Murder Lo Mein - An Interview & Review

I'm happy to welcome Vivien Chien back to the blog today. Vivien writes the Noodle Shop Mystery series. MURDER LO MEIN is the third book in the series and was released earlier this week.

Kathy: In MURDER LO MEIN Lana enters her family's restaurant into Cleveland’s Best Noodle Contest. Have you ever attended food contests? Does Cleveland actually have a Best Noodle Contest? If so, I want to go!

VC: I have yet to attend a live food contest, but I love watching them on TV. And sadly no, there isn't a Best Noodle Contest in Cleveland, but if there were, I would be right there next to you!


Kathy: Was there a specific inspiration for this story?

VC: The main inspiration behind this particular story (really with all of my stories) was how can I complicate Lana's life and challenge her. I often like to see how she handles the melding of her personal and professional problems. She is still trying to get a good grasp on life, and having her face these difficulties allows for her character to develop on multiple levels, which I think is what we're all really seeking to do.


Kathy: When I go out for Chinese, I almost always get the same thing, Sesame Chicken and Won Ton Soup. When you go to a Chinese restaurant you've never been to before, what do you usually order?

VC: As coincidence would have it, I usually order the very same thing that Lana orders. Hot and Sour soup, a spring roll, and some type of beef dish...usually Hunan Beef. However, since I've started writing this series, I'm usually craving some type of noodle dish, so other items on the menu have taken a backseat.


Kathy: If I were to visit Ho-Lee Noodle House, what would you recommend I order?

VC: One of everything! Peter is a fantastic cook, but his favorite recipe is a beef noodle soup he enters into the contest mentioned in MURDER LO MEIN.


Kathy: Are you able to share any future plans for Lana Lee?

VC: I like to keep a lot of Lana's future plans tucked away, but I will share that in the fifth book (coming out in 2020), Lana will work with a private detective that is a character in another series that I hope to publish someday.


Kathy: Will you share any other upcoming books?

VC: After MURDER LO MEIN, there are definitely three books slated for the Noodle Shop series. WONTON TERROR, the fourth book in the series, will be out this coming August, and then two more will release next year. But, I'm hoping that Lana has a very long and prosperous life!

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When she’s not writing, Vivien can be found frolicking in the bookstore or searching for her next bowl of noodles. She has a soft spot for doughnuts, a healthy love for coffee, and an extreme need to participate in random acts of crafting.
She currently lives in Cleveland where she is hard at work on the fifth book in her Noodle Shop series and writes side-by-side with her toy fox terrier.

Links:

Website -http://www.vivienchien.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vivien_chien_author/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/vivienchienauthor/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/vivien_chien

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Review

MURDER LO MEIN by Vivien Chien

The Third Noodle Shop Mystery

It's time for Cleveland's Best Noodle Contest and Ho-Lee Noodle House is aching to take first prize, or at least beat the Shen family!  With Ho-Lee in the lead after one elimination, everyone takes time to celebrate, even Judge Norman Pan, a restaurant critic known for his scathing reviews. But the party grinds to a halt when the hated judge is found dead. With her sort of boyfriend Detective Trudeau busy working, Lana now faces multiple temptations: Asia Village's hunky new community director, delectable doughnuts from the shop opening next door, and the thrill of solving another murder!

I love Lana Lee! She's determined, fun, and, though sometimes vulnerable, able to take care of herself. She also lives and works in a great place. I always enjoy seeing what's new in Asia Village and the third Noodle Shop Mystery brings some exciting changes. A new business enters the mix, Shanghai Donuts, taking over the cursed (according to the Mahjong Matrons and a good portion of the Village, anyway) location. We also see a dishy new character in Freddie Yuan. The addition of Lana's Grandmother brings plenty of laughs...and a new side to more than one character.

Aside from a cracking good mystery, my favorite aspect of the book is how the characters and their relationships are evolving. Lanna and Detective Trudeau's relationship comes to a crossroads as Adam opens up about his past. Lana's mother has to learn to live with her own mother as she frets about the Noodle Competition and an upcoming visit with her sister.  In fact, family dynamics play a huge part, not only in this book, but the whole series! And not just the Lee family either. Throughout the series we meet many families and see how they change, grow, and deal with each other. Above all there's a wonderful sense of community that I'm happy to be a part of.

MURDER LO MEIN is a smart, funny mystery filled with wonderful characters and delectable food.