Title: Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man
Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto
Publication Date: April 1, 2025
Description:
Ever since a man was found dead in Vera’s teahouse, life has been good. For Vera that is. She’s surrounded by loved ones, her shop is bustling, and best of all, her son, Tilly, has a girlfriend! All thanks to Vera, because Tilly’s girlfriend is none other than Officer Selena Gray. The very same Officer Gray that she had harassed while investigating the teahouse murder. Still, Vera wishes more dead bodies would pop up in her shop, but one mustn’t be ungrateful, even if one is slightly…bored.
Then Vera comes across a distressed young woman who is obviously in need of her kindly guidance. The young woman is looking for a missing friend. Fortunately, while cat-sitting at Tilly and Selena’s, Vera finds a treasure Selena’s briefcase. Inside is a file about the death of an enigmatic influencer—who also happens to be the friend that the young woman was looking for.
Online, Xander had it a parade of private jets, fabulous parties with socialites, and a burgeoning career as a social media influencer. The only problem is, after his body is fished out of Mission Bay, the police can’t seem to actually identify him. Who is Xander Lin? Nobody knows. Every contact is a dead end. Everybody claims not to know him, not even his parents.
Vera is determined to solve Xander’s murder. After all, doing so would surely be a big favor to Selena, and there is nothing she wouldn’t do for her future daughter-in-law.
My Thoughts:
Every book I’ve read by Sutanto has been a favorite book of the month. Her books have so much humor and heart. This is the second book in the Vera Wong series. A lot of times with mystery series, you can read them out of order, not so with this series. Even though this is a new mystery with new characters, the characters and their relationships from the first book are important to the story.
Book two captures the same magic as book one, and exceeds it. Now that she’s solved one murder, Vera is even more confident in her sleuthing skills. I don’t want to give any spoilers, so I’ll just say that the mystery delves into more serious social issues. Few authors would be able to handle these topics with so much humor with respect.
Discover more from Nicole's Nook
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.