Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
Fiction
Berkley Books
March 14, 2023
Paperback/Audio
352
Purchased/libby
Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet).
But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll 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 decides it’s down to her to catch the killer.
Nobody spills the tea like this amateur sleuth.
My review:
I don't read many of what I would call cozy mysteries (although I have been trying to fit a few Miss Marple books in my reading). However, as much as I loved this authors two previous books about Chinese "aunties", I knew I had to make an exception. This book was a hooot, and even better if you are an audiophile, the narrator is superb! For me, the mystery wasn't even the entertaining part of the book, it was the character of Vera and her various idiosynchrasies. She takes on the role of sleuth because she thinks the police are being completely inept in how they handle the dead body found in her tea shop. Her general advice to those around her on how they should live life, such as admonishing all those who don't go to bed early and rise at 5AM, just made me giggle. And of course there is extra advice for her single son. You definitely have to suspend some disbelief on how involved Vera ends up getting with the murder suspects, but the whole book is just such a barrel of fun that I was happy to go along for the ride. She did remind me a bit of Miss Marple in the way people would open up to her, thinking she is just a doddering old lady and not someone whip smart and always one step ahead.
Take a break from some heavier reads with this kick butt little Asian lady. You'll be glad you did. I want to be friends with a real Vera and I would certainly frequent her shop even though I hate tea!
