Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chien

Item: Hot and Sour Suspects
Rating: 5
Author: karenbaron

Posted April 15, 2022 by karenbaron in #HolidayMystery, Mystery, Review, Series / 0 Comments

Hot and Sour Suspects

by Vivien Chien

Series: Noodle Shop Mystery #8
Series Rating:

Published by St. Martin's Press on January 25, 2022
Setting: Cleveland, Ohio
Genres: Cozy Culinary Holiday Mystery
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Also in this series: Death by Dumpling, Dim Sum of All Fears, Murder Lo Mein, Wonton Terror, Egg Drop Dead, Killer Kung Pao, Fatal Fried Rice

Lana Lee returns for another delectable cozy set in a Chinese restaurant in Vivien Chien's Hot and Sour Suspects.
"Pair your noodles with this steaming mystery, and you have the perfect chilly night combination!”—PopSugarAt the Ho-Lee Noodle House, murder is on the menu.
When Lana Lee’s best friend, Megan Riley, asks her to help host a speed dating contest at Ho-Lee Noodle House, she doesn’t see the harm in lending a hand. The night goes better than anticipated, and both Lana and Megan are beyond thrilled with the results. But before they can break out the champagne, 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. Under suspicion of foul play, Rina enlists Lana’s help in finding out what really happened that night.
Without hesitation, Lana begins to dig into the man in question. To her dismay, she quickly finds that Rina’s date has a rather unsavory past. There’s a long line of slighted women, angry neighbors, and perturbed co-workers—all of whom seem to have a motive.
As Lana continues to spiral down the treacherous path of scorned lovers and mistreated acquaintances, she can’t help but dwell on how quickly an innocent evening filled with hope and positivity could turn so sour. When the media gets in on the case, Lana must rush to find the killer before more dates turn deadly.

Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chien is about speed dating at Ho-Lee Noodle House. Let’s just say that Lana’s parents are on two different sides of that coin.

Can Lana get Rina away from police suspicion?

Lana Lee

It’s near Christmas time in Lana Lee’s world as Lana was getting out Christmas Ale beer from her refrigerator. Lana is trying her hardest to bring in more customers to her family’s restaurant and thought this speed dating thing would be just the trick to do it. Her mission to bring a friendship between Kimmy and Megan is finally taking hold within this novel. For Lana that is great since she doesn’t have to pick between two of her friends to bring on a trip that could potentially solve the mystery. All I have to say is that Lana really does need to work on her poker face a bit if she plans on lying in the future.

The Mystery

Lana Lee doesn’t even find a body this time or even see the deceased person’s body at all. Well, except for when he was alive at the speed dating thing at her restaurant. Adam gets a phone call about it and he has caught the case. Megan, Kimmy, and Lana have all decided in their heads that they are going to clear Rina as the police’s prime suspect. The three ladies get into a lot of trouble. I have to be honest I had no clue who could have done it as I was bouncing around at all the different suspects. It didn’t fully cement in me until a certain clue led me to the actual killer.

Five Stars

My rating for Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chien is five stars and I’m recommending it to all the cozy culinary mystery lovers out there.

If you haven’t picked up a book from this series then I think that you should. It’s a great series that kind of makes you really want Chinese food while reading it. Trust me there is no way around that whole thing unless you eat before reading or while reading. Either way, Ms. Chien is a fabulous writer and I know she will beat cancer’s butt again. She is in my thoughts and prayers.

Lana is a well-written and thought-out character. Well, this whole series is well planned and I can’t wait to see what Ms. Chien puts Lana Lee and her friends through next time.

Other Books in the Series

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chien. If you are interested, you can check out my interview with Vivien Chien HERE.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

About Vivien Chien

Vivien Chien was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio where she grew up in a mixed-race home, making for some very interesting cultural experiences. She found her love of books and the written word at an early age while writing short stories about her classmates in elementary school. Currently, she writes side-by-side with her toy fox terrier who refuses to sit anywhere else. When she’s not writing, Vivien enjoys frequenting local Asian restaurants, frolicking in the bookstore, and searching for her next donut.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges: