"Knives Out meets Kim's Convenience 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 college-aged son is up to. Then one morning, Vera trudges downstairs to find a ...
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"Knives Out meets Kim's Convenience 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 college-aged 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?"--
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New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 352 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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Seller's Description:
Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 352 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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Book is in good condition and may contain underlining or highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include library labels. May not contain miscellaneous items (toys, dvds, etc). We offer 100% money back guarantee and fast customer support.
After initially thinking "oh dear, I'm not going to like this", the more I listened the more I grew to love Vera Wong.
Vera lives on her own after the death of her husband, her son being successful and not in her life quite as much as she would like. Once a thriving tea shop, Vera Wang's World Famous Tea House is now on it's last legs having only one regular customer so when she discovers a dead body in the middle of her shop one morning, she decides it has to be murder and begins to investigate and find out who killed Marshall.
Using her own logic, Vera decides that those who turn up at her shop to ask questions about the body immediately become suspects and she begins to ingratiate herself into their lives using her forthright nature, a little bit of manipulation, fantastic cooking and, if course, tea.
As the story develops, we get to know each of the characters and suspects more so by the end, you don't want any of them to be guilty of murder but one of them must be surely?
This is definitely within the 'cosy mystery' genre and whilst there is little action, I was caught up in the story hook, line and sinker and desperate to know what the ultimate outcome was going to be and I definitely wasn't disappointed.
The narrator was excellent and she totally drew me into the story and into Vera's life. This, for me, was definitely a book to listen to rather than to read myself and I am hopeful that Vera will do more investigating in the future.
Many thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.
Kristina
Mar 6, 2023
Not my cup of tea!
Vera Wongââ?¬â?¢s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Suntato is not what I expected. I did not like the perspective (it was odd). The authorââ?¬â?¢s writing style made for an awkward story. It makes for a slow-moving story with repetitive details. There are multiple points of view (five). We get these detailed backstories on each person (I really did not need to know that much about each character). With the multiple points-of-view, it leads to a significant amount of repetition. I do not need the details of the case told to me five times. Vera Wong is made out to be an elderly woman with a strong personality. Vera is only in her sixties (the closer I get to that age the less it seems old). She is still active as proven by her morning powerwalks. Vera is a woman of strong opinions. She is a widow with a grown son who largely ignores his mother. The book moves at a snailââ?¬â?¢s pace. The story needed action and excitement. We are privy to each characterââ?¬â?¢s backstory, thoughts, and feelings. Two-year-old Emma was a baffling character. The author gives her characteristics of an older child (talks in complete sentences and can do detailed drawings instead of scribbles). Vera is excited when she finds a dead man in her tea shop. The police are not happy with Veraââ?¬â?¢s assistance. I was surprised that some of her actions did not find her behind bars. I believe the police wrote off Vera as a silly, interfering old woman. The mystery was simple. It felt as if more pages were devoted to Veraââ?¬â?¢s thoughts and ideas than the actual case. The reveal is long and drawn out. There is a ââ?¬Å"twistââ?¬Â? which may or may not surprise readers (it depends on how many mysteries you have read). I ended up skimming to get through the story. I did like the ending. The investigation brings new friends and changes to Veraââ?¬â?¢s life. The story was too long (350 pages) especially for such a straightforward whodunit. I found myself bored by Vera Wongââ?¬â?¢s Unsolicited Advice for Murders. There is some mild foul language (just to let you know). I liked the setting of San Franciscoââ?¬â?¢s Chinatown. The author brought the area to life with her vivid word imagery. Vera Wongââ?¬â?¢s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers has an inquisitive tea shop owner, a slain stranger, curious suspects, stimulating strolls, a dispassionate detective, and a surprising solution.
