Murder Lo Mein by Vivien Chien is a murder mystery. Lana is the owner of Ho Lee’s restaurant. The restaurant participates in the noodle contest to vie for the top restaurant spot in the Asian Village. One of the most notorious judges of the contest, Norman Pan is murdered. Lara investigates his murder and the string of murders that plague the noodle contest. Were the murders related to the contest or did they have a personal connection?

This is my first book by Vivian Chen. I felt that the character description needed a bit of work. I did not care about the murder of Norman Pan. Unlike Agatha Christie novels, where the victim has a rich financial and emotional background, none of it was provided for Norman Pan. He was just a harsh critic whom no one liked. I also did not care about who won the noodle contest because I knew Lana’s restaurant would win. Lana was also a rookie in solving the murder case.

I rate this book a 3 out of 5 stars because the murder did not spark my curiosity and light a fire in me to learn who the murderer was. Murder Lo Mein will be of interest to bookworms who like murder mysteries with a touch of cultural diversity.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.