As soon as I saw the cover and read the blurb I knew I had to read this. Cozy mysteries are really killing the game lately.
Synopsis: Walking into her teashop one morning, the lonely and traditional Vera Wong discovers a body. Unhappy with the police's ability to take what is a 'clear' case of murder seriously, Vera takes it upon herself to discover the real killer and their motive. She questions and inserts herself into the lives of all the people who came to her usually deserted shop that fated morning, and finds that there is a little more to the victim than she originally thought.
Plot: What a fun premise. Twisty enough to count as a mystery but I truly came in for the vibes, and Sutanto delivered. The mystery elements could have been played up a tad bit more but I think the real soul of this story lies within the characters and their relationship with Vera. Along the way, the story became so much more than just a murder mystery, but instead a fun and inventive story about rediscovering your passions, learning to live for yourself, and even a little bit of romance. Entertaining from the very first line and a novel I completely flew through.
Characters: You simply cannot help but fall in love with Vera. There is just something about harmless old folks that really get me in a novel. She is hilarious and straightforward and does all she can to get what she wants...whilst having the biggest heart. I also really enjoyed the emphasis placed on Vera's traditional Chinese mother attitude; it shined a little light on Chinese culture and the art behind tea making. Even beyond Vera, all the additional side characters were wonderful on their own and really added to the plot. They all seemed to get a shared experience under the spotlight and helped add new levels to the narrative, despite rather predictable arcs.
Hope to read more from this author going forward.
5/5 stars.
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