It started with a rather vague idea that one night fluttered around writer Jesse Q. Sutanto’s mind: An elderly lady, the owner of a traditional teahouse, finds a dead body and decides to investigate. So far, so good. Even better, Jesse’s agent and editor were both intrigued by her pitch. So much so that they asked her to delay all other writing projects and get started on Vera’s story immediately.

Well, that was unexpected, and this is where Jesse started to panic, as she recalls in the acknowledgments of her latest book, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers: “Who’s the dead guy? Why is he dead inside some random teahouse? I don’t know! I told [my agent] I was unfortunately lacking that little thing called a plot, and I think she said she had faith in me – my memory of those days is hazy due to the fact that my brain cells were imploding and screaming, ‘WHAT HAVE I DONE?’”

But a few days (and a lot of strong coffee) later, Jesse channeled dread into creativity and Vera Wong began to take form and shape. The initially missing plot turned into a cozy murder mystery, a quirky whodunit that comes alive thanks to the charm of its lovably flawed heroine Vera (who is more than happy to step into the spotlight, thank you very much).

Vera Wong owns a tea shop in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Truth be told, the shop has not been turning a profit for years, and Vera spends most of her time waiting: waiting for customers, waiting for 5 p.m. so she can close the shop again, waiting to hear from her son. Vera is lonely, but she resolutely sticks to her routine, perhaps simply because there is nothing else to do and it gives her days much-needed structure.

One morning, she discovers a dead body in the middle of her tea shop. Unfortunately, the police officers who promptly arrive at the scene of crime are not doing their job properly, at least according to Vera, who quickly decides to take matters into her own hands. Soon, the amateur sleuth has lined up a handful of suspects. The master plan: befriend them, follow the clues and reveal the identity of the murderer. The only problem is that the better she gets to know the suspects (read: the more relentlessly she meddles in other people’s affairs), the less lonely she feels. Once she has determined who the killer is, will she able to surrender them to the police?

Readers who are familiar with Jesse’s previous work Dial A for Aunties (Berkley, 2021) will sense a similar vibe here. In addition to the same laugh-out-loud moments that made the Aunties a hit, Vera, like the Aunties, has been blessed with a healthy curiosity that can sometimes turn into obtrusiveness, but one is never able to fault her for it because her heart is always in the right place. Throw in her magical tea concoctions and delectable cooking, and it is no longer so surprising how warmly the suspects welcome Vera into their lives (even though they sometimes do wonder how quickly it all happened).

While “Vera Wong” certainly is entertaining and fun, the novel also reveals an underlying tone of wistfulness that goes beyond the many layers of humor and quick-wittedness. The story explores the issue of loneliness; it takes a look at complicated family dynamics and complex marriages; and it shines a light on migration, transition and adaptation.

It might be tempting to pigeonhole Jesse as a writer with a knack for comedy but that would not take into account her versatility. Besides the Aunties and Vera Wong, Jesse has also published YA novels and children’s books. Later this year, she will release her first dark, twisty suspense novel, I’m Not Done With You Yet (Berkley, August 2023). But regardless of the genre, Jesse’s core strength is ultimately this: whatever she writes, she writes with passion and a lot of heart.

Therefore, one can only hope that this is not the last we have seen of Vera Wong. The story is practically begging for a sequel; or better yet, why not turn it into a whole series? It would be great fun to meet nosy Vera Wong again, sip a cup of freshly brewed tea in her lovely shop and listen to her unconventional methods of solving murder mysteries. After all, Miss Marple needs a worthy successor, does she not?

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

By: Jesse Q. Sutanto

Published by: Berkley (March 14, 2023)

368 pages

Language: English

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