Reviewed by annieb123 on
Killer Kung Pao is the 6th Noodle Shop mystery by Vivien Chien. Released 25th Aug 2020 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's Press imprint, it's 304 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is a cozy series featuring a sweet heroine who is a manager of her family's Chinese restaurant. The main character is plucky and loyal but she's not too saccharine sweet or perfect. When faced with nasty racist meanness and attitude, she's not above a few sarcastic digs in her own defense. At the end of the day, she's a genuinely likeable protagonist and I've really enjoyed this series thus far.
The background story is well interwoven in the book, and it works as a standalone without needing to have read the previous books. (I can heartily recommend them as well, if you're looking for a new light cozy series to binge read)
It's a little longer than most cozies at over 300 pages but the plotting is tight and it doesn't drag. The clues are well interspersed in the narrative and the book follows the 'rules' for amateur detective fiction. Lately I've gotten my fill of southern catering homestyle bookmobile cat loving bakery shop ladies; this young woman with a great best friend, brightly colored changeable hair, and good relationship with her parents is such a breath of fresh air. There's a lot of warmth and humor here. The book is relatively clean, with only a sprinkling of 'hell' and 'damn' and nothing more objectionable than implied consensual overnight stays from her boyfriend (a police detective) in the book. Definitely safe-for-lunch reading at work.
It was a delight to read and I'll keep up with the series. Only downside, I've been craving noodles. I've gotten takeaway three times from my favorite Vietnamese restaurant after work in the last week! (They love me there).
Four stars, delightfully fun light cozy mystery.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 25 August, 2020: Finished reading
- 25 August, 2020: Reviewed