I'm sorry, I can't finish this book. I've recently come to enjoy cozy mysteries, and thought I'd give a book from this series a whirl, particularly because it's set in the Cleveland, OH area where I lived for eight years. I found the dialog unappealing and reducing my motivation to continue reading. I'm going to rate this book anyway, because I did get to the 40% point before I gave up. I will not be giving a rating or feedback on Goodreads, however. I can see where this would appeal to some folks, but for me it fell short.

I’ve heard such good things about this series, but unfortunately this ended up being a DNF for me about 25% through. Even though the murder took place fairly quickly I felt like the book was dragging from the beginning. I also felt like there was a lot of clunky exposition, which seems odd to me this far into a series. The writing just wasn’t for me - too bad!

"Lana Lee returns for another delectable cozy set in a Chinese restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio in Vivien Chien's Fatal Fried Rice...

Lana Lee runs her family’s Chinese restaurant in Cleveland’s Asia Village like nobody’s business. When it comes to actual cooking, however, she’s known to be about a step up from boiling rice. So Lana decides to go to culinary school on the sly - and prove that she has what it takes in the kitchen after all. But when course instructor Margo Chan turns up dead after class, Lana suddenly finds herself on the case, frying pan in hand.

Since she was the one who discovered the body, Lana must do double duty in finding the killer and clearing her name. Now, with or without the help of her boyfriend Detective Adam Trudeau, Lana launches her own investigation into Margo’s life and mysterious death. Doing so leads her on a wild goose chase to and from the culinary school - and all the way back to the Ho-Lee noodle shop, where the guilty party may be closer than Lana thinks."

It's time for a cozy and delicious treat!

Usually I am all in on Vivien Chien's Noodle Shop Mysteries, but this one was not up to par. Lana Lee as everyone knows cannot cook Chinese food even though she manages her family's Chinese restaurant. She decides to take a cooking class at the local community college and still manages to be hopeless in the cooking department, but what she does discover is the murdered body of her instructor. Margo Han was a private person and hardly anyone seems to know much about her. She seems the least likely person to be murdered. Lana and her roommate Megan decide to investigate and even include Kimmy from the video store. As much as I enjoy the characters, the plot was a little weak, but I will continue to read this series.

Fatal Fried Rice is the seventh book in the Noodle Shop Mystery series by Vivien Chien. Forget the noodles; fried rice is on the plate for this new cozy mystery set in a Cleveland, Ohio Chinese restaurant. Lana Lee runs the family business but the closest she gets to cooking is boiling rice, not actually frying it. She decides to go to culinary school. But when Lana Lee finds the class instructor dead, she must clear her name and find the killer.

"It's so interesting how fear seems more pressing in the early morning hours, and then with the light of day, safety and a sense of security return." ~ 68%

I love a good cozy! All I need on any given Sunday is a mystery, a hot cup of tea, sherpa-lined socks and fleece pajamas. Fatal Fried Rice was my latest guest and oh was it worth my time. The narration is relatable as if I'm chatting with a friend. When Lana Lee is going through her thought process or figuring out clues with the help of friends, I feel like I'm right there.

What I loved most is there are no filler chapters or unnecessary details to throw readers off. Nowadays, mysteries tend to over-explain and bog pages down with needless information. I appreciate how Vivien Chien didn't try to confuse readers but stuck to the entertaining sleuth story. She inserted just enough suspects and revealed the mystery in due time. At around 84%, I still couldn't guess who the killer was so I was surprised when it unfolded down to the last pages.

Normally series are read in chronological order. However, I am fairly new to the Noodle Shop Mystery series and jumped at the opportunity to read the new installment in advance. Reading lucky #7 only makes me want to catch up even more. And I am happy to see book #8 will be released this August. Looking forward to more of Lana Lee!

Happy Early Pub Day, Vivien Chien! Fatal Fried Rice will be available Tuesday, March 9.

~LiteraryMarie

I just love this series - it has all of the perfect elements I love in cozies - the crazy sidekick best friend/roommate that is always up for anything, the hunky police detective, amazing food, nosy old women and a sister that is the complete opposite of her. First of all - i love that she's taking a Chinese cooking class on the down low and then everyone finds out bc of the murder. I totally had no idea who the killer was until the end! And I loved all of the Chinatown references and the could actually picture the dragon entrance. Can't wait for more. Wish there were more Asian cozies!

Fatal Fried Rice is the 7th book of Noodle Shop Mystery Series - one of my favorite cozy mysteries.
Lana wants to learn Asian cooking, but she walks into a crime scene again.
I am happy to see Lana’s family and friends, it is another funny quick and comfort read. 4 stars. The reason of killing is not convincing to me.

I love this series! Lana is an absolute delight and the supporting characters have all developed some depth at this point in the books. Lana ends up in a delicate situation when she tries to branch out and take a cooking class to learn how to make Chinese food to surprise her family. Instead of developing culinary skills, she finds the instructor murdered and herself a suspect. Unsurprisingly, hijinks ensue as Lana attempts to figure out who wanted Margo dead. While I managed to figure out who did it, I still had fun reading the book. Lana's doormat tendencies were pretty prevalent in this book and I hope she finds a way to grow through them, which I think can only help the series. Still, these are delightful and delicious cozies that I'll devour at any time.

This is my favorite cozy mystery series. Once again Vivien has cooked up a fun little mystery and I love diving back into the character's lives.

Truly, Lana Lee is the cozy mystery heroine everyone loves. It is fun getting to know her even better, as she, typically, launches into a self-improvement effort by taking a cooking class, which leads to discovering a murder. Lots of fun, and perfect to recommend to cozy mystery readers who enjoy books in a culinary setting.

Lana signs up for an Asian cooking class. But after the first class she stumbles on the dead body of the instructor. Clearly no more cooking lessons with be occurring. Fatal Fried Rice once again finds Lana investigating a mystery, although a jerky detective wa to to pin it on her. I was stumped for most of the book about who the culprit was. It's action packed and the pieces of the story fit very well together. Chien continues to write what is one of my favorite cozy mysteries series. Keep them coming.

In Vivien Chien's 7th Noodle Shop Mystery Lana Lee, restauranteur and gal about town, finds herself on the other side of Cleveland when (surprise, surprise!) she stumbles upon a murder! Lana and her posse (Megan and Kimmy) investigate, along with tips from the ever present Mahjong Matrons, as to why someone would want to kill quiet cooking instructor Margo Han. Lots of fun, as usual, in this fun cozy! A+++

Lana Lee is a character that I would enjoy spending time with. In this adventure Lana signs up to learn how to cook. As luck or unlucky would have it her teacher is murdered. Since she discovered the body the detective is convinced she did it.
I am looking forward to watching Lana come into her own. Stand her ground with the people in her life. I can’t wait for the next adventure!
#FatalFriedRice #NetGalley

Lana is back, and this time, she wants to learn how to cook. However, she doesn't want her family to know she is trying to get better at not burning food. Her low-key attempts go up in smoke when the cooking instructor from her class is found murdered...by none other than Lana herself. An enjoyable installment in this newer series.

Love this series each book has been fun add in a mystery and wonderful characters highly recommend,In this book Lina Lee decides to take cooking lessons to the amazement of her family and the fun begins.#netgalley#st.martinsbooks

I simply adore Lana Lee and this particular book made me laugh out loud so many times. Lana dives into cooking classes, hoping to impress her sister and her parents.
I think Fatal Fried Rice is my favorite in the series so far.

Another wonderful addition to the Noodle Shop Mystery series! This time around, Lana decides to take a Chinese cooking class and ends up getting involved in yet another murder. I love the characters that Vivien Chien has created and am always anxious to see what Lana and her friends will get involved in next.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of FATAL FRIED RICE (Book 7 of the Noodle Shop Mysteries) by Vivien Chien in exchange for an honest review. Lana Lee is tired of her sister picking on her for not knowing how to cook Chinese food. Lana also finds it ironic that Chinese food is the one ethnic food she has problems cooking. As a result, Lana secretly enrolls in an adult enrichment class to learn how to cook Chinese food. However, Lana’s secret lands her in hot water. At the end of the first class, Lana discovers that her instructor has been sliced and diced. As the finder of the corpse, Lana becomes the investigating detective’s primary suspect even though she had no motive. With Lana’s future freedom on the chopping block, Lana and her gal pals furtively investigate. Will Lana’s secrets and lies yield the truth or will the murderer escape their just desserts?

I like this book and enjoy the series. I’m a little concerned though. Everyone in Lana’s life seems to feel it’s okay to lecture her and yell at her like she’s five. She allows them to do this instead of standing up for herself; however, the lectures over her behavior only have the effect of making Lana keep her investigations secret. As a result, Lana’s developing some negative character traits. Instead of Lana being heralded as a successful amateur sleuth and professional restaurateur, her family and friends will soon know her as Lana the Liar.

That being noted, I still enjoy the stories and expect Lana will eventually realize her problem and correct her behavior by attempting to overcome her lifelong training to be a doormat and by standing up for herself; thereby allowing herself the freedom to openly be who she is and to feel comfortable telling her family the truth. I look forward to Lana’s epiphanies that she will always be herself no matter how much she tries to change to suit her family and that her family will love her more for being herself than for pretending to be a doormat. I recommend this series to fans of cozy mysteries featuring murder, food shops, Asian culture, Asian shops, and domineering relatives.

#FatalFriedRice #NetGalley

Another fun one in a great series. Not sure which number this one is, but it is either sixth or seventh. I eagerly devour books in this series, but this one, while good, was not a favorite. Maybe because I figured out who the killer was almost right away, or perhaps it seemed to echo the other books too much. Would like to see more sparks between Lana and Adam. Nice to see more with the roommate, and the pug. Would still recommend this book and series, but liked the earlier ones better.

This is the first book I've read in the last couple of weeks that I really liked. I could easily tell by the fast pace I was turning the pages.

The usual people in Lana's life help out her latest investigation including the Mahjong Matrons. Would like to see them help out more in the future, especially in action. I enjoyed the read and the fact that the author puts in bits and pieces about being a first generation American and the expectations on the children of immigrants, but doesn't use it to create drama. Both Lee daughters have Caucasian boyfriends and the parents seem to accept it with grace.

The one shortfall here was the lack of credible suspects. While the why, how and motive unravels for us as the story goes on there is definitely a lack of whos/suspects which would have made this a richer mystery. The ultimate explanation seemed a little weak too.

Still, I enjoyed my visit with Lana and crew. I received my copy of Fatal Fried Rice from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.