About the Book
Synopsis from Goodreads:
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 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 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.
My Review
Vera Wong is still basking in the glory of the murder she solved in her teahouse. To add to her happiness is that her son, Tilly, is now dating the police officer she dealt with named Selena. Vera is hoping Selena will be her new daughter-in-law and she’s ready to make that happen. After all, she needs grandbabies.
A stressed-out young woman, Millie, is looking for a lost friend. Vera decides to help her find him. When she finds his picture in Selena’s file, Vera learns that this man is not who he said he was and, instead, was involved in social media as an influencer.
The police discover his dead body, and Vera is determined to prove this is no accident. She meets up with a quirky group of people to help in her search for the truth.
I loved the first book and enjoyed this one too. Vera had me laughing throughout the whole book. She’s an eccentric character, for sure. She makes the most outrageous comments and doesn’t care what people think. One thing that drives me crazy is that she keeps referring to herself as an old lady. She’s 61, not old in my book. Although, she does hang out with young adults in their 20's and 30's, so they think she's ancient. LOL
The storyline is intriguing. I didn’t see that ending coming at all. It was a huge shocker. I do appreciate a book that surprises me. It, also, touches different emotions. One minute you can be happy, the next you can be gasping in horror.
The author is a master at bringing her stories to life and this is no exception. This book is a real page-turner for me. I hope there will be a third story in this series. Although the mystery is contained in this book, I do recommend reading the first book first to get the whole "Vera experience".
For reading challenges:
NetGalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2025
Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge 2025
FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
It does sound like a good, solid second and maybe there will be a whole series.
ReplyDeleteThat looks good.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of the Vera book yet!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this one and agree about being surprised at the ending.
ReplyDelete