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Noodle Shop Mysteries Books in Order

Part ofVivien Chien Books in Order

See the Noodle Shop Mysteries by Vivien Chien in order, with quick summaries, series background, reading order, and a helpful guide to where to start.

Last updated: July 5, 2026

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Noodle Shop Mysteries books in publication order

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14 books

1

Death by Dumpling

by Vivien Chien

2018

After a breakup and a job disaster, Lana Lee ends up back at her family's restaurant in Asia Village. When landlord Mr. Feng dies after eating shrimp dumplings despite his shellfish allergy, Lana has to clear Ho-Lee Noodle House fast.

2

Dim Sum of All Fears

by Vivien Chien

2018

Lana is left running Ho-Lee while her parents travel to Taiwan, and she discovers she is better at it than expected. Then a neighboring newlywed couple turns up dead, and the case looks far messier than a simple murder-suicide.

3

Murder Lo Mein

by Vivien Chien

2019

As newly promoted manager, Lana enters Ho-Lee in Cleveland's Best Noodle Contest. But when a food critic gets a threatening fortune and dies face-down in lo mein, winning matters less than surviving the investigation.

4

Wonton Terror

by Vivien Chien

2019

The Cleveland Asian Night Market should be a big win for Ho-Lee. Instead, a rival food truck explodes, one owner ends up dead, and Lana's birthday getaway disappears as she digs into old secrets and family drama.

5

Egg Drop Dead

by Vivien Chien

2020

Lana's first catering job turns into a nightmare when a domestic worker is found dead beside the pool. With host Donna Feng under suspicion and a strange thumb drive in play, Lana follows a trail that reaches back to China.

6

Killer Kung Pao

by Vivien Chien

2020

A parking lot fender bender in Asia Village looks petty until one of the feuding women dies at a beauty salon. With evidence pointing to tough bakery owner June Yi, Lana steps in before another grudge turns lethal.

7

Fatal Fried Rice

by Vivien Chien

2021

Hoping to prove she can do more than manage the restaurant, Lana secretly enrolls in culinary school. Then her instructor is murdered, and Lana has to clear her name while wondering if the danger leads back to Ho-Lee.

8

Hot and Sour Suspects

by Vivien Chien

2021

A speed dating night at Ho-Lee seems like harmless fun until one of Rina Su's matches is murdered. Lana digs into the victim's messy past and finds a long list of people who had reason to want him gone.

9

Misfortune Cookie

by Vivien Chien

2023

Lana and her sister Anna May head to Irvine for a restaurant convention and a stay with Aunt Grace. When a journalist falls from a hotel rooftop after clashing with a fortune cookie vendor, the trip turns into sleuthing.

10

Gone to Hot Pot

by Vivien Chien

2024

While Lana is away on business, Megan Riley is left in charge of Kikkoman the pug. When the dog disappears after a grooming appointment, Asia Village rallies for a frantic, funny search with one rule, do not tell Lana.

11

Peking Duck and Cover

by Vivien Chien

2024

Asia Village throws a big Chinese New Year celebration, complete with fireworks and a lion dance. The party turns ominous when a performer is found shot with a red envelope in his pocket, and rumors of a curse start spreading.

12

Crime Rangoon

by Vivien Chien

2025

Cindy Kwan's author event at The Modern Scroll should be a triumph for Asia Village. Then the visiting mystery writer is killed in a way that mirrors her own novel, forcing Lana and Detective Adam Trudeau to investigate together.

13

The Chow Maniac

by Vivien Chien

2025

Private detective Lydia Shepard pulls Lana into a case involving unsolved murders, thefts, and a secret group called the Eight Immortals. As danger closes in on Asia Village, Lana uncovers ties that could hit painfully close to home.

14
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And Then There Were Bun

by Vivien Chien

2026

Megan packs Ho-Lee with friends for Lana's surprise thirtieth birthday party, but the night sours when one of Lana's old exes turns up dead outside. With Adam suddenly the main suspect, Lana has to clear him fast.

Noodle Shop Mysteries books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "Death by Dumpling"

    Death by Dumpling

    by Vivien Chien

    2018Noodle Shop Mysteries, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "Dim Sum of All Fears"

    Dim Sum of All Fears

    by Vivien Chien

    2018Noodle Shop Mysteries, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "Murder Lo Mein"

    Murder Lo Mein

    by Vivien Chien

    2019Noodle Shop Mysteries, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "Wonton Terror"

    Wonton Terror

    by Vivien Chien

    2019Noodle Shop Mysteries, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "Egg Drop Dead"

    Egg Drop Dead

    by Vivien Chien

    2020Noodle Shop Mysteries, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "Killer Kung Pao"

    Killer Kung Pao

    by Vivien Chien

    2020Noodle Shop Mysteries, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "Fatal Fried Rice"

    Fatal Fried Rice

    by Vivien Chien

    2021Noodle Shop Mysteries, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "Hot and Sour Suspects"

    Hot and Sour Suspects

    by Vivien Chien

    2021Noodle Shop Mysteries, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "Misfortune Cookie"

    Misfortune Cookie

    by Vivien Chien

    2023Noodle Shop Mysteries, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "Gone to Hot Pot"

    Gone to Hot Pot

    by Vivien Chien

    2024Noodle Shop Mysteries, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "Peking Duck and Cover"

    Peking Duck and Cover

    by Vivien Chien

    2024Noodle Shop Mysteries, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "The Chow Maniac"

    The Chow Maniac

    by Vivien Chien

    2025Noodle Shop Mysteries, Book 12
  13. Book cover for "Crime Rangoon"

    Crime Rangoon

    by Vivien Chien

    2025Noodle Shop Mysteries, Book 13
  14. Book cover for "And Then There Were Bun"

    And Then There Were Bun

    by Vivien Chien

    2026Noodle Shop Mysteries, Book 14

Series background & context

The Noodle Shop Mysteries begin with Lana Lee landing back at her family's restaurant, Ho-Lee Noodle House, after a breakup and a workplace blowup leave her short on options. What looks like a temporary retreat turns into something much bigger once murder starts brushing up against the restaurant and the people around it. From the start, the series has a clear home base, Asia Village, a busy shopping plaza in the Cleveland area where everyone seems to know everyone else's business.

Lana is not a professional detective, which is half the fun.

She is a restaurant manager, daughter, sister, roommate, dog mom, and reluctant problem solver. Across the books, she keeps juggling family expectations, bills, romance, and the daily chaos of restaurant life while trying to figure out who killed whom. The ongoing cast gives the series its real warmth: boyfriend Detective Adam Trudeau, best friend Megan Riley, chef Peter Huang, childhood friend Kimmy Tran, sister Anna May, and the sharp-eyed Mahjong Matrons. Their relationships shift and deepen over time, so reading in order pays off.

The setting matters just as much as the crimes. Asia Village works like a small neighborhood square packed into one place, with shop owners, regular customers, gossip, grudges, and a surprising amount of loyalty. Food is everywhere, but it is not just decoration. Menus, festivals, catering jobs, speed dating nights, book events, and Chinese New Year celebrations all help shape the plots. Even when Lana travels in Misfortune Cookie, or steps out of the spotlight in the short Gone to Hot Pot, the series keeps circling back to the same community.

These books will probably make you hungry.

In tone, this is cozy mystery territory, brisk, funny, and low on gore, with off-page violence, quick banter, and a light romantic thread. Later books widen the scope a bit, from culinary school in Fatal Fried Rice to secret society trouble in The Chow Maniac, but the emotional center stays the same. Lana keeps trying to protect her family, her friends, and the little world around Ho-Lee, even when that world drives her crazy. You do not need complicated worldbuilding here. You need one sharp amateur sleuth, one busy family restaurant, and a neighborhood where everybody notices everything.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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