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Noodle Shop Mystery #13
And Then There Were Bun: A Noodle Shop Mystery
Things get spicy when Megan throws a surprise birthday party for Lana at Ho-Lee Noodle House that ends in disaster.
With the help of Lana’s parents and close friends, Megan packs the family restaurant with a guest list that includes friends—both old and new—to help celebrate her best gal’s birthday. But when one of their guests brings an unsavory plus one that Lana just happened to date back in her college days, tensions build between her old beau and her current boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau.
After a heated exchange of words between the two men, the evening returns to the smooth and enjoyable party that Megan had originally hoped for. But relief is short lived when Lana’s ex is found in the dumpster outside of Asia Village.
As if the circumstances and tragedy taking place on Lana’s birthday aren’t enough, the gang gets an even bigger surprise when Adam is the main suspect under scrutiny. Not only are there several witnesses confirming the verbal confrontation between the two men earlier in the evening, but it’s also reported that Adam disappeared from the party for a considerable amount of time. And unfortunately for him, not even Lana can back up his whereabouts. With Adam in the hot seat, his own partner, Matthew Higgins, must investigate the crime alongside their boss—the Chief of Police, Tom Riceton, who wants speedy results to keep away the threat of Internal Affairs knocking on their door.
As Adam struggles with the dynamic shifts in his personal life, being on suspension and shut out from his resources at the police department, he must rely solely on his skills as a detective and the ingenuity of Lana’s amateur sleuthing capabilities to solve the case and clear his name definitively.
With the help of Lana’s parents and close friends, Megan packs the family restaurant with a guest list that includes friends—both old and new—to help celebrate her best gal’s birthday. But when one of their guests brings an unsavory plus one that Lana just happened to date back in her college days, tensions build between her old beau and her current boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau.
After a heated exchange of words between the two men, the evening returns to the smooth and enjoyable party that Megan had originally hoped for. But relief is short lived when Lana’s ex is found in the dumpster outside of Asia Village.
As if the circumstances and tragedy taking place on Lana’s birthday aren’t enough, the gang gets an even bigger surprise when Adam is the main suspect under scrutiny. Not only are there several witnesses confirming the verbal confrontation between the two men earlier in the evening, but it’s also reported that Adam disappeared from the party for a considerable amount of time. And unfortunately for him, not even Lana can back up his whereabouts. With Adam in the hot seat, his own partner, Matthew Higgins, must investigate the crime alongside their boss—the Chief of Police, Tom Riceton, who wants speedy results to keep away the threat of Internal Affairs knocking on their door.
As Adam struggles with the dynamic shifts in his personal life, being on suspension and shut out from his resources at the police department, he must rely solely on his skills as a detective and the ingenuity of Lana’s amateur sleuthing capabilities to solve the case and clear his name definitively.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Expected publication August 25, 2026
About the author
Vivien Chien
25 books1,768 followersVivien Chien first started writing simple stories about adventures with her classmates when she was in elementary school. As she grew up, her love of books and the written word increased, leading to the attempt of her first novel at age 16. After many struggled beginnings and several different genres, she found her passion in the mystery world.
When she's not writing, she can be found frolicking in the bookstore or searching for her next bowl of noodles. She has a soft spot for doughnuts, a healthy love for coffee, and an extreme need to participate in random acts of crafting.
She currently lives in Cleveland where she is hard at work on the fifth book in her Noodle Shop series, and writes side-by-side with her toy fox terrier.
When she's not writing, she can be found frolicking in the bookstore or searching for her next bowl of noodles. She has a soft spot for doughnuts, a healthy love for coffee, and an extreme need to participate in random acts of crafting.
She currently lives in Cleveland where she is hard at work on the fifth book in her Noodle Shop series, and writes side-by-side with her toy fox terrier.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not impact the rating or review.
I am going to start off that this is going to go a little ranty. And it's because this cozy mystery decided to downplay some real world things going on and it set me off. And it has to do with the police. Fans of this series knows that the lead, Lana Lee, has been dating her boyfriend Adam Trudeau who is a detective with the local police for most of the series. The last few books have Adam giving Lana his blessing to do her undercover investigating and even has helped him out on one his cases. This book shifts things to have Adam in the hot seat with him being accused of murdering Lana's ex from college. And this is where my rant comes in. Lana's usual friends (Kimmy and Megan) are on hand to help out, but now with Meghan dating Adam's boss there's tension there. And then Megan gets insulted (as does Lana) about people thinking police do bad things.
Are you for real? Chien is a WOC and I really want to ask her, are you serious? This book was written with everything going down in this country over the last two years, ICE running rampant, and yes the police doing some truly terrible stuff. This book takes place in Cleveland, Ohio, which has a pretty heavy Black population and I am now realizing this book has never even referenced anyone not white or Asian in this book. And I feel like I should have picked up on that way before now, but this is a cozy mystery series so I don't really expect them to dig deep. But this whole thing just drove me insane. It didn't get better either with Lana all of a sudden starting to become "afraid" of Adam and I just went this is so dumb. The overall reason behind the murder was such a hot mess and surprise surprise dealt with the police so you think that maybe there be some self-reflection on the part of some of the characters, but nope.
Honestly, the only one not working my nerves in this one was Kimmy. But the series is starting to fall flat for me. Chien needs to decide if she's going to move her character on from Asia Village murders [and seriously that place is turning into Cabot Cove at this pace] and have her become a private investigator. The last scene with the guilty party was such a mess I didn't even know what to say about it outside of this is so dumb. I just gave it three stars for the fact that it moved at a steady pace and it seemed to be closing the loops on some subplots from earlier books. And some scenes were funny, but it was not satisfying at all with the whole both Megan and Lana are dating cops things.
I am going to start off that this is going to go a little ranty. And it's because this cozy mystery decided to downplay some real world things going on and it set me off. And it has to do with the police. Fans of this series knows that the lead, Lana Lee, has been dating her boyfriend Adam Trudeau who is a detective with the local police for most of the series. The last few books have Adam giving Lana his blessing to do her undercover investigating and even has helped him out on one his cases. This book shifts things to have Adam in the hot seat with him being accused of murdering Lana's ex from college. And this is where my rant comes in. Lana's usual friends (Kimmy and Megan) are on hand to help out, but now with Meghan dating Adam's boss there's tension there. And then Megan gets insulted (as does Lana) about people thinking police do bad things.
Are you for real? Chien is a WOC and I really want to ask her, are you serious? This book was written with everything going down in this country over the last two years, ICE running rampant, and yes the police doing some truly terrible stuff. This book takes place in Cleveland, Ohio, which has a pretty heavy Black population and I am now realizing this book has never even referenced anyone not white or Asian in this book. And I feel like I should have picked up on that way before now, but this is a cozy mystery series so I don't really expect them to dig deep. But this whole thing just drove me insane. It didn't get better either with Lana all of a sudden starting to become "afraid" of Adam and I just went this is so dumb. The overall reason behind the murder was such a hot mess and surprise surprise dealt with the police so you think that maybe there be some self-reflection on the part of some of the characters, but nope.
Honestly, the only one not working my nerves in this one was Kimmy. But the series is starting to fall flat for me. Chien needs to decide if she's going to move her character on from Asia Village murders [and seriously that place is turning into Cabot Cove at this pace] and have her become a private investigator. The last scene with the guilty party was such a mess I didn't even know what to say about it outside of this is so dumb. I just gave it three stars for the fact that it moved at a steady pace and it seemed to be closing the loops on some subplots from earlier books. And some scenes were funny, but it was not satisfying at all with the whole both Megan and Lana are dating cops things.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
I may be over this series. And I hate that because I like that we at least get a little bit of diversity in this one. This is number thirteen in the series. This time Lana is turning thirty and her best friend throws her a surprise party. But when her awful ex boyfriend from college shows up with another friend of their's, he causes a fight. However when he's later found dead in a dumpster, Lana's current boyfriend is the prime suspect. And Lana can't let that stand.
I had so many annoyances in this one.
-The comments about people who have issues with the police were just so not it. What world are they living in?
-Trent tells Lana that Devon left to go to the restroom and Lana assumes that meant he left the entire restaurant to go to the restroom. Who would assume that?
-So, Adam weirdly wouldn't discuss what Devon said to cause his fight with him, but Lana doesn't bother to ask him the next morning. Not does she ask Trent when she talks to him later. AND Trent tells her that Devon wasn't referring to Lana, but she doesn't ask who it was he was referring to?
-They keep referring to Trent as a good blguy, but he's been best friends with the awful Devon for years, so can he really be that good of a guy.
-Adam's boss insists that Adam refer to him by this first name, but then calls Adam by his last name.
Overall, this one was just annoying. Lana seemed like she just stopped using her brain.
I had so many annoyances in this one.
-The comments about people who have issues with the police were just so not it. What world are they living in?
-Trent tells Lana that Devon left to go to the restroom and Lana assumes that meant he left the entire restaurant to go to the restroom. Who would assume that?
-So, Adam weirdly wouldn't discuss what Devon said to cause his fight with him, but Lana doesn't bother to ask him the next morning. Not does she ask Trent when she talks to him later. AND Trent tells her that Devon wasn't referring to Lana, but she doesn't ask who it was he was referring to?
-They keep referring to Trent as a good blguy, but he's been best friends with the awful Devon for years, so can he really be that good of a guy.
-Adam's boss insists that Adam refer to him by this first name, but then calls Adam by his last name.
Overall, this one was just annoying. Lana seemed like she just stopped using her brain.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
1.5 - I made the mistake of getting this arc on NetGalley without cross-checking other sites. The NetGalley synopsis did not mention this was part of an armchair detective series, which I do not enjoy reading. I was excited to see Asian representation in the mystery/thriller space, but I cringe when it's overdone with only the Asian last names being repeated and portrayal of a stereotypical Asian space. Bias aside, I'm also not a fan of books where every person is a suspect. I don't know how the rest of this series reads, but if it was anything like this one, this is the most toxic friend group to be in. The protagonist Lana was also celebrating her 30th birthday, but her dialogue and actions were reminiscent of a high school or college student (i.e. Holly Jackson's Good Girl's Guide). I would only recommend And Then There Were Bun to readers who are cozy mystery fans and/or who are already enjoying the Noodle Shop Mystery series.
Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Vivien Chien for the ARC of this book.
Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Vivien Chien for the ARC of this book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This latest in the long running series sees Lana turning thirty and her birthday party turning sideways. Her BFF (and room mate) Megan invited an old pal, Trent, who, unfortunately brought along Lana's loathsome ex Devon, who promptly gets into an argument with Adam, a police officer and her current love interest. The two have to be pulled apart and just as the party is getting back to fun, Devon is found dead in the dumpster behind the Noodle shop. Yikes. Adam is the prime suspect but Lana, Megan, and Kimmy know he didn't do it, as do his law enforcement pals. But who did? I like this series more for the antics at Asia village and Lana's friends and family than for the mysteries which are, to be honest, classic cozy (although this latest is a little different). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's lively, a tad chaotic, and chuckle worthy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
We reconnect with Lana and her found family in this funny new whodunit mystery.
The book starts with a surprise birthday party for Lana’s thirtieth birthday. Megan has organized the party and invited Trent, a college friend. However, Trent arrives with Devon, Lana’s ex-boyfriend, and Reid, Devon’s brother.
Everyone is preparing to sing “Happy Birthday!” when Peter tells Lana to come out back. A murder has happened. Even though she promises not to investigate, Lana finds herself delving into the mystery.
I liked this book and enjoyed all the different directions the investigation took. However, I sometimes found Lana a bit annoying when she was searching for information. I gave this book four stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC! :)
The book starts with a surprise birthday party for Lana’s thirtieth birthday. Megan has organized the party and invited Trent, a college friend. However, Trent arrives with Devon, Lana’s ex-boyfriend, and Reid, Devon’s brother.
Everyone is preparing to sing “Happy Birthday!” when Peter tells Lana to come out back. A murder has happened. Even though she promises not to investigate, Lana finds herself delving into the mystery.
I liked this book and enjoyed all the different directions the investigation took. However, I sometimes found Lana a bit annoying when she was searching for information. I gave this book four stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC! :)
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
When Lana's ex boyfriend from college shows up uninvited to her 30th birthday party things get tense between him and Adam, her current boyfriend. When the ex is found murdered in a dumpster things get even worse.
This series just keeps getting better and better. I had my ideas on who the killer was going to be but I was way off the mark. Is it wrong that one day I hope Anna May gets her comeuppance? Sister dynamics are complicated but she is in her own league of awful sometimes. If you like cozy mysteries you will not be disappointed with this one.
Thanks to St. Martins Press, Minotaur and NetGalley for the arc.
This series just keeps getting better and better. I had my ideas on who the killer was going to be but I was way off the mark. Is it wrong that one day I hope Anna May gets her comeuppance? Sister dynamics are complicated but she is in her own league of awful sometimes. If you like cozy mysteries you will not be disappointed with this one.
Thanks to St. Martins Press, Minotaur and NetGalley for the arc.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Such a fun read following Lana and friends as they solve another murder. This series is chock full of wonderful characters and I’m so invested in them.
When Lana’s terrible ex appears at her birthday party, tensions are high, and when he ends up dead behind the restaurant, suspicions get cast on the people she loves most. As always, Lana, Kimmy, and Megan jump in to clear their friends of suspicion and draw out the real murderer.
I loved how the story unfolded and that everything tied together at the end. I can’t wait for the next in this series. Always a treat!
Thank you to #NetGalley #StMartinsPress and #MinotaurBooks for an ARC
When Lana’s terrible ex appears at her birthday party, tensions are high, and when he ends up dead behind the restaurant, suspicions get cast on the people she loves most. As always, Lana, Kimmy, and Megan jump in to clear their friends of suspicion and draw out the real murderer.
I loved how the story unfolded and that everything tied together at the end. I can’t wait for the next in this series. Always a treat!
Thank you to #NetGalley #StMartinsPress and #MinotaurBooks for an ARC
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Lana's friends throw her a surprise 30th birthday party at the Noodle House. It will be one she'll never forget: her rotten ex shows up uninvited and winds up dead. Of course, Lana, Kimmy, and Megan decide to investigate. Boyfriend Adam is officially off the case since he was at the party, but Lana and her girls have a few suspects in mind. Asia Village may be the most dangerous place in Ohio, but these likable characters will do their best to solve yet another suspicious local death. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC.
August 13, 2026
Some things you can always trust with the Noodle Shop series: Lana Lee will figure it out, her friends Kimmy and Megan will always help her solve the crime, and the other quirky residents of Asia Village will play a role in helping her figure out any dilemma she's facing. I kind of knew who would end up being the culprit well before the end, but that didn't detract from the fun of the story. I would still like to know how Lana can drink coffee at midnight and fall asleep 5 minutes later, but that's a mystery for me to solve.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews