Egg Drop Dead by Vivien Chien (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"It was supposed to be a fancy, intimate dinner party by the pool. Instead, Lana Lee’s first-ever catering event turns into full-course madness when a domestic worker is found dead. Is the party’s host Donna Feng, the sweet-and-sour owner of the Asia Village shopping plaza where Ho-Lee is situated, somehow to blame? That’s what Lana―whose plate is already plenty full with running the restaurant, pleasing her often-disapproving mother, and fretting over her occasionally-serious boyfriend Detective Adam Trudeau―must find out.

Before the police arrived at the crime scene, Donna had entrusted an odd piece of evidence to Lana: a thumb drive shaped like a terra-cotta soldier. Now it’s up to Lana to lead her own investigation, digitally and in real life, into a world of secrets involving Donna’s earlier life in China, whether the victim had a dark agenda, and if the killer is still out there. . .and plans to strike again."

My Thoughts:

Egg Drop Dead is the 5th book in the Noodle Shop mystery series and it is just a delight!  I actually started this series on book three and haven't yet had the chance to catch up on books one and two.  This is the first time that it seems to have mattered as this book referenced a previous case that Lana investigated that I'm guessing happened during either book one or two.  It didn't affect my enjoyment of this book in the slightest but I wanted to mention it in case you haven't read those earlier books either.  This book had everything that I enjoy about this series!  There are these amazing food descriptions that make me constantly feel hungry while reading.  Lana is Lana and finds herself caught up in the middle of a murder investigation yet again.  She is such a delightful character that I just always find myself rooting for!  Plus, all of my favorite secondary characters were present including Lana's detective boyfriend Adam.  I liked that in this book we learned a bit more about Lana through her ex-boyfriend's surprise appearance in her life once again.  I don't want to share any spoilers but I will say that I liked how everything turned out in that situation.  The mystery portion of this book was well done as well and kept me guessing.  This is a series that I really enjoy and will just keep reading more of!  I really do need to catch up with those earlier books though!

Overall, this book was another great addition to what has become a favorite mystery series of mine!  I swear that every time I read these books I find myself craving spring rolls.  Yum!  The characters are great and I cannot wait to see what kind of trouble Lana will get herself into next time.  I'm really enjoying seeing Lana and Adam's relationship develop.  Hopefully we will continue to see that happen in future books.  You can certainly read this series out of order (I did) but I do think that it would help your overall reading experience to start at the beginning if possible.  This is a cozy mystery series not to be missed!  Recommended to fans of cozy mysteries and mystery readers alike!

Bottom Line:  Another delightful addition to one of my favorite cozy mystery series!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher courtesy of NetGalley.  Honest thoughts are my own.

Wonton Terror by Vivien Chien (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"The Asian community is kicking off summer with the return of its popular Cleveland Night Market festivities, and Lana Lee is excited to represent the Ho-Lee Noodle House booth with her favorite chef, Peter Huang. Lana is confident that the evening marks the beginning of a great season to come. Not only is she looking forward to the warm temperatures, but her birthday is only weeks away, her handsome boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau, is planning a romantic get-away. Life couldn't be better.

But before she can get too accustomed to the idea of a carefree summer, an explosion involving a nearby food truck, Wonton on Wheels, kills one of the proprietors and injures several others in the nearby vicinity.

When the authorities discover that this was no accident, the family members of the dead man become the number-one suspects in a front-page murder story. Lana and her best friend, Megan Riley, fall back into detective mode. But as they uncover family secrets of abuse and angry costumers, Lana's own family drama raises its head. Will Lana be able to juggle everything the universe is throwing at her, or has she jumped from the frying pan to the fire?"

My Thoughts:

Two books in and I'm really enjoying this cozy mystery series.  To be clear though, I started earlier this year with the third book (Murder Lo Mein) and just now finished this one which is the fourth book so I'm still reading completely out of order.  I enjoyed both of these books for a variety of reasons but one highlight of the series is the food featured in each book.  I read both of these books constantly craving spring rolls and rice.  LOL - but seriously these books made me hungry!  My favorite things about cozy mysteries is that they feel like comfort reads.  I don't usually read these types of books for the mystery although that is always an enjoyable part of it.  I read them for the characters, and this series is no different.  I really enjoy Lana's character and her inquisitive ways.  I think I enjoyed this book just a tiny bit more than its' predecessor only because I really started to get a handle on all of the other characters and who they are.  It's fun to see Lana navigate this new life of running her family business while also trying to solve crimes.  She never means to get involved but her curiosity always gets the better of her.  This book had a bit of a darker theme to it in regards to spousal abuse.  If this is a trigger for you then you may want to read Murder Lo Mein instead.  I thought that the author handled this topic respectfully which is all that you can really ask for.  I'm excited to continue on with this series but I REALLY need to catch up with the first two books while I wait for the next book to release.  

Overall, I enjoyed my time with this book and this series in general has moved on to my must read list.  I've become attached to Lana and all of her family thanks to these two books.  It's actually really nice that I've read them both this year because I remembered most of the details from Murder Lo Mein which doesn't always happen when I read books that are part of series.  I would recommend this series to fans of cozy mysteries.  I don't think that you have to read them in order (I sure haven't been) but I'm sure that you would also get maximum enjoyment if you did read them that way.  Recommended!

Bottom Line:  A great addition to what is becoming a favorite cozy mystery series for me.

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.  Honest thoughts are my own.