Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
- Read an installment of a series.
- Share your review/recommendation below.
- Include the title, author and series name.
My Series Sunday pick is The Chow Maniac, the 11th book in the Noodle Shop mystery series by Vivien Chien. There is dissension in the ranks of a century-old Asian organization known as the Eight Immortals. Each member holds an artifact and someone is dying to own them all. Three members have already died under seemingly natural circumstances, but one of the members suspects they are actually murders and that he may be next. Enter the return of Lydia, a private investigator that enlists the help of Lana (manager of Ho-Lee Noodle House) to help solve the case with her close ties to the community.
"It was one of those earth-shattering moments where if I had been drinking coffee, I would have sprayed it out of my mouth every which way. It was something I hadn't seen coming nor could have guessed at by a long shot." ~ pg. 226
Bookhearts may read this as a standalone or in series order. Why? Because Vivien Chien knows how to do a proper series introduction. In the first few paragraphs, readers are introduced to the main character, the setting and a brief recap. Too many other authors miss this important step by assuming all readers are familiar with the series and just jump right in. Or that existing readers of the series remember everything and everyone from previous books. So thanks to Vivien Chien for doing it right!
The Chow Maniac has all the necessary elements of a cozy mystery: a relatable amateur sleuth (Lana), food (pineapple cakes, asian noodles and pork dumplings), colorful cast of characters (Mahjong Matrons), a charming setting (Asia Village), romance (Detective Adam), a dog (pug named Kikkoman), light tone, non-gory murder, false pretenses and plenty red herrings. There is also a dose of Chinese mythology that brings intrigue to the story. Although some chapters can be wordy, Chien delivers another good read in the Noodle Shop mystery series. The Chow Maniac has my stamp of recommendation!
Happy Early Pub Day, Vivien Chien! The Chow Maniac will be available Tuesday, April 1.
Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie
Title: The Chow Maniac
Author: Vivien Chien
Published: April 2025
Pages: 265
Edition: Galley
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤
No comments:
Post a Comment