Fatal Fried Rice by Vivien Chien

Fatal Fried Rice (Noodle Shop Mystery, #7)

by Vivien Chien

Fed up with her sister picking on her lack of culinary skills, Lana Lee decides to secretly take a cooking class in order to prove she has what it takes in the kitchen. It seems harmless enough until the course instructor - Margo Chan - is found murdered after class with one of the utensils used in her demonstration earlier that evening.

The attention of the police is immediately directed at the school’s staff members and students, including Lana, who was unfortunate enough to discover the body. In an effort to clear her own name, she decides to begin her own investigation - starting with the same group the police have under suspicion. When Lana’s line of questioning leads her on a wild goose chase back and forth between the school and Margo’s personal life, Lana begins to wonder if the guilty party is closer than she thinks.

Then as odd, threatening packages start showing up at Ho-Lee Noodle House, Lana fears that the killer knows what’s she’s up to, and if she can’t put the pieces together fast enough, it might be her that’s next on the chopping block.

Reviewed by Baroness Book Trove on

5 of 5 stars

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Fatal Fried Rice by Vivien Chien is about Lana Lee learning how to cook so she can learn more about the dishes that they prepare at the restaurant.

Can Lana keep this secret from her family and Adam?


Lana Lee


Lana Lee is not the world's greatest chef. There are some dishes that Lana knows how to cook. It's just that none of them are Chinese dishes, and she wanted to surprise the people that she loves with her newfound cooking talent by learning how to cook Chinese cuisine. I felt terrible for Lana from the very beginning to the end. Because her heart was in the right place for her to learn to cook Chinese, but nothing ever goes right for her. I adore Lana in this book, and I felt happy that she is stepping up to learn more about the restaurant that she is running for her family.

The Mystery


Of course, just with any book in this series, we have a mystery. The mystery in this one is a bit of an odd one from the start to the time that the killer gets caught. Ms. Chien got me hooked in with the red herrings this time. I didn't think it was who did it as she wasn't on my radar. The victim happened to be Lana's cooking instructor, and Lana just happened to be there at the wrong time to discover the body.

Again, to prove her innocence, Lana has to find out who actually killed Margo Han and why they wanted her gone. The mystery is finding out why and it was difficult for Lana and her sidekick Kimmy Tran. I know that I was surprised by who killed poor Ms. Han.

Five Stars


My rating for Fatal Fried Rice by Vivien Chien is five stars. Along with a massive recommendation to anyone that loves an excellent cozy culinary mystery. Ms. Chien has done a great job crafting and weaving this story together. I love these stories, and seeing how each plot point works together is always fun. Ms. Chien especially can create her own brilliant stories while still following a simple method with these cozy mysteries. I'm now off to read Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chien.


Other Books in the Series


   


Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Fatal Fried Rice by Vivien Chien. If you are interested, you can check out my interview with Vivien Chien HERE.

Until the next time,



Happy Reading!



Victim/Toe Tag: Margo Han (M)

Beachcomber Weapons: knife (n)

Beachcomber Crime Scene: classroom (c)

Detectives: Lana Lee (L)

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 11 April, 2022: Finished reading
  • 11 April, 2022: Reviewed