Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Murder, Tea and Chinese Food

Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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I quite enjoyed the first Vera Wong novel so I was excited to see there was a sequel coming out this month. And yet, I admit I was a little worried going into this novel. Jesse Q. Sutanto has another series that is slightly over the top but for that one, the second novel just took things so over the top, that the premise didn’t work for me and I stopped reading it. I’m happy to say that Vera Wong doesn’t go down that route. […]

Sometimes all you need is a nosy, old lady

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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Once again, I was blindly looking for another audiobook to listen to in my car. This time I stumbled upon Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (2023) by Jesse Q. Sutanto. I had not heard of it, but it had some good reviews and I was a little desperate for something that was immediately available from my library. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised. Although the mystery portion of the book was a little lacking, the characters and the storyline were engaging and fun. Vera Wong lives by […]

Rom com + murder mystery + wedding = chaos

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q Sutanto

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CBR 16 Bingo – Bananas. If a rom-com mixed with a murder mystery happening at a wedding isn’t bananas, I don’t know what is! Like many of my bingo reads this year, this book has been on my TBR for a while, and I used bingo as a reason to finally read it. This isn’t the type of book I’d usually read, but it came recommended and seemed like it could be fun, so I added it to my TBR and eventually picked it up. […]

Sipping Tea and Solving Mysteries While Eating Delicious Chinese Food

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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This was a cute, low-stakes cozy fantasy with a great cover that really fits the vibe of the novel. It features Vera Wong, a Chinese immigrant and widow who owns a rundown teahouse that doesn’t get much traffic. She has a distant relationship with her grown son, probably due to frequent nagging texts like this: “Tilly, are you awake? It is 4:31 AM, very late. When I was your age, I wake up at 4AM every morning to cook breakfast for Ah Gong and Ah […]

Watch enough tv crime shows and cook for everyone and you’ll find the killer

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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I needed a cozy mystery and Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is indeed just that. Vera’s the stereotypical Chinese mom/grandma who runs a tea shop virtually no one goes to anymore. Then she finds a dead guy in there when she goes to open her shop, and people just start turning up (not just the police but them too, a little). Various folks who have some connection to the victim or crime including his wife Julia, “reporter” Riki, “podcaster” Sana, and the victim’s brother […]

“She’s very proud of her crime scene; it must surely be the most pleasant crime scene the cops have ever been to.”

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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“You don’t describe your job like that,” Vera scolds. “Is a small job, hah! Can you see men saying that? No, men will talk it up with bullshit, that is why they get even bigger job next time. There is no such thing as ‘small job.’ And don’t say in that silly tone, oh so apologetic, I am just silly woman having a small job. No!” Her index finger shoots up and points at Julia’s face like a sword. “You go and do this job […]



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