Simone and Her Books

You know, I never considered myself a fan of cozy mysteries until I came across Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. If this is what most cozy mysteries feel like, then consider me sold.

More about Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice to Murderers

Put the kettle on, there’s a mystery brewing…
Tea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective?

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.

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My thoughts

This was such a comforting read and yes, I’m laughing because it’s also about a mystery and a murder case. But it’s truly Vera who moves this story along; who finds a little bit of joy in the monotony of her middle-aged life and learns that family can come in all different shapes and sizes.

What I loved most about this story is Vera herself. She has such a strong personality that draws people to her and while a few may go running for the hills, if you’re open to her, you’re not only rewarded with a great cup of tea, but a friendship that lasts forever. Vera struggles with her own family issues (her husband already passing and her son too busy to visit), but what this book portrays is that even the quirkiest mothers can open someone up with a simple gesture or a very straightforward opinion.

This is also one of those books where it’s super tough to feel empathy for the victim. As the story unfolds and each character explains their connection to the deceased, a clearer picture is presented where maybe it wasn’t too bad that he unexpectedly died. It feels weird saying that since I don’t wish death on anyone, but maybe in this case the dude kind of deserved it.

But the story is less about the murder and more about the people affected by the murder. While the police make a brief appearance throughout the story, this story is more about Vera Wong’s suspect list. From the victim’s wife, brother, and a few others who show up, this unassuming group of people end up finding themselves and finding each other. It’s kind of wild how the murder of a jerk can lead to a group of people to grow. It felt like i was reading an Agatha Christie novel where it turns out the killer is all of us in some way or another.

Overall, such a fun one to read and another reason why I’m a huge fan of Jesse Q. Sutanto.