Star-Crossed Egg Tarts: A Magical Fortune Cookie Novel
Cozy Culinary Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – California
Publisher : Minotaur Books (January 21, 2025)
Mass Market Paperback : 352 pages
ISBN-10 : 1250323258
ISBN-13 : 978-1250323255
Kindle ASIN : B0D12R75L9
Felicity Jin returns in the second book in the heart-warming and deliciously mysterious Magical Fortune Cookie series from Lilian Jackson Braun Award-nominee Jennifer J. Chow.
Jin Bakery has been asked to cater the Lum-Wu outdoor wedding at Pixie Park. The day of the ceremony, Felicity is finishing the “cake” of tiered egg tarts as the wedding party arrives for the ceremony. When one of the groomsmen, Miles Wu, doesn’t arrive, Felicity’s best friend and local florist Kelvin generously steps in for him and the wedding goes smoothly—until cake cutting time.
That’s when Felicity finds Miles’ dead body beneath the table with her egg tarts display, stabbed by Kelvin’s gardening shears. With the detective’s sights on Kelvin, Felicity starts sleuthing away to prove his innocence, revealing dark secrets about all the wedding’s attendants. They each had something to hide—and a reason to quiet Miles forever. To make matters worse, Felicity’s powers of prediction are on the fritz thanks to the emotional turmoil of a surprise visit from her estranged father.
When the groom gets poisoned at the send-off party and winds up in a coma, the stakes are even higher, not to mention Felicity’s feelings for Kelvin are beginning to feel more than friendly. Will Felicity’s magic return in time to catch the true culprit and rescue her budding relationship with Kelvin?
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Jin Bakery has been given the honor to provide a circular display of egg tarts in place of a cake for the Lum-Wu wedding being held at Pixie Park. Felicity is so excited. Her friend Kelvin Love is taking care of all the beautiful flower arrangements and her godmother Alma Paz has made all the candle displays. Felicity is not only setting up the tarts, but she is also helping with the traditional tea ceremonies.
Shortly before the wedding is to start they notice one of the groomsmen, Miles Wu, has disappeared. To proceed with the wedding Kelvin is asked to take the man’s place. The day is going great until it is time to serve the egg tarts. After the bride and groom “smooshed” each other in the face with a tart Felicity moved to the table to put the tarts on serving trays when she thought she stepped on a tart. But it wasn’t a tart, she had stepped in blood. Moving the tablecloth they find the missing groomsman dead – stabbed with Kelvin’s garden shears.
With evidence pointing directly at Kelvin, Felicity immediately slips into sleuth mode to clear him of the crime. All the wedding attendants had issues with Miles Wu and any of them could have killed him. She tries to use her special magical talents to get to the truth but is distracted by one of the guests at the wedding.
Then the groom is poisoned when he and his bride are getting ready to leave on their honeymoon. With Colton Wu in a coma, Felicity knows the killer has to be stopped before anyone else is hurt. She and Kelvin work closely together to find answers. When the killer is found she will have to answer a huge question – Are she and Kelvin becoming more than friends?
Ms. Chow has created characters who feel like friends. Felicity “Lissa” is much stronger and more confident in this story because she has found her place in the Jin family baking hierarchy by discovering her magic recipe – fortune cookies. Her magic also comes with a bonus. Her cookies not only bring happiness but she can also predict future happenings. That extra special bonus can make things complicated. Lissa’s mother is having a stressful time and because of that, she makes a new friend, Detective Sun. The good detective has moved close to the Jins and Lissa’s mom Angela welcomes her to the neighborhood with plenty of oranges while telling her about a problem she is having.
Both Felicity and Kelvin get involved with the wedding party who are stuck in town because of the murder. It gives them the chance to observe and question them in their quest to find the killer, something Detective Sun and Angela warn them against. But with each visit, they learn more. Everyone had a secret they didn’t want to be revealed. Some connections were very strong while others were hanging by a thread. Alibis were iffy and hard to pin down. I enjoyed following along as some clues fell into place and others were discarded. Like Felicity, I didn’t have “all the pieces of the mystery puzzle in place” but was drawn to the same person she was for various reasons. I do applaud Felicity’s smart thinking and clever way of diffusing the tense situation when the killer was revealed.
There is an important subplot within this story that changes things for Felicity and her mom. I know others have mentioned it as does the synopsis but I don’t want to share more because I enjoyed it so much going in fresh. I loved the small part Felicity’s bunny Whiskers had and how Felicity handled the whole situation. While the murder is the main story, this subplot is significant in many ways.
Star-Crossed Egg Tarts was a very enjoyable mystery infused with the perfect amount of magic. The characters are engaging with new friendships and friendships going to the next level. I am looking forward to what Ms. Chow has in mind for her characters next. “New beginnings” can mean so many things. New “enchanting adventures” sound like a wonderful place to start.
Be sure to check out the Floral Tips from Love Blooms and the Auspicious Almond Cookies recipe at the end of the book.
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
Jennifer J. Chow writes cozies filled with hope and heritage. She is an Agatha, Anthony, and Lefty Award-nominated author. Her newest series is the Magical Fortune Cookie mysteries; the first book is Ill-Fated Fortune. Jennifer’s previous series is the L.A. Night Market Mysteries. Death by Bubble Tea was reviewed by the New York Times, featured in Woman’s World, and hit the SoCal Indie Bestseller List. Jennifer currently serves as Immediate Past President on the board of Sisters in Crime and blogs at chicksonthecase.com. She is an active member of Crime Writers of Color and Mystery Writers of America. Connect with her online and sign up for her newsletter at JenniferJChow.com.
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