Some cozy mystery writers capture the quirky, amusing, but believable tone that makes reading them fun, it’s a hard quality to pin down and may just be a matter of taste, but for me it makes the genre appealing and is what captured my heart so many years ago and Vivien Chen has the magic touch. This is the 4th in the series and the main character Lana Lee continues to evolve, she is now the manager running her family’s Chinese restaurant in Asian Village, an indoor shopping district featuring oriental themed stores. But Lana is still Lana, honestly out-spoken, funny, caring and compelled to poke her nose into police business when it involves her people.
Continue reading ““Wonton Terror” – A Noodle Shop Mystery by Vivien Chen”
Many cozies have dogs, cats and other pets that feature as wonderful, humorous sidekicks and add heart and interest to a story but in this mystery, Murder a la Mocha, dogs are pivotal to the plot and not just as endearing delightful characters. This is also a very topical mystery and reveals a lot about the American lifestyle.
This series epitomizes the classy intrepid sleuth who lives a very full life running a quaint charming tea shop, hobnobbing with Charleston’s arts and antiques crowd and chasing down clues with the tea sommelier and antiques expert Drayton at her side in between attending benefits and volunteering for charities…oh and she also jogs with her rescue dog Earl Grey. Her home is a Tudor style cottage in a good neighborhood and though she lives alone her boyfriend is around often. What a life! And she is naturally a classic beauty with a versatile wardrobe and a friend who is on hand for fashion advice and owns a chic boutique. But despite her enviable life style, cool intellect and ability to multi-task which the rest of us can only aspire to Theodosia Browning is undoubtedly fun to hang out with in this newest cozy.