KILLER KUNG PAO

A Chinese American sleuth finds herself immersed in yet another case involving the Asian community in Fairview Park, Ohio.

The Ho-Lee Noodle House, the Chinese restaurant in Asia Village that Lana Lee manages for her parents, is filled with divas competing for oxygen. A minor car accident between irritable June Yi and Mildred Mao results in an argument and threats of lawsuits. When Lana, ever willing to experiment, goes to the beauty parlor to have her hair dyed gray, she becomes one of the witnesses to an unfortunate meeting between June and Millie, and when Millie ends up electrocuted in a foot spa, Lana sees June get promoted to the most likely suspect. Lana’s boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau, naturally catches the case. Knowing her proclivity for sleuthing, he warns her to be careful. The police realize there’s no way Millie’s death could have been an accident but don’t have enough evidence to charge June or anyone else. With her hair only half dyed, her hands full with organizing a sidewalk sale for the plaza, and her mother suddenly asking her to redecorate the restaurant, Lana might seem to have no time for investigating. But when June’s sister, Shirley, begs her to help, she can’t refuse. June had plenty of enemies that supply Lana with a plethora of motives as she works to solve the mystery before she becomes the next victim.

Plenty of quirky characters don’t make up for the lack of pizzazz.