The world famous Vera Wong returns, this time with the power of social media!

Of course it takes the true power of real-life community and friendship to crack this case. But for everyone who has been missing Vera as much as me, you’ll be glad to have her back running your life for a few days!

I loved the first Vera Wong book and was very grateful to Netgalley letting me read and review this second book. I love her character and all her foibles. This tale is very timely based on constantly evolving social media and scammers. The old characters are here and Vera is still trying to marry off her son Tilly to Serena the police officer. It has humour , relationships but also investigates a serious issue in society today.

The writing was entertaining and had me laughing throughout. There were some sad and emotional bits weaved in as well, which added a more serious tone to the whole thing. I loved the balance of serious and humorous. It kept my attention from the beginning right through to the end.

I got through this book in a couple of days which is good for me. I looked forward to picking it up at each reading session and was desperate to see what would happen next.

The chapters were long and each was written from the point of view of one character. The chapters were headed with which character's point of view you were reading from so you didn't get confused. You got a good chunk of the story from each character's point of view before moving onto the next character and carrying on with the story. This helped you to keep track of what was going on as you were able to get engrossed in the point of view that you were reading from.

There was a good flow between the chapters. Whilst each chapter was from a different character's point of view, they all seemed to fit seamlessly together.

There was a good pace to the book, with the story moving forward well. You didn't linger on anything for too long. There was a good balance between being given information and keeping the story moving.

The characters were excellent. You got to meet the characters from the first book again, but I don't think that it really mattered if you hadn't read the first book. There were a few details given as to who was who, but as they weren't central to the story this wasn't a priority. I liked that there was a similar pattern to this story as we had seen in the first book, a group of random people all coming together via a link to the victim, with Vera as the central character.

Each character was clearly hiding something and I enjoyed gradually finding out what each character's secret was.

I can't say enough about Vera. I absolutely love her. She is strong, funny without meaning to be, and loving. She has many layers that I have enjoyed getting to know over the past two books. Her cultural background shines through and it is a joy to read about. I love the way that she draws people to her and how they all end up helping one another.

Lastly the settings. There isn't a lot of detail as this is a character focused book. Where the detail is important to the story there is more of it. There is enough detail to ground the story and for you to imagine where the characters are.

Overall an excellent book that I really enjoyed reading and felt sad when it came to an end. I can't recommend this book and series enough!

Following on from solving Marshall’s murder in the last book. Vera has now gained a new family, which were her previous suspects in the murder of Oliver‘s twin brother. The only exception to this was Selena who was the police officer, in the case, Oliver and of course little Emma, Julia‘s daughter. Anyway, Vera is bored and wishes for a new murder to happen for her to solve. But instead, she’s scammed over the telephone and ends up at the police station to report the crime. Outside the police station, she meets Millie a young woman who is quite distraught, over what Vera has no idea. So Vera takes Millie back to her tea shop, to have some tea which will hopefully bring her out of her stupor. Millie gives her some news that her boyfriend Thomas is missing and she doesn’t know what to do. So this puts Vera on the search for the missing boyfriend, who happens to turn up dead in a police report that Vera snoops a look into whilst babysitting Selena‘s and Tilly’s cat. The case brings together a few suspects and Vera realises that Thomas is actually Xander Lin and he is a social media influencer.

So Vera goes about not minding her own business and sets out trying to find his killer, even though he apparently committed suicide. Whilst trying to find this so-called killer, Vera runs into problems of her own with the shop being vandalised, twice and she gets hurt during one of the vandalisations. you would think this would make her stop after a trip to the hospital and being told off by Selena and Tilly. But all it does is encourages her to get the gang of people she’s met together and onto the trail of the unsuspecting missing person from the group who is in fact the one in danger. As you can tell, this is a typical Vera Wong book where she just cannot keep still and run her tea shop and stay out of danger. It does have the potential twist and the plight of some immigrants into America, but as you read on you’ll find that all ends well in the end, or does it? You’ll just have to read the book to find out for yourselves and it is an enjoyable cozy mystery. It’s a fun read that you will enjoy and it should fulfil your Vera expectations.

3.5*

Seriously, who does't love Vera? She's unstoppable. If you dare not like her, she will make you love her! Be warned! Lol!

I found Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping somewhat formulaic: the 'naive' grandma, bribing everyone into confessing all their dark secrets with food and tea (seriously? ); while disregarding all concerns about her safety. Also somewhat stereotypical: 3rd world scammers and human trafficking. But all in all, it sure was an enjoyable read. I mean, it had its moments when it made me laugh out loud. And that sure was welcome. I wouldn't hesitate picking up another novel by Jesse Sutanto, when in need of a light/cosy mystery!

Vera Wong part II

“Sometimes, all an old lady wants is a murder to solve. Is that too much to ask for?”

Vera goes to the police station to file a report after being scammed and meets a young girl, Millie, outside whose friend had disappeared. Vera’s mystery solving abilities immediately kick in, she starts using her cooking to win people over, get them to feed her all the information she needs, makes good friends and becomes an online sensation.

Unusually for a sequel this one is actually better than the first.

Loved this just as much as the first one and very glad to see Vera back!
Particularly glad to see she hadn’t changed her ways…

This is a fast-moving, fairly cosy mystery story, with a few dark twists but also some laugh-out-loud moments. The characters are interesting, and mostly likeable, Vera especially so. It was a very good, quick read.

I think I probably missed out by not having read the first Vera Wong mystery story, and am looking forward to reading the next one.

More fun with Vera and her gang, plus a lot of new friends to boot. I'll be honest, I'd figured out where this was going quite quickly, but it was still an enjoyable read and Vera is the best main character. The ending implies a new destination for book 3 and a favourite city of mine to boot, so will be keeping an eye out for that one.

A young man has died but 'Who is Xander Lin, and why is it so hard to find people who actually know him ?' Vera Wong investigates the suspects whilst simultaneously managing to build genuine friendships with them.
Well written, characters I cared about and lots of laughs - if I could I would have given this book 5 stars plus. The exploration of social media and the less than perfect life of perfect influencers adds depth. Vera herself even becomes a You Tube star. Despite the warmth and humour there is a sinister crime at the heart of the book which quite rightly gets an airing here.
I'll be recommending this one to all my friends.
Thanks for the author, publisher and NetGalley for a chance to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Vera Wing’s Guide To Snooping ( on a dead man) by Jesse Sutanto
I give this book 4.5 stars.

What else is Vera Wong (tea shop owner) to do when a distressed woman called Millie asks for her help?
Maybe the case file for Millie’s missing friend Thomas didn’t exactly fall into her lap but nothing can stop Vera from catching the scent of this mystery, however dangerous it is …..


This book is inspired by actual events.
Shes back!!!!!!
She’s nosy, she nurtures, she meddles,she’s funny and she’s the core to the book . . . . Meet Vera Wong! And guess what, she’s become a Tik Tok sensation.
Let’s dive along with Vera into the world of social media influencers, who is the mysterious Millie that she befriends, was Xander’s death a suicide, murder or something else?
This book is hugely entertaining, it’s engaging, it’s chock full of wit and Vera’s one liners that literally make me chuckle out loud. But beware this crime has a darker side to. We are introduced to new characters and some familiar faces this is found family at its best. Unique, authentic and filled with heart, tea and food this is so so much more than a murder mystery.
Vera has a special place in my heart ❤️ and it’s always a pleasure to spend time with her.
The perfect escape from reality! To those of us whose ambition is to turn into a Vera when we grow up.
With thanks to Netgalley,the author and HQ for my chance to read and review this book.

Vera Wong is my favourite fictional character in the world. She can do no wrong and I need her to adopt me and whip my life into shape. She is the kind of character who can carry a story no matter how bad the story is. Thankfully, that's not something the reader has to worry about here, as the murder Vera Wong is investigating this time is something bigger than she took on before. She adopts a new found family, and basically feeds and berates and cares for people until they tell her the truth. I sincerely believe that if Vera Wong was in charge of the police force, police brutality would never occur. Her methods of investigation are unorthodox, endearing, and utterly compelling. This was the kind of book where the book was not enough time spent with the characters, I immediately need more!

A mystery with heart and humour but a serious core. Vera is a great character. She loves to feed people and make them happy. She also loves to right wrongs. The story’s about on-line influencers, phone scams, missing people and a murder among other things. Serious subjects dealt with skilfully but with wit and humour. There are lots of laugh-out-loud moments. It’s Vera Wong and her determination to solve mysteries, her love of cooking and joie de vivre that make the book so much fun. I need to read the first book in the series now!

What a brilliant follow up to the first Vera Wong mystery- I loved that and believe me- this one is even better! Vera is such a fun character who is also incredibly warm hearted. In this book, as well as the people she helped and “adopted “ in the first book who are all present in this one, she also manages to find more suspects who actually need help and love in their lives!
After being scammed on the phone, Vera goes to the police station to report the crime. Just outside she meets Millie, a young girl who is obviously thinking about going into the station to ask for help with a problem.
As Vera starts to talk to her and takes her back to the tea shop, she discovers that Millie was thinking of reporting her friend Thomas missing.
Vera resolves to help Millie find Thomas as she’s really keen to solve another crime but when it transpires that Thomas is dead, Vera gets involved in all sorts of danger as her investigation progresses.
I just love Vera, her positive nature, the way she looks after people and feeds them amazing food she has cooked, even those she suspects of murder, and the way she solves the crime is so clever.
The story is very up to date as it involves social media influencers and although Vera is not the age where you’d expect her to know much about this subject, she takes it all in her stride and even becomes one herself in the quest to solve the mystery.
Despite the light hearted nature of Vera and her friends this turns out to be an expose of a very serious subject - it was really clever how the author brought all the strands of the plot together!
Definitely a five star book and highly recommended- such a joy to read! Note to Vera and the author though - 60 is not old despite Vera’s assertions to the contrary!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy!

Vera Wong is honestly the best character I've read in crime fiction for ages. She's funny, nosey and infuriatingly endearing with an absolute heart of gold. This is the second Vera Wong book I've read and honestly I can't wait for the next one. Full of great characters, a solid plot and drama as well as humour, this is a must read. Thanks to the publisher, Jesse Sutanto and NetGalley for the ARC.

Vera Wong is back! This is the sequel to the fantastic Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Sutanto.

I couldn’t remember all of the characters from the first book (its been a while since I read it) but that had no impact on my understanding of the plot or my enjoyment of the book. While the characters from the first book are part of this one, we also get to meet some interesting, fresh new characters. The author makes the characters so unique and distinctive so although there are lots of them, I didn’t get confused by them all.

Vera as always is absolutely hilarious and she continues to show her softer side by creating her own community and looking after those in need. I loved her feuding with Winifred, so funny!

If you’re a fan of cosy mysteries, laugh out loud moments and well-written characters then I’d highly recommend this one. It also touches upon a serious real-life issue very well.

I was so excited to read Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Sutanto. Last year I fell in love with Vera Wong when I read the first book, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.

Vera Wong is an elderly widow who runs a Tea House in San Francisco’s Chinatown, and who also has a side hustle solving crime! Vera is an absolute force of nature with a huge heart. She’s not your average amateur detective, not only does she solve crimes - she bulldozes into people’s lives and changes them for the better by effectively adopting them.

In this book, Vera meets a young woman Millie outside a police station worried about her missing friend Thomas. In true Vera style, she befriends Millie and promises to find her find Thomas.

The books are great cozy crimes and are at times quite funny. I defy anyone not to fall in love with Vera and not want her in their lives. I can’t wait to read the next instalment in this series.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers, HQ, for making this e-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I LOVE VERA WONG SO MUCH. What a wholesome and wonderful character. I didn’t think I could love her anymore and then I dived into this book and I already need more. I have literally just put the book down and I already want to be back with the characters. I really loved the first book in this series but the second is even better. I really love that even though there are a wide selection of characters each one is so unique that as a reader you are able to build up a relationship with each and every one of them without things getting confusing. I really enjoyed being back with all of the old characters but also meeting the new. Millie’s storyline was so harrowing but done so so well and I absolutely love a happy ending. I am really truly hoping that the ending means that at some point in the future I will be back with Vera but in the meantime I am not sure how I am going to fill the empty void in my life. Thank you so much for allowing me to read an early copy of this book, I have already preordered myself a physical copy on my shelf and I shall be recommending this one to all of my friends and social media followers.

She’s back with another murder mystery to solve! I just love how she can’t help but get involved in things that have no relevance to her and yet manages to build a community with those that are linked to the case. Another fun addition to the Vera Wong series.

Vera is back and she is in luck - there’s more murder. Jesse Q Sutanto is back with the grandmother of cosy crime. Another warm, funny story with a fab cast of characters.

Vera is a victim of petty crime and in reporting it, stumbles into the life of a young woman and a much bigger case. Despite her daughter-in-law’s pleas Vera decides to investigate, her suspect list are once again around her dining room table and they all have something to hide. But when Vera starts getting threats, is the danger suddenly too real?

I did like this book but I didn’t LOVE it like the first one. I’ve read quite a lot of Sutanto’s books and her book two in a series doesn’t quite live up to book one for this reader. My main issue is that no one does character quite like Sutanto but she gives us a whole wacky cast, which is great in book one but is a bit of a confusing; ‘wait who are you?’ in book two. I could have just used a quick recap is all I’m saying.

Vera is a superstar and I really enjoyed spending time with my own granny on the back of reading her story. Her warmth permeates you.

The murder is a good case. A guy who everyone knows but no one really knows. Did I figure it out? Yes. But that’s half the fun of detective fiction. Vera would be furious to know I solved it first which fills me with glee.

I’m enjoying this series a lot and will carry on reading!

Thank you #netgalley and @HQStories for my #arc