DEATH BY DUMPLING

By Vivien Chien

Cozy fans rejoice! Here we have the first in a brand new series with the fetching name, Noodle Shop Mysteries. And it is an honor to state that author Vivien Chien has done a fantastic job with both characters and plot.

The setting for this tale is the Ho-Lee Noodle House where the soy sauce is flowing and you are literally dying to jump into the pages to nab some sweet and sour chicken and a wonton. It is also the place owned by Lana Lee’s family; a place that she never thought she’d see again.

For Lana Lee, however, there are not a lot of choices now. She has gone through a horrible split with her significant other, and lost a job after quite a flashy walk-out, so going back to the place she knows all too well and delivering food to customers is about all she can think to do in order to start fresh. Problem is, Lana also has to deal with a mother who will stop at nothing to find her the appropriate husband.

The spotlight moves off of Lana when the property manager of the Ho-Lee Noodle House turns up dead as a doornail right after a Ho-Lee delivery of shrimp dumplings. Mr. Feng is gone, but it definitely is no accident. After all, this man had a severe allergy to shellfish which every worker at Ho-Lee knew about. So, who would possibly deliver him these dumplings?

The family is scrutinized by the press and questioned by the cops and it’s up to Lana to figure everything out and bring a killer to justice.

The Lee family is so superb and fun to be around that it will make you long for the next course that Vivien Chien serves up.