I adore this series. It is clever and well written. I loved that this one is based in California and has Lana's family (namely her sister) more involved in her sleuthing. Hi praise for Misfortune Cookie and all of Chien's other books.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me this advance copy in return for a fair and unbiased review.

I love this series, and this one did not disappoint. #9 in the series finds Lana off to California during the dead of winter to attend a restaurant convention. Sis is going with her, and they plan to stay in their Aunt Grace's rental home. Little did Lana anticipate her first day at the convention witnessing an altercation between a vendor and attendee. When that attendee winds up dead, and turns out to be a great friend of Aunt Grace, Lana steps up to find out who did it. And there is no shortage of suspects.

I enjoy this series; it's well written and the story lines are crisp and make sense. We see more of the relationship between Lana and her sister, and find out more about the relationship between their mother and her sister, Grace. I hope we see more of Grace in future installments.

The story was engaging. Lots of nuances to keep your interest. Perhaps a red herring or two to keep you thinking. As with others in this series, there's a cultural component as well as a mystery to solve. So lots of dimensions present in the story. To my mind, that's what makes a good story line...and this book has a great story line. I highly recommend the series and this book in particular.

Asian-Americans, amateur-sleuth, verbal-humor, situational-humor, family-dynamics, family, relatives, Chinese-culture, Chinese-customs, murder, murder-investigation, cozy-mystery, family-drama, family-business, siblings, sisters, California, lawyers, secrets, friendship, law-enforcement, suspense

Nothing is as it seems. Except, maybe, the sibling rivalry between Lana the Noodle Shop manager and her older sister Anna May the almost lawyer. And also between Aunt Grace and their mother.
Aunt Grace's good friend takes a dive off the roof at a party and Lana is bound to investigate. So is Aunt Grace, but certainly NOT Anna May. This is not their hometown in Cleveland, and the detective is not her boyfriend, but asleuthing they go anyway. There's the nasty mouthed fortune cookie vender, the cold fish husband, and a few more interesting suspects, and a whole lot of red herrings. I knew this would be another good read in a delightful series, and I was right!
I requested and received an EARC from St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Paperbacks via NetGalley. Thank you!

Last year, while searching for an AAPI read during Heritage Month, I was first introduced to the Noodle Shop Mysteries. My local library highly recommended the series, and being a huge foodie, I immediately started reading the first book.

Having just finished Misfortune Cookie, all I have to say is Vivian has done it again! It's a wonderful and charming continuation to the series, and after spent years in the food industry, this particular plot really called to me.

Another thing I love about this series is all the foodie references! I find a new dish or treat that I want to try every time I read one of the books. Yum!

The Noodle Shop Mystery series is one of my favorite cozies. Lana's a fun, appealing heroine and the series' usual Asia Village setting provides a colorful, unique backdrop for the books. Although there are definitely installments I enjoy more than others, overall I love this series.

MISFORTUNE COOKIE falls in the didn't-love-as-much category. I don't know if it's because it's set away from Asia Village or what, but it feels more generic than its predecessors. The characters aren't as memorable and the plot's rather ho-hum. I saw the killer coming from a mile away, which made the story less exciting than usual. This one also seems more far-fetched than usual, although cozies aren't exactly known for being realistic! I did like that Anna May features more in this installment than usual. The tense relationship between Lana and her fussy older sister gives the story some extra tension and humor to keep things interesting. Even though I didn't find MISFORTUNE COOKIE as appealing as some of its fellows, I still quite enjoy this series as a whole. It's unique, fun, and always entertaining. I'm looking forward to the next book to see what Lana gets herself up to next!

If I could, I would give this book 3 1/2 stars; since I can't, I'm rounding up.

I absolutely love the foodie thriller books by best-selling authors Jesse Q. Sutanto and Mia Manansala, so I knew that Vivien Chien’s Noodle Shop cozy mystery series would be perfect for me. I haven’t read the others in the series (this is #9), but in just a few opening pages I knew Lana Lee was a character worth loving. And she solves mysteries! Plus, she doesn’t allow pineapple on pizza, so I recognize her as a soulmate.

Lana is out of her Ohio Noodle Shop element in this book, but she’s in one I know well, Irvine and Balboa Island. Welcome, Lana! Aunt Grace lives in sunny California and is hosting Lana and her sister Anna May (who is escaping a married boyfriend) during a restaurant convention. Of course, someone with connections to fortune cookie manufacturing is involved (must be the cookies with the dire warnings instead of serene platitudes) and there’s an “accident” that Lana’s suspects is a murder.

I so enjoyed this book and I’ll definitely add the previous ones with all the adorable titles (“Egg Drop Dead,” “Wonton Terror,” “Death by Dumpling”) to my TBR list! 5 stars!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Not something I was expecting in a novel about strong female Asian characters, but kudos to Lana for her mint chocolate hair color.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO But Lana is consistently abusive to bouquets of stargazer lilies, lavender, and baby’s breath.

I absolutely adore this series. I was so glad to get this ARC. I think Lana is one of my favorite characters ever!! I settled in with some noodles and dug in to both the book and the food. Absolutely loved this book!!!!
I just reviewed Misfortune Cookie by Vivien Chien. #NetGalley
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Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

Misfortune Cookie is everything I hoped it would be and more!
Lana and her sister Anna May are visiting their Aunt Grace while attending a food expo. While visiting, they become involved in another murder investigation, which doesn't sit well with Anna.
The victim is their aunt's best friend, and Lana is determined to find the truth, especially if she thinks her aunt is in danger.
Even though Anna doesn't approve of Lana's investigations, she soon becomes a willing partner and the sisters work together to find the truth.
I think the author portrayed the relationship between the sisters in true form. She showed the tension, the arguments and the special bond they share, while also allowing them to be true to themselves.
I highly recommend this series to other people, and I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

Lana and her sister are in California visiting her Aunt Grace and help solve the murder of Grace's good friend. I missed the usual setting of Ohio and some of the characters (the Mahjong Matrons in particular) but it was nice to see Lana grow and develop her detection skills away from her family. Grace seems to have many secrets so hopefully we will see more of her in future novels. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

I l9ve the Noodle Shop series and all of the characters. I enjoyed getting to learn more about Aunt Grace. I loved the change of scenery and how Lana still ends up investigating murder. The relationship between Anna May and Lana also develops more in this book. I kissed Adam and Megan - it felt like when you're watching your favourite TV show and the actor is off having a baby in real life and all you get is a weak cameo. Hope they are back in the next book!

A few edit notes:

Chapter 8 - Lana refers to 'yesterday at the convention but it was the same day (today)

Chapter 33 - Lana says "Nick mentioned to me before he passed out.." but it should be Chase.

Chapter (78%, Loc 2786) "the officer should slightly behind..." should read "the officer stood slightly behind..."

When Lana and Anna May go to find Aunt Grace on her lunch date with Mitchell Lana calls Charles to make sure he has Mitchell's address, but ithink it should be Aunt Grace's address

another great concept in the Noodle Shop Mystery series, I enjoyed how good the cookies looked on the cover and thought it worked with the rest of the series. It had the same spirit that I was hoping for from Vivien Chien and had the same writing style that I enjoyed. I'm glad I got to read this and can't wait for more.

Another great story by Vivien Chien. I love this series and am always excited to see what she is going to come up with next. I like that she sent Lana to visit her aunt so that another murder wouldn't happen in the Asian Village. It was beginning to be a few too many murders in a small community! I love how fast paced the story was. I didn't realize how far I was until I looked down at the percentage and saw I was over halfway already. I can't wait for more books!

I really liked the first book in this series and am glad to revisit the characters. A trip to California adds a special twist to this book as the characters are in unfamiliar surroundings with few people they know. Fans of food cozies will enjoy this book.

Lana is heading to California to attend a food expo and Anna May decides to join her since they’re staying with their Aunt Grace. When Aunt Grace invites them to join her at a work event, the girls aren’t expecting to see a body drop right into their visit.

The victim turns out to be the woman was one Lana saw at the food expo having an argument with a vendor she’s surprised. More surprising is that this woman was her Aunt’s close friend. When Aunt Grace asks for Lana’s help in finding out who killed her friend, even Anna May reluctantly agrees they need to help their Aunt. With the three women on the case, can they find out what happened, or will they be taking their own final dives off of building tops?

I have long loved this series and was so sad when VIvien Chien fell ill. But being the trooper she is like her alter ego, Lana Lee, she kicked bootie and beat it. So this entry is particularly special to me and I am so very glad Vivien, Lana and Anna May are all back and in action once again. Looking forward to many more adventures with the Lana and the gang and wishing a happy and healthy future to the author.

This author has become one of my favorite cozy writers! I loved following Lana on another mystery and I loved how the mystery was solved. This was super fun and cozy and fast paced.

This is the ninth book in this delightful cozy series and another great addition. This time, Lana Lee is off to California, leaving the cold December weather of Cleveland, Ohio, to attend a restaurant convention. On the (slightly) downside, her older sister, Anna May, is coming too but they’re visiting their maternal aunt, Grace, and enjoying her hospitality for the week. Somehow, trouble always seems to find Lana and this time is no different. On the first day of the convention, she witnesses two women having a verbal altercation and when one of them is found dead at an event the Lees attend with their Aunt Grace, circumstances are just too coincidental for Lana. Aunt Grace is aware of Lana’s reputation within the family for solving mysteries and begs her to uncover the truth while she’s in California. Over the week, there’s sisterly bickering and bonding, lots of suspects and a detective who isn’t willing to share information. It’s another fun time with Lana and I already look forward to the next book in this series!

Another hit in the series. Lana goes to California with her sister and naturally a murder mystery literally drops into their vacation. When the victim (pushed off the roof) ends up being their aunt's friend they step in to help. Good mystery and story, and one I highly recommend. A bit different since in a different setting, but still a good story. wish she added recipes, as some sound delicious.