In Sutanto’s (
Dial A for Aunties) latest, a lonely but resilient tea shop owner tries to solve a murder. Vera Wong’s tea shop in San Francisco’s Chinatown may have lost most of its customers and her Gen-Z son rarely returns her texts, but she manages to thrive on her own. After finding a dead body in her tea shop and stealing a piece of evidence from the crime scene, Vera uses her detective skills to try to solve the murder. Using tea and home-cooked meals, Vera draws close her four suspects. Each of them has a secret that connects them to the victim and might tear their newfound family apart. Sutanto excels at creating lovably flawed characters, the mystery has plenty of twists to keep readers guessing, and Vera’s case notes at the end of some chapters add humor to the deductive process.
VERDICT A mystery with warmth, humor, and many descriptions of delicious teas and foods. Recommended for fans of Sutanto and of character-driven cozy mysteries.
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