This is the second book in the Noodle Shop Mystery series by Vivien Chien, however it's not necessary to read the first book to understand the plot of this one. Lana Lee is put in charge of her parents' restaurant while they are in Taiwan. Soon after there is a double murder and Lana begins her sleuthing with the help of her roommate Megan. Crazy ex-wives, creepy casino workers, and a handsome detective round out this cast of characters. I absolutely adore these cozy mystery books and look forward to reading more by Chien.

The second book in this series solidifies that this cozy series is everything I want my cozies to be: smart, interesting protagonist; a unique setting (without relying on overly caricatured "quirky townspeople"), and a mystery that is intriguing and not overly obvious. Lana's struggles between helping her family with their restaurant and her own larger dreams are relatable and perfect for her age, and her relationship with her family (especially her sister) rings true as she loves them and wants to help them, but also wants her own space. It's a really solid addition to the genre, and is probably one of two series I'd recommend first to those looking to get started with cozy mysteries.

I have not read the first book in this series. However, I was able to jump right into this series. In fact, it was like I had read the first book. All of the characters were so engaging and a bit eccentric. There is Lana, Anna May, Lana's sister. Megan, Lana's room mate, Peter and his grilfriend, Kimmy, and of course, Lana's boyfriend, Adam. Ok, so maybe Lana does not want to call Ada her boyfriend yet as she says "they have only gone on three dates". However, by the end of the book, you can say that they have made it official as boyfriend and girlfriend. Their romance did not play much of a part in this book except for a kiss here or there.

Lana and Anna May may be different as sisters go. Anna May is the play it by the book type whereas; Lana has blue hair. When things get dangerous, the sisters do band together. Lana may have told Adam that she would not have gotten involved in another case but this one kind of came to her. Boy was this case full of surprises.

The characters are what really did make this book so enjoyable for me. The storyline was kind of secondary but in a good way. Because if the characters are not interesting that it does not matter how good the story is. Dim Sum of All Fears serves up a fun platter of humor, engaging characters, and a good storyline that will have you requesting seconds!

This is the second book in this cozy mystery series, starring Lana Lee. Lana’s parents own a successful noodle shop, but all she wants to do is branch off into something more meaningful, and more importantly, something all her own. She lands a job interview for an office position, but her parents are summoned to see her ailing grandmother in Taiwan, and guess who they leave in charge of the restaurant?

Almost immediately, there is a double murder in Asian Village (the shopping center her restaurant is in), and Lana and her roommate put on their amateur detective hats.

As far as cozy mysteries go, this one was lots of fun! Lana is an amiable character, and even has a (kinda sorta) detective boyfriend who doesn’t want her sleuthing around! I loved the twist that she doesn’t enjoy working in the food industry- so many cozy mysteries featuring restaurants or food shops have protagonists who have found their true calling making pies, pizzas, or cookies. Lana is more of a loose cannon, which is fun. And yay for diverse mysteries! I’ve written before about the homogeneity of most cozy mysteries, so it’s great to read one about a WOC, written by a WOC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc.

I utterly ADORE this series. Vivien Chien has written a delectable cozy with some of my favorite ethnic foods! I honestly couldn't get enough of this book and the series as a whole. I hope she continues to write more because I will devour every single one of them!

I was excited to have the opportunity to obtain an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book from NetGalley.

In DIM SUM OF ALL FEARS, the second novel in the Noodle Shop mystery series, Lana Lee’s parents travel to Taiwan and place her in charge of the family restaurant. When the owners of one of the shops in Asia Plaza are found dead, Lana is on the case. Holding her back are a side order of sibling rivalry and her main dish, Adam, the sexy police detective and her sort of boyfriend. In her corner again are Lana’s best friend, Megan, and the adorable pug Kikko.

Lana’s mother, always hoping to marry off her youngest daughter, keeps pushing Lana to settle down with doctor or a layer. Mama Lee isn’t keen on having a police detective as a son-in-law. Lana continues to search for the perfect fit of a career, while her friend’s believe she’s found it at the Ho-Lee Noodle House.

There are no shortage of suspects including con artists, scorned exes, and a mystery man with a Captain Kirk hairstyle. Lana has her hands full with restaurant management, sleuthing, and her fledgling relationship with Adam. Colorful characters from the first novel such as high-strung Kimmy and the Mahjong Matrons add to the fun.

I look forward to seeing what Chien serves up in the next installment.

I liked this book. It has interesting characters and an easy storyline. A good read. #DimSumOfAllFears #NetGalley

This was my first book by Vivien Chen and it won’t be the last. I really enjoyed Lana and the folks at Asia Village where her family’s noodle shop is.

When Lana’s friend and owner of the souvenir shop next door is found dead along with her husband, she, along with the other workers in Asian Village, are shocked. With her parent’s out of the country and Lana in charge of Ho-Lee Noodle Shop, it’s busy, but Lana and her BFF roomie find time to try and find out what happened and why. Even if her (maybe) boyfriend is the lead detective and asks her not to get involved. 

This is a great read and I can’t wait to read the first book in the series and to see what the future holds for Lana, Adam, Megan and the Ho-Lee crew!

I love it. It has all the elements I love in a cozy: romance with an officer, a whodunnit and the main character stuck between two worlds. Easy to read and fast-paced, I highly recommend it.

This is the second in a series of Vivien Chien’s noodle shop mysteries. The protagonist is a fun, likeable 20-something who has returned to work at her parents’ restaurant after some bad luck out in the real world. After she stumbles upon a murder scene in a neighboring shop, she works behind her scenes to help solve the mystery. This series is fun and fresh and enjoyable and I can’t wait to see the rest!

I read Death by Dumpling right before I started Dim Sum. I liked Dumpling a bit more because I thought we got more immersed in the life of a biracial character which is unusual for a cozy series.

In Dim Sum, Lana is left in charge of the restaurant while her parents visit relatives and, like in the first book, someone dies in Asia Village. It left me wondering if that was going to be the case in future books and if the author could keep it fresh. Lana has almost no life outside of the village.

Lana is an active investigator which I liked and whodunnit, given the small number of possibilities, was surprising though the ending seemed rushed to me.

As always, each reader brings their own experience and I have worked many years in restaurants. I have NEVER worked at one where staff got a lunch hour when a restaurant is usually at one of its peak busy times. Yet, Lana and the staff routinely (many times in this story) go off at noon leaving one waitress to handle the whole restaurant. It was starting to really irritate me, especially, as I mentioned, it happened many times. If detail is provided it should be accurate. Now, the author may have worked in a family restaurant and gotten lunch breaks at noon, but I doubt she could have left where she couldn't have been called back to service if needed.

I give this story 3.75 out of 5. I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first series and book I have read by Viven Chien and I plan to read more by this author.

From the title, to the characters this story can be read as a stand alone novel that will have readers laughing, enjoying the awkward moments during the buding romance of the two lead characters.

The mystery is enjoyable predictable but it isn't about solving the mystery but enjoying the ride and I can promise readers will be laughing.



Readers will enjoy the way the author Vivien Chien is able to bring the knowledge of a culture while intertwining romance, mystery and humor.



This is a must read author for Cozy Mystery fans.



Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher St. Martin Press for the advance copy of Vivien Chien Dim Dum of all Fears.

Lana Lee is back in the second book of "A Noodle Shop Mystery" series. She is finally coming to grips with the end of her relationship and being held at gunpoint (both incidents from "Death by Dumpling"). Her parents have fled to Taiwan to visit her ailing grandmother and she is left in charge of the restaurant, when her new neighbors at the plaza, husband-wife Brandon and Isabelle, are brutally murdered in their store. The scene of the crime looks as if Brandon killed Isabelle, then himself, but Lana does not buy it. She starts some investigating of her own much to the irritation of handsome detective Adam Trudeau, but to the delight of her friend/roommate, Megan.

I LOVED this book! Lana is so easy to relate to and her sleuthing skills are even more developed this time around. I'm excited to see where her relationship with Adam goes and I'm curious as to what career path Lana will choose - will she stay at her parent's restaurant or go in another direction?

Vivien Chien did an amazing job with this story and I can't wait for book #3! #DimSumOfAllFears #NetGalley

This is a great book! I love seeing more diversity in the white-dominated cozy-mystery genre. I encourage everyone to pick up these books and show publishers that diversity matters!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.

Dim Sum of All Fears is the second in Vivien Chien’s A Noodle Shop Mystery series. This is an easy and fun read, with a solid mystery, witty writing, and affable characters. There are twists and turns, red herrings, and multiple suspects. There isn’t any graphic violence or adult situations, but there is some mild adult language. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Lana Lee recently moved back home to the Cleveland, Ohio area and is reluctantly working as a hostess/server in her parents, William and Betty Lee’s, Chinese restaurant, Ho-Lee Noodle House, in Asia Village, a quaint shopping center. She has an older sister, Anna May, who attends law school. She shares an apartment with her best friend, Megan Riley, in North Olmsted and has a black pug named Kikko. When her parents announce they will be in Taiwan for a couple of weeks to help take care of her aging grandmother and she’ll be in charge of the restaurant, both Lana and her sister are upset. Lana’s been hoping to land an office job and leave the restaurant; her sister is offended she wasn’t chosen even though her schoolwork and classes takes up most of her time. Lana recently met Isabelle Yeoh, who owns the newly opened City Charm Souvenirs next door to Ho-Lee Noodle House along with her husband, Brandon, and the two were becoming fast friends, but Lana didn’t really care for Brandon. When Kimmy Tran, who works at China Cinema and Song, finds the bodies of the Yeohs lying in a pool of blood in their store, she rushes to Ho-Lee Noodle House for help. At first, the authorities believe it was a domestic murder/suicide, but the evidence shows that Brandon’s wound wasn’t self-inflicted. Detective Adam Trudeau of the Fairview Park Police Department, who Lana is dating, is adamant she stay away from the investigation, but Lana is easy to talk to and people keep sharing things with her and asking for her help. Even though she knows better, she only shares selected information with Adam.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

This book was so much fun to read and kept me wanting more. I found Lana Lee so relatable, unsure of what she wants to do with her life, but feels trapped to follow her parents orders. This book takes place in the Asia Village, where Lana Lee is waitressing at her mother's restaurant. Her mother needs to go to Taiwan to take care of her grandmother, and Lana Lee is basically left in charge. Soon, the tenants (and friends of Lana) from next door are found dead in their shop. .

This is the second book in the series, but can be read as a standalone. If you would like to learn more about the character I am sure reading the first one will help, however, I feel the author did an amazing job on building the characters' personalities and creating a mystery that will keep you intrigued until the end.

Murder strikes Asia Village once again, and this time it's hitting Lana Lee hard. On top of that, she's been tasked with running the noodle house while her parents take an impromptu trip to Taiwan, she's still longing for a change in career, and her relationship with Detective Adam Trudeau is not proceeding as smoothly as she'd like - and her amateur sleuthing isn't helping the matter. Dim Sum of All Fears is another deliciously refreshing installment in newcomer Vivien Chien's Noodle Shop Mystery Series, the only problem is once I finished the book I was left hungry and waiting for the next installment! I absolutely enjoyed and wholeheartedly recommend this fun cozy. A+++

What a captivating second addition to a promising new series! I loved everything about this, the setting, the characters, the mystery! This author really knows how to weave a solid mystery and writes a strong whodunit. The main character is so well written, I really feel like i know her! All in all, a strong second installment of what promises to be a delightful mystery series.

This book was an enjoyable read. I liked getting a glimpse into the restaurant business and learning about these characters. You don’t need to read the first book in the series, but it may help in getting to know the characters a little better.

The characters are quirky and witty, the story has a solid mystery, and the pacing of the story was done well. The internal struggle of the main character, Lana Lee, was done exceptionally well in her dealing with doing what she loves versus following tradition. This was an engaging cozy mystery, and I look forward to reading the next installment of the series.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This book was so much fun. I can totally relate to Lana feeling trapped and wanting to do something different but not knowing what that is. Very enjoyable story. Good mystery. Cant wait for the next one!