At the beginning of this book, I was pretty intrigued by it. It was a fun cosy mystery, and I had so much fun trying to figure out (alongside Vera) who the killer was.

I did lose steam a little around the middle. There felt like far too many characters to keep up with at times, and they started to blur together for me. At times, I just felt myself think "just tell me who it was already!"

I loved the relationship between Emma and Vera, a beautiful grandmother/granddaughter relationship that was wonderfully nourished and grew over the book.

Had me intrigued from the get go. Definitely hooked me. As a tea lover I wanted to live the main character and I definitely did. Just so worth the read.

“People always say that your wedding day is the happiest day of your life, but honestly, people should try solving murders more often.”

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.

Vera’s conviction in finding the killer before the police can say ‘murder’ hooks you nice and good and reels you in. Everything she says or does has you throwing your head back in a full belly laugh. Sutanto effortlessly wraps you up in a murder investigation as her protagonist proceeds to break every stereotype, all while keeping you thoroughly entertained.

I am glad I got to listen to the audio version of this book because One, all the Chinese words would have otherwise been lost on my tongue and Two, Eunice Wong’s narration pushes the book from great to absolutely fabulous.

A hilariously crafted murder mystery with a charming protagonist who worms her way into your heart, this is a heart-warming story of undertaking a rollicking adventure, age no bar, and rediscovering the meaning of life.

This ARC courtesy of NetGalley and HarperCollins UK.

Vera Wong is 60 years old and owns a world famous tea shop in San Francisco. When the body of a dead man is found in her shop she decides that the police are useless and she can do a better job of investigating the mystery surrounding his death. As a group of potential suspects are identified, and this unlikely bunch have more in common than they initially thought. Each character tells their own story and their relationship with the dead man become clear. Vera is a fantastic character who frustrates those around her with her judgmental and bossy ways.
This is a truly original book with a host of interesting characters, but Vera definitely steals the show. The narrator added another level of enjoyment of the story.

This is marketed as a cozy mystery but I don´t think it is.
Although the mystery is a big part of the story, the story is more about the characters and the relationships between them.
I liked the story a lot it was just different from what I expected.
And some of the characters where maybe a bit too stereotypical.

In a Nutshell: Great as a dramedy; decent as a mystery. Straddles well the thin line between being comical and being stereotypical. Entertaining but predictable.

Story Synopsis:
Vera Wong is a sixty-year-old teashop owner in San Francisco, and like every Asian mom, she is an expert not just in tea brewing. She loves her son Tilly though he doesn’t have time for her, and she stays updated about everything from “the Google.”
When she wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her teashop, Vera knows that she can do a much better job than the police at catching the killer. Within a couple of days, Vera has her list of suspects ready. Now to nab the culprit!
The story comes to us in the third person perspective of Vera and her various “suspects”.

Here’s what you need to know about the goods and the not-so-goods of this work:
👉 The title and blurb support the idea that the book will be a murder mystery. It is so, but not primarily. The main genre is more like contemporary drama or women’s fiction, with a strong found-family trope. Going into this expecting a mystery novel, even a cosy mystery, would be disappointing. (It doesn’t help that the ‘mystery’ is fairly guessable at the halfway mark.)
👉 Vera Wong is a force unto herself. Basically, she carries the whole story on her shoulders. She is opinionated and loving, funny and interfering. She considers herself perfect and knowledgeable; whether she is or not is another matter. As such, there are many times when she will get on your nerves. Your enjoyment of the book will depend on how you can accept this bulldozer of a woman who shoves away anything that stands in her path, either with fondness or with force, or sometimes, even with food. I am still trying to decide how I felt about her – she was equal parts adorable and aggravating.
👉 As a Chinese immigrant to the US, Vera’s character includes quite a lot of ’Asian Mom’ tropes. These can be seen as either funny or clichéd, depending on your approach to the representation. (I remember this same issue with Counterfeit by Kirsten Chen; what I took as satirical was taken by some other readers as insulting.) However, the book doesn’t laugh at Vera, but laughs with her. I think the rep was spot on. (I am an Asian mom, so I can say this with some authentic authority. 😉)
👉 The rest of the characters are diverse as well. We have an Indian and an Indonesian too. The Indian rep was spot on. A welcome change. (I think the Indonesian one would also be authentic as the author is an Indonesian.)
👉 There are many humorous scenes in the book when Vera is around. I especially loved Vera’s comments about the Chinese-French patisserie. On entertainment value, the book rates quite high.
👉 All the “suspects” get enough shared space under the spotlight. At the same time, their arcs are mostly predictable, and their personalities are typical goody-goody pushover kinds. A layered portrayal would have added to the mystery factor. (Coming to think of it, there was just one negative character in the whole book, and even that portrayal was one-noted.)
👉 There is a child character who was quite sweet. I felt quite sorry for her as none of the adults in her life, except Vera, seemed to know how to handle her. That said, the child’s behaviour and her speech didn’t seem age-appropriate. I think she was written as a two-year-old just to avoid plot elements about school [thus making it easy to always have her around when needed], but she never sounded like children aged two usually do.

The audiobook experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 10 hrs 41 min, is narrated by Eunice Wong. She was outstanding! Right from the emotions to the character voices to the overall vibes, she narrated the audiobook to perfection. I’d definitely recommend the audio version as a great way of experiencing this book. Even with multiple characters, the writing doesn’t make the plot confusing, so it could be a great option for audio newbies too.

Basically, this is a book you read for sheer, straightforward entertainment. The storyline is mostly guessable, so it is the characters, especially Vera, that will make or break your experience. I wish the book could have included some surprises as well, but that wasn’t to be. Still, it's a fun novel, not to be taken seriously.

3.75 stars.

My thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

It was funny and entertaining and smart. Loved the mix of characters and how it all came together in the end.
Thanks to NetGalley, the editor and the author for the opportunity to access this ARC.

Wow!
I'm devastated that although this is #1 there are no more written. These characters are so vibrant and alive. The tensions are tangible and every heart-stopping moment grips you tightly.snd presses you to read on.

Vera owns a teashop and comes down one morning to find a dead body on the floor. She believes the police aren't pursuing the death as murder and sets out to investigate every new customer that visits get shop in the days after the discovery.

Events unfold quickly, relationships are formed and broken. Vera is the key that holds everything together until the others realise their own worth.

Such an unusual take on a cosy mystery. I'm off to find the other series by this author whilst I await more Vera Wong.

After initially thinking "oh dear, I'm not going to like this", the more I listened the more I grew to love Vera Wong.

Vera lives on her own after the death of her husband, her son being successful and not in her life quite as much as she would like. Once a thriving tea shop, Vera Wang's World Famous Tea House is now on it's last legs having only one regular customer so when she discovers a dead body in the middle of her shop one morning, she decides it has to be murder and begins to investigate and find out who killed Marshall.

Using her own logic, Vera decides that those who turn up at her shop to ask questions about the body immediately become suspects and she begins to ingratiate herself into their lives using her forthright nature, a little bit of manipulation, fantastic cooking and, if course, tea.

As the story develops, we get to know each of the characters and suspects more so by the end, you don't want any of them to be guilty of murder but one of them must be surely?

This is definitely within the 'cosy mystery' genre and whilst there is little action, I was caught up in the story hook, line and sinker and desperate to know what the ultimate outcome was going to be and I definitely wasn't disappointed.

The narrator was excellent and she totally drew me into the story and into Vera's life. This, for me, was definitely a book to listen to rather than to read myself and I am hopeful that Vera will do more investigating in the future.

Many thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.

Vera Wong runs a tea house in San Francisco. When a dead body is found on the property Vera decides to investigate the obvious case of murder since she has no faith in the police doing a proper job. During the “investigation” Vera meets a variety of people connected to the murder victim, little do they realise the impact she is about to have on their lives.

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice For Murderers by Jesse Sutanto sits nicely in the genre of cozy crime. Gentle and unassuming it draws you in, before you know it hours have disappeared and you simply must find out what is going to happen next.

Vera is a strange character. Her “world famous” tea house is anything but; she has one customer a day. Alongside this her adult son has no time for her. However, Vera refuses to give up and puts on a brave front every day. This perfectly describes Vera’s nature, she’s set in her ways, traditional and forthright. Although Vera is traditional, she likes to think she’s up to date with modern technology, Googling anything she doesn’t understand. At times this is amusing but at others it shows you can never underestimate Vera.

The supporting characters all defer to Vera instead of ignoring or dismissing her, this is obviously a reflection of a culture where young people respect their elders. Combined with the cultural respect, Vera manages to use a little bit of deception and some fantastic cooking to get everyone to do exactly what she wants. Vera also seems to know what is best for everyone and manipulates them so that their lives are actually better for it.

As Vera gets to know each character, or suspect, in greater depth, she gradually whittles down her list of possible murderers. This is quite daunting as over time our affection for each character grows and you really don’t want one of them to be the villain. Befitting a cozy crime, everything is drawn together nicely at the end. I do hope that Vera Wong gets to investigate another crime.

Rating - 4.5 stars rounded off to 5

Delightful, delicious and quirky!

Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins UK Audio, HQ for the ALC! This was a fantastic audiobook.

A breath of fresh air between some of our books which might be emotionally strenuous.

Synopsis –

Vera Wong is the owner “Vera Wang’s World Famous Tea House” in Chinatown, San Francisco. Yes, “Wang” it is😆 . Between her cups of tea, she loves spying on her son’s love life in her free time (mostly all the time). But one morning, Vera finds a dead body in her tea shop. An amateur sleuth that she is, Vera takes upon herself to solve the mystery behind this “murder”- atleast that’s what she assumes it to be.

Review -

The narrator Eunice Wong does a brilliant job in bringing Vera to life. This is not an easy character to narrate for, what with all her “aiyaas”, mischiefs and self-motivating pep talks! Wong’s voice adapts equally well for all the other characters too.

What can I say about Vera! Her enthusiasm for life is infectious and there’s no match for her strict discipline and routine. A typical Chinese mother – she is cantankerous and obstinate in her ways. Ultimately sassy, she just knows how to get her way. Her antics and shenanigans are sure to bring you plenty of laughs and cheeky giggles. 😉😅

The mysterious dead body attracts rare visitors to her tea shop and that’s when the fun begins. Vera putting on the hat of a detective is only a façade. Behind this, she is vulnerable, hiding loneliness and other insecurities of her life - which slowly come to light, the more we get to know her.

As Vera delves deep into this murder mystery, she builds a little community for herself and I came to care for them all. Not only does she manage to change the life of herself but also her new found friends.

The big reveal was a slightly anti-climactic and unrealistic, but overall this didn’t spoil the enjoyment.

A charmingly entertaining read for fans for cozy mystery!

💃Vera – you are a force to be reckoned with. 💃

Jesse Sutanto is my new favorite author and I now need to read her backlist!

Such fun! Eunice Wong’s narration added to the enjoyment of this book. There is a gradual reveal around each character’s connection to the victim and links with each other. Vera Wong scoops them up and makes endless tea and force feeds them. Loved it! Listening rather than reading really fixes Vera in your head. Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Audio.

⭐️ 4.5 ⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ALC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I adored Vera Wong!

I listened to the audiobook and was drawn into Vera’s story straight away. The narrator (Eunice Wong) did the most amazing job of bringing Vera and the other well-drawn characters to life.

The character-driven story is nicely paced and flowed easily from chapter to chapter. I loved 60-year-old Vera with her abrupt manner and huge personality — some of Vera’s observations and comments are hilarious and made me laugh out loud. The book is well-written and the gorgeous descriptions of the food Vera cooked made my mouth water.

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderer’s is a fabulous read, a whodunnit but with friendship and family at its heart.

Looking forward to reading more from Jesse Sutanto.

4.5 stars

Cosy mysteries are not something I naturally gravitate towards, my staples being contemporary and historical fiction and thrillers. But then I pick up something like this and realise what delights may lie in store when I dip my toe into unfamiliar waters. Namely, the indomitable force of nature that is Vera Wong! Kudos to narrator, Eunice Wong, for bringing this character and story so vibrantly to life.

Meet 60 year-old widow Vera: tea connoisseur, CSI devotee, and overbearing mother to son Tilly. Her days are strictly regimented, starting with her morning constitutional at the crack of dawn and a wake-up call to Tilly. Her little tea shop in San Francisco is her pride and joy, but with hardly any customers, it’s as empty as her uneventful life. Until, that is, she goes downstairs one morning and finds a dead body on the tea shop floor.

What follows, as Vera first insinuates herself into the police investigation and then decides to conduct her own, is a comic tour de force. From drawing a line with a sharpie around the body, to tampering with evidence, to rounding up suspects, Vera’s actions are in turn outrageous and hilarious.

Vera is a bold, colorfully drawn character. Eccentric, bossy, and single-minded, she is undoubtedly the star of the show. But I also loved her four ‘suspects’ and how they react to Vera’s meddling, which goes far beyond the investigation to include career advice, matchmaking and babysitting. I warmed to them all.

For me, amongst all the humor and absurdities, the real joy of this book lies in the way it evolves from a murder mystery into a tale about friendship and found family, with Vera ultimately showing her big heart and bringing everyone together.

The identity of the murderer may be a bit far-fetched, but at the end of the day, this is not a story to be taken too seriously. It put a smile on my face and a spring in my step, and for that I can totally forgive any implausibles. Now for Sutanto’s backlist!

Enjoyed this book overall. Voice narrator was excellent. The characterisation of Vera was good, her bulldozer manner and straightforward talk keeping the plot pace tight initially. Others characters weren’t quite as fleshed out and the pacing of this book dipped in the middle. The ending seemed a bit strange and can’t say anymore without spoiling.

I thoroughly enjoyed this,I hope it gets a sequel. Huge thanks to the publisher for the chance to read and review. It was superbly narrated too.

Oh my goodness this was a breath of fresh air! In the midst of a difficult month, I downloaded Vera, started chopping my vegetables for dinner and found myself exploding with laughter. I don’t know when I have laughed so much at a book…

Vera runs a tea shop in San Francisco. Although Vera is a master at concocting wonderful teas with powerful benefits - or so she thinks - her tea shop is not very busy. One morning when she awakes Vera finds a body on the floor. Vera is convinced that this is murder; she’s watched CSI and knows how to treat a crime scene so that by the time the police arrive, to their horror, the investigation is already underway. Vera is horrified with the police methods and determines to look into things on her own.. In the course of her enquiry she meets several characters who have some connection with the ‘victim’ and all have stories which don’t add up.

At the heart of this story is Vera. She is a force of nature, loud, colourful, opinionated, determined, all seeing. Although in her 70s she has seemingly endless energy and a matter of fact wisdom that endears her to those she is in contact with including the reader. Vera’s investigations are pure laugh out loud comedy. And a big clue to the comedy lies in one word in the title - ‘unsolicited.’

I listened to this on audiobook and I loved the narrator who managed to conjure up all the different characters with her different voices. She was especially adept at being the voice of Vera. I often find that my picture of people is really sharpened when I hear their voice and in this case my picture of this incredible character was really amplified by the narration. The drama and comedy were drawn out wonderfully.

An absolute tonic of a listen, thoroughly entertaining.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for a digital copy of this wonderful audiobook.

Such a great book I could not stop listening. Sutanto has the expert skill of crafting characters that you just cannot help but love. I firm favorite.

Breath of fresh tea-filtered air. With a dollop of murder...

Vera Wong may be one of my favourite characters to emerge from a book in quite a while. Such a refreshing change to the many other elderly murder-solvers out there.

I'm making up a term for her (hope nobody has got there first with this one!) Vera is a Manic Pixie Dream Grandma. But definitely with her own soul and story, so maybe it's selling her short.

The owner of a small and failing tea shop in Chinatown (Vera Wang's World-Famous Teashop), Ms Wong rises at 4am each day to serve her one customer, constantly text-harass her poor son into eating/working/sleeping well and showing her respect, and living a fairly quiet existence. But this routine life is interrupted by her discovery one morning of a body inside her shop.

And Vera being Vera, she's not going to leave it to the 'inept' police force to find out what happened. It's obviously murder. And now she has the indelible pen outline (self-drawn) to show it. Oh and the victim's flash drive.

Going on the assumption that one of the shop's new visitors the day after the body's discovery is likely to be his killer, Vera pushes her way into each of their lives, to the absolute horror of the characters, but the delight of every reader smiling along.

Goodness this was fun. I very much enjoyed Vera working her magic on every character, her Asian elder persona cowering some, demanding respect or attention, opening hearts (and stomachs), revealing truths, and bringing a disparate group together to solve an is-it-isn't-it murder.

There's potentially upsetting content here about an emotionally abused wife (and child) but nothing graphic, it's much more 'cosy murder' territory, and there's a lot of heart in how the issues are dealt with.

Wonderful audiobook, with great accents to show the different characters but a neutral narrator voice. I already want to listen to it again, or near more from Vera.

Brilliant idea, adore Vera and want to adopt her as a grandma!

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample audio copy.

I gave Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers 5 stars

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.

-------- REVIEW --------
Wow, what an amazing read! I listened to it as an audiobook and the narrator was fantastic! I really liked the mystery and Vera trying to solve it, but what I liked most about this book were the relationships between all the characters. You get to read from their point of views and I loved seeing their relationships evolve. Strangers becoming a family!

This book had many laugh out loud moments and since I am currently living in Asia and live together with my Asian boyfriend, it was extra fun listening to Vera and recognizing many of the things she said or did.

I highly recommend this book and hope there will be a second book about Vera in the future.

This book was recently released, and I thank Net Galley and HarperCollins UK Audio, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.