Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is a fun first book in a new cozy mystery series by Jesse Q. Sutanto (4/5 stars)

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is a fun first book in a new cozy mystery series by Jesse Q. Sutanto.

Vera is a widow who runs a tea shop that has seen better days. One day, when she opens the shop, she finds the body of a dead man who is clutching a USB drive. After calling the police, she swipes the drive on impulse before they arrive. She’s certain she’d do a better job than the police would. She also knows that the killer will come back to the tea house for the flash drive, so she just needs to sit and wait for them…

I borrowed the audiobook from my library and I’m so glad I did because the narrator, Eunice Wong, does a phenomenal job and had me literally laughing out loud throughout the book. All of her different character voices are distinct and that made it so easy to follow the story. She nailed the sense of humor for this book, and I really loved her characterization of Vera.

I’m a huge fan of the found family trope, and this book has it in spades! I loved watching them all open up to one another. I really hope we see more of them in the next book, because some of the characters, especially her son Tilly, could absolutely be explored more deeply.

I did guess who the murderer was pretty early on, but my brain loves whodunits and always tries to piece things together as quickly as possible. That did not detract from my enjoyment of the book at all.

If you’re looking for a silly and fun cozy, this is a great option to pick up!

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The Vera Wong series includes:

• Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
• Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man)