Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Hot and Sour Suspects is my introduction to the Noodle Shop Mystery series. I just loved this book. The characters are fun and colorful (Lana, Megan and Kimmy), which really makes the book stand out. The storyline is strong and it unfolds at a steady pace. The victim is not a nice person, and it's a real pleasure to read about the dirt that Lana and her friends dig up about him. There is a nice array of unsavoury suspects, and it's difficult to pick one as the culprit until the last chapters. I enjoyed this book so much that I already got myself the previous books of the series to catch up. Another positive aspect is that there are no spoilers. This series is not to be missed!

Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chien (Noodle Shop Mystery #8) 4 stars

Lana Lee, the manager of Ho-Lee Noodle House is hosting a speed dating event. The name of the game is turning a profit and helping out her friend Megan whose bar is the usual venue. She is surprised to find her fellow Asia Village shop owner, Rina Su buying a ticket to the event. Rina finds an attractive prospect and leaves with him. The evening appears to a success with Lana and company celebrating at home. But a phone call to Adam destroys that bubble with Lana finding out Rina called the police because the man she went home with is dead. Now Rina is the number one suspect and Lana, Megan, and Kimmie are on the hunt for the real killer.

I love the Noodle Shop Mysteries and every one is a gem. There is deduction and side investigations into the background of the victim. I thought the mystery was well constructed. Also it wouldn't be a Noodle Shop Mystery without some family drama - this time it is supplied by Anna May, Lana's sister. I enjoy all the characters and their interactions, but this book was a little slow at times. A fast read for a cozy day with some noodle soup on tap. I look forward to the next entry to this series.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC.

Lana Lee and her best friend, Megan Riley, host a speed dating contest at Ho-Lee Noodle House. The night goes better than anticipated, and both women are beyond thrilled with the results. But when Rina Su, fellow Asia Village shop owner and speed dating participant, calls to inform Lana that the date she’s just matched with has been murdered, Lana starts to investigate. She finds that the man had a rather unsavory past. Can Lana find the culprit before he finds her?
I enjoyed this one, but felt that it needed more excitement, and suspense. I loved the characters and enjoyed the camaraderie between them. The culprit was someone I felt didn’t have enough book time, so I didn’t feel like he was a genuine suspect. The story had a satisfactory ending. I would like to read another story by this author. I received an advanced reader’s copy from NetGalley. This review is my honest opinion.

Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chien was a tasty mystery! Let's start with the cover which really drew me in. I think the art is beautiful and complements the funny title. This is the third book in the series, but the first one I've read. I definitely enjoyed it and was able to keep up without reading the others. This book stars Lana Lee who manages her family's restaurant with a side of crime solving. She's got an adorable pug, a roommate mate and a hunky detective boyfriend. I read a ton of mysteries and think I'm a pretty good sleuth so it was fun to read a mystery that wasn't obvious from the third chapter. Add this one to your selfie for sure!

This is one of my favorite series. The writing flows well, the mysteries are always solid and the setting (Cleveland) is one I am not familiar with but love to learn about through these books. The characters feel like family now. Even Kimmy, who grated on my nerves before (I think that was the point), is growing on me. I love watching the relationships grow throughout, particularly Lana's relationship with her sister. The final note was touching and I hope for so many more in this series.

Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chien has Lana Lee hosting a speed dating event at the Ho-Lee Noodle House with her best friend, Megan Riley. Their friend, Rina goes home with a questionable gentleman despite warnings from her friends. In the middle of the night, Lana’s beau, Detective Adam Trudeau is called to a crime scene. Rina’s speed date is dead. Rina finds herself at the top of the suspect list. Lana dives into the case along with Megan and Kimmy. They quickly discover that the victim had a seedy past. There is a lengthy list of people who had reason to kill the victim. Lana needs to figure out which suspect did the deed before Rina must put in a change of address card for the local penitentiary. Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chien is the 8th A Noodle Shop Mystery. It can easily be read as a standalone as the author provides all the needed background information on our main characters as well as what has happened in past A Noodle Shop Mysteries. I found Hot and Sour Suspects easy to read with developed characters. We get to learn more about Lana’s sister, Anna May and her romantic relationship in this book. The mystery was okay. I found it drawn out. It took a while for Lana, Megan, and Kimmy to question all the suspects. There was a great deal of repetition and Lana thinking about the case. Lana would then speak to someone about the investigation which led to repeating what she knew (again). I had to skim to get through Hot and Sour Suspects. There was eating, chatting, walking the dog, time with boyfriend, more chatting and thinking, Lana and her pooch out for another walk, and you get the picture. This was not my favorite A Noodle Shop Mystery. The story seemed to drag (lack of action). There was drama and suspense at the end that wrapped up the case. After reading the note from the author, I can understand why the book seems a little more lowkey. I enjoyed the author’s descriptions of the area (Fairview and Cleveland). Those from that area will recognize places mentioned in the book. Hot and Sour Suspects is a baffling brainteaser with nummy noodles, a speed dating scene, a dead date, secret sleuthing, suspicious suspects, and a crazed killer.

I love this series because it goes beyond the typical cozy. The plots have more 'oomph" and the character a bit more substance. They are great mysteries. The author's note made me sad and the end, I am sending positive vibes for her.

I love Viven Chien. I have read all the other books in this series. I love Lana Lee and her family. I do wish that in this book there was more going on with the plaza and the noodle shop but all in all it was still a great book

The mystery part really had me guessing. I had no clue the culprit for a long time and different details kept throwing me off the trail, which is a true testament to great mystery writing. The big reveal sure added a bunch of drama and suspense at the end. This latest installment in the noodle house series is even more absorbing than usual. The plot felt a little tighter this time around, and I enjoyed the progress made between Lana and her sister, who are always bickering.

Since Death by Dumpling, I’ve been a fan of the Ho-Lee Noodle House, Lana Lee, and her friends. Book 8 is a worthy addition to the series. Poor Rina needs a break. Kimmy and Peter are getting better with ever book (will book 9 see them engaged?), Megan is a girl boss, and I love that there is some character growth with Anna May. I’d love to see some dimension from Adam, he’s still pretty flat. Looking forward to what adventures Lana gets into next.

Another great Chinese cozy from Vivien Chien. I really like this series and can't wait for the next book.

ARC Kindle Copy from Review from Net Galley and St. Martin's Press.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Lana Lee is back on the case as she helps her friend run a dating event. What was supposedly a fun nigt turns deadly quickly.

Once again she will have to find a killer to save her friend from a life in jail. Another quirky fun cozy that will surely delight.

Speed dating was meant to pull in more customers for the Noodle House but unfortunately for Lana Lee's friend Rina, it also brings in a creepy guy and a murder! Rina has lived quietly since moving to Cleveland so the speed dating contest is a big thing and Gavin seems just so nice until another woman shows up and starts yelling. She, unwisely I must say, goes home with Gavin to his apartment where she takes a shower and then comes out and finds him dead! Yikes! Lana Lee, her BFF Megan, and their friend Kimmy take on the case even though Lana's boyfriend Adam, a detective, wishes (as usual) they wouldn't. At the same time, Lana's sister Anna May is dealing with her own man problems- her boyfriend is married and a photograph of him with his wife appears in the paper. Yikes again! I've been a fan of this series as much for the relationships as for the mysteries and for the world of Asia Village- each installment rounds out another member of the community. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Sending positive vibes and wishes to Chien.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chen in exchange for an honest review. Lana Lee is the manager of Ho-Lee Noodle House. She is thinking of hosting speed dating in the restaurant and hoping to bring in extra money. Later that night, Lana finds out one of her friends finds a man dead that she had met speed dating. Lana's boyfriend, Adam, is a detective and is the lead on the case. This was another fun mystery story by Vivien Chen.

amateur-sleuth, Chinese-culture, Chinese-customs, Cleveland, cozy-mystery, family-business, family-dynamics, friendship, law-enforcement, lawyers, murder, murder-investigation, restaurant, suspense, suspicion, situational-humor, verbal-humor*****

Nothing like having TTS read a very good Cleveland cozy mystery to me while I watch a Cleveland grandson on my laptop as he and the team are at a hockey tournament out of town while Cleveland gets a pile of snow dumped on it!
I really like the sisters, their friends, and even The Matrons. Lana still has her police detective boyfriend, but she talks the family into hosting a speed dating night at the restaurant to bolster the slumping receipts. Who knew that her good friend would go home with a guy and end up Chief Suspect in his murder? Said friend is acting strange and making the Friend Sleuthing more than a little difficult. Then things get dangerous.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Paperbacks via NetGalley. Thank you!

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

This is the eighth book in the series, but I slipped into the world with ease and thoroughly enjoyed the mystery romp. Lana is the manager of her family’s Chinese restaurant near Cleveland. When a promotional speed dating event ends up with a guy dead and one of Lana’s friends the suspect in his death, she sets out to investigate. This is a wee bit awkward since her boyfriend is the investigating detective on the case, too.

I found this book to be an easy, breezy read with lots of drama, potential suspects, and twists. The end managed to deliver some nice surprises. I’d gladly read more books in this series.

Speed dating, a noodle restaurant, and a thrilling murder mystery make this book hard to put down!

I really loved the characters in this book! All of the different personalities show through wonderfully from determined Lana to outgoing Kimmy to the neighborhood gossips. I felt like they could all be people I have come across in real life(even those with tons of unlikable personal issues).

The mystery part really had me guessing. I had no clue the culprit for a long time and different details kept throwing me off the trail, which is a true testament to great mystery writing. The big reveal sure added a bunch of drama and suspense at the end.

I also got an extra bonus reading this book as a fellow Clevelander due to being familiar with a lot of the places and setting throughout the book. Maybe that is another reason that I was so immersed in this book and read it in a single day!

One of the best mysteries I've read in awhile!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

I very much enjoy Vivien Chen’s Lana Lee books they are well-plotted and well written. Her characters are very real and very relatable. Lana Lee is the manager of her family’s Chinese restaurant called the Ho Lee Noodle House. I have gone to Chinese restaurants since I was a kid and I enjoy the detail she puts into the book about the restaurant but the real star of the books is Lana Lee. She is an inquisitive person who can’t help but get involved when a friend is embroiled in a crime.
In this outing, Lana and her BFF Megan Riley have decided to host a speed dating event to increase revenue and for something interesting to do.
They are flush with success when they get a call from their friend Rina Su saying that the man she met at the event and went home with was murdered while she was in the apartment. Her story sounds a bit dodgy so Lana and Megan begin to delve into the victim and find that he was not who he seemed to be and there were a lot of shady chapters in his life. As they investigate more the list of suspects grows and so they have more and more investigating to do which leads them down many and various paths to various people as they attempt to track down the real killer.
All of Vivien Chen’s books have a large pool of suspects and through her excellent writing she makes cases that any of them could be the murderer so as Vivien and Megan go about investigating, we go with them and wonder, “Is it…?” “Could it possibly be…?” “Surely it’s not…but it could be.”
The ending when the killer is revealed is very well done and very tense.
Lana has a boyfriend who is with the police department who would like nothing more than for Lana to stop her investigations and let the police handle the cases. I hope for the sake of the readers that it never happens.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an forthright review.

When I requested this book I didn't realize that several books in the series came before it. I have never read any of them, so had no background on the relationship of the characters or what they did before this book. It seems that Lana and her roommate Megan have helped the police solve crimes and they also managed to do it in this book with the help of their friend Kimmy.. As far as the mystery itself goes, it was okay, in that I didn't figure out how it was done. I felt little in the way of suspense or the feeling that I could not put the book down. Nothing made me want to go back and start at the beginning of the series, or continue on from here.

I cannot gush enough or laud about this series. I was afraid I wasn’t going to get approved, but then the email arrived. Lana and the gang are back with another murder mystery. Lana hopes to clear her friend, Rinna, of a murder charge after a speed dating event, but things are rapidly not adding up. I love Lana and Megan’s snoop sessions; Kimmy’s audacity, and the gossipy Mahjong Matrons. I do worry that Lana’s continued scrapes will add more strife with hunky boyfriend Adam.
I know the author has been dealing with cancer the last 2 years and I could discern it in certain things Lana thinks and says, which only enhances the narrative.
Seize the moment and grab a copy of this book and the rest in the series. It will bring much satisfaction into your reading life.

Vivien Chien’s Hot and Sour Suspects is a forgettable cozy—serviceable, but with nothing to make it stand out.
The story starts with Lana Lee hosting a speed dating event at her family’s restaurant. A great deal of time is spent on interactions between the characters. As with many cozies, there’s no conflict; instead, Lana is fairly close to a Mary Sue (she even feels ‘guilty’ when she realizes an acquaintance was more desperate for a date than she had realized, although I have no idea why that would make her feel guilty). The novel continues with that slow pace and saccharine tone all the way through the ending, as Lana struggles to solve the murder of a man her friend met at the speed dating event.
I’d feel like a bad person if I didn’t acknowledge that Chien does address the fact, in an afterword, that she wrote this book while being treated for cancer. I’m not familiar with Chien’s other work, so I can’t speak to the relative quality, but I think the extenuating circumstances deserve to be taken into consideration.
Recommended for die-hard readers of cozy mysteries and fans of Chien’s previous work.