It's never a bad time with Vera Wong! This book follows a very similar structure to the first book, so while parts of it felt predictable, it also felt familiar in a good way. Sure, it's a little over the top and ridiculous at times, but there's also a charm to these books that gives me so much joy. I love how Vera collects people everywhere she goes, and I think at this point, I'd read a million more of these.

This one did take some heavy turns for such a sweet book, but I think it was all handled well. I'm such a fan of this series and I hope it continues forever!

Vera Wong has another mystery to solve! Vera is one of the most likable characters I've ever encountered. She is incredibly funny, both when she means to be and when she doesn't. This time she stumbles upon trouble outside of the police station and is compelled to solve the mystery of her new friend's missing friend. She decides to conduct her own investigation and meets many new characters along the way. She even discovers internet stardom! As you read, you want her to adopt you into her family of misfits, just like she does with the new characters in this second book. There are heavier topics in this sequel than in the first book, so overall it wasn't as humorous, but I will read as many books with Vera as the author writes.

Thank you to Berkley publishing and netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Listen, I don’t ask for much in life, but I do need a Chinese Auntie to take charge of my mess, nag me into submission, and solve a murder or two while we’re at it. And if that Auntie could be Vera Wong, all the better.

Vera is back, and she’s still the queen of snooping, meddling, and making just the right amount of trouble. Life has been positively thriving since she last found a dead body in her teahouse (I love that for her), but unfortunately, there hasn’t been a fresh corpse in a while, and our dear Vera is bored. What’s a woman to do when the universe won’t provide? Well, break into her almost-daughter-in-law’s work files, obviously.

And thank goodness she does, because soon she’s embroiled in another mystery—this time involving a social media influencer who’s so elusive, even the police can’t figure out who he really was. But Vera? Oh, Vera will find the truth. Why? Because (a) she is Vera Wong, (b) she needs a hobby, and (c) nothing will stand in the way of her making sure her son’s love life flourishes, even if that means solving a murder for the police yet again.

Vera’s latest adventure features all the essentials: a found family of exasperated yet devoted friends, a crime that is probably not her business, and a baffled detective who would like her to please stop stealing police files. But Vera Wong does not stop. Vera Wong solves. And if a little matchmaking, unsolicited life coaching, and extreme levels of meddling happen along the way—well, that’s just bonus content.

This book is the cozy mystery equivalent of a warm cup of tea that slaps you on the wrist and tells you to sit up straight. It’s got charm, heart, and just enough criminal trespassing to make things interesting. Vera is an absolute menace, and I would gladly let her take over my life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for the digital advance reader.

So, I love Vera Wong. These books are funny, filled with characters to love and care about, and give a hopeful glimpse at what we humans can be, when we choose to really see others.

If you are hoping for a puzzle-filled, complicated mystery, then Vera's not for you.

If you're looking for a mystery that will make you laugh, smile, and root for characters who are genuinely trying their best to figure out how to live kindly in an oftentimes cruel world, then pick these up.

It's probably not necessary to have read book one, but it will certainly help fill in the gaps for some of the returning characters.

Once again, Vera is drawn into a murder investigation: this time when she spies a nervous young Chinese woman outside the police station where her soon-to-be daughter-in-law works.

And, once again, in the course of her investigation, she comes to know her primary suspects, and soon they are all having meals together (that Vera fixes), tea together (that Vera fixes), and discovering that they aren't alone.

And, once again, the joy in this story is watching Vera. She's funny, hard-working, and deeply caring for those around her. Even when causing problems, she's still drawing people together.

It was wonderful to see the characters from the previous book again, as well as meet these new characters, who are just as endearing as those from book one.

Plus, there are definite indications that Vera will be having another adventure, and it can't come to soon for me!

*some language, adult situations

I am a huge fan of Jesse Q Sutanto’s work. I appreciate her lovingly humorous take on older Asian “aunties” (aka, grandmas and great-aunts) and their foibles. Her weaving together these “aunties” with the cozy mystery genre brings a breath of fresh air to both AAPI fiction and the mystery world.

In VERA WANG’S GUIDE TO SNOOPING (ON A DEAD MAN), Vera continues to be her quirky, well meaning, clueless and meddlesome self, moving through the relatively multicultural world of San Francisco’s Chinatown and its environs. In this novel, Vera again encounters a murder that the police have failed to fully see–and becomes determined to solve it. As she launches into her investigation, we see the world of social media influencers, human trafficking, Chinatown elders, and more through her “Chinese auntie” worldview. And through her empathy, her desire to help her “suspects,” and her delicious Chinese home cooking, Vera again triumphs, solving a murder mystery and bringing together another group of lost and lonely souls.

This novel is quite similar to VERA WANG’S UNSOLICITED ADVICE FOR MURDERERS–slightly updated with more emphasis on social media–so it can feel a little formulaic at times. Still, if you like Jesse Q Sutanto’s previous work (which I do!), you will probably also enjoy VERA WANG’S GUIDE TO SNOOPING (ON A DEAD MAN).

I LOVE Vera Wong! She is hilarious, endearing and a badass! I love how she always finds people who need each other and she brings them together. As long as Sutanto writes Vera books, I will be reading Vera books.

(Rating 4.5)
Vera is back with another investigation where she continues to expertly, and lovingly, “force” new friendships all while constantly cooking enough mouthwatering food to feed a small army.
Okay, I say “force” friendships, but Vera has a unique way of knowing just what people need even when they don’t realize it. With Vera, everyone is family.
While I didn’t necessarily connect with the new group of characters, I was super happy that this story included all the characters from the last book and I do think that they all meshed well together.
Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping is just as hilarious as her Unsolicited Advice for Murders however I will say that this book has much more serious subject matter that honestly threw me off and twisted my heart in ways I was not prepared for. That being said, I do highly recommend reading the authors note as it gives really good context as to why this plot ended up being as serious as it was.
Honestly the main reason I’m not giving this a full five stars is because in my opinion, nothing can top the first book.
It sounds like we were lucky to get this sequel but at the risk of sounding greedy, we really hope there could be a third *fingers crossed*

**Release Date: April 1, 2025**

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for a review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Quotes I Loved:
“Sometimes, all an old lady wants is a murder to solve. Is that too much to ask for?”

“But no, the universe did not grant her wish. What it did do was give her a knockoff, kind of like ordering something from Wish”

“That was parenting: a never-ending series of maybes.”

“I bring my police-grade pepper spray. Homemade! I make from Szechuan pepper, not only sting but make eyes go numb. Very effective.”

“What is an influencer party? You mean influenza party? I hope not.”

“Remember, Vera reminds herself, your ass is bad. Very bad. And that is a good thing.”

“Yes. Oliver Chen. Asian Thor.”

I loved this so much! You know how you're always skeptical if a second book can live up to the first? It definitely does! I adored Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, and I was so worried that Vera wouldn't charm me as much in Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man). Not to worry! She does. With her bluntness and "coercion," she is just as fun as she was in the first book. Vera always uses her "elderly-ness" to get her way. I'm proud to say, I do the same thing...I'm 7 years younger than she is, but once you get to a certain age, just start telling people how old you are. They'll do stuff for you. I love Vera's new "adopted" family members who populate this book. And, I love that her "family" from the first book are included. It makes my heart so happy to see them all together. Vera's cooking and tea making always gives me the warm fuzzies. I love my mom, but she doesn't cook like this for me. Granted she is 18 years older than Vera and isn't Chinese, so there's that... This book differs from the first in that it deals with a heavy subject, but it's so relevant and needs to be addressed. It is handled well, and I hope that it wakes people up to the reality that not everything is as it seems. I highly recommend this book!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

I received a gifted galley of VERA WONG'S GUIDE TO SNOOPING [ON A DEAD MAN] by Jesse Q. Sutanto - thank you to Berkley Publishing, PRH Audio and Netgalley for the opportunity to provide an honest review.

VERA WONG'S GUIDE TO SNOOPING [ON A DEAD MAN] brings our titular character Vera back in the sequel to VERA WONG’S UNSOLICITED ADVICE FOR MURDER. Vera's life has been going well with her son, her son's girlfriend, and her found family built in the process of investigating a death in book one. She's hoping for a bit more spice in life when she discovers the case of an influencer who died, the same influencer that a young woman she's just met is looking for. Xander is a young man who seems to have it all online, but when his body is found, no one seems to know who he is offline. Vera is determined to find answers.

Vera is such a fun character in her over the top, overly involved ways. I love the found family that she has built for herself and the way that continues over into the sequel. Vera's desire to be a PI and solve the murder for her favorite officer (her son's girlfriend) flows very naturally from the first book and I was very quickly hooked.

There were a few little nitpicky things that I didn't love. We do get a sudden new POV at the end to give us answers we've been waiting for which isn't my usual favorite way of wrapping up a mystery, but I had so much fun with Vera that it didn't bother me too much.

This book does take on some serious topics (trigger warning for human trafficking/exploitation) but I'd say overall it is handled fairly gently without a ton of explicit on page material.

Overall I had a fantastic time with this book and would definitely look forward to more from Vera in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: What can I say, this is as good as the first and that's saying something in the first was one of my favorite books of the year. You do need to read the first book in order to read this one. The cases are completely separate but you will get somewhat spoiled from the first book. In theory you could read this as a stand alone but why would you do that when the first book is so good. Just like in the first, we get such a strong sense of found family, laughter, so and many heartwarming moments. I could speak about Vera until I'm blue in the face. I somehow forgot there was even a mystery going on because I love these characters so much. My heart is so full just writing this review. I do have to recommend the audio, the audio editions of these stories always bring Vera to life.

I will enjoy these two books forever, and the ending sets you up for a third book that I know is going to be AMAZING. I already can't wait and I just finished this.

A good story with relevant themes that almost lost it with the pacing. I enjoyed the book at the end, but the narrative was plodding until the end and made it a bit of a chore to read in the middle. The core of the story was good and engaging. but it took too long to get to the core. There as a good amount of foreshadowing that the final premise was. I was fairly sure when it was going form almost the beginning,. Just took a long time to get there and a lot of "fluff". Toning down some of Vera's "bull in a china shop' action and building up to the final reveal would have made it a more consistent and pleasant read. Seemed everything of importance was lumped in the last few chapters. The meat and story is there, just not distributed well throughout the narrative.

**** 3/11/25 **** I'm a big Jesse Sutanto fan, as she manages to weave modern social issues into characters that charm and engage the reader. Vera Wong #2 is no exception. We have Vera at her San Francisco tea house, next door to "frenemy" Winifred's Chinese/Parisian bakery. Vera is established one page 1 as a hard core "grab life by the ba**s" kind of widow, up before dawn, cold shower, aggressive morning walks and endlessssss cooking for family, friends and strangers who are not yet her friends (but soon). Vera is sarcastic, outspoken, opinionated, vulnerable, and waiting desperately for grandchildren. She is also bored. She wants/needs an adventure, which she gets after falling prey to a phone scam, and going to the police station to report the crime. There she meets Millie, around whom a lot of the plot develops.

The novel does deal with serious issues, but they are mostly disclosed as the mystery is wrapping up near the end (although most readers will recognize the situation very early on). Nothing so bad that would warrant a trigger warning, thankfully. The book also educates readers on influencers and how they do business which was interesting.

Sutanto's prose is mostly tight, descriptive, and heartfelt. She engages readers like not many authors do making her books fun, interesting and contemporary, while still representing Asian people and culture in a very accessible way.

My issues with this book are two-fold: 1) Note to Sutanto: PLEASE STOP WRITING ABOUT 60-year old women as "OLD LADIES!" OMG the phrase "old lady," "old woman" and similar were repeated probably 100 times in the book (I might be exaggerating, but not much). Based on the writing, the reader envisions a tiny little old vulnerable woman who has a gray bun and is what I would consider 80's+++! 60 is not an "old lady." Maybe this is intentional on Sutanto's part to be part of Vera Wong's "kitsch" or maybe Sutanto is in her 30's still (she is) and thinks this is really what 60 looks like. Or maybe Sultanto is playing to the statistics that report readers 65+ are the lowest percentage population who pick up a book (I was surprised too). In any case, the description didn't match Vera's actions and was off-putting to me. 2) There are really too many extraneous characters in the novel that don't play any key roles and should be relegated to a narrative backseat so the reader can really focus on the 5-10 most important people.

In the end, I found the book entertaining and a fast read. 3.5 stars (1 star off for 'old lady') rounded up (for entertainment factor) = 4-stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

***3/1/25*** Super excited to be approved by NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing to be provided a copy of this upcoming 4/1/25 release in exchange for my honest review. I read and loved Jesse Sutanto's first Vera Wong book. This is another light-hearted mystery with a modern quirky ensemble of characters anchored in Vera Wong's San Francisco tearoom setting. Sutanto does a great job of representing Asian culture intertwined in a US metro setting. Very accessible and relatable. Plus I used to live near San Francisco and enjoy novels in that setting. I think Sutanto usually intertwines a current event or current social issue into the narrative to make it relevant and give the book some depth, which keeps it from devolving into a "cozy mystery" that is largely fluff. This is what makes her popular. I'm looking forward to reading this one and seeing what she ties into this novel. Review coming soon.

Thank you so much to Berkley for the gifted book!

Oh Vera, how I love you!!

I was so excited to be back in Vera Wong's world and forgot how endearing and fun she was! Like her first book, Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murders, Vera finds herself in the midst of some serious drama- oh, and murder, because duh!

Often times, sequels end up annoying me and don't measure up, but I seriously hope we get a book #3 and I RARELY want a book 3!

I love amateur sleuths, cozy mysteries, books revolving around senior citizens, and tea. Therefore, I am the target audience for this series. Throw in the adorable covers and I'm sold!

I love the relationship that Vera has with her son and daughter-in-law and all the hilarity that ensues among the three of them. Vera is full of big personality and big opinions and she made me laugh so many times throughout the book!

If you haven't read these yet, but love Finlay Donovan and The Thursday Murder Club, then you definitely need to grab them today!

P.S. Justice for the original title, Vera Wong's Guide to Dating a Dead Man - LOL

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to PRH Audio for the gifted ALC*

Our favorite sleuthing tea shop owner is back with a bang! And this time, she's going viral. I loved the angle of solving the murder of an influencer, paired with a discussion of social media and its presence in true crime. The cast of characters made up Xander's inner circle, though we quickly find out that things aren't exactly how they seemed online. As always, Vera makes quick friends of her suspects and is instrumental in their lives. I love seeing how she interacts with Emma and Robin, especially in contrast with her own son Tilly. All of the food described sounds amazing, I need to get some pork and chive dumplings stat!

Don't let this cozy mystery fool you though, this book got DARK at the end. But still it was so uplifting and funny throughout, Jesse Q Sutanto can truly do both. And that ending - WAAAAAAH?? Very happy to get another book though! Maybe next Vera can solve the mystery of how to get herself a daughter in law (and some grandbabies).

Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man)
by Jesse Q. Sutanto

I laughed so hard, often, while reading this book. Jesse Q. Sutano has a gem in Vera but not only in her. She gives her side characters life, too, as we get to know their inner thoughts and they are as funny as Vera's thoughts, so real, so what I would never say out loud but I might think and never admit. One of the funniest things about Vera is her swing from claiming all the poor old lady bonus points she can from life, when it's convenient, to crowing about her strengths and virtues as a "young" 61, in the next moment. Vera knows how to work all the angles and you can get whiplash in just one sentence from her when she's using all her wiles against you.

Life is going great for Vera. It's full of friends, fabulous food, fun stuff, but...sort of boring. Where are the dead bodies now that Vera has established herself (in her mind) as an experienced, expert, private investigator? All she needs is the sign over her door. She's done it once, solved a murder, she can do it again! She just needs the bodies, the crimes, she'll be on to solving them proto!

Through a very timid young lady, Vera learns of a missing young man. Add in some major snooping through some police files and Vera is on the case, way ahead of anyone else towards finding out who the young man is whose body has been found in the river. Thing is, the young man had more than one identity and neither of them seems to be his real identity.

As the story progressed, I began to get a strong feeling this was more than "just" a murder. That there was something even darker, more widespread, more dangerous, more insidious than just a young man and an everyday type crime. The young man was Influencer famous yet no one knew him, he was something different to several people who adored him, he was there, yet he was invisible. It's as if he really didn't exist yet the person his best friends knew was a person who was deeply troubled and needed help. The sense of doom grows the more we find we don't know about what is going on with this young man and those around him.

For all the laughs, so many laughs, this story is just as strong with facing some serious problems that destroy lives. Knowing, from the author's afterword, that so much of what is in the story is based on what really goes on in the world, adds a heaviness to Vera's story that I wasn't expecting. It's as if Vera is giving us entertainment and laughs but also shining a light on the everyday horrors of the underbelly of life.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.

In 2023, I “spilled the tea” on “Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers”.
See review:

So is this follow-up as funny as the first?

Well, YES-for the most part! In fact, I think the first half of this installment may be EVEN FUNNIER, than the first book, with MANY of the “laugh out loud” moments-arising from the fact that Vera’s first language is Mandarin, so sometimes when she speaks English, something gets lost in translation…

Or does It?!

And, although she knows that “60 is the new 40”, she doesn’t hesitate to use her “helpless old lady”👵🏻 card, when she feels that might be useful, bringing more smiles. Because we all know, that Vera is NOT really lacking in confidence, and she is far from helpless.

But, the second half, is “less cozy” and a bit more serious than the first book.
(DO READ the author’s acknowledgment page!)

Vera considers herself BLESSED that a man was once found dead in her teahouse. After all, “solving that crime” put her business on the map, and brought “found family” into her life!

And, it brought Officer Selena Gray, into her son Tilly’s life-and there is nothing that she wants more than for her to become her “daughter in law” and the one who will finally give her some grand babies to cook for!

But, if she is being honest-she is a bit bored…

Then Vera bumps into a distressed young woman named Millie, who seems to need her help. Millie is looking for her missing friend, Thomas, but isn’t sure if she can trust the Police.

And, just like that-Vera has a new case to solve!

Fortunately, while cat-sitting at Tilly and Selena's, Vera finds Selena's briefcase. Of course our nosy amateur sleuth can’t stop herself from taking a peek inside, and what she finds, is her FIRST CLUE. Thomas is also known as Xander Lin, a popular influencer and he is already on law enforcement’s radar.

Who is Xander Lin? You can bet the meddlesome, but endearing Vera won’t sleep until she finds out.

And, because her day starts at 430 AM, she has plenty of time to pry answers out of those who are usually unwilling to talk, using her unique “interrogation skills” of serving them Chinese comfort food, motherly advice and the blend of tea that even they didn’t know that they needed.

I adored the first book, and I was thrilled when I saw that there would be a sequel, and it didn’t disappoint! Although this would work as a standalone, there are cameo appearances from characters in book one, and the murderer in that book is revealed, so if you are planning to read both, I recommend reading them in order.

This title is scheduled for publication on April 1, 2025.

Thank You to Berkley for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!

Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man by Jesse Sutanto
Rating: 5 stars
Pub date: 4/1

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Berkley Romance for my free book!

Vera Wong is back, and she’s just as nosy and hilarious as ever in this fantastic sequel to Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. After all the excitement of solving a murder in her teahouse, life has been a little too quiet for Vera’s liking. But when a young woman named Millie shows up looking for a missing friend, Vera wastes no time diving into another mystery—whether the police (or her future daughter-in-law) like it or not.

Jesse Q. Sutanto absolutely nails the perfect mix of cozy mystery, humor, and heart in this book. The mystery itself is super intriguing—who was Xander Lin, and why does no one seem to know anything about him? The twists kept me hooked, but what I really love about this series is the characters. Vera is as over-the-top and lovable as ever, and her growing found family just makes the story even sweeter. Plus, the way she meddles in her son’s life (and somehow gets away with it) is just too funny.

And of course, there’s the food—seriously, don’t read this on an empty stomach because the descriptions of Vera’s cooking will have you craving dumplings. Between the laugh-out-loud moments, the heartfelt relationships, and the satisfying mystery, this book is an absolute delight from start to finish. If you loved the first one, you’re going to adore this sequel!

I'm torn between what would be better - having Vera Wong as your grandmother or being Vera Wong when you grow up! In this novel, she solidified her place as one of my favorite characters of all time. This book is the sequel to Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, which was a tale of found family that was both hilarious and heartwarming at the same time.

This novel follows Vera and her new band of misfits that she takes under her wing. There are appearances from all the players in book 1, so I definitely recommend reading them in order. Vera and her new gang work to uncover the details behind a suspicious death and a mysterious personality, while at the same time learning life lessons, finding companionship, and of course drinking Vera's delicious tea and eating Winifred's Korean (or Chinese or maybe French) pastries.

Vera's character is absolutely hilarious. Her role as the overbearing Chinese mother is endearingly similar to all of our mothers and MILs, regardless of culture. The language barrier leads to some one-liners that made me laugh out loud, HARD. In this book we get to see Vera try her hand as a social media personality, and of course hilarity ensues.

Although this is a cozy mystery, it does end up dealing with some very serious subject matter that was a little difficult to read about. If only we had a real life Vera to take down the evil in this world.

Thank you NetGalley for this incredible ARC!

WELP, this was just as perfect as I’d hoped it would be. I read the first Vera story after my dad died - the first book that I could focus on in those hazy weeks, and Vera and her found-family hijinks gave me comfort and distraction during one of the hardest times of my life. When I was recently met with some similarly scary and overwhelming news, I knew exactly where to turn for the perfect comfort reading in this sequel. While this story deals with some heavier topics (definitely do check CWs) than your typical cozy mystery, the absolute magic of Vera and her impeccable ability to draw everyone together in community gave my heart the boost it truly needed. Couple that with a page-turning mystery, and you have such a winner! I will be a Vera reader for as long as she keeps being written. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a chance to read an early copy!

Vera is like a favorite home cooked meal. This book did not disappoint. It has sass, a comedic Chinese Mother, descriptions of delicious food and teas and found family. After the fun of the first book, I was really excited to meet a new cast of characters but also we got to catch up with the ones from the first book. Vera is at it again, solving a suspicious death and bringing about chaos and love. There is a heavy topic that you kind of have an idea of but don't know for sure until the end. This was a great cozy book and a quick read. I really hope we get more Vera in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.