Barbacoa, Bomba, and Betrayal

Frankie Corzo returns to narrate the third installment in Reyes’s “Caribbean Kitchen” mystery series (after Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking) following food anthropologist Miriam Quiñones-Smith. As in the first two titles, Corzo fully realizes the characters of Miriam and her BFF Alma, two savvy women who find themselves island-hopping in the Caribbean. This time, they become entangled in an FBI investigation. Corzo moves seamlessly between English and Spanish during conversations between the two friends and others. As a result of her thoughtful voicings, background characters are easily identifiable. Corzo’s rapid-fire delivery works in tandem with her taut pacing, which is especially effective during action scenes centered around Puerto Rico’s Three Kings Festival. Her delivery is nimble, slowing down and warming when Miriam speaks with her son on the phone, only to tense up when Miriam angrily hears details about embedded colonialism in Puerto Rico. Alma’s disappointment when she learns that her new boyfriend is not what he claims to be is almost heartbreaking. Recipes for dishes mentioned in the story are included.