Thank you Libro/Penguin Random House Audio for the ALC and Berkley Books, #partner, for the advanced e-copy of Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Berkley Books / PRH Audio
Published: April 1, 2025
Summary:
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 thoughts:
I only recently made the acquaintance of Vera, knowing that this 2nd book in the series was coming out and I cannot tell you how much I have come to love her! She is just the type of character I can escape the world with right now…and I really hope there will be more adventures with her soon!
This second installment in the series was just as fun, if not more so, than the first book and while it absolutely can be read as I stand-alone, I highly encourage you to read this series in order just because you will really come to appreciate the cast of characters that Vera surrounds herself with that much more.
Vera once again finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. She is such a fun amateur sleuth – and I love how she takes herself so seriously at doing her best to solve the crime! She really believes she can do the job the police cannot, including her son’s girlfriend, Officer Selena Gray. I love watching these two go head-to-head at times.
While I would definitely consider these to be more of the cozy mysteries than anything else, this one does delve a little bit into some darker matters at times. But nothing too gory or graphic. For the most part, it’s a light-hearted, fun mystery that is full of laugh-out-loud moments and antics that I cannot recommend enough!
Audio thoughts:
Once again, I listened to this one and was thrilled to see that Eunice Wong was back as the narrator. She does a fantastic job with the voices, giving each character their own unique personality. She really makes this audiobook come to life and I will forever think of her as Vera!
Books in this series:
- Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice to Murderers
- Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man)
Purchasing from the link below supports independent bookstores and my blog!
