Vera Wong is a widow who runs an unfrequented tea shop in China Town. She often has only one customer each day, a gentleman who comes and talks about his ailing wife. Vera is lonely but keeps up appearances by adhering to a strict routine and sending frequent "advice" texts to her unmarried son. Her life changes drastically when she wakes up to find a dead body in her tea shop. When she realizes that the police are not investigating the murder as aggressively as on CSI shows, she decides to take matters into her own hands. She knows that murderers usually return to the scene of the crime, so she waits to see who shows up. Over the next two days four young people show up at her shop, and she is sure one must be the murder. She now just has to discover a way to find out which one is guilty.
I put this one on hold because it was one of the top 10 items on hold on Libby last month. It turned out to be pure delight. Vera is the stereotypical Chinese dragon mother, terrifying everyone she meets, but underneath she is soft hearted and really does want to help people. The relationship between the four young "suspects" is cute and well written. It mystery plot is pretty good too, and I didn't really see the whole solution until it was revealed at the end. If anyone has ever encountered one of these Chinese mother forces of nature before, this book with make them chuckle all the way through. (352 p. 2023)
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