by Vivien Chien
Part of Noodle Shop Mystery
First published 2023
Lana Lee travels to Irvine, California with her sister Anna May for a restaurant convention. As the new manager of Ho-Lee Noodle House, Lana expects a working vacation. They stay with their Americanized Aunt Grace in her upscale rental. At the convention, Lana watches a heated argument between a fortune cookie vendor and a journalist. The trip takes a dark turn when Aunt Grace hosts a cocktail party for local freelancers. That night, a journalist friend of Grace's falls from the hotel rooftop and dies. The police call it an accident, but Grace suspects murder. She recognizes the dead journalist as the same person who fought with the fortune cookie vendor. Grace asks Lana to investigate the death. Lana, Anna May, and Grace try to maintain normal appearances while searching for answers. Convention attendees and colleagues begin watching them with suspicion. Lana realizes they must identify the killer quickly before they become the next targets.
Genres: fiction, american-fiction, mystery, crime, contemporary
Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, intriguing, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-detective, fish-out-of-water, found-family, sisters-bond
Setting: Irvine, California, Ho-Lee Noodle House
Period: 21st-century, contemporary
326 pages · Mass Market Paperback · St. Martin's Paperbacks
Content warnings: death, murder