Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers: The gripping, hilarious cozy crime mystery

This is a murder mystery but it's sooo much more than that! the story follows the hilarious antics of Vera, a 60 year old Chinese tea shop owner-turned amateur sleuth (because of course she can do a better job at catching the killer than the local police who won't even take the murder-or Vera's opinion for that matter- seriously enough for her taste!). We also get to meet the various "suspects" she encounters on the way as she brings them together while she tries to solve the crime. Each one has something to hide, and things are definitely not how they first seem. I enjoyed learning about each of the characters, and how their interactions with Vera completely changes all of their lives. Vera herself is awesome! her character is so lifelike that I felt like I could hear her in my head and picture her easily. Oh and be aware that if you love Chinese food you're going to be absolutely craving it as you read because among her many talents Vera can also cook up a storm! Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is a well written page turner that kept me interested from start to finish - it's brilliant, funny and really heartwarming too - I loved it!

Vera Wong owns a teahouse in Chinatown in San Fransisco. One morning, before she goes for her usual walk around the neighbourhood, she discovers a dead body in her shop. She then puts an obituary in the paper, because she knows the murderer will revisit the scene of his or her crime. This way, she makes the acquaintance of 4 people. How do these people all intertwine with the deceased is part of the charm of this book.A lovely read (I couldn't put it down), and a great denouement at the end. I also listened to the audio, which was well read (especially the Chinese).If you want a nice, cosy book with a cup of tea, this is the book for you.

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers follows a motley cast of characters all working together to solve the mystery of Marshall Chen's death. This group is led by the one-and-only Chinese mother, tea-maker, and amateur sleuth, Vera Wong.This book was laugh-out-loud funny. Like, straight away I was messaging my friend like 'as if she said that'. It's just brilliant. I can't remember the exact wording, but there was something about 'slipping and sliding' into someone's DM's that cracked me up.But, aside from the humour, the cast of characters are what make this book so special. Right from the start I felt like I 'got' the characters and, even those who were suspects, wormed their way into my little heart. I fell in love with all of them. Especially little Emma - what an absolute cutie she is - and Vera (a powerhouse if ever I saw one).So, yeah, this book was an all-round hit, and a 5* read for sure. If you're looking for a speedy read full of humour, fleshed-out characters, and a whole heap of intrigue, this is the one for you.

An entertaining book with a light hearted murder mystery that had a happy ending. The characters are well drawn and sympathetic. Not exactly gripping, in fact I skimmed a bit towards the end as it was getting repetitive, and not helped by the fact that I guessed who the culprit was well before the end.

3.5*Set in San Francisco Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice For Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto is a lovely cosy mystery murder story full of humour and wonderful characters. I enjoyed this book.Book: Purchased

One of my favourite reads ever!!! Heart-warming and absolutely hilarious!! I highly recommend it and cannot wait to read more books by the same author. T

Great cosy crime! Good one to read on holiday. Heart warming story of Vera Wong. Easy to read and pick up again later.

Vera Wong is a 60 year old woman who comes downstairs to the teashop she owns in San Francisco to find a dead body and thinks she can do a much better job of solving the murder than the police “because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands”Vera Wong is infuriating and yet endearing at the same time. She has very fixed ideas about howpeople should behave even though she herself often behaves in a ridiculous manner!Chapters are written from the point of view of various characters that Vera thinks are likely suspects for the murder, and through their backstories and points of view you come to warm to all of them all, including Vera, a lot more than the murder victim himself!I think fans of The Thursday Murder Club and other cosy mysteries with great characterisation will love this book.

This book is a captivating cozy mystery and I loved it! I read it in 2 days and, from the very beginning, I knew I would feel lost when it ended (and I do).The novel is filled with lovable characters that you want to see vindicated, and their stories are knit together by an evil villain who gets what he deserves (no spoiler, as it happens very early in the story).Some reviews mentioned this book being predictable, but I don’t agree. Proving some of the murder suspects innocent, I felt the writer still pulled surprises out of the hat. My own predictions were wrong, and I’m grateful the writer didn’t do what so many current writers (of both books and television) are doing by using a deux ex machina, which I loathe, or simply sending the story off at right angles in order to avoid predictability, which is almost as bad, in an effort to effect a “twist ending.” In my opinion, Sutanto pulled off a surprise ending without resorting to any tricks. Good job!Some reviews mention clichés, but I felt the main character’s personality required a bit of a cliché to work in a humorous manner. She had a very strong personality which I think would have been weakened without a tiny bit of reliance upon the cliché of the traditional Chinese-American mother. Sometimes I think clichés can simply be a type of shorthand for various personality types. Think of all the stereotypical characters Woody Allen used throughout his career, or Larry David in his writing. Even Wodehouse used stereotypical characters, but that’s didn’t make them any less hilarious. At least that’s my perspective.This is a perfect cozy mystery if that’s what you are looking for. Personally, I wish all cozy mysteries were as cozy as this one, and I’m grateful that Jesse Q. Sutanto wrote such a sweetly humorous murder mystery with characters that I wish I had as real-life friends, and I am off now to purchase her, “Dial A for Aunties,” in the hope that it will give me as much pleasure.

Great book, thoroughly Enjoyed it.

Very boring, couldn’t get into it, shame I was really looking forward to it. Too many clichés

An unplifting story, the murder is just the beginning of a story so full of emotions and twist! I absolutely reccomend it!

I laughed so much reading this book my husband kept giving me strange looks. What are you reading for goodness sake?This book has one of the funniest characters I have ever read - Vera Wong.. She is absolutely brilliant! If she is based on the author's mother, I would love to meet her.The plot is hilarious..So many ridiculous situations interspersed with a lot of home spun philosophy and warmth. It is hard not to love this book. It is so imaginative.It also made me drool. The images of amazing food made me regret not having a Chinese grandmother. My Scottish grandmother was as scary, outrageous and eccentric as Vera. She just couldn't cook.Five stars for humour, originality and divine food fantasies.