#jessesutanto – the shiny diaries

The bold and irrepressible Vera Wong is back! For her second outing as a murder investigator, she no longer considers herself an amateur sleuth. After her successful first case, she proudly thinks of herself as a professional and hence believes that the relentless and reckless snooping is mandatory and an obvious part of the investigatory process.

The story begins when Vera spots a distraught Millie outside the police station where Vera herself had been to report an internet scam. She comforts Millie as a Chinese mother would do, brings her to ‘Vera Wang’s World-Famous Teahouse’, and soon learns about her missing friend Thomas. Around the same time, while snooping through her son Tilly’s apartment, she discovers his police officer girlfriend Selena’s private files. There she notices photos of a man, resembling Thomas, but labelled as John Doe, and a suicide victim. Snooping through social media, Vera stumbles upon photos of a social media sensation Xander Lin, who looks eerily similar to Thomas. All of this makes Vera suspicious and convinced to investigate the curious case of Thomas/Xander Lin/John Doe who according to her, has been murdered.

Vera’s snooping leads her to a plethora of interesting characters connected to Xander. Aimes, a rising social media star, and girlfriend of Xander, seems evasive about their relationship, and oddly detached about his death. TJ, his manager, remains guarded about their professional ties. Vera also learns that Xander has a grandfather, who turns out to be a friend she has known for a while and now feels indignant that he kept this a secret from her, which also makes her wonder, his reasons for doing so. As Vera gets pulled into the fray, she realises that Xander had wanted to come clean about each of these relationships in front of the world, only for him to be wound up dead, before he could do so.

The book, just like its predecessor (Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers), is a taut, fast-paced thriller that keeps the tension crackling right through to the end. The climax was unexpected and nothing like what I had anticipated. All of the characters from the previous book make an appearance in this and it feels like a natural progression. The new characters turn out to be unique, multidimensional and mysterious. Beyond Vera, the standout for me was Robin, whose spunk and chutzpah matches perfectly with that of Vera’s. And finally, Vera Wong herself is a character like no other, who is determined on shattering all your preconceived notions about what a sixty-year-old woman can and should do. If you thought she was over the top in her first outing, then she has only pushed things to the next level with this one. She’s a mesmerising, witty, unfiltered Chinese mother who brews delicious teas, casually solves a murder, eases the stresses and anxieties of those around her and never stops being fabulously fearless.

Through this book, the author, Jesse Sutanto, has given us a grim insight into the glamorous world of social media superstars and the perils of this fickle, frivolous stardom. Xander, Aimes and TJ embody a generation living on social media and believing curated realities to be legitimate. This intersection and intermingling of real and performative blurs the true lived experience that soon transcends into emotional chaos and fractured identities causing a general disbelief in the collective humanity. The book is also a sharp commentary on the current epidemic of instant fame synonymous with an insatiable hunger for likes and followers that’s distorting one’s perception of success and failure.

The Vera Wong series retains its brand of being an enjoyable and engaging read effortlessly blending humour and homicide. Jesse Sutanto has created an unconventional heroine who is breaking stereotypes with her quirks and curiosity. The only lingering question I have is, what delightfully outrageous case will Vera tackle next?

~ JUST A GAY BOY. 😀☕️

Vera Wong is a punctilious, loquacious sexagenarian who runs Vera Wang’s World Famous Teahouse in the Chinatown area of San Francisco. But here’s the thing, the tea house isn’t famous (even in Chinatown!) and she has no one to talk to (her only son Tilbert ignores her for the most bit). It all changes the day she discovers the dead body of a certain Marshall Chen in her tea house. This attracts a slew of new visitors to her establishment, who also turn out be murder suspects. When Vera fails to get a satisfactory response from the local police, she takes it upon herself to solve the murder mystery.

Amateur sleuth Vera’s list of suspects include Julia, the wife; Oliver, the brother and Marshal’s two other acquaintances Riki and Sana. As she goes about her way in knowing these people and unearthing their motives and intentions; she also starts forming unlikely and unforeseen bonds with them. The camaraderie between all of them develops so organically that Vera feels hesitant to know who the murderer is. Nonetheless her forthrightness makes her go all the way till she actually nabs the culprit.

As much as the book is a taut, crisp whodunnit; it’s also a heartwarming story about human relationships and friendships. The author has written every character with utmost consideration and has spent time in developing each of their mental and emotional arcs. But the stand out has to be Vera Wong. She is fiesty and funny with a pertinent dislike for mendacity. Though she mostly despises youngsters and their nonchalant way of life; she remains the most inquisitive person when it comes to new technology, terminology and even tiktok. The highlight of the book has to be the uplifting narrative, the unassuming feminism and Vera’s pragmatic attack on misogyny and chauvinism. Jesse Sutanto’s emphasis on the need for building social connections and a safe community is so relevant in these current times of a loneliness epidemic.

The book brews over with an abundance of aromatic teas and concoctions. Vera serves us steaming cups of delicious teas for every occasion and emotion. She has a solution for everything in a tea. Well not just that, she cooks up a storm and the pages are laden with scrumptious and luscious Chinese dishes. The author meticulously describes the cuisine such that, you can smell the piquant aromas whilst reading the book.

This murder mystery is one delectable fare. Dig in, as I sip on my tea whilst not spilling any!

~ JUST A GAY BOY. 🧐