Jennifer J. Chow grew up on a steady diet of Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, and The Three Investigators. She also has very fond memories of reading Agatha Christie with her mom.
She traveled across the country for college, but missing her family—and the sunshine—returned to California. Likewise, after a brief professional foray into social work, she circled back to writing. Her first stories explored untold secrets and hidden family drama. Since then, she’s naturally gravitated to the mystery field.
Jennifer now writes the Magical Fortune Cookie mysteries, the L.A. Night Market Mysteries, and the Sassy Cat mystery series. She also published the Winston Wong Cozy Mysteries under J.J. Chow. Her short fiction has been featured in Malice Domestic 17: Mystery Most Traditional and the Midnight Hour anthology. She is represented by Jessica Faust at BookEnds Literary.
Jennifer lives in sunny SoCal, where she is constantly on the hunt for all things matcha. Connect with her online at www.jenniferjchow.com.
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.
“This first in a new series featuring a likable Chinese American heroine will appeal to fans of Jenn McKinlay, Eve Calder, or Joanne Fluke.” —Booklist
Felicity Jin returns in the second book in the heart-warming and deliciously mysterious Magical Fortune Cookie series from Lilian Jackson Braun Award-nominee Jennifer J. Chow.
Jin Bakery has been asked to cater the Lum-Wu outdoor wedding at Pixie Park. The day of the ceremony, Felicity is finishing the “cake” of tiered egg tarts as the wedding party arrives for the ceremony. When one of the groomsmen, Miles Wu, doesn’t arrive, Felicity’s best friend and local florist Kelvin generously steps in for him and the wedding goes smoothly—until cake cutting time.
That’s when Felicity finds Miles’ dead body beneath the table with her egg tarts display, stabbed by Kelvin’s gardening shears. With the detective’s sights on Kelvin, Felicity starts sleuthing away to prove his innocence, revealing dark secrets about all the wedding’s attendants. They each had something to hide—and a reason to quiet Miles forever. To make matters worse, Felicity’s powers of prediction are on the fritz thanks to the emotional turmoil of a surprise visit from her estranged father.
When the groom gets poisoned at the send-off party and winds up in a coma, the stakes are even higher, not to mention Felicity’s feelings for Kelvin are beginning to feel more than friendly. Will Felicity’s magic return in time to catch the true culprit and rescue her budding relationship with Kelvin?
“Good things lie ahead in this series.” —Kirkus Reviews
The L.A. Night Market Mysteries
Death by Bubble Tea (Book 1) Berkley/Penguin Random House
Two cousins who start a food stall at their local night market get a serving of murder in this first novel of a delicious new cozy mystery series by Jennifer J. Chow, author of Mimi Lee Gets a Clue.
When Yale Yee discovers her cousin Celine is visiting from Hong Kong, she is obliged to play tour guide to a relative she hasn’t seen in twenty years. Not only that, but her father thinks it’s a wonderful idea for them to bond by running a food stall together at the Eastwood Village Night Market. Yale hasn’t cooked in years, and she hardly considers Celine’s career as a social media influencer as adequate experience, but because she’s just lost her job at her local bookstore, she feels she has no choice.
Yale and Celine serve small dishes and refreshing drinks, and while business is slow, it eventually picks up thanks to Celine’s surprisingly useful marketing ideas. They’re quite shocked that their bubble tea, in particular, is a hit—literally—when one of their customers turns up dead. Yale and Celine are prime suspects due to the gold flakes that Celine added to the sweet drink as a garnish. Though the two cousins are polar opposites in every way, they must work together to find out what really happened to the victim or the only thing they’ll be serving is time.
“Yale and Celine’s growing loyalty to each other, coupled with the warmth of Chow’s prose, adds extra depth, just like the tapioca balls nestled in a glass of bubble tea.”—New York Times Book Review
Hot Pot Murder (Book 2) Berkley/Penguin Random House
Trouble is brewing for cousins Yale and Celine Yee after a hot pot dinner gets overheated and ends in murder in this second novel of the L.A. Night Market series by Jennifer J. Chow.
Yale and Celine Yee’s food stall business is going so well that they’ve been invited to join an exclusive dinner with the local restaurant owners association. The members gather together for a relaxing hot pot feast…until Jeffery Vue, president of the group, receives a literal shock to his system and dies.
Everyone at the meal is a suspect, but the authorities are homing in on family friend Ai Ho, owner of the restaurant where Jeffery was killed—and Yale’s dad is a close second on their list. Yale and Celine step up to the plate and investigate the dinner attendees: the association’s ambitious VP, a familiar frenemy, a ramen king, a snacks shopkeeper, and a second-generation restaurateur. It’s up to the detecting duo to figure out what really happened before their friends and family have to close their businesses for good.
“The second installment of Chow’s cozy mystery series set at a California market, Hot Pot Murder is as charming and delightful as the first…Spending time with these characters is a treat, but—full warning—this book will make you hungry.”—Parade
The Sassy Cat Mysteries
Mimi Lee Gets a Clue (Book 1) Berkley/Penguin Random House
Mimi Lee is in over her head. There’s her new Los Angeles pet grooming shop to run, her matchmaking mother to thwart, her talking cat Marshmallow to tend to—oh, and the murder of a local breeder to solve…now if only Mimi hadn’t landed herself on top of the suspect list.
Mimi Lee hoped to give Los Angeles animal lovers something to talk about with her pet grooming shop, Hollywoof. She never imagined that the first cat she said hello to would talk back or be quite so, well, catty—especially about those disastrous dates Mimi’s mother keeps setting up.
When Marshmallow exposes local breeder Russ Nolan for mistreating Chihuahuas, Mimi steals some of her cat’s attitude to tell Russ off. The next day the police show up at Hollywoof. Russ has been found dead, and Mimi’s shouting match with him has secured her top billing as the main suspect.
Hoping to clear her name and save the pups Russ left behind, Mimi enlists help from her dreamy lawyer neighbor Josh. But even with Josh on board, it’ll take Mimi and Marshmallow a lot of sleuthing and more than a little sass to get back to the pet-grooming life—and off the murder scene.
“Chow smoothly mixes intrigue, romance, and humor. Cozy fans will have fun.”—Publishers Weekly
Mimi Lee Reads Between the Lines (Book 2) Berkley/Penguin Random House
When a local teacher is found dead, LA’s newest pet groomer Mimi Lee finds herself in a pawful predicament—with her younger sister’s livelihood on the line.
Mimi Lee is on top of the world. She has a thriving pet grooming business, the sweetest boyfriend, and a talking cat to boot. When she arrives at the elementary school where her sister Alice works, she’s expecting a fun girls’ night out—but instead finds a teacher slumped over in her car, dead.
Alice was the last one to see Helen Reed, which instantly marks her as the prime suspect. Unable to sit quietly and let the authorities walk all over her sister, Mimi starts snooping and talks to Helen’s closest contacts, including one jumpy principal, a two-faced fiancé, and three sketchy teachers. With the help of her sassy but savvy cat, Marshmallow, and a cute kitten named Nimbus, the clock’s ticking for Mimi to get to the bottom of yet another case before her sister gets schooled.
“I haven’t loved a cat in a book this much since I read the first The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lillian Jackson Braun a hundred years ago. This series is also set in the Los Angeles area — hmmm, am I missing California? – Mimi has opened a pet grooming service so she meets a lot of quirky pet owners. Mimi’s mother is a hoot, too. Mimi is a delight and I can’t wait to hang out with her again.”—Poisoned Pen
Mimi Lee Cracks the Code (Book 3) Berkley/Penguin Random House
When murder follows Mimi Lee to her romantic island getaway, she puts on her best sleuthing hat with her sassy cat in tow in this adventurous cozy mystery by Jennifer J. Chow.
Mimi Lee just found an extra perk to being a pet groomer at Hollywoof (other than cuddling animals all day long, that is). Pixie St. James, one of Mimi’s clients and the investor behind Hollywoof, has offered her and her boyfriend, Josh, a getaway at her vacation home, nestled on beautiful Catalina Island. With the island just outside of Los Angeles but still far enough from the hustle and bustle, Mimi, Josh, and their cat Marshmallow (who, of course, wouldn’t be caught dead in a dingy pet hotel) are excited for their relaxing stay.
That is, until Pixie’s last renter, Davis D. Argo, turns up dead. Mimi and Josh’s romantic getaway immediately turns into an enormous buzzkill, especially when Pixie asks Mimi for help. The police suspect Pixie, and Mimi knows a thing or two about wrongful allegations. Mimi figures it couldn’t hurt to snoop a little since she’s already there, and soon discovers that a valuable item is missing. Except Pixie isn’t the only one in the neighborhood who has been robbed. There is something strange happening on the island, and Mimi won’t stop until she finds out what it is.
“Chow offers original characters, clever banter, and a laid-back California vibe. This is perfect for lovers of crime-solving animal cozies.”—Publishers Weekly
The Winston Wong Mysteries (as J.J. Chow)
Seniors Sleuth (Book 1)
Winston Wong used to test video games but has left his downward-spiraling career to follow in the footsteps of Encyclopedia Brown, his favorite childhood detective. When the Pennysaver misprints his new job title, adding an extra S to his listing, Winston becomes a “seniors sleuth.” He gets an easy first case, confirming the natural death of a 90-year-old man. However, under the surface of the bingo-loving senior home is a seedier world where a genuine homicide actually occurred. Winston finds himself surrounded by suspects on all sides: a slacker gamer administrator, a kind-hearted nurse, and a motley crew of eccentric residents. To validate his new career choice (and maybe win the girl), he must unravel the truth from a tangle of lies.
“I highly recommend Seniors Sleuth. J.J.Chow has written a great mystery mixing seniors, video games and quirky characters together in a perfect blend.”—Trudi LoPreto, Readers’ Favorite (5-star review)
Robot Revenge (Book 2)
Winston Wong, expert seniors’ sleuth, takes on a case in his local neighborhood. When the captain of the block, a reclusive robot inventor, has a fatal fall, Winston suspects foul play. But was it the ambitious events coordinator, the slick banker, the eco activist, or the tiger mom?
Just as his girlfriend is called out of town, his bossy sister shows up at his door. Can Winston get his comfy videogaming life back and solve the unneighborly crime…before he becomes the next victim?
“J.J. Chow’s Robot Revenge is a must-read for cozy mystery fans. In this delightful sequel to Seniors Sleuth, we follow Winston Wong as he tracks the killer of a local crime watch captain, only to discover an entire neighborhood of suspects. It’s a well-written story of suburban intrigue.”—Janice Peacock, author of the Glass Bead Mystery Series
Wedding Woes (Book 3)
Winston Wong’s wedding rehearsal goes awry after the eccentric Chan family shows up uninvited. Then the patriarch of the clan dies in a strange way. Winston switches to sleuth mode, placing himself and his bride-to-be in perilous danger. With a killer on the loose, can Winston survive long enough to catch the culprit and enjoy his big day?
“This is a well-written story that intertwines Asian culture and values . . . and very likable and unique characters.”— Christa Reads and Write
Chicks on the Case 