Lana finds herself consulting on a case with private investigator friend. The case involves a secret group within the Asian community. Their goal is to help Asians in need and promote Asian businesses. The case is fraught with deaths and missing artifacts. Lana stumbles into the solution and help from Jimmy keeps her safe. Another great story in this series. Lana has grown more cautious in her sleuthing but still manages to get results. I love that she trusts her gut in making decisions. It's always a good read when Lana gets embroiled in a mystery.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

The Noodle Shop Mystery series is one of my favorite cozy mystery series. It has a strong cast of characters that have continued to grow and develop throughout. The plot moves along nicely and hold the reader's interest. The writing is excellent as always. I always look forward to a return trip to Asian Village and this book did not disappoint.

((thank you you to NetGalley for an ARC. I am not being paid for my honest review.))

One again, Vivien writes a delightful mystery. Are her books a quick read for me? Of course they are but that's also because I can't put them down! Lol this was the first time that I was not able to look at the clues she left to figure out who done it. And I am pleasantly surprised and delighted by that. Some people might say the twists they could see coming, but I could not. And I have complex childhood drama that makes me seem almost psychic!

I did feel at some point there was a little too much filler, but I understand this happens during the editing process. This has never been anything that's make or break for me while reading cozy mysteries. It is something that I've noticed a lot of my favorite cozy mystery authors seem to do. however, it's never JRR Tolkien levels of too much description or filler. The four stars are more like 4.5 for this reason.

Most importantly, I cannot wait to meet Vivien in May at the Pittsburgh festival of books!

This is one of my favourite series, so it’s always a good day when a new one is available to me. Lana Lee is such a fantastic lead character, smart, funny & very relatable & I feel readers will really respond to how she handles solving mysteries. Add in that she’s officially working with a PI. The best parts of this series is definitely the community Lana & her restaurant are a part of & her friendships. This one gets even more wrapped up in the Asian community, with members of a secret order dying one by one. It’s easily one of the strongest books of the series & that’s saying a lot because I’ve enjoyed them all immensely. The sleuthing is very focal & having Lana teaming up with a PI takes her in a whole new direction, mystery solving wise.

This is truly one of the best cozy series out there with one of the strongest cast of characters. It’s a great entry into the genre or for cozy fans alike.

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur for the ARC of this book. This was an honest review.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as the others in the series. This story's plot was about an Asian order, The Eight Immortials, which I was not interested in. While I enjoyed the connection it had to the Asian Village, where Lana the amateur sleuth works and has connections. Though I did guess the killer, which is rare and still enjoyable, I enjoyed the story's fast pacing and seeing Lana and all the characters again.

I would highly recommend this book. The series is also a good read. Lana is asked to help a Private Investigator get information on suspicious deaths of members of a secret Chinese society.

"Asia Village is in peril when Private detective Lydia Shepard returns to enlist the help of Lana Lee to solve a rash of unsolved murders and thefts.

When Lydia brings Lana onto the case, three of the members of an elite Asian order known as the Eight Immortals have already been murdered. Each member of the order holds one item that represents their immortal counterpart, and someone is dying to get their hands on them all. Lydia's client insists he - and only he - knows who will be next and wants the murderer captured before there is another victim.

Riding below the line of three cities of law enforcement and Lana's own boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau, the two women must tread lightly as they infiltrate a secret organization that even the Mahjong Matrons know nothing about. And somehow protect the next victim without letting on that she’s in danger.

As they dig deeper into the case, Lana finds there are unexpected associations within Asia Village and potential ties to her own family that could be devastating. With the stakes raised on the toughest case she's ever worked, will Lana be able to keep her own emotions out of the investigation? And will the murderer be found before they become the ultimate "immortal"?"

I can't help but feel that Interior Chinatown stole Lana Lee from this series...

The Chow Maniac is the 11th book in The Noodle Shop Mystery series by Vivien Chen. While I thought the beginning (the first 10 pages or so) were a little slow, I really enjoyed the story. Being from the Cleveland area, it's nice reading a story where you recognize the area. I love this series and always look forward to the next book. Every story is like returning to old friends. I highly recommend The Chow Maniac and The Noodle Shop Mystery series.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of THE CHOW MANIAC (Book 11 of the Noodle Shop mystery series) by Vivien Chien in exchange for an honest review. Lana Lee has an official request for aid from private investigator Lydia Shephard, who has been hired to solve a series of murders and thefts within an Asian secret society known as the Eight Immortals. As part of her investigation, Lana has to interview prominent members in the community, one of whom the client insists is the likely murderer. As the body count rises, it is clear the members are not actually immortal. However, neither is Lana. The closer Lana gets to identifying the killer, the closer Lana is to becoming their next victim.

I liked this book and enjoy the series. I recommend this book to fans of the series and the series to fans of cozy murder mysteries featuring Asian-American culture and generational clashes between immigrants and their offspring.

A departure from the previous books in this series, Lana Lee helps investigate why members of a secretive group are dying and who is killing them. It was interesting to read about the lore of the Eight Immortals as Lana learned about their history and connection to her world. There are plenty of twists that I didn't expect, but once revealed, made it easy to figure out who was behind the deaths. I can't wait to read the next installment, and hopefully more of Lana's family and boyfriend.

"The Chow Maniac (Noodle Shop Mystery #11)" by Vivien Chien is a bit different than the other books in the series, a least from the ones I've read so far and I haven't read all of them. Which means that most are fairly standalone but knowing some of the character development of the other books does help a little. Back to how this one is different. Lana does a little fourth wall breaking at the very beginning and she's more officially investigating.

Lana gets asked to help investigate the odd deaths of a a few people who seem to only have being Asian as a connection. Lydia, the private detective, officially hires Lana to help her out since she has better connections within the local Asian community. Lana soon learns there are more secrets in the community than just Kimmy's night job. It takes you a bit of a circle of suspects before the culprit is revealed.

Lana Lee is brought into her eleventh case when Private Investigator Lydia Shepard asks for her help since Lana knows so much about the Asian community. Three members of a secret Asian society designed to help people have recently died in a variety of ways. All seem accidental, but Lydia's client feels that they were murders.

Since one of the client's suspects is Mr. Zhang who is a long-time family friend of the Lee's and who is dating Lana's grandmother, Lana agrees to get involved in the investigation. It seems that someone is trying to influence the membership of the secret organization by murdering members who don't have a child to pass the membership to.

While Lana investigates, she manages to learn a number of secrets about the organization and the secretive Mr. Zhang. She also finds herself investigating the murders on a parallel course with her police detective boyfriend.

This was an engaging, first-person mystery told in Lana's distinctive voice. Fans of he series will enjoy this latest episode.

Another terrific addition to the Noodle Shop Mystery series from Vivien Chien. This book takes Lana Lee into life as an actual private investigator, well, as someone assisting an actual private investigator, but that's pretty close. Lana finds herself investigating a secret Asian society that has been operating in the Cleveland community for over a century. As surprising as that may be, she's even more surprised by the identity of some of the members, and is shocked by an accusation made about one member in particular. Could someone that she knows well be a serial murderer? She, of course, decides to use all her sleuthing skills to the best of her ability to find out the truth and stop the killings before anyone else finds themselves a victim. The story has all the regulars from Lana's life, Kimmy is bossy and nosey and loud and helpful, Peter is busy being concerned about Lana and Kimmy becoming involved in another investigation as he cooks everything to perfection at Ho-Lee Noodle House, Adam is busy working on investigations of his own that just so happen to overlap with Lana's investigating, the Mahjong Matrons are ever present each morning and offer their usual wealth of knowledge, Lana's roommate, Megan, helps out as much as she can, and there are, of course moments with Ian Sung, Donna Feng, and all of Lana's family as well. This series just keeps building and gets better with each new book. I can't wait to see what the future holds for Lana Lee!

5/5 stars: This is the eleventh entry in Chien's Noodle Shop Mystery series, which is a Culinary Cozy Mystery set in Cleveland, Ohio and follows a family restaurant manager as she teams up with a private detective to look into the unsolved murders of several members of an elite Chinese secret order and the theft of the items that represent their positions in the society. As they dig deeper into the case, she finds unexpected associations to several fellow Asia Village shopkeepers and potential ties to her own family. With the stakes raised, she'll have to work fast before she's next on the killer's list. With plenty of twists and turns, Chien has masterfully crafted a mystery that deftly balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Heartfelt and humorous, Chien's writing and character work are stellar; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. It's great to catch up with Lana, her family, friends and colleagues at Ho-Lee Noodle House and the folks in and around Asian Village. It's lovely to see Lana and her homicide detective boyfriend Adam's relationship going strong. And of course I mustn't forget Lana's adorable pug, Kikkoman AKA Kikko. Oh and I adore how Chien weaves in Chinese cultural elements and history. Chien touches on some sensitive topics; so take care and check the CWs. While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one, Death by Dumpling. This is a favorite series and this newest book doesn't disappoint; Highly recommend!

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

This was such a fun and unique murder mystery! This is the first book I have read by Vivien Chien, but her books have been on my TBR for quite some time. This had all of the elements that a good murder mystery should have. There was no excessive name dropping in the beginning, characters were added as needed and had relevance to the story.

My favorite part of the story was easily Kikkoman the pug. What a clever name! The first dog I had as a child was a pug and reading about Kikko was enjoyable. I love that his name stayed on theme with the book.

The only negative thing I can really say is how the main female character Lana discusses the case with several people after instructed by Lydia the private investigator to not do such a thing. It's shocking that the whole town doesn't know what she is up to at this point.

The way that the murderer murders people is very creative and not your typical choice of weapon. I loved the thought that went behind it and how it related to the theme of the book as well. Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Vivien Chien for an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion.

The Chow Maniac is the 11th in the Noodle Shop series, but I think it could be read as a stand alone. There is no over-arching plotline to the series and although we have lots of returning characters, I think they're introduced well.

This time around, Lana, our amateur sleuth, is approached by Lydia, a private detective we've met previously, with a case that involves the Asian community. Lydia has been hired to look into a century-old Asian organization known as the Eight Immortals. Three members have already died under seemingly natural circumstances, but the client believes they were actually murdered and that he may be next.

Lana is a great character. She manages her family's restaurant, but has solved enough murders for people to notice her. She's funny and sassy and does not know how to keep a secret. Per usual cozy rules, she has an adorable dog and is dating a police detective, although neither play a huge part in this one. She's often helped in her investigations by her best friend/ roommate/ bar tender Megan. She also has Kimmy around, who always finagles her way into the investigations. I really wish Lana and she got along a little better. She's a fun character.

The plot moves along at a good pace. We have several clues and suspects. It turns out there are a few secrets in Asia Village that Lana has not uncovered yet. As usual, she makes a couple questionable decisions, but it always works out for her in the end.

I should really start matching my dinners to my reading choices. This one made me want Chinese take-out.

I liked this continuation of the noodle shop books. Lana is brought in to help Lydia, a private investigator, solve what may be three murders. We met Lydia in a previous book when Lana needed help in her investigation. I liked that we got to see her again and it added a new dynamic to Lana's snooping. It was also nice that there wasn't a random body she stumbled upon to start the story! After all, how many bodies can she find!

The Chow Maniac: A Noodle Shop Mystery by Vivien Chien is a fun cozy-mystery read. I didn’t realize that this was Book #11 in the series. I was afraid I’d be hopelessly behind, but the author did a great job of making me feel totally “at home” with the characters.

This is a very entertaining read, and it was easy to get to know the characters.
I was especially happy that this book takes place in the Cleveland suburbs and highlights many well-known places. (I live near Cleveland.)

The main character is Lana Lee, “restaurant manager, dog mom, homicide detective’s girl friend, noodle fanatic and doughnut enthusiast.” Lana is also an amateur detective. She and her friends team up to solve a mystery that involves 3 murders, and the mysterious 100 year old secret society, the “Eight Immortals”.

This is a very ingenious and entertaining mystery. Now I get to have the happy task of reading the first 10 books! Thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for an advance digital review copy. This is my honest review.

This series is like an oldie but goodie for me that I keep coming back to. I love the description of food. I want shrimp and spring rolls right now with a side of noodles. I like that Lana is a little different than the MC in other cozy mysteries, she isn’t Susie homemaker and I don’t feel like she could be in the 1950s calling 19 year old nice boys when the call her M’am. Lana can be frustrating with her relationships, always has a fun color in her hair, and shares Asia village with us, which really sounds like a place I wanna go. This would probably be 3 stars but I really enjoyed the mystery in this one. It is rooted in Chinese American culture and was very interesting to me. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I will re read this book when my library gets it.

It’s always a pleasure to follow Lana Lee in her adventures.
Members of a secret order called “Eight Immortals” that have been helping the Asian community for over 100 years are dying or is it murder. One member is asked Lydia Shephard to investigate, who turns to Lana for help.
Makes me smile how “confidential” the whole adventure is