Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien is the first book in the NEW “Noodle Shop” mystery series. Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, coming March 27, 2018

Welcome to the Ho-Lee Noodle House, where the Chinese food is to die for. . .

The last place Lana Lee thought she would ever end up is back at her family’s restaurant. But after a brutal break-up and a dramatic workplace walk-out, she figures that a return to the Cleveland area to help wait tables is her best option for putting her life back together. Even if that means having to put up with her mother, who is dead-set on finding her a husband.

Lana’s love life soon becomes yesterday’s news once the restaurant’s property manager, Mr. Feng, turns up dead―after a delivery of shrimp dumplings from Ho-Lee. But how could this have happened when everyone on staff knew about Mr. Feng’s severe, life-threatening shellfish allergy? Now, with the whole restaurant under suspicion for murder and the local media in a feeding frenzy―to say nothing of the gorgeous police detective who keeps turning up for take-out―it’s up to Lana to find out who is behind Feng’s killer order. . . before her own number is up.

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The death of the business’ landlord causes concerns for Lana’s family and it will be up to her to first clear her name and save her family’s business, with a little help from her friends.

This was a very enjoyable whodunit that immediately pulled me in, quickly becoming a page turner as I could not put this book down until I knew who had done the deed. The writing style and tone was very comfortable and had a nice flow from chapter to chapter. The author took the time to delve into the story with plenty of suspects, dipped with clues that had me visualizing the scenes as if watching a movie and the narrative complemented the fast-paced and action-packed drama. I love the diversity in the characters that Lana interacts with, most whose role helped guide how well the story was being told. The author did a great job in staging this mystery that kept me engrossed in all the minute details that would eventually lead to the apprehension of the killer. I do like that we got to know a little about who is Lana and her determination. This was a nice entry into the cozy genre and I look forward to more adventures with Lana and her friends in this delightfully charming series.
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FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.