Mango, Mambo, and Murder (A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery) Reading Guide

1. In the opening chapters, we learn that Miriam, Robert, and Manny have moved from NYC to Miami. Have you ever made a big move putting you closer to family? Further away from family? Was the transition easy? What was challenging about it?
2. The main character is a food anthropologist. She studies the cultural and historical intersection of why and how we eat certain foods. Do you have a family or cultural dish that is significant to you? Have you ever wondered why your family eats a particular meal on a special holiday or celebration?
3. Miriam mentions several times that her background and her husband's are very different. How do you think that socio-economic disparity affects their worldview?
4. There is a supporting cast of characters in the Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series. Which one is your favorite and why?
5. Miriam's mother-in-law is a character readers love to hate. Have you ever encountered someone like her? How did you deal with it? Does Miriam's reaction to Marjory change over the course of the story?
6. What surprised you the most? Was there a scene that went a different direction than you expected? Or a character that behaved in an unpredictable way?
7. Have you ever had to pivot your career or goals because of family? Miriam is an academic who dreams of teaching at a university, researching and writing scholarly books about the Afro-Caribbean diaspora. How and why does she put that on hold? How does that affect her morale at the beginning of the story? What about it has changed by the end of the book?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Crooked Lane Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.