Misfortune Cookie: A Noodle Shop Mystery (A Noodle Shop Mystery, 9)
Nominated for the Lilian Jackson Braun Award!
“Pair your noodles with this steaming mystery, and you have the perfect chilly night combination!”—PopSugar
In Vivien Chien's Misfortune Cookie, Lana Lee returns for another delectable cozy set in a Chinese restaurant in Cleveland, OH.
They say fortune favors the bold, and Lana Lee is determined to prove that true.
Lana, now officially manager of her family’s restaurant, the Ho-Lee Noodle House, is headed to sunny Irvine, California to attend a restaurant convention with her sister, Anna May, along for the ride. The girls’ very Americanized Aunt Grace has asked them to stay in her posh rental, and as the trip begins, it seems to be just what they both needed. Even the restaurant convention proves to be worthwhile and entertaining, especially when Lana witnesses a dramatic cat fight between a fortune cookie vendor and a journalist.
Lana and Anna May can’t imagine things getting any better until they learn their aunt has yet another surprise in store for them—a swanky cocktail party hosted for the freelancers of Southern California. But on the night of the party, things go south when a close journalist friend of Grace’s mysteriously plunges from the roof top of the hotel. Even more suspicious is the fact that Aunt Grace’s friend is the same journalist Lana saw getting into a screaming match with the fortune cookie vendor at the convention.
The police rule the death a gruesome accident, but Aunt Grace refuses to accept that explanation and begs Lana for her help uncovering the truth. Lana, Anna May, Aunt Grace attempt to keep up appearances as they search for answers, but unwanted attention from suspicious colleagues and convention attendees starts to surface, causing Lana to wonder if they’ll find the killer in time…or if they’ll be the next ones pushed over the edge.
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Community Reviews
What I missed most and was really jarring in this book was the lack of the side cast that was present in all the other books. The side cast in Lana's life really made the rest of the book shine, and that was really missing here. Of course, I get that there can't just be MORE DEATHS at the plaza where Lana works, that would start to be unrealistic, but more phone calls or somehow involving her roommate and her boyfriend more (like having them help research or throw ideas around or whatever). There were a couple mentions of different people, but that definitely isn't the same vibe as the other books. tbh, that was really my biggest complaint.
On the flip side, I loved the focus on Lana's relationship with her sister. That's something we've never really gotten to see in previous books and I loved that development. It almost made up for the lack of side characters. Almost lol. I definitely hope that development will continue in the next book and that their relationship continues to improve. I did also enjoy the change in location, since like I mentioned, it would be weird if we were in the same place with a new death. Just wish all the other characters could also have come to California. Maybe they can show their noodle shop at some sort of noodle convention, so they gotta bring a bunch of people along (and other people tag along for vacation)!
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