Egg Drop Dead — Vivien Chien

In the fifth in Vivien Chien's Noodle Shop delectable mystery series, Egg Drop Dead, the Ho-Lee Noodle House takes its business to the next level -- only to end up in hot water.

It was supposed to be a fancy, intimate dinner party by the pool. Instead, Lana Lee's first-ever catering event turns into full-course madness when a domestic worker is found dead. Is the party's host Donna Feng, the sweet-and-sour owner of the Asia Village shopping plaza where Ho-Lee is situated, somehow to blame? That's what Lana -- whose plate is already plenty full with running the restaurant, pleasing her often-disapproving mother, and fretting over her occasionally-serious boyfriend Detective Adam Trudeau -- must find out.

Before the police arrived at the crime scene, Donna had entrusted an odd piece of evidence to Lana: a thumb drive shaped like a terra-cotta soldier. Now it's up to Lana to lead her own investigation, digitally and in real life, into a world of secrets involving Donna's earlier life in China, whether the victim had a dark agenda, and if the killer is still out there. . .and plans to strike again.

“Endearing…will appeal to fans of Chris Cavender's Pizza Lovers mysteries.” -- Booklist