Title:	Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking
	Author:	Raquel V. Reyes
	Published:	October 11, 2022, Crooked Lane Books
	No. of Pages:	336
	Cover Price:	$13.99 Kindle

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Fans of the Florida Spanish culture will want to read Raquel V. Reyes’ Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series. The second installment in this series is Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking, where Miriam Quiñones-Smith, the protagonist, finds a body in her front yard. Unfortunately, the bodies begin to stack up as she fulfils her obligation of being in charge of the Woman’s Club annual gala (an assignment forced on her by her horrible mother-in-law).

While the story is quite fun, half of the prose is in Spanish, which, of course, reflects the unique Caribbean culture in Florida and makes readers feel they are part of it. Unfortunately, it also makes it very difficult for those readers who don’t know Spanish, and are not lovers of the culture. The main characters are well developed, and Reyes does a good job of helping readers understand them and love or hate them as needed, I.e., the mother-in-law is absolutely terrible, and many readers will be able to relate; Miram is very talented, has a good marriage, and is a very good mother, which makes readers love her and also makes her seem real.

While there isn’t a lot of building suspense, there is enough to keep readers on the edge and there are also enough suspects to keep them guessing. One of the best parts of this culinary mystery is the recipes that are included at the end. There are so many food references (many mouthwatering), that readers will wish there were more recipes to try.

All told, those Spanish – Cuban – Caribbean enthusiasts, will find that this is a good series to read. For those who aren’t quite so enamored with this type of culture and don’t know any Spanish, not so much.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.