Happy Wednesday bookish friends! My new favorite sleuth is back for more fun, food, fixing strangers’ lives, and solving a murder in Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man by Jesse Q. Sutanto. This is the second book is the series and it’s just as fun and charming as the first book.
Business at Vera’s teahouse has picked up. Her relationship with her son has improved She’s no longer lonely thanks a close knit group of friends. But she’s a little bored and misses the excitement of an investigation. When Vera meets a distressed young woman who’s looking for her missing friend, Vera jumps into action. Here the full summary from the publisher:
Ever since a man was found dead in Vera's teahouse, life has been good. For Vera that is. She’s surrounded by loved ones, her shop is bustling, and best of all, her son, Tilly, has a girlfriend! All thanks to Vera, because Tilly's girlfriend is none other than Officer Selena Gray. The very same Officer Gray that she had harassed while investigating the teahouse murder. Still, Vera wishes more dead bodies would pop up in her shop, but one mustn't be ungrateful, even if one is slightly...bored.
Then Vera comes across a distressed young woman who is obviously in need of her kindly guidance. The young woman is looking for a missing friend. Fortunately, while cat-sitting at Tilly and Selena's, Vera finds a treasure trove: Selena's briefcase. Inside is a file about the death of an enigmatic influencer—who also happens to be the friend that the young woman was looking for.
Online, Xander had it all: a parade of private jets, fabulous parties with socialites, and a burgeoning career as a social media influencer. The only problem is, after his body is fished out of Mission Bay, the police can't seem to actually identify him. Who is Xander Lin? Nobody knows. Every contact is a dead end. Everybody claims not to know him, not even his parents.
Vera is determined to solve Xander's murder. After all, doing so would surely be a big favor to Selena, and there is nothing she wouldn't do for her future daughter-in-law.
Once again Vera pulls complete strangers into her orbit as she investigates the disappearance and subsequent murder of a young man. Her investigation leads her into the brutal and dangerous world of trafficking. But Vera persists until the case is solved. All while gathering a new group of young people into her circle of friendship and straightening out their lives with her special brand of tough love and food. Lots of food.
Narrator Eunice Wong provides another fantastic performance and brings the colorful characters to life. This could be read as a stand alone, but I recommend reading the previous book, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, first. That way you’ll have the backstory of how Vera got into the detective business and you’ll be more familiar with many the characters. Don’t miss out on this delightful and endearing series!
What’s for dinner tonight? My daughter and I are going out for dinner tonight.
About the Author
Jesse Q Sutanto grew up shuttling back and forth between Indonesia, Singapore, and Oxford, and considers all three places her home. She has a Masters from Oxford University, but she has yet to figure out how to say that without sounding obnoxious. Jesse has forty-two first cousins and thirty aunties and uncles, many of whom live just down the road. She used to game but with two little ones and a husband, she no longer has time for hobbies.
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