I am not a huge fan of the cozy mystery but I did enjoy this book. Enough that I will read the next one. I always have a hard time suspend my disbelief that some casual bystander to a murder can solve the murder. I did enjoy the characters and that kept me reading. Anyone who likes cozy mysteries more than me is going to love this book. ( )

This cozy mystery series is so much fun. Lighthearted, entertaining and enjoyable while also getting my fix for mystery and some romance/relationship/family and friend fun dynamics as well. ( )

Chinese restaurant murder cozy mystery audio (8.5 hrs), 1st in series

27 y.o., donut-loving, single woman working in her parents' (the father is Caucasian and I think the mother is Taiwanese) Chinese/Japanese restaurant in an Ohio suburb (outside Cleveland) finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation when their landlord turns up dead, and she becomes an amateur sleuth to clear their chef's (and the restaurant's) name. Of course, there is a hunky 30-something detective involved (professional but emotionally closed off, probably mourning a lost partner), and lots of lively neighborhood busybodies. This is a fun, very "cozy" mystery, lacking objectionable language and even the initial murder scene is not bloody (poisoning via seafood allergy), though seasoned mystery readers might grow impatient with obvious leads/possibilities that aren't immediately followed up on by the main character. However, there are still some twists that will keep the reader guessing.

Narrator Cheryl May has a clear voice and does a great job with the characters and their varying accents, though it is clear that she is not as practiced at narration as others. I increased the playing speed to x1.2, but there are still a lot of overly dramatic pauses and the frequent emphasis on various words doesn't sound natural (or at least, not how it would sound if I were reading it in my head). It's kind of as though someone instructed her to read at this slow pace (because auditory listeners actually can absorb the text better that way), but in order for her to accomplish that she added a bunch of extra exaggerated pauses and dramatic emphases, or perhaps she had to rely on a teleprompt system that for some reason kept lagging (rather than scrolling through the text smoothly). Still, if you aren't too distracted by all that, then this is an enjoyable enough audiobook mystery.

Also recommended: Mia P. Manansala's Filipinx restaurant/bakery mystery series Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mysteries; Naomi Hirahara's Leilani Santiago Hawai'i shave-ice shop mystery series; and Jesse Q. Sutanto's Four Aunties series, which doesn't take place in a restaurant setting but which will make you laugh. ( )

A cozy mystery. I was hoping for likeable characters and some interesting background. I didn’t connect with Lana who was at times resourceful, at times ridiculously dumb. ( )

Review to come
Lana Lee is back working at her parents’ restaurant and after delivering the plaza owner’s weekly lunch order he is found dead from his shellfish allergy. Lana decides to look into it since she believes Thomas the cook is innocent, and she knows she didn’t do it either. Of course the detective working the case has to warn her to stop looking into it especially after it looks like the widow was possibly poisoned at the remembrance dinner. With the help of her roommate, she uncovers lots of secrets about the people she has known for years. A good intro to a cozy mystery series. ( )