Murder with Macaroni and Cheese

Mahalia Watkins Soul Food Mystery #2

by A.L. Herbert

Mahalia’s Sweet Tea is known for serving the best soul food in Prince George’s County, Maryland. But owner Halia also likes to indulge in some à la carte detective work. Can she solve the murder of a former “mean girl” when a high school reunion takes a deadly turn?

When the organizing committee for her upcoming high school reunion desperately needs a caterer, Halia agrees to help out. Soon she’s serving up her signature macaroni and cheese and famous chicken wings to a host of appreciative ex-classmates. Some folks have blossomed since graduation. Others, like manipulative Raynell Rollins, currently married to a former football star, haven’t changed nearly enough.

When Raynell is found dead the morning after the reunion, the roll call of possible suspects could fill the school gymnasium. Extra-marital affairs, mega-church scandals and sports secrets…Raynell had her perfectly manicured hand in a lot of sticky situations. With her cousin Wavonne’s bungling assistance—and a helping of unwelcome dating advice from her mother, Celia—Halia is on course to track down the killer, before she becomes the alumna most likely to meet an untimely end…

Features delicious recipes from Mahalia’s Sweet Tea, including Double Crust Chicken Pot Pie and Chocolate Marshmallow Cake!

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Cozy, Food, Adult

247 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 23, 2016

Reviews

[Jade · Rating 1 out of 5]

They really make it look like this was written by a Black Woman but it’s by a Latino male (Patrick Sanchez) who wanted “to target an untapped niche”. Wtf

[Patricia Romero · Rating 5 out of 5]

First let me tell you there are RECIPES. Mahalia Watkins is the owner of Mahalia's Sweet Tea, a soul food, no calorie counting, restaurant. Her food is well known and loved.

In the first book of the series Murder with Chicken and Waffles, we meet Mahalia and her Momma and her crazy cousin, Wavonne, who all work at the restaurant. On the side, she likes to dabble in some detective work.

Halia's high school reunion is coming up and as much as she would like to just ignore it, the committee comes to her for a solution when their original venue has cancelled on them. Of course Halia agrees to help and Wavonne wiggles right in there too, hoping to snag a football player husband like Raynell has.The reunion is a succes, but when Halia and Wavonne go to pick up the check, they find that the Queen of Mean, Raynell isn't going to be signing anything ever again.

Raynell was that girl at school who was just a straight up MEAN girl! And she hasn't changed a lick! But when Halia and Wavonne start nosing around, secrets come flying out of the woodwork and it's starting to look like more people wanted Raynell dead than alive.

These cozy mysteries are so fresh and different. I laughed my way through both of them. And the entire time I was reading I was pretending that each of the ladies was one of the Atlanta Housewives! Great stories and a really great author!

[Linda Langford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mahalia Watkins owns a soul food restaurant, Mahalia's Sweet Tea. Her mother bakes the luscious desserts and her cousin, Wavonne; waitresses, eavesdrops, and is Halia's general sidekick in most situations. When Halia's high school reunion rolls around she's asked to cater the event by some former classmates who were part of the 'mean girl' group led by Raynell Rollins whose personality hasn't changed a bit since then. As classmates trickle into town, Halia realizes some have done well in life but do they harbor hidden resentments from days gone by that could make them a murderer?

The pages are filled with brisk dialogue and laugh-out-loud antics of Wavonne and Halia interspersed with clues that lead to a humdinger of a finale! I personally love all the funny dialogue and quips between Halia and her cousin--it gives insight into their characters and backgrounds. Readers who are familiar with the 70's and 80's should enjoy reminiscing the times along with the cast of this cozy mystery.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Barb Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mahalia attends her high school reunion and reunites with former classmates, including the gal who put the mean into Mean Girls. The next day, the old meanie turns up dead, and Mahalia and her over-the-to cousin, Wavonne, decide to investigate what they're sure is a murder. At least, this time they called the police after discovering a dead body.

Mahalia might know her way around a restaurant kitchen, but she sure can't control Wavonne. Together, the two of them manage to stir up all sorts of mischief. Breaking and entering, grand theft auto and disturbing the scene of a crime are just some of their antics.

These books are lighthearted. Mahalia is smart . . . except when it comes to her cousin.

[Mayda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Halia agrees to cater her high school reunion when their other venue falls through. It seems like though the years have gone by, some things never change: the mean girls of the high school are now mean adults. The ring leader of the group has made so many enemies along the way, it’s hard to narrow down the field when she turns up dead. Halia decides to play sleuth with the help of her ditzy cousin. At least this time, she knows to call the police when she finds a dead body instead of moving it to a different location! Great characters, tasty recipes, an intricate plot, and delightful down-home humor all work together to make an entertaining and enjoyable mystery.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to give the writer the benefit of the doubt that he would improve and move away from the blatant stereotypes he portrays in the book. I read the first book but started to wonder why I was offended by 90% of the book. I was able to find out this series is written by an non Afro American person. So this is the idea of how they interpret Afro Americans. It is insulting to me as Afro American woman. This overshadowed the mystery component of the book.

Huge disappointment.

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book with plenty of laugh out loud moments. Once again, Halia and Wavonne find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation when a former classmate dies after reuniting with Halia to discuss plans for their high school reunion. Looking forward to the next installment of this series and hopefully the author will continue it for a long time.

[January · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder with Macaroni and Cheese by A. L. Herbert
Mahalia Watkins Soul Food Mystery #2
266-page Paperback

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Culinary

Featuring: Prince George's County, Maryland; Soul Food Restaurant, Quadragenarian MC, Cousins, High School Reunion, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Drama, Church, Stupidity, Mean Girls, First Lady of the Church, Investigation, Recipes

Rating as a movie: PG-15 for language and innuendos

Songs for the soundtrack: Lisa Lisa Cult Jam, "Shake Your Thang" by Salt-N-Pepa featuring E. U., "I Still Believe" by Brenda K. Starr, "Someday" by Mariah Carey, "Looking for a New Love" by Jody Watley, "Don’t Wanna Fall in Love" by Jane Child, "Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody" by Kid 'n Play, "Shoop" by Salt-N-Pepa "Send In the Clowns" by Sarah Vaughan, "If You Could See Me Now" by Sarah Vaughan, "Let's Get It Started" by MC Hammer, "Mercedes Boy" by Pebbles, "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car" by Billy Ocean, "Miss You Much" by Janet Jackson, "Every Little Step" by Bobby Brown, "Express Yourself" by Madonna, "Fishnet" by Morris Day, "So Emotional" by Whitney Houston, "Feels Good" by Tony! Toni! Toné!, "Supersonic" by J. J. Fad, "The Look" by Roxette, "Seasons Change" by Exposé, "Bitch Better Have My Money" by Rihanna

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🧀

My thoughts: Page 83 of 266 Ch. 14 - I wasn't expecting a plug for the previous book. it said "(Checkout Murder with Fried Chicken and Waffles for the recipe. 🙂)" No one is dead, and I'm starting to question who I originally thought was the target. It could be anyone at this point.
📖 139 Ch. 23 -I'm not sure it’s right to say it took too long for someone to die, but typically, if the murder doesn't happen in the first 7 chapters, the book drags a little. In this book, it was 20 chapters, but it wasn't dragging. It was a good build-up, and I did start to question who the target was, but it was just giving tons of suspects. The reveal was predictable and a bit uneventful, but I'm enjoying this story far more than the last. I would devour this, but I really want to read these books back-to-back, so I'm gonna pause because it's Tuesday, and the new releases are calling my name.

This was better than the first book. I was very surprised, and I ran out of suspects and didn't figure out the mystery in time. That may be a first for a cozy. I'm going to read his other books after I finish this series.

Recommend to others: Yes. This is a good series despite the controversy.


Mahalia Watkins Soul Food Mystery
1. Murder with Fried Chicken and Waffles (2015)
2. Murder with Macaroni and Cheese (2016)
3. Murder with Collard Greens and Hot Sauce (2019)
4. Murder with Honey Ham Biscuits (2020)

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder with Macaroni and Cheese
Mahalia Watkins Soul Food Mystery, Book 2

I Picked Up This Book Because: Continue the series.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: Scribd
Dates Read: 4/7/23 - 4/9/23
Stars: 4
Narrator(s): Machelle Williams

The Characters:

Mahalia Watkins :
Wavonne :
Raynell Reynolds, “Somebody Who’s name I cannot remember” Mitchell,

The Story:


Writing: Good. I did catch one name mess up but that could have been fixed in editing, so I guess it’s not fair to hold that against the author. What I do hold against them is not having a mystery until 50% into the book. I’m not sure so much set up was necessary.
Forward Motion: This was actually paced pretty well but I’m still salty about 50% before a murder.
Overall Interest: I will admit I was fully invested.
Length of Reading Time: Very good.
Re-read-ability: I doubt I would reread this.

The Random Thoughts:

I have seen posts referencing the author who wants to target an untapped niche. This series was first recommended to me as a mystery series by a black author and that is untrue as A.L. Herbert is the pen name of a male Latino author. This makes me greatly uncomfortable and though I’ve enjoyed the stories I do not care to be misled about who is writing it especially when my goal was to support a lesser-known market. With all that said I’m not sure if I will be continuing the series or not.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. Fast read. Sort of cozy mysteries.
Includes recipes
Makes you hungry all the great food parts of the stories
Will look for this authors other books

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been searching for a good Cozy Mystery Series forever so I headed on over to my Library (virtual via Libby) and stumbled upon this book. I am so glad that I did because what a collection of characters and the recipes sound amazing!
Who murdered Haila's former High School classmate Raynell Rollins? Who knows because the list is long! Raynell is not a nice lady in fact Raynell has a mean streak that has earned her a few enemies.

I laughed at Wavonne, Haila's sassy , smart mouth cousin. Wavonne is my new favorite Cozy character, she is definitely a hoot! There were enough red herrings and plot twists to keep me reading way past my bedtime.

The ending was a surprise , I was guessing right up until the killer was revealed.This review was originally posted on Fictional Blonde

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second in a series of books featuring restaurant owner and unofficial sleuth Mahalia Watkins and her "out there" cousin Wavonne. It's high school reunion time and Halia is catering her own reunion where she reconnects with classmates who were at the top of the social pyramid in high school. One of the women ends up dead, and although the police are inclined to think it was an accident, Halia thinks differently. Wavonne provides a great deal of humor (think Stephanie Plum's sidekick Lula, on steroids), and the food descriptions (and recipes) are hunger-inducing. A fun read!

[Dolores · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads. Thank you.
I enjoyed this book. A fun read. Likable characters except for Raynell but of course you really weren't supposed to like her.
Also loved the recipes she included. I would read more by this author.

[Carol Stanley-Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first time reading A.L. Herbert and he/she is a wonderful writer.

Wavonne, the cousin, is a hoot!

The story is seamless and goes right along and before you know it, it's done and the murderer is caught!!

A good read...

[Gloria · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story line was good but the characters were painted with a little too broad a brush. They didn't seem realistic. The recipes sounded yummy but all were heart attacks waiting to happen.

[Abby Russo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good cozy murder mystery, and this was a great one!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is as funny and good as the first one. Everyone needs a Wavonne in their life.

[Joy Mojo · Rating 3 out of 5]

So did she ever get paid for the catering job or nah? 🙄

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn’t believe we didn’t get the murder until half way through the book! Also this had a much more restaurant talk than sleuthing which was pretty frustrating.

[Ronnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really a 3.5 star. So funny, I felt I could relate to characters when Halia describes the cliques and mean girls in high school. So many twists in the characters’ lives, like reality.
Heart lock recipes included, wish I could indulge! Such a fun read.

[Kristin Stauffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute summer read. Recipes and descriptions of food were delicious! A LONG build up until the dead body (chapter 20!), with still revealing motives even after the discovery. But nonetheless very fun to read. Side character was a hoot!

[Trisha · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought I could stick it out after the first one - the recipes sound interesting (if completely unhealthy) but the mystery......

First, I don't like the characters. They seem to be caricatures of who the author thinks they should be. The main character is okay although a bit aloof (how on earth does she say she works all the time and then spends SO MUCH TIME FROM WORK!)

Wavonne is absolutely awful. I expect that characters in a cozy mystery to be at least decent people - they are working on a mystery that no one else seems to want or need to solve - but every story has Wavonne stealing and/or breaking a myriad of laws. And she doesn't care - she just doesn't care or see the wrong in what she is doing. I wish she'd get some real world consequences but she always manages to wiggle her way out of any issues.

Then men in these stories also all tend to be awful - not all men are shady and/or hung up on past issues. I can't imagine going to the lengths they did in order to get revenge (this book) or swindle people out of money (first book).

I'm not sure if there is a 3rd book in this series coming but I have no plans to read it.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the writing style, and the characters were pretty funny.

The ending happened a little too quick, though. It seemed like the answer just came to Halia all at once.

I also thought the little blurb about needing to eat food a certain way was a little...extreme. I know she is sensitive about how the recipe's origins, and how it's meant to be enjoyed...but everyone has different taste buds. Who are you to judge what foods people mix with different sauces and different flavor combinations? (Although there are some pretty strange combinations out there...)

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great second book in the series. Mahalia agrees to cater her high school reunion after their first venue fell through. But the next morning, the former classmate who organized the reunion is found dead. Halia and her cousin Wavonne are on the case. Amusing, fun read!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mahalia's Sweet Tea is a soul food haven in Prince George's County Md. Halia has been invited to her high school reunion, but disinterest plus the restaurant keep her from saying yes. But when the planned venue has a problem, and the reunion needs to be moved, Halia agrees to help cater (and thus attend). Things at the reunion get interesting, along with the antics of the leader of the 'mean girls' back in the day (high school was in the 80's). Raynell is highly successful but a piece of work, who treats everyone poorly. When she ends up dead from what looks like an accident after a tad too much to drink at the reunion, only Halia believes that it wasn't an accident but murder. And she plans to find out who did it.

I liked this book. This is book 2 in the series. I had not read book 1 but did not have any problems with picking up the characters that are the main characters. Not too much needed to be known from the first book. Loved the characters that are peppered throughout.

The ending was fascinating. I'd have never figured that one out.

[Ms. Woc Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glad to see more diversity seeping into the cozy mystery genre. This story was set in a soul food resturant which made it stand out against all the books about bakeries and soup shops. The situatuions Mahalia and Wavonne get themselves into are both hilarious and intriguing. There was just enough drama without getting too far away from the mystery plot and thankfully it wasn't all about some man and romance.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been waiting to read this book after finishing the first one in the series. It was just as good. I can't wait for the next one.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never thought a random cozy book I read would turn out to be a scandal. It wasn't great, but I didn't suspect a Whote man wrote it.

[Lori Puma]

DNF - the murder isn’t discovered until 47% 3.5 hours into the book. I kept reading just to see how long it would take.

[QuakerMaid · Rating 4 out of 5]

It held my attention and kept me wanting more. I even ordered the previous book in the series and the next one from Better World Books on eBay. Now THAT is worth ¤¤¤ already.
The reason I don't give it a full ¤¤¤¤¤ is for 2 reason:
1ST:
The author condemns women for the same thing he lets men get away with:
a woman is being called 'ho' [UGH, we're still not past that] for having extramarital affairs, even though her husband is also having an affair yet he's not condemned for it
AND
2 women are thought less of because they married men 'only for the benefits' even though the men they married did the SAME THING.

2ND: This author really needs to get with it when it comes to LGBTQIA+ people. That immature bit about Wavonne bending over to replace or refill the salt shakers, then sending Darius to drop something on the floor to find out if the man was gay (?!?!?!) I would think I was reading something from the 1950's . . . . . or a sitcom from the 90's.
We are all on the scale . . . and none of us are on the ends of it (including the author). Only asexual people aren't on the scale.

Hopefully the author reads this and educated himself about women and human sexuality.

As you can tell, I'm not over it yet.
I must say: I got this book out of someone's trash. Literally, it was in the trash pile at the end of their driveway.
I had never heard of this series before, so I didn't know this was even a series, much less not the first book.
I will not be paying for a new book from this author. I think he is undeserving of it. But like I typed at first, I will be buying it used from Better World Books.
So far, the only series writer I will buy NEW is Alexander McCall Smith.
I hope this author does better. I deserve better.