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 trove: 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 all: 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.
Review:
Dear Jesse Q Sutanto,
I preordered this book five minutes after I finished the first one and went looking for the next one on Amazon. Luckily I only had to wait a couple of months for this book to land on my kindle and it did not disappoint me at all.
The blurb is very detailed. I am thinking it could have been less detailed, but at least it stops short of revealing any significant resolution spoilers.
Life is indeed good for Vera as the book begins, but she is a little bored. What can help you with boredom if not some murder investigation?
“Life couldn’t be better. She is surrounded by a loving family, and her tea shop has a steady stream of customers. Vera should be content. And she is, really. But she’s also kind of—dare she say it—bored. Sometimes, all an old lady wants is a murder to solve. Is that too much to ask for?”
Of course one should be careful what one asks for, but I think Vera in a round about way got exactly what she asked for from the universe. While putting her nose in everybody’s business and investigating the murder that falls in her lap Vera further expands her new found family of young chicks even if some of them looked like murder suspects initially.
“Vera can’t remember the last time she’s had so much fun. Then she feels guilty for thinking that, because she literally has weekly dinners with her newfound family and they are nothing but fun, but the thing is, there’s just nothing quite like the heartwarming joy of gathering a bunch of new people who are obviously slightly terrified and brazenly accusing them of murder. And also, to her credit, Vera has refrained from outrightly accusing anyone of murder this time around. See? Old dogs can learn new tricks. Though of course she is secretly assessing everyone in her house and measuring them up against the Vera Wong Formula for Murderers.
Does the person reek of guilt? Shifty eyes? Awkward silences? Constipated look? Mysterious connection with the victim?
She should patent her formula.”
I do wonder why I fell in love with Vera so much, because often pushy characters can annoy me, but I think that author truly made me feel that for Vera (no matter how pushy she is) love for people around her comes first and pushiness is just part of the package.
In short I thought that this book was just as full of heart as the first one and I want more of Vera. I also think that the mystery part of the plot was better executed than in the first book. I think the author managed to give the readers more hints and clues here than in the first book.
Grade: B+
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Sirius
Sirius started reading books when she was four and reading and discussing books is still her favorite hobby. One of her very favorite gay romances is Tamara Allen’s Whistling in the Dark. In fact, she loves every book written by Tamara Allen. Amongst her other favorite romance writers are Ginn Hale, Nicole Kimberling, Josephine Myles, Taylor V. Donovan and many others. Sirius’ other favorite genres are scifi, mystery and Russian classics. Sirius also loves travelling, watching movies and long slow walks.
