Reviews

Hot Pot Murder by Jennifer J. Chow

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bibliocatts's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

HOT POT MURDER by Jennifer J. Chow
The Second L. A. Night Market Mystery

Yale Yee was looking forward to a nice Thanksgiving dinner with her father and cousin, but her plans got derailed by the Asian American Restaurant Owners Association. Instead of a quiet turkey dinner with family, everyone's going to Ho's for Hot Pot to brainstorm with members of the association. Before the group even begins to eat, AAROA president Jeffery Vue suffers an immense shock. Detective Strauss believes it's murder and considers Mrs. Ho a good suspect. Confident after recently solving a murder at the Night Market and believing Auntie Ai innocent, Yale and her cousin, Celine, decide to track down the real killer.

In the second L. A. Night Market Mystery the characters immediately drew me in. I love the dynamics between the older generation and the younger. When another table had to be added to accommodate everyone at the Thanksgiving event I had to laugh as the younger people were relegated to a kids' table. It was fascinating to discover more about Celine's relationship with her parents as well as uncovering more about Yale's grief and fears after the loss of her mother.

The mystery itself was intriguing and I enjoyed how Yale and Celine investigated, playing on each other's strengths and having each other's backs. Suspicious behaviors, police dealings, and association politics make for a fun and intriguing read.

HOT POT MURDER highlights family and relationships while providing a tasty mystery filled with good food.

princessreadsalot's review

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lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

3.5

princessbilbo's review

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5.0

Seriously enjoyed this book. Love me a cozy mystery and Yale and Celine are even better in this book. While the first book was a bit predictable, this book got me! I really hope there are more books!

lattelibrarian's review

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4.0

Yale and Celine are back at it again, now with a possibly(?) accidental murder, community organizations, and even more yummy food. Throw in a dash of overbearing parents, anonymous trolls, and matchmaking, and you've got yourself a great book.

This is a great cozy murder mystery, and such a good sequel. I can't wait for the third one!

Also, the recipes in the back look utterly delicious. Who can say no to them?

calycat2's review

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lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-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? No

4.5

arkwen452's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective medium-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? Yes

4.75

Book 2 in the LA night market series was better than the first one in my opinion, because of Yale social improvement, and the closeness between her and Celine. The Asian, American Association, for restaurants being incorporated in this book, gave us the opportunity to see other restaurant owners of the Asian diaspora and play. We also got to see more character relations and dynamics between the other restaurant owners like Misty, who was Indian American And Nick ho and his mother with their restaurant. It seems that the Frene relationship between Nick and Yale was laying more towards the friendship side of this book which I think is nice. Because from book one, Yale has really isolated herself the last couple years, particularly due to her mother's health, and then eventually passing. So with her cousin coming into her life from Hong Kong , Yale is opening herself up to more friends to more experiences to technology and to her family more which is really nice. Another great element I loved about the book was the fact that we get to see Celine really adjust to life in LA with her cousin and uncle. Even though she comes from a rich family, backgrounds in Hong Kong, and money is not a problem for her , she's very down to earth and likable. She's not stuck up or snooty about living in Yale normal apartment. In fact, she even likes the schedule routine that living with Yale has given her. It's a shame that her parents are so strict and demanding when it comes to Celine but I liked that we get to see Celine Stand firm in her and stand up for herself when it comes to her parents. Getting to the aspect of the murder in this book hot pot, murder differs from Boba tea, mystery book, because the suspect pool is much brighter and clearer than in book one. The motives for Jeffrey's death are split up in several different areas that the reader can see the death happening from multiple different areas. That keeps us invested in the whole book going throughout.

There's a lot of elements of Jeffrey's life that lead the reader to suspect a few areas when it comes to potential suspects, but the drama with the Asian American restaurant association and finding a new president pits Yale and Celine up against new commerce and people they've known for a while and long, standing members as potential suspects. Things do get a little dicey for Yale and Celine Who are still amateur slaves trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together but the relationship they have with detective Strauss is definitely less heated and book 2. Overall, I really loved seeing Celine and Yale uncover the truth behind the hot pot, murder incident, and seeing their bond and connection flourish in this book. I highly recommend it.