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A review by lovelymisanthrope
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I picked up this book because it was the Literally Dead Book Club pick for March 2024.
"Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers" is a cozy mystery that follows Vera Wong as she takes solving a murder into her own hands. Vera Wong owns a tea shop, and one morning when she comes downstairs to prepare to open her shop, she finds a man dead. After trying to help the police with their investigation, and their disapproval of her assistance, she decides to solve the murder for herself. Vera quickly falls into a complicated world, with several suspects who all have the motivation to kill this mystery man.
This was such a fun cozy mystery, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of reading it. Vera Wong is a very colorful woman, and I really enjoyed her as a protagonist. She is the stereotypical, headstrong Chinese woman, and her inclination to put herself into every situation was amusing and endearing. It was impressive how much she knew about police investigations, and what needed to be done in order to solve a murder. She is both wise beyond her years and smart as a whip.
I really enjoyed the entire cast of characters. Everyone in the novel seemed to be struggling with something and I love how Vera seemed to be their guiding light to help them through their tumultuous situations. Vera was also pretty humble with her involvement in the improving of their lives.
I did not love the ultimate reveal of who the murderer was and why they killed this man. Although, I did not anticipate that the story was going to go in this direction, so it came as a shock. I thought the story was going in a different direction, which I think I would have enjoyed slightly more.
I definitely recommend this book, and I will be reading more from Jesse Q. Sutanto in the future!
"Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers" is a cozy mystery that follows Vera Wong as she takes solving a murder into her own hands. Vera Wong owns a tea shop, and one morning when she comes downstairs to prepare to open her shop, she finds a man dead. After trying to help the police with their investigation, and their disapproval of her assistance, she decides to solve the murder for herself. Vera quickly falls into a complicated world, with several suspects who all have the motivation to kill this mystery man.
This was such a fun cozy mystery, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of reading it. Vera Wong is a very colorful woman, and I really enjoyed her as a protagonist. She is the stereotypical, headstrong Chinese woman, and her inclination to put herself into every situation was amusing and endearing. It was impressive how much she knew about police investigations, and what needed to be done in order to solve a murder. She is both wise beyond her years and smart as a whip.
I really enjoyed the entire cast of characters. Everyone in the novel seemed to be struggling with something and I love how Vera seemed to be their guiding light to help them through their tumultuous situations. Vera was also pretty humble with her involvement in the improving of their lives.
I did not love the ultimate reveal of who the murderer was and why they killed this man. Although, I did not anticipate that the story was going to go in this direction, so it came as a shock. I thought the story was going in a different direction, which I think I would have enjoyed slightly more.
I definitely recommend this book, and I will be reading more from Jesse Q. Sutanto in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity and Death of parent