English language
Published Dec. 20, 2023 by Penguin Publishing Group.
Put the kettle on, there’s a mystery brewing… Tea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective?
Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet).
But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could – because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands – Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer.
Nobody spills the tea like this amateur sleuth.
Put the kettle on, there’s a mystery brewing… Tea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective?
Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet).
But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could – because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands – Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer.
Nobody spills the tea like this amateur sleuth.
This book was a lot of fun. I love the found family aspect, and the descriptions of the teas were interesting. I will certainly read the sequel.
This was a cute read. I need a visit from the Auntie distribution center, though. Vera was a great character, confident and pushy and unashamed of who she is. I really need to take a look into Chinese tea now. It was an easy read and didn't have a whole lot of complexity to it. This was more cozy, I didn't get tension through the book at all. I knew who the murderer was about a quarter of the way through the book and I don't know if that detracted from some of the tension or not. Still cute, and really probably a great read for someone who's trying to venture into the realm of mystery books.
This was a cute read. I need a visit from the Auntie distribution center, though. Vera was a great character, confident and pushy and unashamed of who she is. I really need to take a look into Chinese tea now. It was an easy read and didn't have a whole lot of complexity to it. This was more cozy, I didn't get tension through the book at all. I knew who the murderer was about a quarter of the way through the book and I don't know if that detracted from some of the tension or not. Still cute, and really probably a great read for someone who's trying to venture into the realm of mystery books.
Sooooo. I found this pretty enjoyable, except that there was more discussion of (emotional) abuse and shitty asshole stuff than I'd thought. It's in a good way, though. So. I think this is a pretty nice story. Just. The epilogue has something that irritates me so much!!
Sooooo. I found this pretty enjoyable, except that there was more discussion of (emotional) abuse and shitty asshole stuff than I'd thought. It's in a good way, though. So. I think this is a pretty nice story. Just. The epilogue has something that irritates me so much!!
So if you read mysteries a lot, many of the plot twists will be easily guessed and there is nothing special here. I am also not sure how the stereotype of a tiger grandmama will land, and I was meh about the battered wife stereotype too. However, this book was like chewing a piece of bubble gum while walking down the sidewalk on a partly cloudy day-harmless, pointless and cheerful. It put me in a good mood, did not stress me out whatsoever, and was real palate cleanser after the grim and drab scenery I had just trudged through in Diane Cook's The New Wilderness. I am glad that this book was written, and grateful for the escape it provided me, and I hope that Vera solves more murders.
So if you read mysteries a lot, many of the plot twists will be easily guessed and there is nothing special here. I am also not sure how the stereotype of a tiger grandmama will land, and I was meh about the battered wife stereotype too. However, this book was like chewing a piece of bubble gum while walking down the sidewalk on a partly cloudy day-harmless, pointless and cheerful. It put me in a good mood, did not stress me out whatsoever, and was real palate cleanser after the grim and drab scenery I had just trudged through in Diane Cook's The New Wilderness. I am glad that this book was written, and grateful for the escape it provided me, and I hope that Vera solves more murders.
