(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note:  Although this review will not contain spoilers for Murder Lo Mein, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier Noodle Shop mysteries.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Lana Lee is biased, yes, but she knows her family's Chinese restaurant, Ho Lee Noodle House, employs the best chef of Asian cuisine in the city.  And she intends to prove it.  It's Asian Village's turn to host Cleveland's annual Best Noodle Contest; winning the cooking competition would be a major boost for the shopping center and for the Lees' eatery.  Peter Huang can take home the prize for Ho Lee, Lana is sure of it.  

The competition has barely gotten underway when one of its judges is strangled to death at The Bamboo Lounge after receiving a threatening note in a fortune cookie.  As more ominous cookies make the rounds, the other judges begin to fear for their lives.  Lana can't let a killer run amok on her turf.  Detective Adam Trudeau, Lana's "sort-of-maybe boyfriend guy" (11), begs her to leave the sleuthing to the police, but Lana can only promise so much.  She can't let more people die and she won't let Asian Village's reputation be ruined because of nefarious happenings on its grounds.  If the cops can't catch the killer, Lana will.  Even if it means she's next on the murderer's list ...

Murder Lo Mein is the third book in Vivien Chien's always entertaining Noodle Shop Mystery series.  Like its predecessors, this novel is a light, fun read.  The setting is unique, the characters are likable, and the plot moves along quickly.  This isn't my favorite installment, but I still enjoyed it and will definitely keep going with the series.  It's one of the few cozy series I really like.

(Readalikes:  Other books in the Noodle Shop Mystery series, including Death by Dumpling, Dim Sum of All Fears, Wonton Terror, Egg Drop Dead, and Killer Kung Pao)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and mild innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of Murder Lo Mein with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.