make it a competition and split up. Lila is totally lost in the maze when she hears a scream. But, she’s with a security guard when there’s another scream and they hurry to that spot only to find Yvonne dead, stabbed to death, and Adeena passed out with the bloody knife in her hand.

Lila is a little overzealous in her attempts to investigate the murder. As always, she teams up with her aunt’s boyfriend, Jonathan Park, who is now a private detective hired by Mayor Reyes. Her usual circle, her boyfriend, her godmothers, known as the Calendar Crew, and others, intend to help. Lila relies on conversations and community when she investigates. This time, though, she finds Elena in the way. Elena is Adeena’s girlfriend, and sees no reason why Lila should do all the investigating. Along the way, Lila realizes she does have a bad habit of making everything about her, and not considering others.

Guilt and Ginataan is easier to follow than some of the other books in the series. It’s a straightforward mystery with less dependence on past history. Even so, Lila grows as a character in this latest installment in the series filled with Filipino food and family.

Mia P. Manansala’s website is https://www.miapmanansala.com/.

Guilt and Ginataan by Mia P. Manansala. Berkley, 2024. ISBN 9780593549186 (paperback), 304p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley through NetGalley to review for a journal.