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I picked up this book, having learnt about it through an online book club based in the US. Go figure. But hey, to the Asian community, fried rice is one of the most common one-dish meals you’ll ever find. So, it’s unsurprising why I had to get my hands on a copy of this book. I hate to be biased, but this is an exception. As a member of the Overseas Chinese community, I enjoyed how ingredients used in Asian cooking were mentioned in the book. Beyond that, I found the protagonist’s character of being half-Taiwanese close to my heart - she also acknowledges her part-Hokkien ancestry. Vivien Chien, the author of this book, is herself of mixed heritage. The pace of the book was exciting in the first few chapters, and as the book went on, the pace slowed down.

In her desire to up her cooking skills, the main character Lana Lee, ironically the one who runs her family’s Chinese restaurant, enrolls in a cooking class. However, when her cooking instructor was found dead right after class, and with Lee discovering her body, she finds herself embroiled in a murder case, not only to find out the killer, but also to clear her name from being in the bad books of a brute and threatening detective.

The supporting characters distracted from the overall main story. For some reason, I also found a few typos in the book. Anyway, the cover of the book is bright enough to lure you to get the hard copy, and the ingredients for what makes a mystery are spicy enough for me.

Overall, it’s a light read that you might want to add to your bookshelves.

Fatal Fried Rice is part of a series called ‘A Noodle Shop Mystery’, although it can be read as a standalone, without having to read the other books in the correct order. Other books in this series include Wonton Terror, Dim Sum of All Fears, Misfortune Cookie, and Gone to Hot Pot.

So, which one are you going to read next? I know I’m going to attempt to read (the e-book version of) Misfortune Cookie.