a bad influence or a good one?

Vera Wong’s life changed when she found a dead man in her teahouse. Before that, she had been lonely and unmotivated. But when she investigated the death of the man, she found a group of friends and kept them close, cooking them big meals every weekend. Her son Tilly has a girlfriend because of the investigation, Detective Selena Gray. So now, Vera has a family again. She has people to cook for. She has a purpose.

After taking Selena and her coworkers food at the police station, Vera meets a young woman standing outside. Vera could tell she was hesitating, so she immediately stepped up and befriended young Millie. Once Vera has broken her down (and if you know Vera, you know that didn’t take long), she finds out that Millie’s boyfriend Thomas is missing. Vera encourages Millie to talk to Detective Selena about it, but Millie refuses. So clearly, it’s up to Vera to do some snooping.

While Tilly and Selena are out of town and Vera is tasked with feeding their cat, she finds Selena’s briefcase and looks through her files. She is surprised to find photos of Thomas in one of those folders, but he’s called Xander Lin. And the police think he committed suicide. So clearly, Vera has to investigate.

Xander was a popular influencer, his online life showing close relationships with a girlfriend, with his grandfather, and with his agent. But as Vera tracks them down and befriends them, she finds out that it was all a lie. So she has to figure out who Xander really was to try to figure out who might have wanted him dead. To help her understand more about the life of an influencer and to try to bring out anyone else who knew Zander, Vera starts making videos herself. With the help of her new friends, Vera makes a video of herself making tea and adds a voiceover about Xander and his death. The video goes viral almost immediately, so Vera makes more.

But Vera and her viral videos also brings out the trolls. And some of them make threats. Clearly, Vera is on the right path, but will she be able to figure out who the killer is before they come for her?

Vera Wong is back to make food and make friends in Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man). She goes looking for a new challenge, and she stumbles on one right outside of the police station. As she meets new people and incorporates them into her life, she grows in joy and confidence. And her new experiences as a social media influencer just add another layer of sweetness and joy to the complicated life of Vera.

I was a big fan of Vera Wong in her first book (Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers), but I love her even more here. Watching Vera collect new friends with a mix of homemade Chinese food, tea, and acceptance is absolutely charming, and I love that she’s making videos for the internet that go viral almost immediately. You don’t need to read the first book to appreciate the second one, but I think that the more time spent with Vera is always going to be a good thing. My biggest issue with this book is that I don’t get to see Vera’s videos on my phone, what with her being fictional and all. But I genuinely loved this story, and I can’t wait to hang out with Vera again sometime. Hopefully soon.

Egalleys for Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks.