Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man)

Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutano (2025) 324 pages

Vera Wong was too good to have just one story, so she's back again. In the first Vera story, Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, the lonely 60 year old Chinese woman investigates the death of a man she finds in her tea shop, and also brings together a group of people into a "found family." In this continuation of her story, while she is still so happy with her new family members, she misses the thrill she had while investigating the murder. When Vera finds a nervous young woman with a story about a guy who has disappeared, Vera hops right to it, trying to figure out what happened to him. Part of the difficulty is that he went by a number of different names.

Vera is an excellent cook who makes the best Chinese foods, often transporting them to people who have no idea what a delicious feast is in store for them. (Hmmm, is she buttering up possible witnesses in order to get more information? Quite possible!) She also has the ability to brew up just the right tea for any given situation. And did I forget to mention that she is rather strong-willed and pushy? Yes, she's all of that. And once she learns how to use social media to send out videos, she goes viral, gaining information, but putting herself and her family at risk. The charm of Vera and her ever-growing family makes this story a quick and surprising read as we learn what secrets the witnesses have been hiding.