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cduu's review against another edition
4.0
Cute
Teetered between 3 and 4 stars, settling on 4 simply because this story made me smile. I’m a sucker for a cozy mystery, and this one did not disappoint. Just the right amount of intrigue, love interests, and neat wrap up I needed after weeks of yucky news in the world. I will certainly be reading more of this author.
Teetered between 3 and 4 stars, settling on 4 simply because this story made me smile. I’m a sucker for a cozy mystery, and this one did not disappoint. Just the right amount of intrigue, love interests, and neat wrap up I needed after weeks of yucky news in the world. I will certainly be reading more of this author.
slferg's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
alayna017's review against another edition
5.0
I can’t remember where I found this title but I’m so glad I did. I’m so excited to start this series, a cozy mystery series with maybe some romance sprinkled in. The cast of characters are going to be so fun to get to know.
Lana Lee is just getting started in her sleuthing, but I think she’ll give the handsome detective a good bit of grief. Her roommate and all the supporting characters were fantastic. The mystery was complicated enough to keep me guessing, but not too much to be unbelievable.
I can’t wait to continue this series!
Lana Lee is just getting started in her sleuthing, but I think she’ll give the handsome detective a good bit of grief. Her roommate and all the supporting characters were fantastic. The mystery was complicated enough to keep me guessing, but not too much to be unbelievable.
I can’t wait to continue this series!
aubreysmith9412's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I was completely riveted by this book from the very first paragraph on. The tone and voice of the book just spoke to me. I found myself immediately invested in Lana and her life and her family's noodle shop. And then the mystery began.
It doesn't take Lana very long to dive right in. Her friend - and colleague - is in trouble, and she's determined to get ahead of it, and prove him innocent. Even if that means crossing paths with the excruciatingly good looking, and incredibly surly, lead detective on the case.
The deeper Lana dives, the more secrets of the plaza where she grew up she uncovers. With every new bit of information she uncovers, it isn't long before her lists of suspects shrinks. And the possibilities are pretty heartbreaking for the entire plaza.
This book hooked me with its incredible characters, and then kept me with the mystery, and Lana's less-than-subtle sleuthing skills. I loved watching her work out the puzzle with her best friend Megan, even if it meant annoying the very, very handsome detective. And Detective Adam Trudeau definitely has his hands full with Lana Lee.
Death by Dumpling is a great start to what I think is going to be a very, very fun series! I can't wait to keep reading!
It doesn't take Lana very long to dive right in. Her friend - and colleague - is in trouble, and she's determined to get ahead of it, and prove him innocent. Even if that means crossing paths with the excruciatingly good looking, and incredibly surly, lead detective on the case.
The deeper Lana dives, the more secrets of the plaza where she grew up she uncovers. With every new bit of information she uncovers, it isn't long before her lists of suspects shrinks. And the possibilities are pretty heartbreaking for the entire plaza.
This book hooked me with its incredible characters, and then kept me with the mystery, and Lana's less-than-subtle sleuthing skills. I loved watching her work out the puzzle with her best friend Megan, even if it meant annoying the very, very handsome detective. And Detective Adam Trudeau definitely has his hands full with Lana Lee.
Death by Dumpling is a great start to what I think is going to be a very, very fun series! I can't wait to keep reading!
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien is the first book in A Noodle Shop Mystery series. A series of incidents (bad break up, quitting her job, and her parents losing a full-time server) has Lana Lee once again working at her parent’s restaurant Ho-Lee Noodle House in Fairview Park, Ohio. Lana takes lunch over to Mr. Feng, the owner of Asia Village and overhears Kimmy Tran yelling at him. A short time later, Esther Chin rushes in with the news that Mr. Feng is dead. Detective Adam Trudeau arrives to question the restaurant staff and informs them that Mr. Feng died from an allergic reaction to shrimp dumplings. Mr. Feng ordered pork dumplings. All the residents of Asia Village knew about Mr. Feng’s shellfish allergy and the Ho-Lee cooks even use special pans to prepare his food. Lana and her family are shocked when Detective Trudeau arrests Peter Huang, Ho-Lee’s cook, for Mr. Feng’s murder. Lana knows Peter did not harm Mr. Feng and sets out to dish up the truth.
Death by Dumpling is the first Asian cozy mystery that I have read (I have not seen one before). I like the authors unique premise of an Asian shopping center in Northeast Ohio (Cleveland area). The village sounded unique and a place I would love to visit. There are mouthwatering descriptions of the delicacies served at Ho-Lee Noodle House (had me craving Chinese). Lana Lee is a typical late twenties female character who fails to think things through completely, says the wrong thing, clumsy and gets tongue tied around handsome men (sounds like the main character in several books that I have read recently). I felt that Lana lacked depth as did the other characters in the book. Lana has a typical relationship with her sister, Anna May (she is the older sister and going to law school). I found Death by Dumpling to be nicely written and have smooth transitions, but the pace was a little slow. I also felt the book was too long at 352 pages. Fifty or so pages could have easily been edited out. There are two love interests for Lana (of course). Is there a rule that cozy mystery authors must include a romantic entanglement for their main character? The mystery was straightforward, and it lacked surprises. I wanted a good twist. The culprit can easily be picked out early in the story. The investigation consists of Lana and her roommate, Megan Riley questioning people and speculating on who could have committed the crime. There needed to be some action which would have helped the pacing. My rating for Death by Dumpling is 3 out of 5 stars. A Noodle Shop Mystery series has potential, and I hope the author ups her game in the next installment which is Dim Sum of All Fears.
Death by Dumpling is the first Asian cozy mystery that I have read (I have not seen one before). I like the authors unique premise of an Asian shopping center in Northeast Ohio (Cleveland area). The village sounded unique and a place I would love to visit. There are mouthwatering descriptions of the delicacies served at Ho-Lee Noodle House (had me craving Chinese). Lana Lee is a typical late twenties female character who fails to think things through completely, says the wrong thing, clumsy and gets tongue tied around handsome men (sounds like the main character in several books that I have read recently). I felt that Lana lacked depth as did the other characters in the book. Lana has a typical relationship with her sister, Anna May (she is the older sister and going to law school). I found Death by Dumpling to be nicely written and have smooth transitions, but the pace was a little slow. I also felt the book was too long at 352 pages. Fifty or so pages could have easily been edited out. There are two love interests for Lana (of course). Is there a rule that cozy mystery authors must include a romantic entanglement for their main character? The mystery was straightforward, and it lacked surprises. I wanted a good twist. The culprit can easily be picked out early in the story. The investigation consists of Lana and her roommate, Megan Riley questioning people and speculating on who could have committed the crime. There needed to be some action which would have helped the pacing. My rating for Death by Dumpling is 3 out of 5 stars. A Noodle Shop Mystery series has potential, and I hope the author ups her game in the next installment which is Dim Sum of All Fears.
herbsttage's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
caitiep92's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
ravenfable's review against another edition
2.0
2.8....not quite for me, personally. The characters had charm, and the environment felt really fleshed out, but the investigation, twist, and resolution felt a bit lackluster for what I was expecting. The writing wasn't bad, the pacing just felt a bit off. Again, just my personal opinion. I admire anyone who can write and publish a complete book. Many kudos.
(An aside- I love the cover art for this title! It was the reason I picked it up!)
(An aside- I love the cover art for this title! It was the reason I picked it up!)
yeppenny's review against another edition
3.0
Note to the audiobook publisher, JournalStone Publishing: If you have a cast of nearly all Asian and Asian American characters, please be more mindful of the narrator you choose for the book, especially if they will be doing inauthentic Asian accents as your chosen narrator did. Although this experience was detrimental to my enjoyment of the book, it is not factored into my rating and review of the writing itself.
⟡ ⟡ ⟡
This standard cozy mystery set in Cleveland's AsiaTown has an interesting premise but lacks suspense until the second half of the book. It is a great step to see Asian representation in a genre that does not feature much diversity, although it feels contrived at times. All in all, as another reviewer here on Goodreads critically puts it, “It was written for people who think a Chinatown setting is super cute and exotic" (T.K. Marnell, 2021).
⟡ ⟡ ⟡
This standard cozy mystery set in Cleveland's AsiaTown has an interesting premise but lacks suspense until the second half of the book. It is a great step to see Asian representation in a genre that does not feature much diversity, although it feels contrived at times. All in all, as another reviewer here on Goodreads critically puts it, “It was written for people who think a Chinatown setting is super cute and exotic" (T.K. Marnell, 2021).