by Vivien Chien
Part of Noodle Shop Mystery
First published 2020
Lana Lee thought her biggest challenge would be serving dinner by the pool. The Ho-Lee Noodle House owner has never catered before, but Donna Feng's intimate party seemed manageable. Then a domestic worker turns up dead. The police suspect Donna, who owns the Asia Village shopping plaza where Lana's restaurant operates. Before the authorities arrive, Donna presses something into Lana's hands: a thumb drive shaped like a terra-cotta soldier. Now Lana must balance running her restaurant and managing her disapproving mother while investigating the murder herself. Detective Adam Trudeau, her sometimes boyfriend, complicates matters further. The thumb drive leads Lana into Donna's past in China and raises questions about the victim's true motives. As Lana digs deeper, she discovers that someone may be planning another killing.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, adult-fiction, thriller, detective
Vibes: engaging, fast-paced, intriguing, suspenseful, witty
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family, mystery-investigation, romantic-tension
Setting: Ho-Lee Noodle House, Asia Village shopping plaza, China
Period: 21st-century, contemporary
320 pages · Mass Market Paperback · St. Martin's Paperbacks
Content warnings: death, murder