Death by Dumpling: A Noodle Shop Mystery (Noodle Shop Mysteries Book 1)

This was such a fun read in such a unique setting! If you like mysteries, sassy, fun protagonists, and a whole crew of interesting supporting characters, read this book! I have spent many a weekend loitering in an Asian Plaza, and Vivien's descriptions of the Plaza, and the characters running their businesses gave me a grin, ear to ear. The protagonist and her family are written very well, and each have quirks that remind me of my own family. Having Lana's mother refer to herself as "mommy" is something my own family does, and it was cute to see Lana's mom do so as well. The protagonist is sassy, likable, and very relatable, as she's going through a mini quarter life crisis. The mystery was very well written, full of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the last quarter of the book. I highly recommend this book.

This was a totally unique cozy mystery. I loved that it was based around the Chinese culture, and the protagonist was half asian. The mystery was complex, but not totally hard to figure out who the suspect was. Although this story was well-written, I wished that the main character could be a little less vulnerable; she should have learned some self-defense or learned to act and think quickly. She was just a bit too much of a damsel in distress. However, overall it was clean —-no bad cusses or gorey details—-humorous, and very entertaining.

This was a delightful read. I enjoy cosy mysteries as a pick me up after reading darker or heavier themes in the psychological mystery or suspense sub-genres. Death by Dumpling was funny, a whodunit that was hard to guess plus the layers of Asian American cultural norms made it extra interesting.

I live in a Chinese neighborhood, so dumplings are my passion, even though I'm not Chinese. I even have a freezer full of soup dumplings for when I can't get out. Kung Fu Long Bao, the absolute best, right on Main Street Flushing. They even have a chocolate dumpling, but they don't deliver, and we're all stuck at home. I digress. The next best thing besides eating dumplings, is reading about them. And this book has it all. The plot revolves around dumplings, don't want to reveal anything, it's in the title, but those wonderful little treats can kill when the conditions are right. Loved the characters, loved the plot, loved it all, and I could almost taste the dumplings, CALORIE FREE!

I love mysteries set in Asia, and the novel idea of a mystery set in an Asian shopping center in the US is a great addition to the category. I love the heroine, and the characters and story lines were intriguing. I give it four stars only because I wonder how new plot lines will keep fitting into the locale without getting a bit improbable. But I've bought the next two books in the series to find out!

Chien has really put her best foot forward with the first in her new noodle shop mystery series. It was perfectly paced, funny and had just the right amount of red herrings. Lana Lee is the quirky, likeable heroine in this series. She’s Asian-American, loves donuts, and experimenting with hair color. After quitting her corporate job (she is second-guessing that move), she has to return to waitressing duties at her parent’s Asian restaurant in order to pay the bills and help keep a roof over her and her best friend Megan’s, heads. As if it’s not hard enough to work for her mother, who tells her she needs to find a man to take care of her, she gets involved in a murder. Mr. Feng, the owner of the Asian plaza where her family restaurant is located, turns up dead, possibly from the food she had just delivered to him. Everyone is looking at her and her family suspiciously, and she’s afraid the rumors and bad publicity will put her mom out of business. Everyone in the plaza is like family to Lana so she can’t imagine who would have wanted to murder mind-mannered Mr. Feng. But in order to remove herself from the suspect list and clear her family’s name, she bumbles through an investigation of her own, along with Megan’s help, and meets a handsome detective along the way.

In the interest of fair disclosure, cosy mysteries are not my cup of tea. But author Vivien Chien has done a good job of freshening up the concept with this book. When Lana Lee delivers take out from her family's restaurant to Thomas Feng, part owner of Cleveland's Asia Village shopping plaza, -- and he ends up dead, her family's reputation is at stake. While she'll admit that Detective Adam Trudeau is handsome, she thinks he's focused in the wrong direction. Lana is young, spunky and intrepid. She's so likeable, you'll want to keep following her story. The author writes well and has created a totally credible plot here.

I found this first novel in a new cozy mystery series quite entertaining. The characters are viewed from an Asian viewpoint. There is a family restaurant in the 'Asian Village' in Ohio that gets implicated in a murder. The fact that the victim's last meal was served (carry-out,) to him from the restaurant and the owner's daughter, suspicion falls upon Lana Lee, the daughter and the cook, Peter. As the handsome eyes homicide detective makes it clear Lana and Peter are prime suspects, Lana and her roommate, Megan decide to investigate on their own. They even buy a book on being a Private Investigator... Soon, we learn there are many secrets in the Asian Village. The victim was not as nice as people thought. And, what about the wife of the victim? I enjoyed this tale a great deal. Being married to an Eurasian this book resonated with me. I look forward to the next volume.

A madcap caper with enough twists and turns to keep one guessing till the end. Enjoyable, breezy read.

This was a fun and interesting book to read. Nothing in the story feels forced and I wasn't expecting the ending. The only thing is that it was a bit hard to get into at the beginning due to the many side characters I was introduced to. But then I ended up loving that

Amazing detail in book.

I love the characters and how they develop through out the book, can't wait for more.

I read all her books, in order. Nice continuity and writing style, from point of view of amateur sleuth. Given that her family is Chinese and owns a Chinese restaurant, I have to wonder why she named her dog Kikkoman (Japanese soy sauce) and her favorite noodles are udon noodles (Japanese), and a favorite food on the restaurant menu is satay (Indonesian). Cultural identity crisis or well-assimilated immigrant family? Not important but I found it odd/interesting. A good series and worth the read. New book same series out in August so I will watch for it.