Even the irrepressible Vera Wong, making her second appearance in Jesse Q. Sutanto's humor-laden Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man), can fall for a phone scam. But this 61-year-old San Franciscan tea shop owner, who delights in calling herself an "intermediate murder investigator," refuses to be a victim, and reports the incident to Officer Selena Gray, her son Tilly's girlfriend. Outside the police station, Vera meets Millie, a young woman upset that her friend Thomas Smith has been missing for three days. Vera's snooping uncovers that Thomas's real name is Xander Lin. He's a social media influencer, part of a world Vera knows nothing about. Although Vera tracks down his girlfriend, talent manager, and grandfather, she finds that no one knows the real Xander.
Sutanto dispenses a fine layer of comedy while adding heavier themes such as ageism, loneliness, and the manipulation of the vulnerable. She also touches on the value of family and provides a look at Chinese culture. Vera feels empowered after having uncovered a murderer in her first outing, Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, which leads her to take chances as she interrogates suspects. Vera's misleading appearance as a "helpless little old lady" disarms others; she brings food to each interview, for instance, but commands people to return her containers once they're finished. Vera goes a step further when she ventures into the social media world, overlaying videos of her cooking with narration about her ongoing Xander investigation, hoping to solicit aid from the public. Vera's good-natured rivalry with a fellow storekeeper and the found family she has cobbled together help her deal with isolation. A third outing with the energetic and sharp Vera would be most welcome. --Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer