Death by Dumpling: A Noodle Shop Mystery (A Noodle Shop Mystery, 1)

This was such a fun read in such a unique setting! If you like mysteries, sassy, fun protagonists, and a whole crew of interesting supporting characters, read this book!I have spent many a weekend loitering in an Asian Plaza, and Vivien's descriptions of the Plaza, and the characters running their businesses gave me a grin, ear to ear.The protagonist and her family are written very well, and each have quirks that remind me of my own family. Having Lana's mother refer to herself as "mommy" is something my own family does, and it was cute to see Lana's mom do so as well. The protagonist is sassy, likable, and very relatable, as she's going through a mini quarter life crisis.The mystery was very well written, full of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the last quarter of the book.I highly recommend this book.

This is the first book in Vivian Chien's Noodle Shop Mystery series.If you own a restaurant, the last thing you want is for someone to die, or be killed, by your food. But that's what happens in "Death by Dumpling.". Main character Lana Lee has returned to Cleveland after a breakup and losing her job and finds herself working in her family's noodle restaurant. It's located in a complex owned by Mr. Feng, who is also the property manager for Asia Village. When Mr. Feng dies after eating a take-out order of shrimp dumplings delivered by Lana, she becomes the main suspect. Lana and her roommate, Megan, go on the hunt for the real culprit. Police Detective Adam Trudeau wants Lana to stop asking questions for her own safety, but this very handsome investigator keeps coming into the shop.I really enjoyed this book. It is well-written and the characters are interesting and show individuality. At 326 pages the story has a lot of substance and kept me reading from beginning to end. A very enjoyable book.

After seeing this series recommended by several readers whose opinions I trust, I thought I'd introduce myself to Lana Lee. Going in, I knew it was going to be a dicey proposition because I am definitely not a fan of characters whose main purpose in life is browbeating their offspring into marriage. Fortunately, the matchmaking moved from center stage once the investigation into Mr. Feng's death went into full gear. As someone who prefers little-to-no romance in my mysteries, I also liked the fact that the budding attraction between Lana and the police detective was very lightly done.Death by Dumpling is a nice, solid, even excellent, beginning to Vivien Chien's Noodle Shop series. The mystery did keep me guessing, which is always a plus. However, the characters just didn't grab me, but keep in mind that I certainly seem to be in the minority here!

Chien has really put her best foot forward with the first in her new noodle shop mystery series. It was perfectly paced, funny and had just the right amount of red herrings.Lana Lee is the quirky, likeable heroine in this series. She’s Asian-American, loves donuts, and experimenting with hair color. After quitting her corporate job (she is second-guessing that move), she has to return to waitressing duties at her parent’s Asian restaurant in order to pay the bills and help keep a roof over her and her best friend Megan’s, heads.As if it’s not hard enough to work for her mother, who tells her she needs to find a man to take care of her, she gets involved in a murder. Mr. Feng, the owner of the Asian plaza where her family restaurant is located, turns up dead, possibly from the food she had just delivered to him. Everyone is looking at her and her family suspiciously, and she’s afraid the rumors and bad publicity will put her mom out of business.Everyone in the plaza is like family to Lana so she can’t imagine who would have wanted to murder mind-mannered Mr. Feng. But in order to remove herself from the suspect list and clear her family’s name, she bumbles through an investigation of her own, along with Megan’s help, and meets a handsome detective along the way.

This was a totally unique cozy mystery. I loved that it was based around the Chinese culture, and the protagonist was half asian. The mystery was complex, but not totally hard to figure out who the suspect was. Although this story was well-written, I wished that the main character could be a little less vulnerable; she should have learned some self-defense or learned to act and think quickly. She was just a bit too much of a damsel in distress. However, overall it was clean —-no bad cusses or gorey details—-humorous, and very entertaining.

This was a fun lighthearted read. The characters are developed without being overly complex for the narrative. This book is great for those looking for a fun who done it mystery read.

I love mysteries set in Asia, and the novel idea of a mystery set in an Asian shopping center in the US is a great addition to the category. I love the heroine, and the characters and story lines were intriguing. I give it four stars only because I wonder how new plot lines will keep fitting into the locale without getting a bit improbable. But I've bought the next two books in the series to find out!

Have read this and all her other books in this series. Love the way she writes because it is entertaining. I find myself laughing at some of the dialogue and situations.

Amazing detail in book.

This was a fun and interesting book to read. Nothing in the story feels forced and I wasn't expecting the ending. The only thing is that it was a bit hard to get into at the beginning due to the many side characters I was introduced to. But then I ended up loving that

A madcap caper with enough twists and turns to keep one guessing till the end. Enjoyable, breezy read.

I love the characters and how they develop through out the book, can't wait for more.

I read all her books, in order. Nice continuity and writing style, from point of view of amateur sleuth.Given that her family is Chinese and owns a Chinese restaurant, I have to wonder why she named her dog Kikkoman (Japanese soy sauce) and her favorite noodles are udon noodles (Japanese), and a favorite food on the restaurant menu is satay (Indonesian).Cultural identity crisis or well-assimilated immigrant family? Not important but I found it odd/interesting.A good series and worth the read. New book same series out in August so I will watch for it.