Thursday, June 13, 2024

Review: Wonton Terror by Vivien Chien




 

About the Book


Genre
Cozy Mystery
 
Format
E-Book
 
Publisher
St. Martin’s
 
Release Date
August 27, 2019

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In the fourth in Vivien Chien's Noodle Shop delicious mystery series, Ho-Lee Noodle House is ready to take the Cleveland night market by storm—until a brand-new food venue literally explodes onto the scene.

Lana Lee is all smiles when the first evening of Cleveland’s Asian Night Market kicks off the summer. The weekly festival is always good for business, packed with locals and tourists, and this year, some stiff new food-truck competition. Wonton on Wheels, run by old friends of Lana’s parents, promises to have customers lining up for their delicately wrapped delights—until the truck blows up at evening’s end.

Lana’s boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau, had been planning a birthday getaway for the two of them but, lo and behold, Lana must assume the role of amateur sleuth yet again. With one proprietor of Wonton on Wheels dead, it’s beginning to look more like murder and less like an unfortunate accident. And as they begin to unwrap layers of disturbing secrets, Lana’s own family erupts into new drama. Will Lana be able to solve this crime—or has she jumped from the wok right into the fire?

My Review 

It’s summer in Cleveland, Ohio and it’s the first Asian Night Market.  It’s a weekly festival that helps the local businesses.  Lana Lee is happy to be representing her family’s noodle shop. There are many competitors at the fair including some friends of Lana’s parents.  They own a food truck called Wonton on Wheels. However, things suddenly take a nasty turn when the truck blows up leaving one person dead. 

Lana puts on her amateur sleuth hat and tries to figure out what happened.  Was it an accident or is there a killer in their small community?  Between her own family drama and the possibility of a murder, Lana has her hands full.   

This is the fourth book in the series and it’s a good one.  It’s been a while since I read the first three, but I’ve been anxious to get back to this series. It's like visiting old friends.  Not to mention these books always leave me craving Chinese food.

Lana and her family are such fun.  The author does a wonderful job of creating a lively cast of characters.  Lana is one of my favorite amateur sleuths.  She’s strong, she doesn’t back down even when she probably should to avoid danger.  The family dynamics come to life with each page. 

I wasn’t overly surprised at who the culprit turned out to be.  I had my suspicions early on, but the hunt for the truth is so enjoyable to read.  I gobbled this book right up. I was totally captivated. I’m looking forward to the next one in the series.

 

For reading challenges:

The Backlist Reader Challenge 2024
Cruisin’ thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2024
Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge 2024

 

Disclosure: I borrowed this one from the library.  I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

 

2 comments:

  1. I read the first book in this series last year and loved it. I really need to read the rest of the books. Thanks for the reminder and I'm glad to see the series is still strong!

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