Vivien Chien is one of my auto-read authors in the cozy mystery genre with her Noodle Shop mystery series. This time Lana Lee is hosting a speed dating event at her restaurant that leads to murder. I always love being back with these characters and the craving for Chinese food that reading it gives me! Ms. Chien has a unique voice that accurately reflects a millennial point of view that others tend to miss. I find it easy to relate to Lana which makes these books so fun to read. The mystery of the murder of one of their speed dating participants struggled a bit in the middle, but I had no idea who the culprit was until the reveal. Another great addition to the Noodle Shop mystery series!!!

Lana Lee is managing the family business the Ho-Lee Noodle House in the Asian Village mall and has found that she's pretty good at it. She's come a long way since we first met her in her first mystery. Right now business is a bit slow so she and her friend Megan put on a speed dating event at the Noodle House. Sounds like a good plan but it soon becomes a murder investigation with their friend Rina sitting in the #1 suspect seat as far as the police are concerned. Rina hooked up with a rather creepy guy at the event and by the next morning he was stone cold dead. It turns out he had a not so nice ex-girl friend and a long list of people who could have done the deed.
Lana can't help wanting to find the killer and clear Rina's name despite warnings from her boyfriend who happens to be a detective. With her friends helping to investigate the killer won't be at large for long.
I've read this series from the first book and I've come to enjoy finding out how Lana's family and her friends are doing. How's it going at the Noodle House and is she still bickering with her sister? (Yes) The mystery was well crafted with plenty of suspects and twists to keep me guessing wrong to the last page. Now I want noodles for dinner - happens every time I read a Lana Lee mystery.
My thanks to the publisher St. Martin's and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

To help drum up business for the restaurant, Lana agrees to hold a speed dating event. Her friend Rina connects with a man at the event and leaves with him. Unfortunately, he is found murdered later in the evening in his apartment while Rina was in the apartment. Lana, along with her friends Megan and Kimmy set out on their own investigation, looking into the murder victim’s life to discover who would want him dead. To complicate matter, Lana’s boyfriend Adam is the detective on the case.
An enjoyable addition to the series.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy.

This fun read immediately pulled me right into the middle of all that was happening and kept me totally engaged until I read the last word with a great cast of characters and a twisty must-solve mystery that quickly became a page-turner. Even though this is the eighth Noodle Shop Mystery, it is the first I have read and had no issues reading it as a standalone. I really like Lana Lee and enjoyed her dynamic with everyone else. if you enjoy can't put down mysteries, you will love Hot and Sour Suspects. I look forward to reading more about Lana Lee, her family and friends. I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chen is book eight in the A Noodle Shop Mystery. It can be read as a standalone.
After Lana hosts a speed dating night at the noodle shop, one of the participants is murdered and the main suspects is one of her friends. Lana knows Rina isn't guilty or is she. She sets out on her own investigation along with a couple of her friends to find the killer before they hit again.
This story is filled with plot twists, suspects, family, friendship, romance and humor. The characters are likeable and relatable, from Lana to her family to the Mahjong Matrons. The side story also hits on her family. I didn't want to put it down.
I was given an ARC by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for an honest review.

Quite the cozy mystery! One never knows what Lana Lee is going to get herself into next. And Adam, what a patient man!

Overall a good story, I had read the first few but found the flow was uneven and bogged down by Lana Lee narrative. This novel restored my faith with a better pace overall.

I thank the publisher and NetGallery for the opportunity to read it for an honest review. And good thoughts and prayers to Ms Chien for a full recovery.

Hot and Sour Suspects starts off with a speed dating event that Lana is trying at the restaurant. Her friend Rina attends and goes home with a man she hits it off with - a man who is subsequently murdered when Rina is in his apartment! While Adam investigates officially, Lana and Megan begin their unofficial investigation to help their friend, who is suddenly not talking to them and seems to have a lot to hide.
I enjoyed the twists of this mystery, and the friendships. Lana is dealing with a lot between some family drama and helping Rina in her own way, and it's nicely balanced with the pace of the story never faltering.
I often recommend this series to readers looking for a contemporary voice in cozies and once again, Chien does a fantastic job.

I absolutely adore this series, and this book was no exception! I love Lana and the characters. The mystery was well written and well paced. This book made me crave Chinese food, and Vivien Chien does a great job of describing things in a way that makes it easy to visualize. Highly recommend!

When I first acquired this book, I had a couple of people message me to tell me they loved this series. While this is my first, I can see why they told me that! I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy mystery and will definitely go back to the beginning to see how it all started.

I found the characters in this book to be enjoyable and fun to spend time with. I loved the Asian perspective, and the setting of the Asian village/plaza.

I was laughing at how far Lana was willing to take her sleuthing and had fun watching her and her sleuthing partner best friend get up to trying to solve the murder.

All around very enjoyable and a well written cozy mystery!!!

Thank you to St Martin’s Press, Vivien Chien, and Netgalley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lana Lee is looking forward to a speed dating event. She’s not looking for a date herself. as she still has Adam (aka Detective Hottie) in her life. But it’s being held in Ho-Lee Noodle House, her family’s Chinese restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio. Lana is the manager there, and she and her friend Megan set up the speed dating event to try to bring in some extra business. Lana’s parents were skeptical, but when Lana went to open the doors, she was pleasantly surprised to find a bunch of people waiting to get in.

Along with the new customers was Rina, a friend of Lana’s and a woman who fairly recently moved from New York City. She opened a shop selling make-up, which Lana and her friends frequent. And at the speed dating event, she found someone that she really liked. Lana had some misgivings about Oliver when Rina introduced them—Lana got some creepy vibes from him—but Rina seemed really happy with him, even after an ex-girlfriend confronted him right in front of everyone.

And Lana was happy. The event had been a success, and that was good for the restaurant. And after the event, Adam was waiting with pizza and wings, making for the perfect evening. But a few hours later, when Adam got a call for him to go to a crime scene, Lana finds out that Oliver had been killed, and Rina had been at his apartment when it happened.

Lana immediately wants to find Rina and make sure that she’s okay and to start investigating to find out what really happened. but Rina doesn’t want to talk to Lana. Lana starts to wonder if her friend is keeping secrets from her, especially when Megan goes online and uncovers the fact that Oliver was wealthy and one of Cleveland’s most eligible bachelors.

Megan and Lana wonder why Oliver had been there in the first place, and when Megan sees that he announced where he would be the night of the speed dating event on his social media, they wonder if that’s why so many women showed up to the event that night. Could Rina have known in advance who he was and gone there looking especially for him? Could she have somehow been involved in his murder? And with Adam named the detective in charge of the investigation, any snooping Lana does to try to find out the truth could get them both in trouble.

Meanwhile, the family drama is high, as a newspaper article shows Lana’s sister Anna May’s lawyer boyfriend is married. She says that his marriage was over before she even met him, but once the Mahjong Matrons find out about the predicament, Lana and Anna May have to do some damage control to keep the information from becoming top gossip throughout their small Asian community.

Lana has a lot to juggle—a friend suspected of murder, a sister accused of dating a married man, a boyfriend who is investigating the same murder she is, a busy family restaurant to manage, and an adorable dog named Kikko who needs a lot of attention. And she has to catch a killer before the killer sets Lana in their sights.

Hot and Sour Suspects is book 8 in the charming Noodle Shop Mysteries. Author Vivien Chien brings Cleveland to life in these fun mysteries about Lana Lee and her friends and family. Getting a glimpse into how Lana blends her Asian heritage and Midwestern culture is fascinating, and getting to know her and her strong sense of justice is just a pleasure.

I have been a big fan of Lana Lee for years, and I am always on board to enjoy another one. I liked the speed dating angle to Hot and Sour Suspects, but I think I liked the story line about her sister’s dating issues just as much. It was nice to see a different side of the sisters’ relationship, and I thought it added depth to the story. While these mysteries have always felt incredibly readable to me, I think that as I spend more time with Lana and her families, I’m seeing more layers to the plotting and emotional texture of these books, and I am all for that. Hot and Sour Suspects isn’t just a lovely Chinese meal at your favorite restaurant. This is like a buffet.

Egalleys for Hot and Sour Suspects were provided by St. Martin’s Paperbacks through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Lana Lee and the Ho Lee Noodle shop finds themselves in the middle of another murder investigation. After a speed dating session where Rina just leaves with an absolute stranger that no one seems to know. -which leads in to first small critism I have- during the very successful "speed dating" (this clearly must be a thing I'm not that familiar with so I looked it up and found an episode of Frasier, so that was a thing I did with my time). The second criticism was that when this mystery man's ex comes into the speed dating, she's basically deemed a "lunatic" and all the women side with the man. The only voice of reason comes from Adam. Which I appreciated, but it felt really lousy to have all these women just dog on this woman for this guy that no one knows and also, no one seemed to take information on these people? Like strangers hooking up. After all the murders I figured it would be thumbprint at the door of the Noodleshop.

These -minor, really minor- critiques aside. You still have Lana, the gal that makes sure her makeup is flawless before she walks out the door to solve this mystery. All the cast of Asia Village is true to form. Having read all of the other books in the series, I knew exactly what I was in for and it delivered 100%. It's a high quality comfortable cozy mystery, even if I had to Google speed dating and immediately scrub that from my browser history 😀

What a fun read! I was delighted to have the opportunity to review Hot and Sour Suspects before it’s publication on January 25th, and started it right away after receiving my Kindle download. After having read the first book, I’ve been wanting to work my way through the series but this recent book caught my attention with the storyline surrounding one of Lana’s friends.

I was worried that skipping from book 1 to book 8 would leave me with a lot of series spoilers or questions but I was pleasantly surprised that there weren’t too many. I think this book is perfectly fine to read out of order, but having at least read the first book in the series will help lay the foundation of everything.

The mystery was fantastic and I really had no idea who the murderer was up until the very last few chapters, the action was quick to follow and I loved it. Even my heart was racing at one point! What I liked most was that there were a lot of twists that I didn’t see coming and a lot going on for the main character, Lana. It kept a nice steady pace and I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Looking forward to going back and reading the rest of the series.

Most of the Noodle Shop mysteries have been entertaining and include Mama Lee as a very funny character. This latest missed the mark. I realize the author was having health issues and that , I'm sure impacted the story. Although Lana and Megan along with Kimmy are heavily involved in a murder investigation, the killer is pretty obvious. I hope Vivien Chien recovers her health and continues to write this delightful series. .

Hot and Sour (Suspects) soup is perfect for a cold day!

Thank you to @stmartinspress and #netgalley for this fun #noodleshopmystery from @vivien_chien_author - out in the US tomorrow!

This is the most recent book in the series, but only the second one I've read. I really enjoy the main character, Lana Lee. She's really close to her family, but enough of an individual to follow her own path, and smart, but still reckless enough to get herself into fun to read situations. I enjoy the cultural aspect of her Asian family and community, and the Midwest setting.

These are a great read for anyone who likes cozy mysteries that aren't too cozy, if you know what I mean. I've been meaning to go back and start this series at the beginning - 2022 might be my year! 😆

This is a Cozy Mystery, and this is the 8th book in A Noodle Shop Mystery series. I have only one other book in this series. I really enjoy the characters in this series. I loved the beginning of this book, but I found parts of the middle to be slow moving and boring. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

This was my first book by Vivien Chein and even though I read this book last -not bad! The writing is super simple and the plot is clear. No real twists and no clever lines. I know that doesn't sound like a compliment but it's a book to be read for something cozy - nothing terrible happens and the writer excruciatingly explains every thought and plan and idea. Super simplistic and good for someone who wants the thinking done for them.

Really enjoyable, low stakes cozy mystery. This was the first book in the series that I have read. I will definitely read more. Lana has a great friend group and they were fun to read. I also loved that Lana had a boyfriend. She felt very relatable. Look forward to reading more.

Genre: cozy mystery
Pub date: 1/24/22
In one sentence: A speed dating event at the Ho-Lee Noodle House ends in murder - can Lana help clear her friend Rina's name?

I really enjoy the Noodle Shop Mysteries, so I was excited to see what Lana was up to in the latest book! As always, her teamwork and friendship with Megan were great to see - these two always end up in sticky situations. Chien did a good job presenting lots of suspects, including the secretive Rina. I found the mystery compelling and it kept my interest throughout the book. Cozy mysteries don't need to be read in order, but I do think readers will enjoy this one more if they have a bit of background on Lana and the noodle house.

Cozy mystery fans - grab some noodles and curl up with a blanket to enjoy this one!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lana Lee is back, and she’s got a lot on her plate. She and Megan are hosting a speed dating evening at Ho Lee Noodle. One of the unexpected participants is Rina Su, fellow Asia Village business owner, and sister of former business owners in the same mall.

Unfortunately, even though Rina appears to have found a prince, his former girlfriend shows up at the event, furious and intent on contradicting Rina’s perception of him. Hours later that night the man turns up dead, with Rina labelled suspect number “the only one”. Lana and Megan leap to detecting to prove Rina not guilty, of course, unearthing personal and professional information about the dead man.

Then, Lana’s sister causes the family worry about her relationship with a coworker. Lana runs herself ragged investigating, while trying to stop rumours about her sister, and weather the usual comments from her mother about the restaurant, and to top it all off, Rina seems determined to not accept Lana’s help.

The mystery around the identity of the murderer wasn’t hard to figure out, but I enjoyed this book nonetheless. Lana’s concern for those she cares about, as well as the lengths she’ll go to to help them is by turns charming and sweet. (and a little alarming, sometimes). She may not have the training, but she and Megan together make a good team researching potential suspects and have a proven track record determining who the baddie is, while enjoying donuts.

Thank you to Netgalley and to St Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Firstly , thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I first saw this I was so intrigued. I loved the idea of a suspense/thriller in a lighter setting. Unfortunately after reading this I am a little disappointed.

I found there was more filler than anything, and a lot of those filler paragraphs were a little cringey.

The extents Lana went to get answers to a murder that nobody asked her to solve (actually she was explicitly asked multiple times not to do anything) were outrageous. I understand the stalking of social media but A WHOLE JOB INTERVIEW !? Seemed a bit much.

The ending surprised me only by how not surprising it was. I was expecting a plot twist of sorts but none came.

Overall I find Lana’s character insufferable and felt bad for her boyfriend Adam who’s actual job was to solve the case - and instead he had his girlfriend trotting around town being Nancy Drew.

Not my favourite thriller, likely won’t be buying when it is released. 1.5 ⭐️