Everyone Needs A Vera Wong

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice For Murderers by Jesse Sutanto is a fabulous contemporary cosy crime novel that I absolutely loved and read it in just two sittings. It is the first book in what I hope will be a very long series.

Vera Wong is a sixty-year-old Chinese mother living in San Francisco. She owns a tea house but most of the time it is empty. Her life is very regimented but lonely – until a dead body turns up in her tea house! Suddenly Vera Wong has a new lease of life as she investigates just what has happened. “People always say that your wedding day is the happiest day of your life, but honestly, people should try solving murders more often.” Vera Wong has found her raisin d’etre.

As the victim’s life opens up, Vera Wong meets new people. Each one had a reason to kill. Each one is a suspect. And each one is a new friend to Vera.

Vera Wong is a ‘feeder’. She cooks for and feeds everyone that she meets – including the police!

Vera Wong has good investigating skills as she notes, “generations of Chinese mothers have perfected the art of sniffing out guilt.” She also notes, “nobody sniffs out wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands.”

As Vera Wong investigates, she finds that she has loads of new friends. Her heart is kind and she is able to bring out the best in people. Her new friends all appreciate her, with one declaring “nothing bad can happen with a Vera in your life.” Vera Wong is like a dog with a bone. She leaves no stone unturned. “Her interrogation skills would humble most C.I.A. agents.”

There is much humor within this light-hearted novel. Some is caused by the situations that Vera finds herself in, others are caused by her malapropisms. She refers to a podcast as a ‘pot catch.’

All the characters were well drawn, realistic and likable. As the novel opens up, the list of characters and friendships grow.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with Vera Wong and look forward to more encounters with her.

JULIA WILSON