And Then There Were Bun: A Noodle Shop Mystery by Vivien Chien #Review @VivienChien @MinotaurBooks

AVAILABLE TODAY!

Quote from Vivien Chien:
If no one told you today, let me be the first to say you look absolutely amazing.
And Then There Were Bun: A Noodle Shop Mystery
Cozy Mystery
13th in Series
Setting – Ohio
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Minotaur Books
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 25, 2026
Print length ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
Mass Market Paperback
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250450462
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250450463
Kindle
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250450470
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0G5SN5H2Q

Things get spicy when Megan throws a surprise birthday party for Lana at Ho-Lee Noodle House that ends in disaster.

With the help of Lana’s parents and close friends, Megan packs the family restaurant with a guest list that includes friends—both old and new—to help celebrate her best gal’s birthday. But when one of their guests brings an unsavory plus one that Lana just happened to date back in her college days, tensions build between her old beau and her current boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau.

After a heated exchange of words between the two men, the evening returns to the smooth and enjoyable party that Megan had originally hoped for. But relief is short lived when Lana’s ex is found in the dumpster outside of Asia Village.

As if the circumstances and tragedy taking place on Lana’s birthday aren’t enough, the gang gets an even bigger surprise when Adam is the main suspect under scrutiny. Not only are there several witnesses confirming the verbal confrontation between the two men earlier in the evening, but it’s also reported that Adam disappeared from the party for a considerable amount of time. And unfortunately for him, not even Lana can back up his whereabouts. With Adam in the hot seat, his own partner, Matthew Higgins, must investigate the crime alongside their boss—the Chief of Police, Tom Riceton, who wants speedy results to keep away the threat of Internal Affairs knocking on their door.

As Adam struggles with the dynamic shifts in his personal life, being on suspension and shut out from his resources at the police department, he must rely solely on his skills as a detective and the ingenuity of Lana’s amateur sleuthing capabilities to solve the case and clear his name definitively.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Lana Lee thinks everyone has forgotten her birthday, but her best friend Megan comes through with the surprise. Ho-Lee Noodle House is filled with family and friends when Lana arrives. She is taken aback when an old friend from college arrives accompanied by her “greatest heartbreak”, Devon Jones. Detective Adam Trudeau, her current boyfriend, is instantly on alert. It isn’t long before there is an altercation between the two. Before things escalate, Devon is escorted out the door, and guests get back to celebrating.

But it didn’t last; Devon Jones not only left the party, he left the building. Someone had taken out the trash. Devon Jones is dead. His body was found in the dumpster behind Asia Village. And in a real twist, Detective Adam Trudeau is the prime suspect. Not able to account for some of his time, the time the murder was committed, he is off the case and suspended from the force pending the investigation’s outcome.

Adam has a hard time being shut out of the case. Soon, Lana, Megan, and Kimmy are investigating while Adam is doing his own thing. Megan dating Chief of Police Tom Riceton complicates things, but Lana is determined to help Adam get his gun and badge back.

You know this close-knit family, her best friend, and boyfriend would not forget Lana’s 30th birthday, so the surprise party was expected. The arrival of the hated college ex-boyfriend was not. Adam and Lana’s relationship has been growing at the perfect pace. He loves her so much. Would he actually kill the creep that hurt her so badly? Lana did have a few moments when she wasn’t sure. Thankfully, the woman came to her senses. Megan dating Tom added more angst to the story and has her questioning that relationship as well. Of course, the Mahjong Matrons are back and want to help. Kimmy gets her dander up any time any investigating goes on without her, but she wasn’t as over-the-top as usual. Instead, Anna May was very testing. All the characters Ms. Chien has created for this are fun and quirky in their own ways. It is easy to get all wrapped up in their lives.

The mystery the author has written was very well plotted. A huge part of Adam’s life is his job, so it was hard for him to be sidelined, especially because he was working on an important case that was entering a critical part of the investigation when this murder was committed. It gives the story a different feel. The suspect pool was limited, although things happening behind the scenes could have added another. I was up in the air on my decision until the very end. The actual motive, evidence found later, the connections, the forethought, the intention, and how the plan played out were pretty chilling.

The Noodle Shop Mysteries are must-reads for me. I anxiously await each new story pretty impatiently, but Vivien Chien always makes the wait worthwhile. Her characters are engaging and entertaining, the mall/Noodle House setting is unique, the humor is placed well, and the mystery is always well done.  And Then There Were Bun was just plain marvelous and an excellent addition to this series. I highly recommend the entire series, and I can’t wait for the next installment.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

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About the Author

VIVIEN CHIEN (she/her) was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio where she grew up in a mixed-race home, making for some very interesting cultural experiences. She found her love of books and the written word at an early age while writing short stories about her classmates in elementary school. When she’s not writing, Vivien enjoys frequenting local Asian restaurants, frolicking in bookstores, and searching for her next donut.

She is the author of the Noodle Shop Mystery series, including USA Today bestseller Crime Rangoon, and Misfortune Cookie, which was nominated for the Lilian Jackson Braun Award. (From Amazon)

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.” I am also an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.” These funds are often used for gift cards and other giveaways.