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 is enjoying the new family she’s made for herself, hopeful that her son Tilly will soon be engaged to Selena Gray, his police officer girlfriend when she falls for a scam. Vera, who prides herself on being efficient and capable even in her sixties, is shaken by the experience, and while going to the police station, she comes across a distressed young woman whose friend has gone missing, so Vera takes the young woman under her wing while launching an investigation of her own into the missing young man.
Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto is the sequel to Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, and builds on the story of Vera as a kind, grandmotherly force of nature. The first novel sets up Vera as someone who doesn’t take “no” for an answer while pushing the people around her to be the most positive versions of themselves, and though it ends in a way that could feel complete to any casual reader, Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) continues the story in a way that doesn’t feel forced. Instead, Sutanto manages to introduce everyday risks such as a scam call and turn it into a comical event that Vera is determined to overcome in her own quirky way, which leads to solving a murder case.
The murder mystery genre has plenty of examples of series that rely on similar structures and tropes to move their stories forward, but Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) is an example of how a writer can take similar themes (such as a murder mystery) and push them in new ways to say something different each time so that the story remains fresh and engaging. While there are still scams and greed in the first and second novel, Sutanto takes the reader on a journey through the social media influencer landscape, new facets of the criminal justice system, and more in Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) which enables similar plot devices to still keep the reader engaged. Throughout these explorations, it’s admirable that Sutanto has managed to keep the same lighthearted approach she developed with Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers which allows her to pull off creative feats of talking about murder while making the reader smile.
For casual readers, Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) would likely appeal to anyone who’s a fan of the murder mystery genre or is looking for a lighthearted read. It would appeal to murder mystery enthusiasts on the basis of the plot focus and the way Sutanto weaves the mystery around the case, deftly introducing misdirection and misunderstandings that are plausible enough to be believed while also offering enough perspectives to clue the reader in that there’s more to the story than some of the characters believe. Additionally, Vera and the other characters are written in such a way that they are simultaneously indulgent of an elderly grandmother and respectful of the fact that everyone whose life Vera touches is made better by it, which is why, even if you may not enjoy murder mysteries typically, you’ll probably enjoy this one.
For writers, Sutanto’s novel is a solid example of taking a somewhat formulaic story structure such as those employed by murder mysteries and turning it into a series. It also opens the door to other presentations of the same tropes, since Sutanto refrains from delving as deeply into the dark side of human nature as those like Agatha Christie. However, Sutanto is able to strike enough of a balance between maintaining the structure of the genre and putting her own spin on it to turn what’s typically a dark and mysterious story into something that feels bright and sunny. For writers looking to accomplish a similar feat, Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man), along with the first book in the series, could serve as a great starting point.
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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 M.L. Wang’s Blood Over Bright Haven!
The Writerly Review 