Murder Lo Mein by Vivien Chien is the third A Noodle Shop Mystery. Lana Lee is the manager of her family’s restaurant, Ho-Lee Noodle House in Asia Village. The restaurant is participating in Cleveland’s Best Noodles contest which will be held at Asia Village. Peter Huang, their chef, and Lana want to win this year. They have come in second and third in the past, but they believe this is their year to take home the prize. After the first round in the competition, Norman Pan—a judge and food critic—finds a fortune cookie next to his plate with a threatening message inside. Later at the after party at the Bamboo Lounge, Norman is found face down in a bowl of noodles. Detective Adam Trudeau, Lana’s boyfriend, is lead on the investigation and warns Lana to stay away from the case. Lana, of course, has no intention of listening to Adam and immediately starts a list of potential suspects. She soon discovers that Norman was not well-liked and gave critical food reviews (even to his own niece). Lana visits each contestant’s restaurant to ask questions and look around for clues (a bonus is checking out the competitor’s food at the same time). Then another judge receives a killer fortune and is later found dead in her hotel room. Lana is piecing together the clues when she receives a forbidding fortune. Will Lana be the killer’s next victim?

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.

This is the third installment in the Noodle Shop Mystery series. 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

MURDER LO MEIN by Vivien Chien
The Third Noodle Shop Mystery

It's time for Cleveland's Best Noodle Contest and Ho-Lee Noodle House is aching to take first prize, or at least beat the Shen family! With Ho-Lee in the lead after one elimination, everyone takes time to celebrate, even Judge Norman Pan, a restaurant critic known for his scathing reviews. But the party grinds to a halt when the hated judge is found dead. With her sort of boyfriend Detective Trudeau busy working, Lana now faces multiple temptations: Asia Village's hunky new community director, delectable doughnuts from the shop opening next door, and the thrill of solving another murder!

I love Lana Lee! She's determined, fun, and, though sometimes vulnerable, able to take care of herself. She also lives and works in a great place. I always enjoy seeing what's new in Asia Village and the third Noodle Shop Mystery brings some exciting changes. A new business enters the mix, Shanghai Donuts, taking over the cursed (according to the Mahjong Matrons and a good portion of the Village, anyway) location. We also see a dishy new character in Freddie Yuan. The addition of Lana's Grandmother brings plenty of laughs...and a new side to more than one character.

Aside from a cracking good mystery, my favorite aspect of the book is how the characters and their relationships are evolving. Lanna and Detective Trudeau's relationship comes to a crossroads as Adam opens up about his past. Lana's mother has to learn to live with her own mother as she frets about the Noodle Competition and an upcoming visit with her sister. In fact, family dynamics play a huge part, not only in this book, but the whole series! And not just the Lee family either. Throughout the series we meet many families and see how they change, grow, and deal with each other. Above all there's a wonderful sense of community that I'm happy to be a part of.

MURDER LO MEIN is a smart, funny mystery filled with wonderful characters and delectable food.

Lana Lee is an unlikely sleuth but she's an endearing one. She works at their family restaurant in an Asian style strip mall in the Midwest. Their restaurant's main chef has entered a noodle contest and has a strong chance of winning, but things have gotten complicated.

One of the judges to the contest is found brutally murdered at a crowded restaurant/karaoke bar. Lana was there at the time - so were most of the contestants and owners of the participating companies. Lana's boyfriend is assigned the case and he does not want Lana getting involved. Lana has other ideas and can't help but try to solve the puzzle in front of her, death threats notwithstanding.

Vivien Chien creates an interesting and engaging character within a tightly knit and likable community. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a free copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

**3.5 Stars**

This is another solid addition to The Noodle House Mystery series. In advance of reading this, I decided to read the first two books. Both books are enjoyable and this book builds on the previous two well, but you don't necessarily have to read the previous books to follow this one. Chien sums up the previous events well. The positives of the books are the settings and the characters. I like being in this world and there is a good set of supporting characters that complement Lana well.

In terms of the mystery, I liked the concept, but I found the pacing a bit slow and wasn't as invested. Also, the constant references to Lana's amateur sleuthing ways got a bit tiresome. I like Chien's writing and her characters, but I find that she tends to over emphasize a certain point in books and in this one it was Lana's meddling in the mystery.

All in all, I do think this is a solid book and an enjoyable series. I will continue with the series and recommend it to cozy mystery fans.

Summary from Goodreads:

"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. . "

My Thoughts:

Murder Lo Mein was a fun cozy mystery that has left me itching to catch up with the other books in the series! I'm notorious for starting and reading series books out of order which is exactly what happened here. This is only book three so I'm not too far behind, but I also jumped right into the middle of this series. Honestly, it didn't effect my enjoyment in the slightest! I found myself caught up in the pages of this book on the hunt for the murderer right alongside Lana Lee. She's a great main character and both her and her family were fun to read about! I'm sure that I'm missing out on some details and background thanks to not having read the first two books but it really didn't seem to matter. I was still just swept away by the noodle contest and the hunt for the murderer. There were plenty of suspects to choose from and I'm pretty sure that I suspected them all at one point or another. My one and only complaint is that I would have loved more food descriptions because everything she ate sounded so delicious. This only comes from the fact that many of the cozies I read are more food focused so I was hoping for this to be the same. It wasn't but it still left me very hungry and craving spring rolls more than once! I especially appreciated all of the secondary characters in this book including Lana's grandmother. One of the things that I love about cozy mysteries is that they usually have great characters and this book was no different. I'm eager to get back to the first book and see how Lana and Adam first met!

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that has me excited about this new to me cozy mystery series! I'm already planning on reading the first two books in the very near future so that I can be all caught up with the series before the next book releases. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what kind of trouble Lana can get herself into next! Side note here but how great is the title of this book?!? I absolutely love it to be honest! It's cute and catchy which fits with this book perfectly! I was left guessing until the end of this book which is always a plus as well. All of this adds up to make a very easy book for me to recommend!

Bottom Line: An enjoyable read that made me instantly want to catch up with the rest of the series!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. Thoughts are my own.

Murder Lo Mein by Vivien Chien is book 3 in the Noodle Shop Mystery series. It can be read as a stand alone as Ms. Chien does a great job of getting you up to speed. I had read book two and bought book 1 because I truly enjoy this series.
The protagonist, Lana, is now full time manager of the family's Noodle Shop and is in the middle of the Best Noodle Contest in Cleveland. No sooner has her chef, Peter, won round one then one of the judges drops dead at the after celebration. Then there is that strange fortune cookie he received. Lana's detective boyfriend is put in charge of the investigation and tries to keep her from investigating. Then a second judge is found dead along with another fortune cookie. When Lana finds a fortune cookie in her purse, it is on, whether Adam likes it or not
You get plenty of suspects, romance, some humor , everything that makes a great, easy to read, clean cozy. The only problem, you may have a craving for lo mein.
I was given an ARC by the publisher and Netgalley for an honest review.

I've been on a cozy mystery kick these last few weeks and this one was one of the best so far!
The story kicks off quickly with the death of one of the judges for the Cleveland noodle contest and it's up to Lana to figure out if the death was because of the contest or because he was a terrible person before anyone else gets hurt.

Lana is a great main character. I like her wild streak that keeps her tracking down these killers, but how very normal she is in all other regards. I felt a kinship to her, if she could solve mysteries, maybe I could too!

By this time I wasn't sure what I thought of Detective Adam, I was starting to feel like he's a little wishy washy, but by the end of the story I was swayed back to fondness for him. I was worried because I wasn't sure where the author was going with that character, but I ended up liking his arc even better than I expected.

I've focused on the characters because that's what really made this story pop for me, but honestly the mystery was really good too!
I really enjoyed all elements of this story and look forward to the next one!

Aside from the obvious of it being a murder mystery, no warnings!

I absolutely loved the first two books in this series! Vivien shows up again with another wonderful edition to these characters! I have already preordered a copy on amazon!. :)

Lana is back, and this time she is more secure in life in general. A noodle contest is featured, as well as some sinister cookies, a handsome detective, and string of murders that don't seem to have a common thread, and some Mean girl problems with a rival restaurant. These books are very enjoyable and the descriptions of the cuisine are mouth-watering. The mystery part is intriguing, and just a hint of romance makes this newer series a hit.

Murder Lo Mein is book 3 in A Noodle Shop Mystery series. If you're looking for a Cozy Mystery that's diverse, has a great whodunit, and will have you craving delicious food, look no further. This series has me addicted and I'm making grabby hands for the next book.

Our leading lady, Lana Lee, is now the manager of her family's restaurant Ho-Lee Noodle House. This time around the restaurant has entered into Cleveland’s Best Noodle Contest and everyone is a bit nervous and hoping to take home the win. After taking the first win in the contest, it doesn't take long for the mystery aspect to kick in when one of the judges is murdered. They decide to continue with the contest while Lana's boyfriend Detective Adam Trudeau is on the case to figure out who the killer is. Lana can't help herself though and decides to poke around to try to solve it herself. When another judge is killed and no real leads in sight, everyone is on edge. Lana has to figure out who is behind the murders before she's next on the list.

Murder Lo Mein is great follow up to a delightful series. I'm loving Lana's character and most of the secondary characters as well. The whodunit aspect was well done and I was questioning who the killer was while reading. All in all, if you're looking for a cozy mystery you won't want to put down check this series out.

It was a delight to return to the Asian village for another cozy mystery. Noodle contest, grandmother, romance, and fortune cookies all add up to a charming story.

Good read! It is a book with a bit of family drama, romance and a quirky amateur sleuth who is dating a detective. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

This series has grown on me. With each mystery I have become even more fond of the family who owns the Ho-Lee Noodle House. Their daughter, Lana, came back home to regroup and isn't happy to get sucked back into the family restaurant. Nothing gets past her mother, her sister, her father and the ladies who come by every day for lunch. Lana's life is fair game to every one of them. Hey, they mean well but it takes her awhile to settle into her new role. She has gone from waitressing to manager. Now that she is the manager, she sets her sights on winning Cleveland's Best Noodle Contest. Things go south when a local food critic dies and despite urging to the contrary and her own hesitation to get involved, Lana gets involved - as usual. Considering that the victim was not popular, the list of suspects isn't a short one. The event is being held in the Asia Village, home of the Ho-Lee Noodle House and most of her friends have a lot invested in keeping danger away from their various businesses.
Besides the usual family and friends and her boyfriend, we are introduced to Lana's grandmother who has returned from Taiwan with Lana's parents. She is a great addition to the cast of characters. If you are new to this series, don't worry, the family and friends of Lana Lee will fill you in. Book #4, Wonton Terror, comes out August 27, 2019.

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!

Summary

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 (summary from Goodreads).

Review

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!

Murder Lo Mein is the latest Noodle Shop Mystery.

Lana Lee is the new manager at her family’s noodle house. At the annual Cleveland’s Best Noodle contest, her restaurant wins day one of four. Later that day at the karaoke after-party, one of the contest judges is murdered. Lana decides to investigate.

In the meantime, Lana’s detective boyfriend Adam isn’t around much. Is he really too busy with work or is his interest waning? New Community Director Freddie might take Lana’s mind off of Adam.

A plethora of characters are introduced in the first few chapters. I was worried about keeping them all straight. However, as each got their turn in the plot spotlight, their different personalities made them easy to distinguish.

A possibly more serious problem is that not only the victims but even the perps are named from the two earlier books in the series. While this book can be read as a standalone, there will be no surprises if you read the previous books later.

If you liked Crazy Rich Asians or Straight Off the Boat, you will enjoy this look at a crazy Taiwanese family. While the mystery was easy to solve, the characters, humor, and unique setting make Murder Lo Mein a good afternoon’s entertainment. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Murder Lo Mein
By Vivien Chien
St. Martin’s Paperbacks
March 2019

Review by Cynthia Chow

Despite the sign over the restaurant proclaiming it to be the #1 Noodle Shop, Asia Village’s Ho-Lee Noodle House has never won the top spot in Cleveland’s Best Noodles contest. Since the competition’s inception five years ago, they’ve come close but never succeeded in besting their rival the House of Shen. Last year’s contest ended in controversy and accusations of cheating, but without proof the previous champion is now on the judging panel along with a viperous restaurant critic and Cleveland-made-good respected chef. Now that she has been made the new manager of her family’s restaurant, Lana Lee feels the pressure to save face and bring home a win for the Ho-Lee Noodle House. Things look to be off to a promising start when her chef Peter Huang wins the first round of the competition, but events take a downturn when judge Normal Pan is found strangled to death during the kickoff celebration in Penny Cho’s Bamboo Lounge karaoke bar. Although Penny quickly becomes the primarily suspect, Lana’s protective instincts kick in and she takes action to uphold Asia Village’s reputation.

Even though Lana and her maybe-sorta boyfriend Adam Trudeau have only sporadically been able to arrange their schedules and actually complete a date, the detective does not appreciate seeing her in the midst of his active investigation. That still doesn’t stop Lana, as ensuring that the noodle completion continues and the Ho-Lee Noodle House comes out on top is almost as important as tracking down a killer. Not only did Norman Pan destroy careers with his restaurant judging and reviews, his face-to-face interactions proved to be just as combative. Further casting a shadow over the event are menacing fortune cookies containing the wisdom of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, hinting that someone is following a ruthless strategy to take out enemies and possibly bring down Asia Village.

This continues to be one of my favorite mystery series featuring an extraordinary community and engaging heroine. In this third installment, Asian American Lana is confronted by her childhood nemesis who continues to degrade her as only being half-Chinese and not a “real Asian.” It highlights an identity crisis Lana struggled against her entire life, and is brought to light again as her grandmother visits and the language barrier has them relying on an app – and mutual love – for communication. Not fluent in either Mandarin or her family’s Hokkien Taiwanese dialect, Lana does feel the barbs thrown by the Mean Girl of their rival restaurant. Lana’s vulnerabilities and relatability will have readers cheering for her throughout the novel, as will a twist that emphasizes the value of books and reading. The interactions between Lana and her mother are genuinely entertaining, especially when “Mommy” is exasperated with and exhausted by her own visiting mother. The additional complication of three attractive men all intrigued by Lana is yet another element spicing up this well-paced mystery, as is her adorable pug Kikkoman. Humor, the lovingly affectionate Lee family, and of course the delicious delicacies of the Ho-Lee Noodle House will have readers clamoring for another course of this unique mystery series.

Everyone knows Ho-Lee Noodle House has the best noodles in Cleveland. Now Lana and crew are participating in a contest to earn the title. Unfortunately someone starts killing judges and it's up to Lana and her detective boyfriend to solve the case so the Ho-Lee Noodle House can claim their victory. Reading these makes me crave noodles oh and now there is a doughnut shop nearby -oh boy

Vivien Chen serves readers a generous helping of delicious suspense in her newest Lana Lee mystery.  Cleveland’s annual Best Noodle competition is Ho-Lee Noodle House’s opportunity to shine. After coming in second several years in a row, Lana is determined this year is Ho-Lee’s turn to win.  Norman Pan, food critic and one of the competition judges, is known for his scathing reviews, rude comments and bad temper - still it is a shock to discover him face down in a bowl of noodles. His death throws the contest into disarray leading Lana to once more put on her sleuthing hat and start asking questions.  


It isn’t easy to discover the killer amongst the swath of suspects.  Realistically, most of the people involved have different agendas which they are reluctant to share.  The story is cleverly plotted. I also liked the unique color and flavor of Asia Town. It is a fascinating setting.   The novel left me hungry for more - noodles and mysteries by Vivien Chen.


4 / 5


I received a copy of Murder Lo Mein from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.


— Crittermom

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Murder Lo Mein is the third of Vivien Chien's Noodle Shop Mystery series. I'm not gonna lie I partly signed up for Netgalley just to request an ARC of this book because I could not wait, and I wanted more of Lana and Det. Trudeau. This is another cozy mystery through and through. The mystery kept me guessing till the end, I actually had convinced myself it was different murder situation, and I turned out to be wrong so Chien definitely keeps you on your toes. However, this one was not as good to me as Chien's first and second outings. While it was nice to finally get a little more backstory on Adam, I wanted more time with him and Lana and I want more time with Megan and Lana as well. I'm curious to see if Chien will take the mystery out of the world of the noddle shop plaza the next time in Wonton Terror (I am already on the lookout for it . . . I'm obsessed, I know).

I love that Lana is Asian-American sleuth and at the forefront of the action. I also love how relatable she is; she's kind, got a passion for donuts and noodles, and she's realistic. More like 3.75 ish stars on this one, but I'm excited to read more from Chien in the future!