Thank you very much to the publishers and Netgalley for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet).
But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could – because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands – Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer.
Jesse Sutanto’s books never fail to entertain me and have me laughing out loud. Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is no different. This is the first cosy mystery book I’ve read by Jesse Sutanto and it was incredible! It has all the humour and heart of her romance books whilst also keeping you on edge.
Sixty-year-old Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of tea and doing some healthy online ‘detective’ work. But, when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it is going to take more than a strong Longing to fix things. She knows she will do a better job than the police possibly could, so Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer.
Vera Wong is an extraordinary lady. She is intelligent, fiery, bold, hilarious and lonely. We learn of her very set ideas on how the older generation should be treated and isn’t afraid to tell people if they don’t meet her expectations. I adored her.
This book also has a number of main supporting characters. These are, Riki, Sana, Oliver, Julia and Emma. Each of these characters is unique, original and wonderful.
We get to learn about each of these characters’ personalities and backstories via the multiple points of view. The story gives readers an insight into Vera, Julia, Riki, Sana and Oliver’s perspectives throughout the book. Some may be worried that this would cause confusion or pacing issues but it does not. Vera always remains the focal point and the other points of view help add to the story whilst learning more about the characters
This book captures the characters, their lifestyles and their cultures incredibly. Whilst the plot of this cosy mystery does have some twists and turns, it is a story about so much more than solving a crime. It discusses found family, family relationships, loneliness, boredom, personal boundaries, regret and a lot more too. Each of these topics helps make this book more endearing and heart-warming.
The mystery does keep you guessing throughout. I was always thinking about what Vera would find next and how that would affect the character’s relationships. This book has made me want even more cosy mystery books by Jesse Sutanto. She has definitely become an auto-buy author for me now and I would highly recommend her books.
Overall, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is an entertaining, light-hearted, funny and heart-warming cosy mystery which I cannot recommend enough!
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