Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The next installment of Vera Wong’s nosy antics!
-
Just as charming, clever, and funny as the original (though perhaps not as cozy since the stakes are raised and sh*t gets real this time around)! What happens when a social media star with a mysterious past dies unexpectedly? Vera’s help is sought after, of course! This sequel is a fun romp alongside Vera’s sleuthing, and I highly recommend this pleasant escape read to anyone who enjoyed the first one.
[Content warnings at the end]

Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Because it has a new ensemble of characters PLUS the original cohort of suspects, this iteration feels bloated with side characters that don’t feel fresh or sparkly. Yet, Vera continues to be one of the best written characters of this genre I’ve ever read. Susanto breathes life into Vera with a lot of tact and humor, and it makes it so easy to want to dig into more of her adventures.

Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hilarious. Full of clever quips and cheeky dialogue. The mystery element is a bit more spicy, the characters a tad dicier. But in all it has the enjoyable and lighthearted feel of a cozy mystery.
Also, I found the third person limited POC (altering foci each chapter) works very well, and highlighting the ills and benefits of social media was a nice choice.

Recommended to fans of humorous mysteries.
.
.
.

[Content warnings: abuse; discussions of suicide]

Yes. Yes. Yes. I absolutely adored the first book in this series and gave it a 5 star, so when I saw this book on here I immediately knew I had to read it.

While I still enjoyed Vera's amusing way of going about things, her snooping, and her love for everyone around her, I was absolutely not expecting this to be so hard and have such heavy themes. While yes the first one still did involve murder, this one took a sharp left turn away from cozy mystery into something that is truly devastating and gut wrenching. I still loved reading about Vera and the growing found family she has. and there still was a lot of humorous moments (that did make me actually laugh out loud) it just wasn't what I was expecting in any way.

The side characters are all really lovely and I loved learning about each and every one of them and expanding the Wong family. Each of them felt real and fleshed out and all added something to the narrative. Having each person have a different POV was also really enjoyable.

Really looking forward to see where Vera goes next, which looks like Paris, and I just KNOW that is also going to be an incredible time.

This wasn't AS good as the first, but only because I was expecting something a lot lighter than what i ended up getting.

senior-sleuths, Asian Americans, widow, tea-house, verbal-humor, situational-humor, law-enforcement, investigations, amateur-sleuth, Asian-cultures, meddling, Chinese-customs, Chinese-culture, Chinatown, laugh-out-loud, laugh-riot, murder, missing-persons, multigenerational, multicultural, multiple-perspectives, threats, vandalism, suspense, danger, influencer, scam-artist*****

If you came for the mystery investigation you are not at CSI. But if you came for escape reading that will have you laughing your sox of almost constantly, THIS IS THE PLACE. Vera Wong is a widow in her sixties who lives to meddle and make muddles. Vera meets a young woman outside the police station and the tale begins. Vera says a lot of things that sound like wisdom: Sun Tsu says "fake it until you make it." She also serves pastries that her neighbor makes: kimchee cheese croissants. She lives the life lessons she gives, and we all learn some terrible things about some people we disdain. In between we have a good laugh at some influencers and Tik Tok.
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected ebook file from Berkley Publishing Group/Berkley via NetGalley. Thank you!
Avail Apr 01, 2025 #VeraWongsGuidetoSnoopingonaDeadMan by Jesse Q. Sutanto @thewritinghippo #VeraWongBk2 @BerkleyPub @penguinrandom #NetGalley

As always Vera is getting herself into sticky situations lol! This one was a lot of fun to read. Thank you to Berkeley and NetGalley for a copy.

Vera Wong is back and just as before, she will wear you down until you hope she comes to your house and lovingly bosses you around.

Our new story takes place shortly at the end of the first book (but can be read easily as a stand alone). Vera has stayed in touch with the motley group of friends and her son has a wonderful girlfriend. Vera is happy, but a bit bored. This all ends when her own mistake brings her to the police station and she meets a young Asian woman. Millie is under distress and Vera knows that it's likely that only she can help her. Before long there are influencer stories, vandalism, a murder and some threats to Vera and her family.

It all turns out as a fabulous cozy mystery with some very real threads of a an important story. Pick this book up now! #verawong #wongnotwang #jesseqsutanto #verawongsguidetosnoopingonadeadman #berkley

This was another winner in the Vera Wong series, it had that element that I enjoyed from the previous entry and was engaged with the mystery element. The plot was smartly written and enjoyed getting to figure out what was happening and the characters worked overall. Jesse Q. Sutanto has a strong writing style and can’t wait for more.

I gave the first Vera Wong 3 1/2 stars. I found her to be too stereotypical, but I did like the found family aspect. This time, I enjoyed Vera a ton more. I did think that her friends from the first book could have been used a little more and that the "mystery" here was not as fleshed out as last time. The characters from this sequel could potentially add a few too many characters to the next book for me to remember. But overall, I liked revisiting Vera's tea shop and her zany group.

I loved the first Vera Wong book and was pleased to find out that this might turn into a series. Vera is a delightful character! Initially I feared that Guide to Snooping might be too similar to Advice for Murderers. In this book Vera again collects a community of young characters to help her solve a crime. The plot is interesting and original, there is a bit of suspense and the food descriptions are wonderful. The way Vera captivates the people around her is delightful making this a very enjoyable read. I look forward to the next installment.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy to read and review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback. I was pleasantly surprised to see a follow-up with more Vera Wong. I never get tired of her and her rapidly growing found family.

Wonderful and whimsical (despite the death)! This follows the formula of the first book with lots of food and found family, but I loved every minute of it. No spoilers, but there were heavier topics as part of two characters' backstories, and some mentions of abuse and gaslighting. Vera is a lovely character with so much relatability for children of immigrants. I would recommend this for folks looking for a more light-hearted cozy mystery. Keep them coming, Jesse Q, Sutanto!

What an absolute delight Vera Wong’s world is! Vera is an elderly woman who owns a tea shop and solves murder on the side. The woman LOVES drama and sticking her nose in other peoples business (in the best way possible).

In this sequel we get to dive into Vera’s comedic mind again as she helps a young woman solve the case of her missing influencer friend. We see characters from book 1, but this can be read standalone still!

I truly just adored this book. The kitschy old folk humour had me cracking up time and time again. And I was surprised by some deeper themes revealed toward the end! It added a layer of depth to a lighthearted story.

Everyone needs a little Vera Wong in their life

I literally gasped when I saw Jesse Q. Stanton's Instagram post about writing a sequel to Vera Wong’s Guide to Murderers. I freaking love Vera Wong’s Guide to Murderers so much that I knew that I needed to read the sequel asap. Thankfully, I was able to read Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping early on, and I can’t say that it’s so freaking good.
If you love reading about cozy mystery books, then this series is going to be your best series yet! It has so much character that you will feel like you aren’t reading at all. And you will laugh so hard that it will keep you engaged forever. And let’s now talk about what’s Vera Wong been up to.
So much has happened to Vera Wong since we last read from her. Vera's family finally found their footing in their lives, which makes Vera happy but kind of bored. She missed solving cases, and she doesn’t know what to do. Thankfully (well, not, but in Vera, yes), Vera gets a new case to solve by helping herself when she sees distressed women. And you know where I am going with this. Vera will meet a new group of people that she will adopt to her found family after she eliminates them from the suspect pool. 
Each of these characters provides something different that Vera needed in her care. I won’t spoil it, but expect some shenanigans that will make you laugh harder than before.

Reliably cute, though the side characters aren’t as strong as in the first book in this series. Vera Wong remains as strong as she ever was.

I love Vera Wong. There is so much humor in these books. I was ecstatic for the second book and it was delightful.

I was so excited to read this book. "Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murders" was one of my favorite reads last year. This next installment in what I hope is a series, did not dissapoint.

"Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man)" brings back Vera Wong and her family (both related and found) and a new mystery to solve. I really enjoyed the returning characters from the first book and while the mystery was not the greatest, I still really enjoyed the ride we went

I highly recommend the Vera Wong books to any cozy mystery fan.

Rated 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

Just like the 1st book in this series, Vera Wong is my new favorite character! And just like the the 1st book, the murder investigation and reveal at the end is pretty terrible but I honestly wasn't reading it for the mystery. I just like Vera and her constant obsession with Tilly and now Selena. I love that all of the characters from the first book are back as Vera's besties. And the little quirks that Vera has.

They finally addressed the fact that the character is named after Vera Wang - I never understood why the author did this - but maybe it helps to get more sales if someone stumbles onto the book due to a mispelling. I heard this is a book marketing tactic.

But if you read the first chapter and don't love Vera right away, you probably won't like the rest of the book. But I immediately knew from both books that this was a character I could totally read a million books about, no matter what she is doing in the story.

I finished this book in one night it was so good.

I understand wanting to make Vera speak broken English like the Asians you see depicted in 1980's movies but it's 2024 so I think we can make her still have a fun personality without making her sound stupid. But maybe I'm overly sensitive - I really wish everyone would stop depicting Asians like this. It doesn't happen with any other minority. And yes, I'm Asian so this bothers me more maybe b/c of that.

Jesse Q. Sutanto's newest book , Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) was a great second installment on this series about a older Chinese American. Life has been good since she solved a murder in the first book. She has a whole new family of friends, her son has a girlfriend an her tea shop is always busy. When an influencer, Xander, is murdered Vera sets about solving this new crime in part to please her son's girlfriend, Officer Selena Gray. A really fun read with an engaging cast of characters. Highly recommend!

Vera’s journey to solve Xander’s murder is filled with twists and turns, showcasing her unique brand of problem-solving that blends intuition with a healthy dose of chaos. It’s a delightful romp through mystery and family, proving once again that Vera Wong is a force to be reckoned with. I can’t recommend this book enough. It’s a perfect mix of humor, heart, and mystery that leaves you eagerly turning the pages!