Death By Dumpling by Vivien Chien

Death By Dumpling (Noodle Shop Mystery, #1)

by Vivien Chien

Lana Lee never thought she'd be stuck working at the family restaurant in her late twenties, but here she is, wiping down tables sticky with the remnants of General Tso's chicken. But after a messy breakup and a dead-end job, she figured working at the Ho-Lee Noodle House wouldn't be too bad, right? The charming shopping plaza, Asia Village, is where Lana spent most of her childhood and although she'd rather avoid it for that specific reason; she agrees to work full-time at the restaurant until a better prospect of employment comes along.

Things seem to be going smoothly enough until one of the property managers of the shopping plaza, Thomas Feng, is found dead in his office. Unfortunately, for Lana and the restaurant's head chef, the death looks like murder, and the murder weapon looks like dumplings from none other than the Ho-Lee Noodle House. While the dumplings look innocent enough, it's what's on the inside that counts, which is pork and shrimp, a deadly combination for Thomas, who everyone knows suffers from a severe shellfish allergy. The police immediately suspect Lana's family, and now, with her parents' restaurant at stake, she sees no other option but to figure out what really happened to Thomas, and why.

Reviewed by Baroness Book Trove on

5 of 5 stars

Share
Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien is a fantastic first book to this great series. Ms. Chien did an outstanding job.

Can Lana figure out who killed Mr. Feng?


Lana Lee


Lana Lee is our sleuth and only point of view character. She is an excellent sleuth, and I am amazed to read about a 27-year-old sleuth as that is the same age as me. Lana is still living with her roommate and best friend Megan but is sadly working at her parent's restaurant because she needs a job. She is also still dealing with a recent breakup, but she is getting over it. Lana is a strong character, and I loved reading from her point of view. The way she goes about solving the mystery was pretty great.

The Mystery


Thomas Feng was the property manager of Asia Village in Fairview Park, Ohio, and he died from an allergic reaction to shrimp dumplings. Lana and their cook, Peter, are the police's prime suspects. So, of course, Lana decides to clear their names by solving the mystery of who would kill Mr. Feng. Wow was there a lot of red herrings and a lot of different clues. I missed the culprit by a lot until Lana remembered something, and then it clicked in mine as well. Be careful of those red herrings; they are everywhere!

5 Stars


Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien was a great book and kept me guessing the entire time. I swear all those suspects were good. Ms. Chien did a fantastic job, and I can't wait to read more from her. She has a great first book in her hands for this series. I am giving this book five stars and recommending it to everyone that loves to read cozy mysteries. I am still happy to see a sleuth that is the same age as me, as it makes it even cooler to read for me.


Other Books in the Series


 

Coming out March 9, 2021




Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien. Look for my interview with her sometime Wednesday!

Until the next time,



Happy Reading!

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 17 August, 2020: Finished reading
  • 17 August, 2020: Reviewed