Taking some cozy mystery comfort in my High Summer reading

Having the High Summer readathon in August this year was a great idea, as the steaming heat from the outdoors(not to mention the sweltering headlines in the news) really makes you want to find a nice spot of shade to enjoy a good book in.

A good portion of my completed reads for this challenge brought me to the cozy mystery section and yes, all of these titles do have a touch of foodie fun.

First up was Murder Lo Mein, the third book in Vivien Chien's Noodle Shop series, where leading lady Lana Lee is now the manager of her family's restaurant. She finds herself actually liking the responsibility, particularly now that her hovering mother is well distracted by the arrival of Lana's grandmother who is more than a match for her own daughter!

However, the big event on the horizon is the annual Asian Noodle contest, where Ho-Lee Noodle House appears to be in the lead, thanks to amazing chef Peter. Unfortunately after an early round of competition, one of the judges(a notoriously nasty food critic) is found dead at an after party. To make matters worse, he received a strange fortune cookie message which sounded more like a threat than a promise.

Lana winds up going into mystery solving mode, complete with her best friend Megan by her side along with other pals old and new as another judge is taken down. When Lana finds one of those frightening fortune cookies slipped into her purse, the search for the killer becomes less appetizing but necessary to save her own life, not to mention the contest!

I really love the world building that Chien does here, making the Asia Village mall as lively and connected as any small town(really hope that Mahjong Matrons get in on the mystery action at some point!), plus the network of female friendships that Lana has is great to see.

 Also, I like it that her relationship with police detective Adam Trudeau got a bit more deeper here, giving him a solid backstory that elevates him from the usual overprotective boyfriend role in this genre.

What's really great in finishing this tasty third helping of the Noodle Shop Mysteries is that book four, Wonton Terror, is due out in just a few days! Yes, I did pre-order this one and will be eagerly awaiting it at my mailbox as much as Lana waits for her new favorite doughnut shop in Asia Village to open it's doors for another delicious treat:

Next, I took a book off of one of my other reading lists(Series-ous Reading, which I'll get back to this September) to dive into as it's set in a very vacation friendly location.

A Crime of Passion Fruit has Ellie Alexander take her bakeshop heroine Jules Capshaw back to the high seas as a temporary pastry chef onboard the cruise ship where she first met her estranged husband Carlos.

As it happens, it's a good time for Jules to be away from her beloved hometown bakery Torte, due to an expansion of the premises during the slow season, plus her hard working mom Helen is given a free trip(along with her police detective beau known as the Professor) as part of the deal.

While Jules finds herself enjoying the time back on the boat, along with seeing her mom finally get a chance to relax and have fun, the unexpected death of a young woman causes everything to swerve off course. None of the crew or the passengers seem to know who the woman was or how she got on the ship in the first place and by heading to the nearest port to get official assistance in the matter, the ship winds up in the path of a vicious storm.

Can Jules keep her feet steady enough to solve the case and keep her kitchen afloat? Well, for one thing, it's good to see our leading lady in another setting,especially the one that has the most significance to her marriage and makes up a strong portion of her backstory. While we do hear about what's happening at Torte(thanks to e-mail) while she's away, having Jules maintain her own sense of self elsewhere is great to see.

I do like the bond that she has with the Professor, as he fully respects her crime solving skills and doesn't patronize Jules at all. It's very father-daughter but not at all a substitution for Jules' actual connection with her late father.

Speaking of bonds, Jules makes a major decision about her relationship with Carlos and while I'm still not happy with him for withholding important information from her, I do admit that he is trying to make up for that as best he can.  I do have happily have more Bakeshop Mystery books to read and look forward to another recipe for page turning pastry goodness indeed:

 Last in this category but miles away from least, The Whispered Word by Ellery Adams is a welcome sequel to the first book in her new series The Secret,Book and Scone Society.

When book shop owner Nora discovers a mysterious young woman hiding in her storage room, she instantly decides to help her out anyway she can. Her fellow society members agree, including baker Hester, who lets the newcomer who calls herself Abilene work in her pastry shop.

While Nora is more than willing to give Abilene the time and space she needs, too many unanswered questions crop up that cause Nora to wonder if there's any connection between her new young friend and the death of a cantankerous customer whose obnoxious son is also causing trouble around town.

Abilene does seem like a person in need of help but she displays quite a few talents that only raise more questions about her origins-in addition to baking, she has amazing artistic display skills(she arranges a gorgeously creative window tableau for the book store overnight) and when making a deal to have her own apartment above the new business in town, Virtual Genie,  she also possesses a keen flair for appraising clocks and watches:

Virtual Genie also appears to be too good to be true, as it's appraisal services for online sales of  various valuables puts on a good show but are they as reliable as they claim to be? Nora and her SBS band of gal pals might have a lot on their plate here yet these ladies are no strangers to compassionate multitasking there!

I do like the developing friendships between the leading ladies, who might disagree on occasion about certain things but still remain the best of buddies. While Nora is more or less the central figure in these books so far, I do hope that one of our other society sisters such as June or Estella gets a chance to headline one of these stories.

With the third book due out next year(The Book of Candlelight), perhaps we'll see that happen. Regardless, this is a lovely series that blends cozy mystery with female focused fiction that charms as well as renews the spirit.


We do have another week to go with the High Summer readathon and from what I've seen, everyone involved is having a wonderfully bookish time! Thanks again to Michelle Miller for making this happen and best literary wishes to all out there.

My plans for the rest of this week include finishing up Meg Wolitzer's The Wife and basking in The Golden Hour with Beatriz Williams, plus not getting any snack stains on my book pages.

Some treats are just too risky to be shared with books but luckily, books are flavorful enough on their own to enjoy( and some snacks have to be handled with caution, that's all!):