by Cynthia Chow & Jennifer J. Chow

This week we have a review of the latest Magical Fortune Cookie Mystery by Jennifer J. Chow, along with a fun recipe from Jennifer. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

Star-Crossed Egg Tarts: A Magical Fortune Cookie Mystery by Jennifer J. Chow
Review by Cynthia Chow

Now that she’s embraced both working in her family’s bakery and her gift for creating magical fortune-filled fortune cookies, Felicity Jin is excited to be catering the wedding between Leanne Lum and Colton Wu. While Felicity is sure that her mother’s equally magical egg tart cake will be delicious and ensure happiness, the battling between the groom’s divorced parents sets an ominous tone that begins with the former Mrs. Wu giving money in a foreboding white envelope instead of an appropriate lucky red one. That dark tone is furthered when the groom’s cousin goes missing, and while he may not have been the most liked he was also supposed to officiate. Felicity’s best friend Kelvin Love instead gets enlisted into taking on the job, as not only is his last name perfect, he also happens to be the wedding florist.

Rather refreshing for a murder mystery taking place during a wedding, the ceremony is actually completed before a body is found. It’s not long though before Felicity is the one to have the bad fortune to discover Miles’s body under the cake table, stabbed to death with what turns out to be Kelvin’s gardening shears. Having been suspicious of Felicity’s involvement in a previous murder, investigating Detective Raylan Sun now takes a much closer look at Kelvin and why he was the owner of the murder weapon. Felicity’s mother is thrilled to have the Fresno detective now working in their town of Pixie, California, but she probably won’t be as happy with another new arrival in town for the wedding. No one is more startled than Felicity to find among the guests Richard Zhou, her father, whom she hasn’t seen since he abruptly left 28 years ago. Learning why he’s been absent for nearly her entire life is something Felicity needs to know, but even more important is finding a way to stay out of the way of the irritable detective while also solving a murder.

What I love about this second in the series is how it continues to highlight Chinese traditions and cuisines, especially when they are being celebrated by a third generation Chinese American. Felicity learns along with readers the intricacies of the tea ceremony, and she shares the traditions of giving out lucky red envelopes, the bride wearing a qipao (also known as a cheongsam), and the game of mahjong. Felicity’s gift for creating fortunes that come true when the cookies are eaten by their recipients plays out more subtly than one might expect, as it’s her talent for investigating that ultimately brings them to a solution. What does bring in the more magical element is the reason why Richard Zhou left, indicating that Felicity may have inherited gifts from both sides of her family.

As someone who is also a third generation Chinese American on one side and has family from Fresno on the other, I have found the rare novel with much I can relate to and truly appreciate Felicity’s experience growing up in a largely white community. Mystery lovers and fans of the paranormal will also enjoy the entertaining characters, who are a diverse cast that includes Felicity’s godmother Alma Paz and some of the shady guests of the wedding party. The simmer of possible romance adds an element that will have readers anticipate the next in the series, which is a charming blend of cozy crafts, recipes, and even a magical bunny.

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

~Auspicious Almond Cookies~
From Jennifer J Chow
Makes about 24 (2 dozen) cookies

Ingredients:
1 ? cups sifted all-purpose
flour
? cup white sugar
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ cup butter
1 ½ tsp almond extract (1 tsp if less almond flavor
is desired)
1 egg
24 almond slices

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Put parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together into a bowl. Cut in the butter (very
important, don’t skip this) until mixture resembles cornmeal. Add the almond extract. Combine white and yolk of egg; add half of it to the bowl. Mix well. The dough will appear too crumbly in the beginning, but when you mix it long enough, it will get the right consistency (that’s why you only need half an egg).
3. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Set them 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Press down with
your thumb to flatten each cookie slightly. Place an almond slice in the middle
of each cookie.
4. Combine the other half of the egg and ½ tbsp water to make a light egg wash glaze. Using
a basting brush, cover the tops of the cookies with the glaze. You can adjust the amount of
glaze on each cookie depending on how much almond cookie shine you want.
5. Bake in oven until the edges of the cookies are golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

Note: They taste even better the second day when the almond flavor has set in.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copy of Star-Crossed Egg Tarts, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “egg tarts” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen February 22, 2025. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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