A Quick Note On This Review: This article includes affiliate links to Bookshop.org as a way of supporting both local bookshops and my own ability to write.
Vera Wong struggles to keep the doors of her world famous tea shop open until one day, she finds an body in the middle of her shop. It launches her into the middle of an investigation, which she’s surprised to learn the police are incredibly inept at carrying. So she takes it upon herself to interview the people she suspects may have done it and in doing so finds quite a few surprises that even she couldn’t have predicted.
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto is a light-hearted novel that takes a murder mystery and turns it into a heartwarming tale about family and unlikely connections that make life meaningful. Sutanto’s ability to develop a mystery that thrills without relying on the darker aspects of human behavior is an interesting skill and one that is reminiscent of books like Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala, Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree, and Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne. This focus on humor and family over the crime itself is an unusual choice, but it leads to a story that makes for easier and more humorous reading than similar plots.
Without spoiling too much of the novel, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers does pivot in an interesting way from the typical criminal activity that characterizes thrillers and mysteries into the family values that can feel almost nostalgic in the modern era. It still has the elements of typical crime novels, but Sutanto almost treats them too lightly to be taken seriously as the focus of the novel, which enables her to deftly switch the focus for the reader from the mystery of who killed the man in the tea shop to how society should create space for people to connect in ways that are far more productive and healthy than they currently do.
For casual readers, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers could appeal to those who enjoy crime thrillers, even if it may not be billed as a formal member of the crime thriller genre. Sutanto’s novel doesn’t come with the typical emotional heft that accompanies thrillers and mysteries, so it would offer a perfect opportunity for anyone looking to add some breathing room to their reading list. Additionally, given that the novel doesn’t focus on the murder except as a way of driving the story forward, it could also appeal to those who are interested in a book that’s lighthearted and humorous, even if they don’t typically gravitate to murder mysteries.
For writers, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers offers a useful template for any writer interested in writing a story that’s fun and easily digestible. The novel at its root is supposed to be heartwarming, so it combines a lot of elements that would be useful for writers looking to draft a story that’s more positive than overly serious. Additionally, Sutanto explores ideas around aging and family which could be useful for writers that are interested in exploring these ideas in their own works. Finally, it could be useful to read Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers if you’re interested in working on stories that incorporate a variety of characters from marginalized communities and work with them in a way that’s respectful, though it’s worth mentioning that to present such characters in a truly respectful light, writers should consult additional novels to get a fuller, more nuanced understanding of how to illustrate such characters.
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What’s Next?
I am an avid reader and have quite a few thoughts on how some books could benefit both people that want to be entertained and those looking to sharpen their literary skills.
If you’re interested in finding out more about what I’ve been reading – and how it could benefit you – I will be publishing those thoughts on a weekly basis. Check back next week for a discussion of A.J. Hackwith’s The God of Lost Words!
The Writerly Review 