by Vivien Chien
Part of Noodle Shop Mystery, book 11
First published 2025
Private detective Lydia Shephard arrives at Asia Village with an urgent request for Lana Lee. Three members of the secretive Eight Immortals have been killed, each possessing a sacred artifact representing their immortal namesake. Someone wants all eight items and will murder to collect them. Lydia's mysterious client claims to know the next target and demands they catch the killer first. Working beneath the radar of three police departments and Lana's boyfriend Detective Adam Trudeau, the two women must infiltrate an organization so secret that even the Mahjong Matrons remain unaware of it. They need to shield the next victim without revealing the threat. Lana discovers troubling connections within Asia Village that may link to her own family history. The investigation forces her to confront personal ties that could shatter everything she knows. As the body count rises and the killer closes in on completing their deadly collection, Lana struggles to separate her emotions from the case.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, adult-fiction, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, fast-paced, gritty, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-detective, dual-investigation, found-family, personal-stakes
Setting: Asia Village
Period: contemporary
336 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Minotaur Books
Content warnings: death, murder, violence