Homicide and Halo-Halo by Mia P. Manansala

Homicide and Halo-Halo is the second book in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery Series by Mia P. Manansala. Lila Macapagal is feeling pressure over the opening her new cafe, the Brew-ha Cafe, with her two partners.  She feels uninspired in creating her portion of the menu. Her time is spread even thinner as she has reluctantly agreed to be a judge of the Miss Teen Shady Palms Pageant. As a former winner, she knows all about the pressure, parental and otherwise, of competing in the pageant as well as the opportunity winning it presents for some lucky girl.

Things take a turn for the worse when a fellow judge who happens to be from a powerful Shady Palms family turns up dead. When Lila's cousin, Bernadette, becomes the chief suspect Lila is dragged into investigating the crime. Bernadette and Lila are past rivals, but any trace of that is put aside when family is in trouble. 

Lila is a likable and sympathetic character, particularly in her sympathies for the girls in the pageant, her care for her family, and how much she does not want to let down her business partners. As a cozy mystery, the stakes here never seem especially high. Much of the time is spent discussing food, treats and the pageant. Lila is still dealing with trauma from events in the previous book and is reluctant to seek out help. She is dealing with the stigma of mental health as well as older family members who are not supportive of it.

The investigation consists mostly of Lila and her large family being nosy. The police are unusually communicative with the family about the investigation. In one baffling passage, the police officer takes care to don gloves and hand an evidence bag with a note in it to Lila, only to allow her to take it out of the envelope and handle it bare-handed. The romantic angle is handled oddly as well. Lila is attracted to two men she finds handsome, yet is not ready or interested in a relationship. Still she becomes jealous of their attention to other women. This by itself is not troubling, but there doesn't seem to be any real romantic spark between Lila and either man aside from them being nice to her.

The investigation moves ahead with a few red herrings and plenty of secrets being discovered about community members, especially the family of the murdered man. You might spot the killer ahead of time, but it doesn't spoil an exciting conclusion.

Homicide and Halo-Halo is a pleasant cozy mystery with a likeable lead character and plenty of emphasis on Filipino food and culture.