Murder Lo Mein

Noodle Shop Mystery #3

by Vivien Chien, Cheryl May (narrator)

Everyone agrees that the food at Ho-Lee Noodle House is delicious—unless it happens to be deadly.

Lana Lee’s stake in her family’s Chinese restaurant is higher than ever now that she’s been made manager. So when she enters Ho-Lee into Cleveland’s Best Noodle Contest, Lana makes it her business to win—at all costs. But when a local food critic receives a threatening note in a fortune cookie and is later found dead, face-down in a bowl of lo mein, all bets are off. . .

Now, along with her sweet-and-sour boyfriend Detective Adam Trudeau, Lana decides to take matters into her own hands and dig into the lives of everyone involved in the contest. But when she receives an ill-fated fortune, Lana realizes that in order to save the reputation of her restaurant, she needs to save herself first. .

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

8 pages, Audible Audio

First published March 26, 2019

About the author

Vivien 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.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder Lo Mein by Vivien Chien is a 2019 St. Martin’s Press publication.

Lana Lee is back to solve a delectable mystery in another installment of the Noodle Shop Series!!

As the third installment opens, we learn that Lana is now managing Ho-Lee Noodle House- the family restaurant. She has entered Ho-Lee in Cleveland’s Best Noodle competition hoping to finally win the contest. Peter, Lana’s top chef is pulling out all the stops and it looks like they have a great chance. But, when a couple of the contestants are murdered right after receiving a fortune cookie containing an ‘Art of War’ quote, the contest may be canceled. With Lana’s boyfriend, Adam, on the case, she will have to be extra sneaky about delving into the lives of the contestants to find out who the killer is.

However, before Lana can discover who is behind the murders, she receives one of the dreaded fortune cookies herself!! Will she discover who the killer is before another murder takes place- possibly her own?

I absolutely love this series!! I’ve said it before, and I think it is worth repeating. This series gives the cozy genre a shot of fresh vibrancy, youth, and diversity, which is long overdue.

This third chapter in the series is the strongest one to date, I think, which means the characters are growing and developing steadily as the series progresses. The mystery is very clever, with several viable suspects, all of whom have very strong motives. The 'Art of War' quotes is a nice touch, and one can see how much thought was put into the details and plotting of the story.

I was also happy to see Lana’s personal relationships become more stable, and the romance with Adam heat up a little.

However, don’t start reading this book if you are hungry! The food sounds so delicious and left me craving Chinese food!

Overall, Lana is coming into her own, her confidence is higher, and her sleuthing skills are sharper, despite the urging from practically everyone she knows to ‘stay out of it and let the police do their job”. I’m glad she didn’t take their advice! 😉

Another fantastic addition to this series!!

[Chelsea Humphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

New month, same ole Noodle Shop Mystery loving me.

[Leonie · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Oh Lana...I know you. I know your track record. I´ve read the stories in the "Plain Dealer". This is your thing, isn´t it? You´re like one of the Scooby gang."

This is a one POV book, told by the POV of Lana.

I felt like Lana had another character development in this book, which I truly liked to see. I feel like she accepted working at her familys restaurant for herself and also grew closer with her family, especially her sister. I loved to see that side to her. I also liked that she finally worked a bit more closely with her boyfriend on the case this time. I mean it truly is easier to get information directly from the detective working on the case than just going about it alone.

I disliked a lot of the side characters in this, but I don´t know if that is due to their character falling a bit flat for me or due to their behaviour shown in this book. My favorite side character is still Megan, who I think is such an amazing best friend and always supportive of Lana. Otherwise the characters fell a bit flat for me, even Adam, who I loved in the last two books.

Plotwise this feels like a copy of the other two books. In a "Hey can I copy your homework?" "Yeah sure but change it a bit" way. The concept is always the same: somebody kills people, Lana does some investigating, the killer finds out and threatens her directly, she doesn´t care, the killer catches her and holds her at gun point, the police busts in and saves her. After the third book with exactly the same storyline happening, it starts to feel repetitive. The plot twists also sadly weren´t that suprising, and the book didn´t really manage to keep me on the edge of my seat. It is more or less fast paced, but I caught myself wishing for more tension and more mystery elements sometimes.

Overall it was an okay read, that wasn´t really for me. I don´t think I will be continuing the series any further.

trigger warnings: murder, trauma, discrimination

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series could easily become my new cozy mystery obsession. Intriguing characters and side plot lines as well as interesting murder cases. But unfortunately my book app still haven't added the rest of the books in the app. But I need to look it up on the Libby app. I doubt their are there but I have to look nevertheless

[Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third installment in the Noodle Shop Mysteryseries. This time, there’s a noodle contest in Asia Village, all is going well until one of the judges is found dead, and Lana, once again, puts her wits to work to solve the murder.

I enjoyed the story, the victims received a fortune cookie with a quote from The Art of War before being murdered, and it was fun to find a relationship between the quotes and the possible murderer.

Overall, a quick, lighthearted, fun read. I recommend it to readers of cozies and contemporary fiction.

Received ARC from the publisher via Netgalley

[Elle G. Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Release Date: March 26, 2019
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Actual Rating: 5 stars

Murder Lo Mein is the third book in the Noodle Shop mystery series and I think it's my favorite to date! This could be due to the fact that I love Lo Mein... In any event, this is another fantastic addition to the series and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a culinary cozy, Chinese food, and murder!

In Murder Lo Mein, readers will become reacquainted with Lana Lee, the Noodle House (her family business), and a slew of amazing secondary characters. Things are going great in Lana's life- she has a new boyfriend (Detective Trudeau), she's finally feeling at home when shes working in her family business (she wasn't excited about it at first), and her restaurant is taking part in a competition within their village. Unfortunately, things start to go downhill for everyone when one of the judges is murdered. Lana wants to stay out of it, and many people agree with the sentiment. But she can;t't help sticking her nose where it doesn't belong and goes looking for the killer herself! Will this be the end of the Asian Village? Or will Lana catch the killer before anyone else gets hurt?

Once again, this is a wonderful series and it's filled with delicious foods! My tummy was rumbling the whole way through. I think all cozy mystery lovers should certainly take a look at it. If you don't, you are missing a real treat!

[Andree · Rating 3 out of 5]

I might take a bit of a pause on this series.

On the one hand, it's fun. I really like the Asian plaza and all the stores. I like the community that has sprung up around it. I like a lot of the secondary characters. The setting is fun.

But the death toll at the plaza is becoming problematic. I get that it's a thing in cozy mysteries for the protagonist to stumple across/be in the proximity of a ridiculous number of murder victims. And I've joked before that there were fictional small towns I'd never want to visit because I'd almost certainly end up either a murderer or a victim. But the fact of the matter is, that problem is exacerbated when all the crimes happen at the same plaza. I'm pretty sure the first three books happen in under six months (if Lana and Detective Trudeau's relationship progress is anything to go by), and there have been three seperate sets of murders (comprising of at mimum 5 murders - I my have forgotten one or two - and several more attempted). That's a truly insane crime rate for a single plaza in what is being portrayed as a fairly normal neighbourhood.

Also, I don't buy the romance. It started out okay, but we don't see enough of Lana and Adam interact outside of the cases. And when he is there, it feels very superficial, and I'm not invested at all. As a result, the long awaited big!tragic!past!reveal didn't land for me. I get that he's reticent (and has reason to be), but there needed to be more development beforehand. And the introduction of potential other love interests for Lana (that I don't think the author ever had any intention of developing) isn't helping matters. In this one, I genuinely thought she had way more chemistry with Freddie in their handful of scenes than she's had with Adam Trudeau over the course of the series.

If you're going to do a reticent hero, I think you've got to balance it against actual development. The resolution at the end of this felt like it came out of the blue to me.

Which is a shame, because I do enjoy the world.

[Brithanie Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Arc provided by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review!

Murder Lo Mein by Vivien Chien follows Lana Lee once again in book three of the Noodle Shop Mystery series! Full transparency, this is actually the first book I've read by Vivien Chien, but I can safely say that it will not be my last! I don't normally read books out of order, but when I saw that this was available on NetGalley, I couldn't resist! Fear not, I will correct my bookish sin by going back and reading the first two- I promise, and I won't be making a habit out of reading sequels first!

All of that being said, I enjoyed this start to finish! I could relate to Lana's morbid curiosity, and looked forward to seeing the mystery unveiled! I'm a suspicious person by nature, but even I had trouble guessing 'whodunnit' in this one (which is ideal, because who enjoys knowing who the killer is from the very beginning?)

The expected publication for this book is March 26th, 2019! I would definitely recommend giving this author a chance if you enjoy cozy mysteries, and I'll be keeping an eye out for the next one! 😊

[Obsidian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main reason why I am giving this four stars is that it seems Chien is dabbling with a love triangle or possibly rectangle now and I want no part of it. I like the core couple of Lana and Adam and I hate it that a lot of cozy mystery's have now started to do this. I was glad that the "Liz Talbot Mystery" books moved away from that after the first couple of books. Hopefully "A Noodle Shop Mystery" does as well.

"Murder Lo Mein" finds Lana as the manager of her family's restaurant. She is wondering if her mother really will live things up to her, but so far so good. Her family's restaurant and others are now entering the annual Cleveland’s Best Noodle competition. Lana's family and others feel like they were cheated out of winning last year and that one of the judges was possibly fixing things so that the former contestant won. When one of the judges is found strangled, all eyes turn to who could have done it and why. Lana of course goes investigating and gets warned off by her boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau. Making matters a bit more complicated is that a new face has appeared in the plaza and he appears focused on asking out Lana. With Lana wondering where she and Adam's relationship is going, she starts to wonder what if while also trying to track down a murderer.

Lana is a good character and I keep rooting for her. She's more comfortable in going around and questioning people in this one and is still managing her family's restaurant. She and her sister have come to a truce of sorts so it appears that is working out well now too. She is left wondering about Adam though since he barely seems to have time for her these days.

I love the continuing development of Lana’s best friend and roommate Megan though I wish she get a love interest too. It was also nice to see some backstory into Adam and why he was previously so tight lipped about his past.

I think this was a solid installment and shows the cozy mystery genre in a good light. There's not any swearing (that I can recall) and there seems to be a subtle fade to black when you can imagine that a love scene may have occurred.

[Mark Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s time for the annual Cleveland’s Best Noodle contest, and, as the new manager for her family’s restaurant, Lana Lee is really feeling the pressure even if she’s not the one doing the actual cooking. The first day of the contest appears to be going well until the head judge reports a suspicious fortune in his cookie. When he dies a few hours later, Lana can’t help but poke around. Will she find out what happened?

The book does a good job of quickly setting up the suspects and getting the story moving. I did feel like the pacing lagged a bit as the suspects just gave Lana the run around, but she was frustrated by that as well, so I was in good company. I do wish the minor characters were given a bit more context when they popped up again, but that was a minor issue. I appreciated the character development we got here, although I did feel like some of it was cliched. Still, I do love Lana and enjoy seeing how her life is progressing. Overall, I did enjoy this book and look forward to visiting Lana again in the future.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[The Lit Bitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I discovered Lana Lee and the Noodle Shop Mystery series just over a year ago and frankly I paid yes to the first book because I loved the Chinese take out container on the front—-it made me hungry. I am seriously motivated by food, it’s embarrassing!

But, that cute little Chinese container book contained a rather interesting mystery and a hysterical leading lady in Lana Lee. I was eager for the next book and found it equally enjoyable.

So here we are with the third book and the fourth due out this summer. I was absolutely on board with reading the third book. How could I not love this series with food on the cover and creatively named titles based on Chinese food?! Personally, I don’t like Chinese food, but Ho Lee Noodle House makes me want to eat all the Chinese food!

Lana Lee is my spirit animal. She’s funny, awkward, nosey, and distracted easily by food like donuts. I adore her and I feel like she’s someone I would hang out with in real life! She’s down to earth, believable, and fun! Throughout the books, I often find myself laughing with her and giggling because I would probably have the same things happen to me! This book brings the humor and I can’t get enough of it!

The one criticism that I have had on this series is the relationship between Adam and Lana. I sometimes questioned that chemistry between the two and I felt that it was stagnate in the second book. For me, something needed to happen in this book or Adam just needed to be firmly placed in the ‘friend’ category for Lana. Without giving away any details, I felt that there has been progress made in this aspect, but I still feel a little wanting in this department. Personally I like Freddie! I will leave it at that.

The mystery was fun and interesting and I loved the cooking contest component. I continued to guess at the who and the why of the mystery. It was very satisfying and enough red herrings to keep me entertained and curious about who did what and why.

While this book is the third in a series, it is easily read as a standalone. The author does a great job orientating the reader with the characters and even though it’s clear that there are some back stories from other books, I don’t think new readers will feel lost in the series with this one.

Grab your chopsticks and curl up with a container of noodles to make this book an extra special read!

See my full review here

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Asian Plaza is having their annual noodle contest to drum up some publicity. The pressure is on for Lana Lee's chef to win. There's also some talk that the contest is rigged.

The first phase of the contest goes pretty well, but at the after-party, someone is murdered. He has a fortune cookie with a quote from Sun-Tzu inside.

Lana starts investigating, and has to deal with her grandmother coming to America to live, and her nebulous relationship with her supercop boyfriend.

A good entry in a good series.

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dollycas’s Thoughts

For Murder Lo Mein we are back at the Asia Village for the annual Cleveland’s Best Noodle Contest. Lana is banking on her chef Peter Huang to win the contest to show her parents they made the right choice making her manager of Ho Lee Noodle House. Winning will also bring in more customers.

Unfortunately, after the first round one of the judges in found dead, face-down in a bowl of low mein, no less. Then another judge bites the dust. Lana’s boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau begs her to leave the investigating to him but she just can’t stop herself from snooping. She knows she is getting close when she discovers something in her purse. Will she survive to see the end of the contest or will the killer get to her first?

_____

I have enjoyed these characters from the start. Lana is funny, smart and a little bit awkward, but she is excelling as manager of the family business. Her parents have returned from Taiwan with Lana’s grandmother in tow. Surprisingly her overpowering mother doesn’t try to return to running the restaurant, but she still has opinions about Lana’s life from how she dresses to her relationship with the good detective. Happily, Lana and Adam’s relationship is making progress. Grandma doesn’t speak English and Lana doesn’t speak her grandmother’s dialect but they do find a way to communicate. Lana’s best friend/roommate Megan is usually available to help Lana with her sleuthing. And they both have the lovable black pug named Kikko to come home to. If Megan isn’t available, friend Kimmy is eager to help out. With the Best Noodle Contest, there are a lot of secondary characters, some become very viable suspects, one would like to get to know Lana much better.

The mystery unfolds nicely with plenty of suspects. Again, people just open up and talk to Lana. Her friendly nature really suits her sleuthing endeavors much to Adam’s dismay at times. Adam opens up to Lana more in this story too. I have not read Sun Tzu’s The Art of War but it is cleverly brought into the mystery. Solving the mystery was not easy. The author really twists things up. I thought I was smart and had it all figured out until I was proven wrong. It was a lot of fun following the clues and being surprised at the big reveal.

I have stated in previous reviews for books in this series that Chinese food is not really my thing but in this book, we learned that Lana loves donuts and so do I. Both are fully described within these pages. Lana is worried about her waistline now that a bakery has taken over the shop next door. I worried about my waistline because those descriptions really cranked up my cravings 😆

Vivien Chien has a real hit on her hands with this series. Murder Lo Mein is an excellent addition. With engaging characters and a great mystery spiced up with the perfect amounts of humor and romance, she has served up a real treat.

The next book in this series, Wonton Terror is on my To-Be-Read shelf and I will be reading and reviewing it soon! Egg Drop Dead is being released on February 25th and Killer Kung Pao will be out on August 25th.

[Ming · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this 3rd book by this author. It's a light, fun read. Overall, well written.

Lana's aggressive questioning of some suspects and their stated protest or reluctance but soon ready compliance seemed quite off here.

And yay to the addition of Freddie (yet another baby name for an adult man of color...ugh).

Someone messed up the cover. Who would have both noodles and steamed rice if the noodles were the main dish? I don't think a Chinese or Asian artist would do this...smh

[Ms. Woc Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to adore this book but it was just not fast paced enough and the cast of characters was far too large to keep up with. It took me forever to read this book because it wasn't as engaging as the last one. I didn't really care about the murder and I wanted a little more of Lana's personality this time around but that was lacking. I did enjoy the parts with her grandmother getting situated in the US though and trying to communicate with her despite the language barrier.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Katy O. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a unique mystery series in that it follows the cozy formula, but definitely feels way edgier than cozy if that makes sense? Anyway, I really enjoy Lana and her world and am excited to dive into book 4 next! I’m happy about the arc this series has taken 😊

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder Lo Mein can be read as a standalone if you have not read the previous novels in A Noodle Shop Mystery series. The author provides everything a new reader needs to know. Lana Lee has taken over management of the Ho-Lee Noodle House from her mother who is now focused on Lana’s grandmother whom the parents brought with them to the United States after their last visit. Lana hopes to garner attention for the restaurant by their winning Cleveland’s Best Noodles contest which is being held at Asia Village. Unfortunately, one of the judges is killed at the Bamboo Lounge which, of course, has people avoiding the karaoke bar. Penny, the owner, is worried what will happen if business does not improve soon. Lana sets out to find the killer despite being warned to stay out of it by her boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau. I enjoy the author’s casual writing style. It makes for an easy to read story. There are numerous suspects since the victim was obnoxious. There is one, though, that stands out from the crowd. I liked that all the details of the mystery are wrapped up at the end of the book. I did not appreciate the number of times Lana is told to not investigate and we are reminded that she is an amateur sleuth (I got it the first five times). I did find there to be too many extraneous characters in this story. It can be hard to keep track of all of them (do we need to know every shop owner in Asia Village). There is a subplot involving Lana’s grandmother who does not speak English. It turns out she was lonely back home and life is much livelier for her in Cleveland. I found grandma to be a cute addition to the book. The food descriptions will have your mouth watering. Lana gets to eat a variety of dishes while digging into the suspects lives. I hope we get see Lana start developing as an individual. She is nearing thirty and it would be nice to see some maturity (less spaciness). There is family drama, romance, friendship, food, a cute canine and a noodle contest in this new cozy mystery. Murder Lo Mein is a light-hearted cozy mystery that left me craving Chinese food.

[Swathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

AH! Another good one.

The setting is very interesting! A cooking contest is about to take place, of which Ho Lee Noodle House is a contender. The judges Norman Pan, Stella Chung and Ray Jin get ready to judge. Norman appears rude and looks like he may have may have earned many enemies. By the end of round 1, Norman dies. By round 2, Stella dies.

Our girl, Lana Lee starts her investigation. Meanwhile, her boyfriend, Detective Trudeau is investigating the case as well.

Who killed the judges? Will Lana find the killer before it's too late?

I really liked the twist in this! However, the only problem I had was when Lana goes to confront the murderer, he or she spills the beans and doesn't try to kill the heroine. A villain has to expect the sleuth chasing them down and must be prepared! It doesn't appear that way in this story. Otherwise, this is a fun read.

PS:- This book has spoilers of book 1 and 2 and hence its recommended to read these books in order.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lana Lee is the manager of her family’s Chinese restaurant so she enters the Town’s best noodle contest. A local food critic receives a fortune cookie and is later found dead things don’t look good. Another woman gets a fortune cookies and dies, then it is Lana Lee’s turn to get a fortune cookie. Lana and her detective boyfriend have to get to the bottom of it to save her life. The addition of her grandmother and mother adds to the story.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have heard nothing but good things about this series, so I was excited to read Murder Lo Mein. It's my first book in the series, so I may have had a disadvantage in some ways. I felt like the author did a nice job of giving me the background without making it boring for someone who has read the first two books, though.

I loved that the characters were more diverse than many cozy mysteries. The mystery on its own was interesting, but I got annoyed by all the distractions and all the extraneous people. It was also aggravating to be repeatedly reminded she was an amateur sleuth as if I hadn't read it fifteen other times. I will say that the last 1/4 of the book was nicely paced, and I really enjoyed that part. I will be curious to hear from my friends who liked the first two books whether they felt this book was on par with them or not.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the noodle shop series. Lana Lee runs her family's Chinese restaurant in Asian Village, Ohio. Her restaurant is entered in a noodle contest. After the first round, one of the judges is found dead. A second judge is found dead and Lana's detective boyfriend urges her to leave the investigation alone. I really enjoy this series. Lana is a great character. She has her friends, roommate Megan and Kimmy, who help her with her investigations. I liked the progress that was made in Lana and Adam's relationship and hope to see in grow more in future books. I liked the addition of Lana's grandmother in this book. I enjoyed seeing them try to communicate with each other since her grandmother doesn't speak English. The mystery was good. I figured out the killer only slightly before it was revealed. I can't wait to read more in the series.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I continue to plug away at this series as my library gives me the books and enjoy them very much! Liked Adam opening up a little more in this one.

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
Lana is up to her ears in murder again. Ho-Lee Noodle is one of several competitors in Cleveland’s best Noodle contest, and judges are dropping like flies. Lana, much to her sort of boyfriend Detective Adam Trudeau’s annoyance, pokes her nose into the motives and histories of the judges and her fellow competitors, as someone with a serious beef, and interest in Sun Tzu’s “Art of War”, targets them.
The story’s tone is light, and there are lots of red herrings in the case, as Lana is juggling her new responsibilities as manager of the restaurant, and still finding time for sleuthing. And eating donuts from the place that just opened next door to Ho-Lee Noodle—definitely a cause for concern!
This is a fast read, and frothy, so just what I needed.

[Sue Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this 3rd book in the noodle shop series, Lana Lee is enjoying her new role of manager of the restaurant since her mother retired to care for her grandmother. They are participating in a Chinese cooking contest among the restaurants in Cleveland, and have great hopes of winning. Their chef, Peter, takes the first round, then one of the judges is found murdered. When a second one is also murdered, Lana starts getting involved and asking questions. This is a very good cozy series with interesting characters, a good plot, and descriptions of delicious food. Recommended! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This third novel in the A Noodle Shop Mystery series is just one more enjoyable entry into this fun book series created by Vivien Chien. Of the three books I've read so far, this one is the best and it truly demonstrates an author finding her footing and expanding the scope of what she wants to achieve with a group of books that injects a very welcoming dose of diversity and representation into the world of the Cozy Mysteries which are truthfully overwhelmingly white.

Once again, Lana Lee finds herself in the middle of murder mystery with the suspect list growing ever larger. During a cooking contest held in the shopping center where her family's restaurant is located, a food critic is murdered. A nasty reputation and a history of being cruel to restaurant owners helps point the finger at numerous people involved with the contest. Soon Lana with her best friend by her side is nosing into the details of the murder and piecing together all the connections.

What's nice about this book is how Chien moves along the story of many of the returning characters from the previous two books. They aren't just cameo appearances, but become fleshed out characters in her world and their lives are moving right along with Lana's. It's not necessary to read the other books, but it's helpful to know where many of these characters started and how they got to where they are in this book. I also deeply appreciate the fact that many of the characters in this book are predominantly Asian and most of the action takes place within the Asian community. Representation is important and Chien has created wonderful characters who are relatable to any reader whether or not they are Asian, but Chien warmly brings in Asian traditions, culture, and life.

I'm so happy I stumbled across this series, and I already have the fourth book ready to go.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lana Lee is back in the third installment of the Noodle Shop Mystery series. Once again, Lana finds herself in the middle of a murder and she cannot help herself - she has to investigate, much to the frustration of her boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau. I really enjoy the characters in this series. Lana is spunky, independent and a bit rebellious. Her family is a bit crazy and in this book we get to meet her grandmother from Taiwan, which just adds to the humor and in some instances the relationship between Mrs. Lee and her mother mirrors Lana's relationship with Mrs. Lee. The rest of the shop owners in the plaza make return appearances rounding out the cast nicely.

The mystery was well done and had me guessing until the end. Ms. Chien does a good job of dropping clues throughout the story and layering in twists and turns to detract from the identity of the real killer.

This is a fun series and I plan to continue with it to see where this author takes Lana, Adam and the rest of the characters.

I voluntarily read a digital ARC provided to me by the publisher through Netgalley.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's definitely not a favorite genre of mine, but every now and then I need a cozy mystery. Maybe as a palate cleanser, maybe to fill a challenge prompt ... and when I do, I pick up the next Noodle Shop Mystery. I think 99% of my enjoyment of these books comes from the food puns in the title and eating descriptions in the story, but that's okay. Sometimes, it's nice to spend a couple of hours with a fun little book.

[Noen Nguyen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started to dislike Lana more and more as the series goes on. I understand that she's trying to solve a murder but the way she goes about it is just wrong. She comes off as annoying and nosy. And yet, she judges everyone else who doesn't think like her. I'm not sure if I even want to keep reading. It's a shame because I love the Asian noodle shop theme.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was difficult to read, main character Lana came across as being "dumb/clueless" not at all like the previous books.

[Kiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A GENEROUS 3 stars. Gotta say, the villain monologue at the end of every book is getting tiring. Also, mustache-twirling villain monologues just don’t work in real life 😂 Comes off corny as hell lol