Vera Wong is the owner and proprietress of Vera Wang’s World Famous Tea House, located in San Francisco’s Chinatown. She’s up every morning at 4:30 and can’t understand why everyone isn’t like this. She’s a widow, with a somewhat strained relationship with her only son, who doesn’t seem to appreciate his early-morning wakeup calls as much as you would think. Her tea house has just one customer per day, an elderly man who stays 10 minutes only. Vera is disillusioned but keeps herself going by fanning a feud with the neighboring business, a so-called “French patisserie” that is actually Chinese, if you can imagine. Until one day when Vera goes downstairs to start her day and discovers a dead body in her tea room.

Like most of us, Vera has watched cop shows on TV so she knows what to do and what to expect, and she is very disappointed when the police don’t behave as she thinks they should. She soon realizes she’s going to have to do everything herself. She also knows that murderers return to the scene of the crime, and so when 4 young people show up the next day, she determines they are all suspects and sets out to break down their defenses by befriending them. There’s Riki, a young Indonesian man trying to get his young brother to the US; Sana, an Indian artist who is used to overbearing motherly types; Julia, the caucasian wife of the dead man, and Oliver, his twin brother. They all form an unlikely group around Vera, who runs the show and insists on over-feeding them, mothering the dead man’s toddler and widow as well, and just in general getting everyone into line.

It can be very hard to write a certain type of elderly woman–determined, quirky, overpowering, funny–and do it well. Author Jesse Sutanto has succeeded. Vera is a force of nature who manages not to be sentimental or two-dimensional, and there were several times when she made me literally laugh out loud. The only flaw is that she seemed a little too sensitive to modern sensibilities of emotional pain and trauma, but that didn’t spoil the book for me. Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is definitely a feel-good novel, but it’s well done and super enjoyable. Highly recommended.

I absolute loved Vera and her story. When a dead body is found in Vera’s rundown tea house, Vera decides she is going to investigate and solve the murders. With humor and a cast of unusual characters, including Sana, the artist, Riki, the coder, Julia, the widowed mom, and Oliver, the dead man’s twin brother, the story is totally engaging. Vera is a pushy old Asian woman who cooks through problems, and with her forceful personality, becomes a favorite character. I highly recommend this most entertaining read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Vera Wong runs a down on its luck tea shop, and her life is extremely regimented and void of people. Until one day she finds a dead man on the floor of her shop.

Vera immediately throws herself into the investigation, even drawing a sharpie outline of the body to help the police out. Desperately wanting to solve the crime, Vera finds herself growing closer to each of the suspects, forming a found family that may just break when the murderer is discovered.

I loved this book. I’ve recently been reading more of Sutanto’s books, and I love her work. Vera Wong has so much going on-found family, romance, humor, mystery, and a surprise twist ending. I highly recommend this book.

❤️💙🍵💙❤️🍵❤️💙🍵💙❤️🍵❤️💙🍵💙❤️

Sixty-year old, Vera Wong, is a widow, mother and owner of a small, rarely visited, tea shop in San Francisco.
Vera, adheres to a strict schedule, and can be opinionated when it comes to other's lives and scheduling, particularly her son, Tilly. For example, if you aren't up by 4-4:30 a.m., you're basically wasting the day away.

As our story begins, you get to meet Vera and learn all about her little peccadilloes from her perspective. I loved her from the very start. She's perfect. Vera's ordered world is suddenly turned upside down when one morning she discovers the body of a deceased man inside her tea shop!

Suspecting she will do a better job than the police, Vera decides to take the investigation into her own hands. The police don't seem to suspect foul play, but Vera knows, something funny is going on here. Through a random series of events, Vera comes up with four likely suspects: Julia, the dead man's wife, Rikki, Sana and Oliver, the dead man's twin brother. She then inserts herself into the suspect's lives, because how else is she going to determine which one is guilty?!

Thus, her super-stealthy, and by that I mean over-the-top, often hilarious, slightly-meddling, yet well-intentioned, investigation begins.

I really, really enjoyed this story. The cast of characters, led by Vera, was truly the highlight for me. They were all relatable people, who ended up bonding with Vera in their own ways and for their own distinct reasons.

Vera was definitely a force to be reckoned with. She has such a big heart, is quirky as heck, sweetly innocent in many ways, but also willing to bulldoze anyone in pursuit of her goals. When Vera tells you to jump, you ask how high. I loved learning about the characters and watching their relationships develop. It was like they all needed support and ended up, through these unfortunate circumstances, finding exactly what they needed.

The overall story was cute, cozy and heart-warming. At times, I did wish for a slightly more intriguing Mystery to help propel the plot, but the found family elements were so strong, it more than made up for that, in my opinion. I always feel like I connect well with Sutanto's humor and characters. I just really enjoy her writing style. It's become such a comfort for me and she is an auto-buy author because of that.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. As expected, this was super fun and cute! I cannot wait to pick up more from this author in the future.

Vera Wong is a tea expert, she knows what the right tea is for any ailment or occasion. She also considers herself an expert crime solver. A murder has occurred in her tea shop and Vera has decided to help the police find the killer. She is sure that she can do a much better job. Along the way Vera checks up on her son, the neighbor and inserts herself into the lives of the suspects.

This was such a fun story. I found myself laughing and smiling. . Vera seemed so intrusive at first but by the end of the story I wished that I knew someone like her. She is feisty, strong willed and kind. This is the perfect read for a reader looking for a mystery, some humor and a lot of heart.

4 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was really just a whole lot of fun! I liked Vera from the start (but I must admit that I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have her as a mother!). The story was funny and I didn’t want to stop reading once I started. It’s been a long time since a book made me laugh out loud, so I am happy to report that I did just that while reading this book. This was an excellent introduction to Jesse Q. Sutanto’s writing.

Vera lives alone in an apartment above her tea shop. She calls her adult son frequently and opens her tea shop on time daily knowing that she won’t get many customers. She lives a routine life until she finds a dead body in the tea shop. Since she knows that the police won’t solve the murder, she takes matters into her own hands. She soon befriends those tied to the victim and they start to grow close, even as she investigates them for the murder. I really loved all of the characters and adored the found family they created together. The mystery itself was able to keep me guessing until the very end.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Eunice Wong really took the story to the next level. She did such a great job of bringing Vera to life. I think that she did a great job with all of the character voices and she was able to bring the humor out with her narration. I am certain that her narration added to my overall enjoyment of this story.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. This story had the perfect combination of great characters, humor, heartfelt moments, and an engaging mystery. I look forward to reading more of this author’s work very soon.

I received a review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group and Penguin Random House Audio.

Everything Sutanto writes is charming, cozy, and hilarious. Her characters are lovable and keep me completely invested in all the hijinks! Of course her latest is no exception.

60-year-old Vera Wong is a self-proclaimed tea expert who keeps up with the times with detective work on the internet - after she wakes at 4am and has a brisk walk, of course! She's a loving mother who incessantly checks in on her only son with texts to remind him that if he's still in bed at 7am, he's basically wasted the entire day.

What Vera never expects is to wake up and find a dead man in her tea shop.
No matter, she's processed the scene and made the chalk outline before the police arrive.
And when they fail to see that this is a case of murder, she's certain she can catch the killer.
Another charming cozy from Jesse Q. Sutanto. I wouldn't mind seeing more of Vera in the future!

Thanks to Berkley Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers was released March 14, 2023.

What was the last book you read that surprised you? Happy Publication Day to VERA WONG! Not to be confused with Vera Wang. I’m a fan of the DIAL A FOR AUNTIES series and happily thought that this story would be a cozy-like mystery about a meddling woman, stirring up trouble, cooking delicious food, and somehow solving a murder in her free time. I was right about a couple of things, but this book had so much unexpected depth that I enjoyed it immensely more.
 
why my nose was in this book:
This story was so heartwarming, it was like a big hug, it made me smile
Surprisingly, the mystery aspect of the story took a backseat for me, instead focusing on the friendships that Vera fosters with the “suspects” and their returned admiration with her
I enjoyed playing detective, reading the character POVs and puzzling out the unspoken relation that each person had with the dead guy that was found in Vera’s teashop
Vera was hilarious, from her meddling in the investigation – outlining the body, making tea for the detectives, she was such a joy to read and I loved that mixed in with her silly naivety, there was a seriousness to her that was unexpected and welcomed
I loved how she gathered these “suspects” together and treated them as friends, while also secretly figuring out whether one of them was the killer
This story made me reach for a snack time and time again, I was drooling over my Kindle, reading about the delicious food that Vera cooked for her suspects

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers was such a fun novel! This was absolutely a hoot. I hope there are more books when Vera coming!

Vera Wong is a lonely old lady and she owns her own tea shop in Chinatown of San Francisco. One day she comes to her store to find a dead body in her store! He’s holding a flash drive; Vera calls the cops, but she can’t help but take the flash drive to see what’s on it. She thinks the killer will be back for it and she just has to wait and watch.

Lots of people have motive for the murder and Vera gets to know a few suspects. One is the dead man’s wife, one is a supposed reporter who is investigating and one is even the dead man’s twin brother! Vera becomes friends with these people, but she still can’t figure out who killed Marshall.

Vera is such a meddling woman, but she really means the best. Her son doesn’t call enough and she’s just looking for friends to keep her company. She truly thinks she is helping. She has had a rough time since her husband passed away and this is the most excitement she’s had in a while.

Thank you to @berkleypub and @prhaudio for my ALC. Vera Wong is out now!

How hard can it be to solve the case of the murdered body in her tea shop? Vera’s got experience after all. Like any self-respecting Asian mother she’s had tabs on her son’s life. Jesse Sutanto does it again with her winning writing style and plot full of all the mischief and mayhem a reader can want.

Vera Wong lives alone above her small tea shop, snooping online to keep an eye on her son and the modern times, and distributing her own brand of Asian wisdom with her tea. Her monotonous life gets a charge when she finds the dead body in her shop. The police aren’t the exciting cops from the TV dramas and she decides to take the case especially since she might have swiped a primary bit of evidence from the body after she called the police. It must be one of the people who came into the shop afterwards who are looking for that thumb drive she found on the body.

Vera’s antics in working the case are her own and, while investigating her chief suspects, she gets to know them and rather likes them. Her days are colorful and interesting, but someone did murder and that somebody has to be getting desperate.

I read the Dial A for Aunties duo and Vera has that spirited, over the top, hilarious old lady Asian charm going for her that reminded me strongly of the Aunties. But, in this case, Vera is the main perspective so I had all the fun of being inside her head and getting her point of view. She’s pushy, bossy, nosey, and makes up the rules when she feels she must, but she’s also caring and interested in others. I loved that she went from lonely to pulling a fun band of people about her through her new detecting project.

I worked out some bits of the mystery, but not who the killer was. I didn’t feel sorry for Marshal the victim and I was really hoping it was none of her new friends. In truth, I just sat back and got a kick out of Vera.
All in all, it was meant to be fun and light. It fits with the cozy mystery feel so I’ll recommend it to those who enjoy that genre and especially with some foodie, some tea, and lots of Asian auntie to go around.

Being a fan of the Aunties series (Dial A For Aunties), I was more than excited to receive an advanced copy of Sutano’s newest release; Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice For Murderers. Vera is absolutely a new favorite character of mine and I will be all in for anything else that features her ❤️🙌 She is tiny, nosey, bossy, aggressive and one of the most endearing characters you’ll meet on the page!

Vera is the proud owner of a tea house and follows a strict daily routine of rising early, getting in a good walk around the neighborhood and running her business. When she walks into her tea house one morning and discovers a dead body, Vera’s new role as amateur detective begins. She is only helping the police out by drawing the body outline, right!? And…maybe taking a clue and putting it in her pocket. Well let’s face it, she’s not helping them out. The truth is, she can solve the murder better!

The whole cast of characters is wonderful. It’s fun to read about Vera bulldozing her way into their lives, feeding them amazing food (this book will make you hungry) and letting them know she suspects them all of murder and is going to figure out which one did it. Sounds crazy, right? Yeah, it is a little. But everyone soon realizes we should all be so lucky to have a Vera in our lives ❤️

I HIGHLY recommend this book if you love:
🫖 Cozy Mysteries
🫖 Laughing
🫖 Tea
🫖 Happy, lighthearted reads
🫖 Memorable Characters
🫖 Chinese Food 🍱

I enjoyed this cozy mystery! I especially liked the multiple povs and well fleshed out characters. There are heartwarming themes of found family and culture incorporated. It was slower paced but not super twisty. I also think it was less entertaining than DAFA, but the character development and like-ability is better in this one. I also liked how it wrapped up!

A great cozy mystery.

This is my favorite book by Jesse Sutanto. I've loved everything I've read but this! This! A great whodunnit, found family feels, and the descriptions of food! Vera is such a loveable character, she's tough as nails but so kind and smart. Truly this is such an excellent mystery with the perfect amount of emotional pull. Sutanto always writes books with so much heart that are always so worth the read. I hope we get more about Vera!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was in the mood for something lighter, and the cover of Jesse Q. Sutanto's newest mystery Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice For Murderers beckoned me to pick it up. Am I ever glad I did!

Vera Wong is a 60 year-old widow who begins each day at 4:30am precisely and texts her laywer son "reminding him that he's sleeping his life away and should have been up before her" as he has a "whole world to conquer." Then she dons her sweatpants, Ralph Lauren polo shirt, and visor and heads out for her daily walk around her San Francisco Chinatown neighborhood.

When she returns home, she opens her business "Vera Wang's World Famous Teahouse", which is neither owned by the famous fashion designer Vera Wang nor world famous. Sematics. She waits for her only customer of the day, her neighbor Alex, who comes in to get tea and bring it back to wife who is suffering from Alzheimer's.

Everyday is the same until one morning when Vera comes down from her upstairs apartment to find the dead body of a man in her teahouse. Vera calls the police and is excited because she watches all the CSIs and she knows all the activity that will follow. She begins to brew special teas for the police, teas that will help with concentration and solve the crime.

When only two police officers arrive, they find that Vera drew an outline of the body with a Sharpie marker on the floor. She says she did not touch anything else (do we believe that?) and when the police find little evidence of a murder, Vera is disappointed in the police's lack of investigation.

So of course, Vera begins her own investigation. Other people trickle in- a man who claims to be a reporter, a woman who claims to host a true crime podcast, the man's widow with her young daughter, and the man's brother. These five people band together to try and find the killer, even though Vera has declared that one of the other four are her main suspects.

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice For Murderers is a laugh out loud cozy mystery, and Vera is a truly unforgettable character. The things she says, the texts she sends her son, and yet she has a heart of gold beneath her lack of a filter. If you are a fan of the Hulu series Only Murders In The Building, you'll love this book. It has the same sensibility.

My only criticism is that Vera is described several times as "elderly". I am also 60 years old and many of my friends are "of a certain age" and I do not consider myself or them "elderly". It's supposed to be remarkable that Vera is so spry, but we all get around just fine. I hope when they do the TV series of this book they make Vera a little older than 60. I look forward to more of Vera's future escapades.

Thanks to Berkley for providing me with an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I think "Tea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective?" is probably the best way to sell this, but also this is really funny!

Vera Wong is an older woman who has lost touch with her son as well as the larger world, though she would argue against that since she keeps up on the lingo and surfs the internet to search for the latest trend. She runs her tea shop (Vera Wang's (not a spelling error on my part) World-Famous Teahouse) and sends her son a wall of text but no one seems to respond except her one regular customer. She does the same thing every day and feels some tiredness but isn't sure how to get off the treadmill. Until she's violently shaken by the discovery of a dead body, that of Marshall Chen, in her shop.
An inveterate watcher of crime shows, Vera knows just what to do. She pats down the body, draws a chalk outline, then calls the police. While waiting, she tidies the shop and makes the police tea. She doesn't understand why they are so upset with her, nor why they get so annoyed at her asking if they want a drink. She made her best tea, one that will help them think clearly.
Well. She's going to find out what is going on and puts out an obituary for the body. From that come three people: the man's wife, his twin, a mysterious young man claiming to be a reporter, and a young woman who puts out true crime podcasts (although that also seems suspect as Marshall's death was declared a suicide).
Vera bulldozes into these characters lives and we get to see them come together to solve the mystery of why Marshall died. A bonus? Vera gets to spend a little time with her son as well.
Sometimes it can get a little much with alternating view points but Sutanto handles it wonderfully providing glimpses into a number of characters without losing pacing. I'm really hoping there is another book in the series and that it shows Vera and Gladys (the old woman in the other hospital bed) becoming friends.

Four and a half stars
This book comes out March 14, 2023
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Oh man. I’m in love. Vera is now my favorite book character. She’s the best. I want one of her in my life.

All of the food and teas mentioned in this book sound amazing. Are there teahouses? Someone take me to one.

The character development was superb. Multiple POVs but easy to follow. A murder mystery, with a side mystery thrown in, family drama, humor, romance, straight talk, words of wisdom, and more humor.

Read this book. It’s amazing.

In terms of a cozy mystery, this hit all the spots I needed it to. Vera was such a unique and endearing character, and I would easily read more books with her as the MC. I loved the descriptions of food and tea and the way she's trying to learn all the Gen Z lingo. In terms of the mystery itself, that's where it fell flat for me. I feel like there were a lot of explanations of the supporting cast's reasons for not liking Marshall and then at the end, it amounted to nothing. It felt a bit disconnected, and the twist didn't feel as satisfying as it usually does in a cozy mystery. I also feel like there was more telling than showing when it came to character growth and emotions which ended up making this feel not as immersive as I'd hoped. Overall still a super cute read, Vera made it so worth it!

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is a hold onto your hat cozy mystery that takes place in a tea shop in San Francisco’s Chinatown. A fun mystery with a wonderful mix of flawed characters that it was a pleasure to get to know. I didn’t want it to end!

**Thank you NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

Thank you @berkleypub for the free book and @prhaudio for the audio version as well. #penguinrandomhousepartner
#berkleypartner #berkley #berkleybookstagram

This is a thoroughly entertaining, laugh-out-loud read! I absolutely loved the character of Vera. She is everything you see on television about the stereotypical Asian mother…overprotective, knows what is best for everyone else, and tells it how she sees it!

When Vera discovers a dead body in her Ancient Chinese Tearoom, she calls the police. She is disappointed to see that the police do not give the case the priority she thinks it deserves, so she decides to investigate herself. Never mind if she “slightly” tampers with the evidence, keeps something secret from the police, or helps them out by drawing the outline around the body herself! Soon she has a list of suspects and she goes about casually inserting herself into their lives. As she works to solve the murder, she sees herself as  the famous Agatha Christie detective, Hercules Poirot. Her suspects fall into place and obey her every command as Vera weaves wisdom into their lives! The surprising conclusion is wrapped up nicely!

The audio version is absolutely wonderful! Narrated by Eunice Wong, the accents are perfect and really add to the listening enjoyment.

Read this if you enjoy:
*Delightful main characters
*Laugh-out loud humor
*Agatha Christie mysteries