You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

One of the group reads for November is Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto Please discuss the book in this thread.

Kristie will be leading the discussion.

In order to receive a badge you must:
1. have read the book before or during November 2025.
2. discussed it in this thread. Discussion must be more than "I read the book and I liked it". Discussion requires something more substantial and analytical of what you read, for example, thoughts, opinions, impact it had on you, what was your favorite part, was it what you expected it to be like etc. You may also like to review the book and post a link to the review in this thread. Please refer to our group spoiler policy for further information.
3. Report that you have read AND discussed the book in the reporting thread (include a brief summary of what you thought of the book).

A note on discussion: Discussion must be more than "I read the book and I liked it". Discussion requires something more substantial and analytical of what you read, for example, thoughts, opinions, impact it had on you, what was your favorite part, was it what you expected it to be like etc.

In addition to this, the group reads are meant to be a "read along" so it is preferable that you discuss the book as you read rather than wait until you've finished the book.

And finally, discussion is not about just listing your thoughts. Please interact with the other group members, comment on their thoughts, and if they comment on yours, respond to them. This is what makes a good book discussion!

You may also like to review the book and post a link to the review in this thread.

Please refer to our group spoiler policy for further information.

General Rules:
1. Please mark your spoilers with the spoiler tags along with mentioning what stage of the book you are at so other's don't get a nasty shock. Chapter numbers/titles are generally best as they are the same across all formats and editions. See our spoiler policy
2. The book may be combined with the Year Long Challenge, Topplers, and Monthly Challenges.

Happy reading!

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We wanted to bring to your attention that spoiler tags often don't work when responding to a message. This is a glitch that has been around for a long time, but it comes and goes, so it is common to forget about it.

This is how it happens: when you click on a spoiler tag to read the spoiler, you have to click again to hide the spoiler before hitting "reply", otherwise the spoiler remains open in your response. For example, if this is my spoiler:

(view spoiler)[Bob is the killer. (hide spoiler)]

This is what it will show if the spoiler is not hidden before replying:

Sandra wrote: "Bob is the killer (spoiler)"

This is how it should show, but because of the glitch it will only happen if you hide the spoiler before replying:

Sandra wrote: "[spoilers removed]"

I will be starting this one as soon as I finish the book I am currently reading.

I'm excited for this one! I also need to finish my current book first, so should be starting in a couple of days.

I have this one ready, both on audio and kindle. Just going to finish my current audiobook.

If I have time and can fit it in, I will join in. It will be later in November though.

I downloaded the audio book and will start probably tomorrow or on Monday. Looking forward to this one.

I read this awhile ago with my library bookclub, and quite enjoyed it. We shall have to see if I remember enough details to join in on the conversation, or if I will need to embark on a refresher read

Reserved! Hopefully I can get to it this month.

Looking forward to lots of discussion this month! I love having a lot of participants. :)

Chapter 8

I'm not sure I'm liking this book so far because it seems eerily similar to others I have read. The characters, the plot, the pacing...

(view spoiler)[ I'm wondering if Vera's son would do something about his mom holding onto evidence.

Even though the author has tried to make everyone look guilty, I feel like most of them are talking about the emotional relationship they had with him and hurt him in a different way than killing him.

I'm suspecting Alex because Vera isn't but it could be too far fetched.

It seems like he died of an allergy so has to be someone really close to him.

Was Marshall having an affair with Sana? But she didn't recognize his wife and child. Did she not know and realized much later about their existence?

(hide spoiler)]

Chapter 14 (view spoiler)[ Ah, so he did die of an allergy! But if it possible to murder using that? That leaves only Oliver and maybe Julia as possible murderers.

Even though it seems like Vera is giving up on this as a murder case, I think she is going to want to know what's on that flash drive.

I'm not a fan of the little romantic story brewing here. Ah, such a cliche!

(hide spoiler)]

Chapter 21 (view spoiler)[ Ah, such a relief to know Sana wasn't having an affair with Marshall. He was duping her of her creations and making money off it. So that's what the flash drive has, the NFTs.

The book is quite unbelievable overall. I have to keep my reality check away. Julia has invited Vera to stay with her, talk about far fetched.

Alex no longer seems to be connected to this. It seems like Riki punched him and then from somewhere, maybe Riki's hands, the allergen was passed onto Marshall and he died(?).

I think no one is going to be accused of murder because he did seem to have died of natural causes and all of them are going to be victims of Marshall.

Not sure why I'm only 50% in, what more could be worth so many pages.

(hide spoiler)]

Oh, you're flying through, Pragya! I hope you're liking it better now.

Chapter 30 (view spoiler)[ Ah, Riki. This is going to blow up with Sana. He should have told her right away!

Could the murderer be another victim of Marshall who hasn't been yet introduced? But how would he have known about the allergy?

As I thought earlier, I don't think these 4 had anything to do with it.

What's wrong with Oliver's Dad? Terrible to send them away.

Tilly bothers me. With a murder, keeping evidence, AND a break in, how is he not more concerned about Vera!! So reckless.

I really am not interested in the love stories. This book could have definitely been edited better. It does not need so many pages.

(hide spoiler)]

I just started and have read through chapter 4. I really like Vera and felt (view spoiler)[ a little sad for her sitting all day by her self in her tea shop waiting for customers. However once Marshal's body is found in the tea shop her response to the murder - taking evidence, deciding to solve the murder - just seems over the top. (hide spoiler)]

I’ve made it through to chapter 12

(view spoiler)[I love Vera as I can perfectly picture her. I agree with Jayme though that she was a bit over the top when the police arrived to examine the body.

I am really curious what Sana and Riki had to do with Marshall and why they came initially to the tea shop. I loved the scene when they all squeeze into Oliver‘s car in order to drive to Julia and how Vera gets her three suspects to do exactly what she wants them to do. (hide spoiler)]

I have finished reading the book.

(view spoiler)[ I was right when I thought Alex was the murderer! Phew. I just couldn't have guessed he was Marshall's dad.

But it's such a stupid motive and even more unbelievable method. Yeah, terrible.

The only thing this book was good was for a quick read.

And thankfully, there was one less love story. (hide spoiler)]

I'm just going to give this one 2 stars.

Pragya wrote: "Chapter 8

I'm not sure I'm liking this book so far because it seems eerily similar ..."
I've finished through chapter 8 and I also (view spoiler)[ think that there are a lot of possible susupects. One thing I was wondering is since Oliver and Marshal are twins will that come into play as a mistaken identity of some sort and I am also curious about the relationship between Sanae and Marshal, but since there is a flash drive involved there must be something on the flashdriver - possible blackmail? (hide spoiler)]

Jayme wrote: "Pragya wrote: "Chapter 8

I'm not sure I'm liking this book so far because it seems eerily similar ..."
I've finished through chapter 8 and I also [spoilers removed]"

Yes, she did a great job of providing a good roster of suspects, didn't she?

Karin - Sorry, but I had to delete your comment. Please be sure to make sure spoilers aren't open before posting a reply to someone's comment. I usually, just ask people to edit their comments, but Pragya's spoiler was open and the murderer was revealed in it. I now know the ending before I even start the book and didn't want anyone else to see it before you had a chance to edit.

Pragya - here is Karin's response to your ending spoiler:

"I'm sorry you didn't like this more, but of course humour is subjective--often I find if it's not funny to me, it seems stupid as well. I loved this one and hated Dial A for Aunties by the same author. "

I read this a few years ago and just finished the sequel of it about a month or so ago. I found Vera to be quirky but fun - but I do find that I can only read JQS books in limited doses because otherwise they just get to be too much

Karin - I gave Dial A for Aunties 3 stars. I read it with a group and I remember one of my friends LOVED it. She read the second one and said she didn't like it nearly as much. I didn't have any interest in reading the second one. I'm glad you enjoyed this one a lot more. I'm hoping the humor is different. In aunties, (view spoiler)[ I didn't find the hiding and toting around dead bodies humorous. (hide spoiler)]

Kristie wrote: "Karin - Sorry, but I had to delete your comment. Please be sure to make sure spoilers aren't open before posting a reply to someone's comment. I usually, just ask people to edit their comments, but..."

Oh no, I am so sorry, Kristie!

Jayme wrote: "Pragya wrote: "Chapter 8

Yes, she did a ..."

Ooo, that's an interesting angle, Jayme. (view spoiler)[ the mistaken identity! (hide spoiler)]

Karin, yes, I think I might have liked this book better if I hadn't read similar books previously and (view spoiler)[ the ending had made sense to me. Until the very end, this might have been a 3 but with that ending, it's down to 2. (hide spoiler)]

Pragya wrote: "Chapter 21 A
The book..."

I just finished chapter 21 Pragya and I also believe (view spoiler)[ that it is a really far-fetched story, so I just decided to check reality at the door and enjoy the characters. For a mystery theme it seems to be more character driven. (hide spoiler)]

Through chapter 21

OK I had to lose a brain cell or two to google and look up (view spoiler)[ NFTs because the book explanation did not make sense to me.
I think I now may be have the cast of suspects figured out: Sanae's paintings were taken by Marshal so he has her NFT, I also think that Riki is an artist - maybe the photographer since the book kept mentioning how authentic and beautiful the photos were, Julia because Marshal was a horrible husband and father and Oliver since Marshal was a rotten brother, but there needs to be more of a reason on why Oliver would have killed him now.
My money is on Oliver though. As his brother he would know about the allergy to birds. Julia would also know, but she was hit on the head that night and I think was pretty loopy. (hide spoiler)] we shall see if I am right.

Kristie wrote: "Karin - Sorry, but I had to delete your comment. Please be sure to make sure spoilers aren't open before posting a reply to someone's comment. I usually, just ask people to edit their comments, but..."

I'm sorry, Kristie. That glitch is very annoying. I just posted an explanation in our Whatcha doin? thread about this. It is a glitch that comes and goes, sometimes is working fine in threads, but not in responses to reviews... I wish Amazon did more to keep this site working properly...

Through chapter 28

Well I was wrong (view spoiler)[ It is Julia who is the photographer and not Riki. So what is Riki's relationship to Marshall? I haven't figured that out yet, but my money is still on Oliver whether on purpose or by accident who killed Marshall.

I'm actually warming up to the story. At first I thought it was a bit stereotypical about Asian mothers, but knowing that Sutanto is from Singapore and currently lives in Jakarta I think there is exaggerated truth in her writing which makes me care for Vera.
Though this is a mystery, I really think the theme is one of "found family." All of the key characters are lonely or struggling and end up caring about and caring for each other - especially Vera moving in with Julia and Emma - found grandma. (hide spoiler)]

Thanks, Sandra. It is a very annoying glitch. It's an easy fix, but people don't often think (or even know) to look for it. I wish GR would fix it in the coding or whatever they need to do.

It's ok, Karin. I felt bad that I had to delete your comment, but I didn't want anyone else to see it. One of those GR frustrations.

I have finished and though (view spoiler)[ I was wrong when I thought it was Oliver at least it was kept in the family!
Overall the book was fine - a solid 3 for me. It was a bit silly and unrealistic, but that's OK. I really don't want anything very heavy at the moment and I did like the characters. I will probably not continue with the series though unless we need to read it for another group read :) (hide spoiler)]

Kristie wrote: "Karin - Sorry, but I had to delete your comment. Please be sure to make sure spoilers aren't open before posting a reply to someone's comment. I usually, just ask people to edit their comments, but..."

🤦 Sorry! I didn't stop to check. I'm usually only here in the evenings, so don't mind that you deleted it. Thanks for cutting and pasting what I wrote :)

I’ve finished chapter 30.

(view spoiler)[Somehow I found the behavior of Oliver‘s and Marshal‘s dad quite suspicious. I’m wondering if he’s the figure that both Julia and Sana saw once in the distance.

I simply don’t believe that either Julia or Oliver killed Marshal - that would probably poison the relationship of them which seems to be on the horizon.

Also I still wonder why Marshal broke into Vera‘s shop on the night he was murdered. (hide spoiler)]

What I love about this book - this is no spoiler, I hope - is the mouthwatering descriptions of food all throughout the book. I read that the author partly grew up in Singapore and Singaporeans are probably the biggest foodies in the world.
She’s totally got me hooked as I keep on thinking of those lovely dishes all day long.

Oh, that's interesting, Alexandra. I have just started this one and I'm enjoying it. I like the easy writing style and the humor so far. I think it will be a fairly quick read.

Alexandra, I loved that about the book too. I kept wondering what does that taste like and it made me think about what are some American foods that I would consider traditional comfy and recall home.
When we were living overseas (stationed in Sicily) we ate amazing food, but there was something about getting together with others there for Thanksgiving with all the traditional foods that made me feel very homesick for the foods of family.

Alexandra wrote: "What I love about this book - this is no spoiler, I hope - is the mouthwatering descriptions of food all throughout the book. I read that the author partly grew up in Singapore and Singaporeans are..."

I even googled some of the dishes. Unfortunately, as a vegetarian, none of them sounded appealing to me. Fortunately, that helped not to snack while listening to it.

I remember reading Butter and HAVING to buy butter to eat with rice and soy sauce. That book made me so hungry, haha!

Alexandra wrote: "I’ve finished chapter 30.

I simpl..."

Ooo so intuitive, Alexandra. That suspicion was bang-on!

Jayme wrote: "Alexandra, I loved that about the book too. I kept wondering what does that taste like and it made me think about what are some American foods that I would consider traditional comfy and recall hom..."

I know exactly what you mean. You only start craving the dishes from home when you can’t have them anymore, right? We used to live in Asia for a couple of years and suddenly I started to miss dishes that I never thought of at home - now we’re back in Europe I miss the Asian food so much. But it’s usually the meals that you share with friends and family that are the most comforting, I think.

Pragya wrote: "Alexandra wrote: "What I love about this book - this is no spoiler, I hope - is the mouthwatering descriptions of food all throughout the book. I read that the author partly grew up in Singapore an..."

I can understand that these „meaty“ dishes didn’t appeal to you, then! But it’s at least a good thing not wanting to snack while reading ;)

I’ve finished the book.

(view spoiler)[ It’s funny that I was right with my suspicion of the father of Marshal and Oliver having to do something with the murder. It feels quite constructed and over the top, though. (hide spoiler)]

I rated it three stars, an entertaining and fast read. I loved the cozy atmosphere.

I'm about 25% somewhere in ch 11 if the audio tags are accurate. I'm not finding it too similar to any other books I've read.(view spoiler)[ My opinion of Vera keeps fluctuating. She does some things that are ridiculous in a funny and harmless way, but she could also unwittingly cause a lot of people harm with her antics.

So far I like all the characters even though they all feel responsible in some way. I was thinking that Riki might be Marshall's drug dealer. He was trying to make money for his brother? or someone. Sana may have been having an affair with him. I was wondering if he had nude pictures or something on that drive. Although, I don't get that vibe from her. Maybe it had something to do with her art or a promised relationship? Oliver clearly had a strained relationship with his brother. I don't get the sense that he would have killed him, but maybe he gave information to someone or sent his brother away or something like that and that's why he feels guilty? Alex is the only one so far that I don't have a sense of and has links to the coffee shop. I don't know what his motive would be though.

I'm thinking Marshall did something to get him killed. Maybe attempting to blackmail someone or something like that. He does seem the type. It seems no one actually liked him. (hide spoiler)]

On a side note - some of these stories with seniors as the main characters are starting to make me feel old. I generally love them, but really Vera is supposed to be 60. 60! I feel like she acts / looks 20 years older.

Kristie wrote: "I'm about 25% somewhere in ch 11 if the audio tags are accurate. I'm not finding it too similar to any other books I've read.

I agree with you here, Kristie. Vera sure doesn’t feel like 60 but like very old and fragile. And - in my opinion - 60 is definitely not old like “old-lady-old”.

Alexandra wrote: "Kristie wrote: "I'm about 25% somewhere in ch 11 if the audio tags are accurate. I'm not finding it too similar to any other books I've read.

I agree with you here, Kristie. Vera sure doesn’t feel..."

FYI my sister is an MD in general practice, so this is where I got my information before this thread :)

We tend to not know, forget or overlook the fact that some people are old and fragile at 60; we all age differently and not always for all of the same reasons. Now that more people exercise regularly and there is more preventative care, it doesn't happen as often, but it still does. Plus fiction likes to promote active seniors (which is fun because it dispels the myth that everyone who is older is already frail, etc.)

Not everyone has the same level of health and/or nutrition. This also goes for DNA and predisposition.

We like to say that 60 is the new 50 but that's actually fallacious since human bodies under go significant cellular changes at 60, even in fit and active people.

This also goes for 50 being the new 40, etc.

However, it's true that more people remain active now than in times gone by.

This is the review I wrote last year--spoiler free!

I spotted this one on the New Books shelf at my library and just had to read it. Who could resist that title!

Vera Wong is an older Chinese woman who lives over her Tea Shop in an Asian district of San Francisco. She is a widow, her adult son hardly ever answers her calls, she has only one regular customer in the shop each day and she is lonely. Then one morning she gets up and discovers a dead body on the shop floor.

Vera decides to investigate the murder herself and so the fun begins. As the story progresses, we meet all the suspects and Vera gets to know them all really well, at the same time finding herself a whole new 'family' and a real purpose in life. Vera is a huge character who you have to love despite her constant interference in everyone's lives.

The story is told from five points of view and is very funny indeed. The mystery takes second place to the development of relationships between the five main characters, but it is still an intriguing one and I was totally unable to guess 'who dunnit'. The answer when it came was a complete surprise to me.

Altogether a very entertaining way to spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon thanks to my excellent local library.

Karin wrote: "Alexandra wrote: "Kristie wrote: "I'm about 25% somewhere in ch 11 if the audio tags are accurate. I'm not finding it too similar to any other books I've read.

I agree with you here, Kristie. Vera..."

I understand that, Karin, but in this case (view spoiler)[ Vera is very attentive to her health - sleeping a lot, keeping a routine, walking daily, drinking her teas, etc. She even checks her pulse after her daily exercise. Plus, she says at one point, when discussing Marshall's age, that Chinese people tend to look young for their age, yet everyone immediately refers to her as old. It just doesn't fit with the 60 year old age. She seems to get around quite well, but just acts and thinks like an older person. I do think in this case some of it is cultural. Plus, I think she's lonely, which affects her behavior as well. I was just surprised to find that she was supposed to be 60. I would have guessed older.

What I was referring to is that so many novels do this. Many authors promote 50 & 60 year olds as generally healthy, just really old. The majority of healthy 50 and 60 year olds aren't acting like elderly people. Retirement age in the US isn't even until 67 years old. So, I think the ages are just a little off. I wonder if it's often younger writers.

Either way, it doesn't take away from the story for me, but in my head she's older. I've come to a happy medium and am imagining her in her late 60s. lol (hide spoiler)]

That's a very nice review.

I made it to about 36% today (chapter 15). As I've been reading, I have realized that this book is exactly my husband's type of humor so I recommended it to him and he started reading it today. I can't wait to see what he thinks of it.

Karin wrote: "Alexandra wrote: "Kristie wrote: "I'm about 25% somewhere in ch 11 if the audio tags are accurate."

I totally agree with you. Only that from reading about Vera and the description of her I would have estimated a very fit old lady in her 70s. To hear she’s “only” 60 is just unexpected - for me.

I have the impression that there are right now many books or series that center around people in retirement age, like The Widows’ Guide to Murder, The Marlow Murder Club or my absolutely favorite The Thursday Murder Club.

Kristie wrote: "Karin wrote: "Alexandra wrote: "Kristie wrote: "I'm about 25% somewhere in ch 11 if the audio tags are accurate. I'm not finding it too similar to any other books I've read.

I agree with you here,..."

lol, it might be younger writers - when I was 20, someone in their mid 40s would be so old for me.
Now that I’ve reached this age myself, I sometimes still feel like 20 in my head (not mature at all) and I don’t think that will change when I’m 60 - the body is a different thing though :)

I think in comparison to The hundred year old man who climbed out of the window and disappeared (on phone, can't link), Vera feels 60. Because THAT 100 was crazy lol.

But otherwise, the 'depicted old' in the book feels 80 and the rest of her feels 60. If that makes sense.

My 70+ Mom is very active, cleaning the house daily, makes every meal, does yoga. I agree it's so different from individual to individual.