Lana Lee, our part-time amateur detective and full-time restaurant manager, leaves snowy Ohio behind for sunny California and a restaurant convention…Only to find herself thrust into the middle of a murder mystery when Aunt Grace’s friend gets pushed off a roof. With the promise to stay away from danger, murder, and sleuthing still fresh in her mind. Lana finds herself unable to tell her Aunt Grace ‘no’ when she asks for Lana’s investigative skills.

A fish out of water without her beloved notebook, Kikomon (her pug), and supportive best friend — Lana must rely on her reluctant sister, Anna May, for help. Which goes as smoothly as you’d guess when said older sister does not condone her little sister’s penchant for snooping.

Misfortune Cookie is a change-up for the Noodle Shop Mystery series — as the majority of the main characters we’ve come to love only make cameos. However, we get to know Anna May and Aunt Grace much better, which is excellent! On top of which, Lana makes some critical decisions about her life as a sleuth — owning her need to find answers. 

Which I’m interested in seeing what happens when she returns home.

As I write this review, I just realized Misfortune Cookie is a transitional book — a cleverly written, immensely entertaining, and engaging transition story that will push Lana and the rest of her crew into new and (hopefully) exciting ways in future installments. Which makes me admire this book even more because it doesn’t feel like an evolution in Lana’s world — that’s how deftly Chien penned her mystery. 

What is even better, if you’ve not read anything in this series before (and are intimated by the back catalog), this is the perfect book to pick up! And if you’re not sure about the whole culinary themed mystery — again, this is the ideal book to start with as you’ll see that whilst food is present, it in no way detracts or distracts from the story at hand!

Seriously, pick up a copy of this mystery. 

You won’t be sorry.

My 52 Weeks With Christie: A.Miner©2023