This book sat on my nightstand for months, taunting me with that perfect title. I’d heard author Jesse Q. Sutanto on a podcast and liked the premise, but honestly, that title is what sold me.
The story opens with Vera Wong, a widow living above her failing tea shop in San Francisco's Chinatown. Vera is magnificently complicated—lonely and sympathetic, yes, but also the kind of person who judges everyone she meets. If you're not living life exactly her way, you're doing it wrong.
Then one morning, she comes downstairs to find a dead man on her tea shop floor.
Convinced the police are useless, Vera investigates herself, inserting herself into the lives of her suspects with the subtlety of a bulldozer.
I expected a cozy mystery. What I got was something just as interesting: a found-family story that happens to have a murder in it. Sutanto excels at giving each character a distinct voice and perspective, and I kept turning pages—but mostly to see how the relationships would evolve, not to find out whodunit.
The mystery itself? A bit thin. Sutanto withholds key information that would have made the killer obvious early on, and not in a fair-play way. These are details that would naturally surface in conversation, so the omissions felt like the author was playing tricks rather than the characters keeping secrets. That bugged me.
But here's the thing: I still really enjoyed this book. The found-family storyline is strong enough to carry it, and the food scenes are absolutely mouthwatering. (I'm always a sucker for good food writing.)
The verdict: Worth reading, though not a must-read. It won several mystery awards in 2024, so clearly it resonated with a lot of readers. If you're looking for a character-driven story with heart—and don't mind a mystery that's more backdrop than puzzle—give Vera Wong a try.
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers • Jesse Q. Sutanto • ★★★★