Why we’re excited
Gifts from adoring online followers now pay for most of Vera Wong's life, including a free apartment in Paris. Then a dead man turns up on the floor of her rental. The victim had mob connections, and the boss now seems interested in her, which only makes her pry harder.
This is the third Vera Wong book from Jesse Q. Sutanto. The first, Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, set up the San Francisco teahouse and its regulars, and it is the best place to start, though each mystery resolves on its own. Cozy mystery readers who like a meddling older sleuth will be happy.
On our most-anticipated list since 21 October 2026. See all the most anticipated books →
What to know about Vera Wong’s Vacation Hacks for Catching a Killer
Vera Wong’s Vacation Hacks for Catching a Killer is Book 3 in the Vera Wong series. The series begins with Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (we have reviewed it). The book just before this one is Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping [On a Dead Man], also reviewed on The Bookish Elf. We have reviewed 2 of the series so far.
Jesse Q. Sutanto is a familiar name here: 5 of Jesse Q. Sutanto’s books have full reviews, averaging 3.9 out of 5. Our favourite to date is Read Between the Lies (4★).
It sits at No. 13 on our April 2027 most-anticipated list, which ranks the month's books by how many readers have saved them.
From the publisher
Nosy shopkeeper turned amateur detective Vera Wong can’t resist solving a murder, even while she’s on vacation, in this delightful mystery from USA Today bestselling author Jesse Q. Sutanto.
Chinese mother and detective extraordinaire Vera Wong delights in meddling, which happily has led her to solve not one, but two murders. And the internet seems to agree that she has found her calling in sleuthing. It’s the ideal side hobby for when Vera isn’t running her teahouse in bustling San Francisco. So is her recent discovery of the joys of social media, where she shares updates about the teahouse—and her cases—with her millions of followers.
All that work has earned Vera a much-deserved break. A Parisian vacation, to be exact. Though it helps that this vacation is almost entirely funded by the loads of gifts that her fans keep sending as tokens of their adoration. How could she have known that accepting free accommodation at a gorgeous apartment in Paris would result in a dead man lying in the middle of her Airbnb?
Clearly, it’s a sign that this murder needs Vera’s own unique brand of sleuthing. But this case might be a challenge even for Vera, as she uncovers that the victim was tangled up with a mob boss who now seems to have his sights set on her. Good thing there’s no case a little meddling can’t solve. . . .
Description supplied by the publisher.
We haven’t read Vera Wong’s Vacation Hacks for Catching a Killer yet. When our review goes up, it will replace this page.
