A lonely shopkeeper takes it upon herself to solve a murder in the most peculiar way in this captivating mystery by Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties.
Vera Wong is a lonely little old lady—ah, lady of a certain age—who lives above her forgotten tea shop in the middle of San Francisco’s Chinatown. Despite living alone, Vera is not needy, oh no. She likes nothing more than sipping on a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy detective work on the Internet about what her Gen-Z son is up to.
Then one morning, Vera trudges downstairs to find a curious thing—a dead man in the middle of her tea shop. In his outstretched hand, a flash drive. Vera doesn’t know what comes over her, but after calling the cops like any good citizen would, she sort of . . . swipes the flash drive from the body and tucks it safely into the pocket of her apron. Why? Because Vera is sure she would 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 knows the killer will be back for the flash drive; all she has to do is watch the increasing number of customers at her shop and figure out which one among them is the killer.
What Vera does not expect is to form friendships with her customers and start to care for each and every one of them. As a protective mother hen, will she end up having to give one of her newfound chicks to the police?
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. When she is not writing, she is gaming with her husband or making a mess in the kitchen with her two daughters.
Praise For…
"Vera Wong is my new favorite sleuth! This book is comfort food for the soul. Every chapter is bursting with wisdom and heart."—Elle Cosimano, USA Today bestselling author of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It
"Following the success of Dial A for Aunties, Sutanto is back with another charmer, this time following the exploits of orthopedic-sneaker-wearing Vera Wong Zhuzhu, who finds a dead body in her Chinatown tea shop. When the police investigation isn’t thorough enough for her liking, she concocts a plan to find the murderer, aided by a locked flash drive she found on the body and stashed away for safekeeping. Sutanto excels at skewering with affection, and an earnest hilarity shines through in this entertaining whodunit."—The Washington Post
"I'll promise you this: you've never met a character quite like Vera Wong, and once she gets under your skin, you'll never forget her, nor will you want to. Vera is a force, and so is author Jesse Q. Sutanto, spinning a compulsively readable story with intrigue, humor, and above all, heart. Get ready for this cast of loveable characters to feel like family, pulling you into their beautifully interwoven lives and the mystery linking them together. Smart, wholly original, and brimming with emotion, Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice For Murderers feels like the warmest hug that you'll never want to end."—Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of The Girls Are All So Nice Here
"Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is flawless. With a clever plot filled with marvellous, lovable characters who feel like real people, it's laugh-inducing, heart-warming, and fabulously crafted. Truly a joy to read."—India Holton, bestselling author of The League of Gentlewomen Witches
"Step aside, Miss Marple and Sherlock Holmes! Vera Wong is on the case! A murder mystery with a found-family story at its heart, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is delightful, compelling, and laugh-out-loud funny. I couldn’t put this book down!"—Jenny L. Howe, author of The Make-Up Test
"Jesse Sutanto has once again weaved her magic and gifted us with another winner. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is a signature Sutanto creation, a feel-good genre-defying comedic whodunnit with a superb cast of characters headed by the indomitable, chaotically funny Vera, indubitably one of the best senior protagonists I've seen in a long while. A+, no notes."—Lauren Ho, bestselling author of Last Tang Standing and Lucie Yi Is Not A Romantic
“A staggering, masterful suspense confection, Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is quite simply one of my favorite novels of all time. The kind of book you want to reread every year in order to revisit its brilliant world. Vera will delight, charm, and steal your heart. A propulsive, delectable blend of Knives Out meets The Maid shot through with Sutanto’s customary raucous sense of humor and gift for astonishing twists, Vera is an instant classic.”—May Cobb, author of My Summer Darlings
"Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is like the perfect cup of tea: complex, carefully brewed, with a zing of humor and a warm, sweet finish. A funny, charming, delightful book."—Amy Clarke, author of Girl, 11
"Vera knows best in this hilarious mystery. Jesse Sutanto is masterful in delivering hijinks in this warm-hearted story that brings together a unique cast of characters. Vera is a force who reminds us that meddling moms are not to be messed with."—Julie Tieu, author of Circling Back to You
"I love this book and I LOVE the feisty Vera Wong! Once again, Jesse Sutanto delivers laugh-out-loud hijinks that are all wrapped up in charm and heart (and a dead body). 10/10 recommend this delightful ride!"—Lynn Painter, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Wager
“A mystery with warmth, humor, and many descriptions of delicious teas and foods. Recommended for fans of Sutanto and of character-driven cozy mysteries.”—Library Journal, starred review
“…Jesse’s core strength is ultimately this: whatever she writes, she writes with passion and a lot of heart.”—The Jakarta Post
“Vivid sensory descriptions of the custom teas Vera concocts and the elaborate feasts she prepares further heighten the feel-good appeal. Literary comfort food in the guise of a quirky whodunit.”—Kirkus
"Sutanto hits all the right notes in this cozy mystery, perfectly blending meddling, murder and found family."—BookPage, starred review
“The story brilliantly captured the characters and the cultural lifestyles and traditions of the group. The plot has some twists and turns, but this story is about more than solving a mystery.” —Mystery and Suspense Magazine
"This book is GREAT! Vera may very well be the best character in books all year.”—Red Carpet Crash
"This cozy mystery is absolutely astonishing in managing to be simultaneously humorous, deeply intelligent, and a precisely delivered target strike to my many already complicated feelings regarding being both Asian and Asian American in the 21st century.”—Criminal Element
