Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping [On a Dead Man] by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) (Vera Wong, #2)

Vera Wong is back and as meddling as ever in this follow-up to the hit Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.…

Ever since a man was found dead in Vera's teahouse, life has been good. For Vera that is. She’s surrounded by loved ones, her shop is bustling, and best of all, her son, Tilly, has a girlfriend! All thanks to Vera, because Tilly's girlfriend is none other than Officer Selena Gray. The very same Officer Gray that she had harassed while investigating the teahouse murder. Still, Vera wishes more dead bodies would pop up in her shop, but one mustn't be ungrateful, even if one is slightly...bored.
Then Vera comes across a distressed young woman who is obviously in need of her kindly guidance. The young woman is looking for a missing friend. Fortunately, while cat-sitting at Tilly and Selena's, Vera finds a treasure Selena's briefcase. Inside is a file about the death of an enigmatic influencer—who also happens to be the friend that the young woman was looking for.

Online, Xander had it a parade of private jets, fabulous parties with socialites, and a burgeoning career as a social media influencer. The only problem is, after his body is fished out of Mission Bay, the police can't seem to actually identify him. Who is Xander Lin? Nobody knows. Every contact is a dead end. Everybody claims not to know him, not even his parents.
Vera is determined to solve Xander's murder. After all, doing so would surely be a big favor to Selena, and there is nothing she wouldn't do for her future daughter-in-law.

Content Tags:

Perfect for readers who want:

• An older protagonist who is very self-assured and will take no crap from anyone
• Utterly adorable and wholesome found family who’s supportive
• Humor and heartwarming, while still tackling heavy topics
• Intergenerational bonding
• Murder mystery with a unique twist
• An older woman who just wants to adopt and feed the world (because food makes everything better)

Overall

I absolutely fell in love with Vera Wong and her over-the-top (but extremely lovable) personality when I belly laughed my way through the first book, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. I’ve been impatiently waiting for this to release since the moment I realized there would be a second one. While I do love my murder mysteries, there’s something irresistible about a strong older woman who is determined to save the world through food, tea, and inserting herself in everyone else’s business like she belongs there.

Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping [On A Dead Man] is a murder mystery with a lovable older protagonist who believes in herself (and those around her) and will stop at nothing to solve the mystery . . . despite hijinks, hilarity, and possibly even danger.

This book was everything the first book was, and then some. All our favorite characters are back for more drama, with a whole new cast to love (admittedly, it’s hitting max capacity for characters, and I sometimes had trouble keeping track of them all). While this felt every bit as funny as the first book, I appreciated a lot of the quieter moments, as well, and thought the author did a good job of balancing the two. This isn’t just a funny book (though it is) but also a deeply moving one that tackles some very heavy subjects.

My Thoughts

Vera Wong is back, in all her squishable glory, being the grandma everyone needs but never asked for, because she is an absolute treasure.

If you’ve never met Vera Wong (not to be confused with Vera Wang . . . unless it might benefit her, of course), then you should probably go back and read book one because you’re missing important backstory. For everyone else, who reads books in the correct order, you should already be aware of how utterly delightful Vera is, and this book is no exception.

Vera is the older woman I want to grow up to be. Is she perfect? Of course not. But she wakes up every day and does her utter best. She unashamedly stands up for the people around her, adopts needy people off the street (sometimes—okay, oftentimes—without their permission), and feeds pretty much everyone she meets. If she’s maybe a little overbearing and oblivious, I think she can be forgiven. There’s only so many hours in the day.

As much as I fell in love with Vera in the first book, Vera in this book is even better. She’s still naive and rather overbearing, but she’s also surrounded by all the family she gained in the first book. And as much as they helped her to learn and grow, she’s taken that and has decided to pay it forward in the absolute best ways that will warm your heart and have you rooting for her over and over again.

While there are no dead bodies appearing in teahouses in this book, don’t worry . . . there’s still a murder investigation to be had!

Okay, I confess it maybe sounds bad to root for death, buuuut . . . it’s kind of hard to have a murder mystery without the murder part. Although, to be fair, it’s unclear whether a murder even occurred. A disappearance, certainly. A death, sure. A cover-up, of course. A handful of slightly sinister (and maybe well-intentioned) lies, obviously. But a murder? Well, that remains to be seen.

Vera obviously can’t stop herself from taking the case when she bumps into a literal stranger who tells her that she’s concerned about a friend who has vanished. Things become all the more complicated when Vera uncovers that this ‘friend’ hasn’t only vanished, but has shuffled off this mortal coil, in an apparent suicide. Leave it to Vera to smell when something fishy is afoot. (Even if it wasn’t, though, she would for sure tell you it smelled fishy, if only to have a reason to investigate.)

The case in this book is perhaps a little more serious and heartwrenching than the first. You may be asking yourself how, because death is death of course, but this one . . . involves children. Reading about children suffering is somehow harder than middle-aged men who definitely had it coming. Sutanto does a great job of balancing the darker elements with the humor, just as in the first, but make no mistake that you will find a lot of things to be outraged about with this book. Not to worry, though; Vera has already beat you aboard the outrage train.

As always, Vera proves how exceptionally good she is at sticking her nose into other people’s business . . . but this time, it comes with some potentially dangerous consequences. And now there’s more at stake than ever, as Vera has a family to think of.

As I’ve said, this case is tougher than the first. The stakes are higher. Just like the first book, everyone is lying to protect their own secrets and interests . . . but some secrets are worth killing for. Thanks to her previous escapades, Vera now has an adorable found family to think about. If she involves herself in dangerous affairs, it’s not just her well-being that’s at stake.

Just like the first book, though, Vera somehow manages to make her family grow during this book. People are just drawn to Vera, like a moth to a flame. Also, she’s maybe a little intimidating and hard to say no to, so people tend not to. I always enjoy seeing the different ways Vera manages to pull people together, even against their will. She somehow sees exactly what a person needs (even if it’s just a good meal and companionship for an hour). I think that’s what I love most about Vera. She isn’t out changing the world through large, flashy acts. She’s just out there caring for strangers so hard that they remember to care about themselves.

Vera is a walking stereotype of older adults in so many ways, and stereotypes in general are bad . . . but Sutanto presents it in such a way that it is absolutely one of the most endearing qualities about her.

Obviously, a lot of the humor in this book hinges around pushing the boundaries of belief. Is it realistic that an older woman would make one random TikTok and immediately become a viral influencer like she intended? Of course not. But if anyone could do it, it’d be Vera. The series obviously requires a certain amount of suspension of disbelief, and if you’re able to do that, it’s extremely enjoyable.

That applies to the stereotypes, too. Vera is obviously a very capable, smart women . . . but she still falls for scammers. (And honestly, don’t we all, at some point in our lives?) She struggles to keep up with all the Gen Z lingo (saaaaame) and doesn’t always understand the things that are important to the younger generations, like TikTok. She’s also overbearing, bossy, all the -ists, and absolutely embodies the Boomer stereotype. But in a way that she somehow manages to be charming and lovable? The over-the-top stereotype is part of what makes it so darn funny. (But also, not gonna lie, she reminds me of my own grandmother in many ways, which makes me laugh all the more.)

Even though this book is very funny, there are also a lot of very heartwarming moments that perfectly balance the narrative.

It’s hard to do all the things at once—murder mystery, humor, heartwarming. Somehow, Sutanto manages it with perceived ease. Even though there are a lot of caricatures in the book, Sutanto repeatedly reminds readers that what you see isn’t often the truth. Every character has their own struggles (some more serious than others) that they have to contend with, and they’re all highly relatable, whether it be keeping up appearances, loneliness, or financial issues.

About Jesse Q. Sutanto

Jesse Q Sutanto grew up shuttling back and forth between Jakarta and Singapore and sees both cities as her homes. She has a Masters degree from Oxford University, though she has yet to figure out a way of saying that without sounding obnoxious. She is currently living back in Jakarta on the same street as her parents and about seven hundred meddlesome aunties. When she's not tearing out her hair over her latest WIP, she spends her time baking and playing FPS games. Oh, and also being a mom to her two kids.

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