Dim Sum of All Fears

I have not read the first book in this series. However, I was able to jump right into this series. In fact, it was like I had read the first book. All of the characters were so engaging and a bit eccentric. There is Lana, Anna May, Lana's sister. Megan, Lana's room mate, Peter and his grilfriend, Kimmy, and of course, Lana's boyfriend, Adam. Ok, so maybe Lana does not want to call Ada her boyfriend yet as she says "they have only gone on three dates". However, by the end of the book, you can say that they have made it official as boyfriend and girlfriend. Their romance did not play much of a part in this book except for a kiss here or there.

Lana and Anna May may be different as sisters go. Anna May is the play it by the book type show more whereas; Lana has blue hair. When things get dangerous, the sisters do band together. Lana may have told Adam that she would not have gotten involved in another case but this one kind of came to her. Boy was this case full of surprises.

The characters are what really did make this book so enjoyable for me. The storyline was kind of secondary but in a good way. Because if the characters are not interesting that it does not matter how good the story is. Dim Sum of All Fears serves up a fun platter of humor, engaging characters, and a good storyline that will have you requesting seconds! show less

There isn’t a lot I can say about this besides what I said for the first book. Chien’s still solid on characters and plot and twists and all that. Lana’s still fun to read—impulsive, creative in her crime-solving, ultimately sensible and not, like, trying to corner suspects on her own—and the supporting characters are still good fun too. (I’m still waiting for the teenage server to have a bigger part in the chaos.)

I’m also still impressed at Chien’s ability to weave in characters and plot threads that’ll resurface in future books without having them be obvious “check out this new character!” moments, and impressed by her creativity in distributing the clues. An overheard argument at the funeral, for instance. show more Several independent gossip networks and an overzealous businessman. It’s a little handed-to-her, sure, but in a good way. A cozy way.

There’s a little bit of “protective boyfriend” vibes from the detective, but he’s called out on it and admits that yeah, he can’t stop her, so I’ll deal. (The romance is a nice slow build through this series, it looks like. Also appreciated.) And I’m still not a fan of the family’s constant sniping at and assumptions of Lana, but at this point, I’m not sure whether because of the tropes or because I’m siding with Lana (or if that’s a causal loop).

Still continuing, still reccing, and while you probably can start the series here, there’s only two books so far so why would you?

Warnings: Not that I remember.

7.3/10 show less

This sat around for a year until I finally got to it and it was worth the wait. I fully enjoyed the multicultural setting of the lively Asian Plaza on the eve of Chinese New Year, and encountering Lana's many Asian colleagues and friends. Lana is at once a likable if insecure millennial determined to find justice for her new friend Isabelle, who was murdered in her souvenir shop next door.

I definitely enjoyed this one more. Mostly because with Lana being forced to run her family's restaurant, we get to see her take charge more. She and her sister still squabble a lot, but you can see where they are both coming from while reading. Due to the murder of two of the owners (Isabelle and her husband Brandon) in Asia Village, many customers and owners are starting to think that one of the storefronts is unlucky. Lana was close with Isabelle and is determined to identify her murderer. Will say there seems to be a hard pause in Lana's barely there relationship with Detective Adam Trudeau. I got to read an excerpt of the next book, and there may be another love interest that I hope we see Lana get excited about. She and Adam have show more zero chemistry.

"Dim Sum of All Fears" has Lana dealing with her parents leaving her in charge of the noodle shop while they fly back to Taiwan to see about her grandmother. Though Lana has an opportunity to interview for a new job, she realizes she won't be able to have both. To make matters a little worse, her sister is bent of out shape she's been put in charge, there is a lot of things going on since Chinese New Year is around the corner, and oh yeah, two people were found murdered in their store. These new murders touch Lana a lot more than the last one since she was close to one of the victims, Isabelle. Lana felt ambivalent about Brandon since the guy was never around. And even Isabelle started to notice it. I really loved the twists and turns this book takes with finding out about Brandon's past.

I did like Lana and Megan more in this one. They really are becoming a fascinating duo of amateur sleuthing. Lana I think felt more sure of herself in this one, even with her blue hair. I do wish that she and her sister would quit fighting. I think Lana's sister is jealous of her, though I get why Lana is annoyed her sister keeps making snide remarks.

Also Lana's relationship with Detective Trudeau seems to be cooling. They have zero chemistry. Lana at one point asks him why did he become a cop and he refuses to tell her. I was fed up with him. I also didn't like Megan saying she would investigate him to find out what is going on. Just ignore the guy if he isn't interested in having a real relationship. Their dates sounded lame too.

The writing was good and so was the flow. I do think there wasn't any problems that I could see off the top off my head.

I am friends with a lot of Taiwanese people and I know that Chinese New Year is a very big deal. I wish that Ms. Chien had gone into that more. I know that you are supposed to clean I think three days before the start of Chinese New Year. I think you are supposed to cook the day before. Things like that would have made the book more interesting to a lot of people.

I do hope that we don't always get someone pulling a weapon on Lana, that kind of stuff will get old in a series really quick. show less

Another great cozy mystery from Vivien Chien. Lana Lee finds herself running Ho-Lee noodles while her mother and father are back in Taiwan visiting her A-ma. As if that's not stressful enough, she also has to contend with yet another murder at the Asia Village plaza. Lana's relationship with police detective, Adam Trudeau, is growing, but will it continue to do so if he knows she's meddling in his murder investigation? Another really great read in this series.

this is the second book in the series, the first was Death by Dumpling. And Lana Lee is back but this time she is (gasp!) put in charge of the restaurant while her parents visit her grandmother in Taiwan. She’s not exactly thrilled about that. But worse news are to come - her friend Isabelle, who works at the new business next door, and her husband are found dead.

An enjoyable read with some interesting twists that I wasn’t expecting! The different characters that are involved in the series (set in a strip mall full of Asian-owned businesses in Ohio) are what make this series for me. I did however find the romance part a bit awkward, maybe it will be discussed more in the next book?

A fun cozy mystery that will make you want to eat show more some dim sum and drink tea show less

Dim Sum of All Fears by Vivien Chien is the second book in A Noodle Shop Mystery series. Lana Lee is surprised when her parents announce they are departing for Taiwan and leaving Lana in charge of the Ho-Lee Noodle House. Just when Lana has a second interview for a well-paying office manager position. The day her parents depart for Taiwan, Lana arrives at work ready to focus on the restaurant and show her parents she can do the job in their absence. Then Isabelle and Brandon Yeoh who own Charm City Souvenirs are found dead in their shop. Isabelle and Lana shared a common love of books and had become friends. It turns out that Isabelle and Brandon had several skeletons in their closet that are now coming to light. Despite being told show more repeatedly by Detective Adam Trudeau to stay out of the investigation, Lana cannot help but do a little digging. Which one of the suspects could have done the deed? Join Lana on her quest for the truth in Dim Sum of All Fears.

Dim Sum of All Fears is nicely written and has steady pacing. If you have not read Death by Dumpling, you will not be lost. The author provides the backstory readers need to proceed with Dim Sum of All Fears. There are a variety of quirky characters that include the Mahjong Matrons, Kimmy Tran and Esther Chin. In the beginning of the book, Lana shocks everyone by showing up with her hair dyed blue. I was baffled as to why she would do this when she was interviewing for an important office manager position. At twenty-seven years old I believe it is time for Lana to quit antagonizing her mother and figure out what she wants to do with her life. Lana had days to find someone to cover for her, so she could attend the interview, but waits until it is too late (evidently, she really did not want the job). The bickering between Lana and her sister especially at the restaurant in front of customers and employees (unprofessional and inappropriate) was tiresome. I was baffled by the scheduling at the restaurant. I thought it was unusual that they open in the morning (I have never seen this type of establishment open before 11 a.m.) and during the lunch hour rush there would be only one waitress on duty (the other employee would be on her hour lunch break). The mystery was straightforward, and I could identify the killer before I was a third of the way through the book. There were a couple of suspects and Lana was proactive in asking questions. Detective Adam Trudeau tells Lana to repeatedly stay of the investigation and, of course, she has no intention of listening to him. There is a cliché love triangle between Lana, Adam and Ian Sung. Personally, I preferred Death by Dumpling to Dim Sum of All Fears (it was not as silly). My rating for Dim Sum of All Fears is 3 out of 5 stars (it was okay). I hope the author ups her game in the next A Noodle Shop Mystery. show less