4-STAR REVIEW: ILL-FATED FORTUNE by Jennifer J. Chow

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The Description

A Magical Fortune Cookie Novel: Book 1
Publication Date: February 20, 2024

Felicity Jin grew up literally hanging onto Mom’s apron strings in their magical bakery in the quaint town of Pixie, California. Her mother’s enchanted baked goods, including puffy pineapple buns and creamy egg tarts, bring instant joy to all who consume them. Felicity has always been hesitant in the kitchen herself after many failed attempts, but a takeout meal gone wrong inspires her to craft some handmade fortune cookies.

They become so popular that Felicity runs out of generic fortunes and starts making her own personalized predictions. When one customer’s ill-fated fortune results in his murder, Felicity’s suspiciously specific fortune has the police focusing on her as the main culprit. Now Felicity must find a way to turn her luck around and get cleared from suspicion.

The Review

I’ve been trying to expand and diversify my reading, so when the request for Ill-Fated Fortune came across my desk, I wanted to give it a try. It’s by Jennifer J. Chow, a new-to-me author, and it’s the first book of the new Magical Fortune Cookie series.

The series follows Felicity “Lissa” Jin, along with her mother, her best friend Kelvin, and her godmother. They live in a small, tight-knit community near Fresno, California. Felicity’s mom runs the family bakery, and as this story begins, Felicity is making the move to the back of the bakery rather than just manning the cash register. The Jin family has a little baking magic where their pastries bring joy to those who partake of the sweets. And their baked goods aren’t as tasty when the Jins aren’t feeling particularly happy. It’s an interesting little twist for this series.

I liked the characters and the small glimpses into Chinese and Chinese-American culture. Felicity was a likable character, and while she wasn’t the sharpest of sleuths, she did actively try to solve the murder and wasn’t too sidetracked. I liked the secondary characters. Felicity’s mom was a hoot, and I foresee Kelvin moving from best friend territory to a possible love interest.

The murder mystery itself was well crafted and had me on my toes until the murderer was unmasked. There were enough suspects and motives to keep things interesting, and I found the solution quite satisfying. The mystery did not get lost in all the world-building that had to happen with this introduction to the series.

Ill-Fated Fortune was an enjoyable read. I’ve found a new author to delve into her backlist and can’t wait for this series to continue. I totally recommend this book to cozy mystery fans.

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About The Author Jennifer J. Chow writes cozies filled with hope and heritage. She is an Agatha, Anthony, and Lefty Award-nominated author. Her newest series is the Magical Fortune Cookie mysteries; the first book is Ill-Fated Fortune. Jennifer’s previous series is the L.A. Night Market Mysteries. Death by Bubble Tea was reviewed by the New York Times, featured in Woman’s World, and hit the SoCal Indie Bestseller List. Jennifer currently serves as Immediate Past President on the board of Sisters in Crime and blogs at chicksonthecase.com. She is an active member of Crime Writers of Color and Mystery Writers of America.