I was invested in the whodunnit element of this book, it had that element that I wanted and worked well in this universe. I enjoyed the way Uzma Jalaluddin wrote this and was invested in what was happening with the characters. It was a strong start to the series and left me wanting to read more with the characters.

This was a little too cutesy for my liking. It was pretentious and the characters mostly unlikable. Others in this genre are definitely better written.

Detective Aunty was a fantastic read. I didn’t know what to expect as I usually read early twentieth century British cozies. I learned so much about a different religion and culture but also enjoyed a compelling mystery in an interesting Canadian location. The characters are so relatable and diverse. Highly recommend and hope a second book in the series shows up soon !

I loved this! This was the perfect balance of mystery and women's fiction. I was enthralled just as much by the whodunit as I was about the multicultural facility and community dynamics set against the Toronto backdrop. Kausar's still evident grief is palpable but her shift toward protecting her family and becoming an amateur sleuth was compelling. I look forward to another book.

Detective Aunty, Uzma Jalaluddin's debut cozy mystery, introduces Kausar Khan, a woman in her fifties who was unexpectedly widowed a year ago. Kausar has long been reluctant to leave her home in small-town Canada for the big city of Toronto, where her family previously lived and where her youngest son was tragically killed. But when her daughter, Sana, phones to say she's the prime suspect in a murder that took place in her clothing boutique, Kausar hops on a plane and moves in temporarily with Sana, her husband, and their two daughters. Kausar has always been praised for her keen intuition and analytical skills, so she gets busy talking to former friends and acquaintances in the community, including the police detective in charge of the case. People seem to open up more to her than to the police, even though she had left Toronto suddenly and hadn't kept in touch with her friends there.

This is clearly the first in a series, and after a slow start, the plot becomes ever more intriguing. It features overwhelming evidence against Sana, marital discord, teenaged angst, an auto theft crime ring, a fading shopping plaza with more than one determined buyer, and a final dinner scene with disclosure of the guilty culprit that is reminiscent of classic mysteries. The characters of Kausar and Sana are developed over the course of the novel, and I particularly enjoyed reading about Sana's daughters and Kausar's supportive best friend. The author has also written a successful romance and a memorable holiday novel, both of which I enjoyed.

My thanks to Harper Perennials and Paperbacks and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

Are you looking for a fun mystery book? Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin fits the bill. I loved it.

This new novel by Uzma Jalaluddin starts out following Kausar Khan navigating life after her husband's death when she gets a surprising call from her daugther, Sana, stating that she is about to be arrested for the murder of her landlord of the shopping center where her daughter's clothing store is located. Kausar knows she must help her daughter, even though she fears returning to Toronto due to her sad past, she catches a flight to assist Sana. Once she arrives in her old Golden Crescent neighborhood, Kausar realizes things have changed significantly and there are a variety of other things going on such as car thefts. Kausar has a history of excellent intuition that leads her to discovering things and helping out friends and family. The book follows Kausar as she works with her granddaughter and other characters to piece together what happened in order to help Sana.

I think this may be Uzma Jalaluddin's best book yet. The only book of hers I haven't read is Much Ado about Nada. I was excited to see that she branched out do to a mystery novel that wasn't a thriller, but more of a fun, sort of comedic murder mystery. I always really enjoy the characters that she creates. Kausar was an interesting character, married young, lost her youngest child, and now widowed with this unique intuition that helps people. I think at times the book was a bit predictable especially after reading Ayesha at Last, I'm always suspicious of every character that comes across as friendly. Overall really easy read. The ending was a bit abrupt. I wish we would have gotten a little epilogue to get us excited for the next book in the series as I'm assuming this is the first of many in the Kausar Khan Investigates series!