Third-year medical student Nina Sundar is READY - fresh off of two yeas of hitting the books, she's ready for show what's she's learned during her clinical years. Armed with a box of tape, a stethoscope, a white coat with pockets crammed full of bits and ends, and a can-do attitude, she's ready to rock her surgery rotation, scut work and all. No textbook could prepare her for finding a body during the first few weeks of her rotation, though. Nina has read a mystery novel or two in her day and is ready to put her studying and sleuthing skills to the test, but with random accidents happening all around her and cranky residents breathing down her neck, will Nina succumb to the pressure - or something worse?

Oh look, it's two of my favorite things - cozy-coded mystery novels set in the 1990s and medical school fiction written by someone who's been through the process, all in one convenient novel! This was a fun read that also felt fairly accurate to life as a medical student as I imagined it would have been in the 1990s, which rarely happens in books and felt very validating as a freshly-graduated medical student who hated her surgery rotation. While there was drama, scandal, and the unique brand of suspending disbelief that comes with having young people solve a murder mystery while also trying to cram in studying and occasionally getting in a full balanced meal, I had fun, and would absolutely read more about Neena and friends as they navigate getting lost in the hospital, resident rivalry (and romance?), course evaluations, exams, and the untold frustrations of trying to keep a white coat clean in an environment uniquely suited to wrecking a white coat.

For a debut novel from a practicing doctor I thought this was a very fun and cute cozy mystery! I loved how we got the aspect of what life is like for medical students plus the aspect of solving a mystery! I loved Neena and all her friends and couldn’t put this book down! I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The ending did leave me a bit confused at parts but overall I thought it was a great book and I would read more if there was a series!

Neena is a 3rd year medical student who just started her first time in rounds at the teaching hospital. There are a few students she is familiar with and a few new faces. While Neena and her friends are navigating the exhaustion and focus of their surgical rotation they come across a murder in the hospital. Then accidents keep happening to hurt the students which leaves them to join together to figure out who’s behind it all.

The book started off slow but I do like the relationship that was build between friends all dealing with the same struggle of trying to make it through medical school and being exhausted. The book didn’t end up connecting well with the last chapter and left me feeling like I missed a lot or a lot of information wasn’t shared in the book. I had to actually reread the last chapter because I felt lost and confused and that hasn’t happened to me in a book before.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book follows Neena, a med student starting her hospital rounds, when a murder suddenly shakes things up. It starts off pretty slow with a lot of surface-level characters and Neena didn’t feel fleshed out.

The actual mystery doesn’t kick in until halfway through, but once it does, the pace really picks up and it gets way more fun. The killer was kind of easy to guess, and the writing felt a bit stiff at times, but the med school setting was pretty interesting to read about.

Not perfect, but a quick, entertaining read once it gets going.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Niru Mohandas for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed this story! It was fun to have the hospital setting and some great twists and turns in the story!

My only critique would be that it took a while to get into the story but when it was further into the story, with lots happening, it was enjoyable and at times, hard to put down

I enjoyed this book. It was entertaining. When the end of the book was approaching I was still trying to piece together things that had happened to the students throughout other chapters. Once the story started to pick up everything went very fast. It began slow and methodical but once events started to happen they fell into place and the motions kept turning.

I enjoyed the characters. I really liked Neena as a FMC. Her friends were family to her and it was sweet. I have a medical background and tid-bits of knowledge sprinkled in the plot was nostalgic. Cute read. Starts slow but it gets faster as time goes on.

I wanted to read this book because it’s an own voice story written by an Indian-origin writer.

It’s 1992 in New Jersey, probably a lot different from the one I lived in for two years in 2012. The story is of an American born Neena who is studying to become a doctor. We get to tail her as she begins her rotation, feels out her peers and studies. I have a cousin who recently started on her rotations in New York and I think I now know exactly what her day is like.

There is a lot of information provided to us, constantly. This is both good and bad. For example, almost towards the end the author says Neena rolled her big black eyes, but by then we already know her eye colour and it feels redundant. This happens quite often. I know authors need a way for the reader to picture exactly what’s happening, but it was not something I enjoyed.

On the flip side, the information regarding the rotation actually worked into the mystery well. We know how everyone works and we can even hypothesize as to who the culprit might be. She also managed to fit the amateur investigation without anyone dropping what they should be doing.

I liked the story, but I am not sure how I felt about the narrative style. I would recommend it to anyone who would like to specifically know more about the viewpoint showcased here. I might have actually liked a non-fiction of the author’s pre-med days even more!

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Every patient is a mystery and every mystery is also a mystery in this debut novel from Dr. Niru Mohandas. The author’s medical expertise is evident as she paints you an image of the hospital where Neena and her friends are completing their residency. Neena taps into Mohandas’ knowledge to crack the case of the dead body found murdered in the hospital.

While the story was engaging the plot was slow moving. The detailed descriptions made it easy to immerse myself in Neena’s world. At times those same descriptions made the plot harder to follow. I would have preferred the action to be written in a way that allows me to expand beyond my image of the surroundings. Mohandas’ debut novel will be a joy to those who love a slow burn cozy mystery and I can’t wait to see what comes next!

I enjoyed this debut mystery. Being in a medical profession it definitely made it more of an interesting read. I liked the characters and look forward to reading more to come.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Lovers of cozy mystery will enjoy this debut novel set in a 90s-era medical school surgery rotation at a New Jersey hospital.

A long-time physician herself, Dr. Niru Mohandas’ knowledge of the hospital environment and medical training experience really shines in this book. The unique setting is what drew me to this book, as my partner is a doctor (and we started dating during his residency, so I can only imagine if there had been a murder!!). This was the author’s debut, and I think the book would have benefitted from some more editing to improve the writing style. There’s a lot of telling, and the compelling story and setting would have benefited from some more “showing” instead.

That being said, I think this will be a fun new author for lovers of the genre!

Thank you to Amplify Publishing Group and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was really good. I love the characters, their growth through the book and their story. I have to say this is a book you should definitely read if you haven't.

Thank you to NetGalley, Niru, Mohandas, and Subplot Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A Pre-Med(stated) Murder is a cozy mystery set in the 90s that follows our main character, Neena, as she embarks on her third year of medical school and navigates all the chaos of putting her learned knowledge and skills into practice. It isn’t until later that she and her friends find a dead body in the stairwell of the hospital and she has to put her knowledge to use to solve the murder!

This was a very entertaining read! As someone who works in the medical field, I loved having an author that actually knew what they were talking about in terms of working in the hospital. The beginning was slow, but had a great payoff in the end!

Cozy mysteries ride the line between "awww" and eye roll for me. For the most part, this landed "awww".

You're following a cohort of medical students during their first weeks in a teaching hospital. Most of the story is about the rhythm of life as a medical student, and the systems by which the students learn. There's also a lot about the students getting to know each other, and forming their friend groups. I love books about workplaces, so I really enjoyed reading about their training.

The book grazed the surface of cultural differences between Indians, Americans, and Indian Americans. It also talked briefly about how these Indian medical students incorporate Eastern Traditions into their Western training. That was fascinating to me and I would love more of those topics in future books.

If you're in this for the mystery, it's important to note that the murdering doesn't really take off until the halfway point. While I do think it's well plotted for this genre, it took a long time to get there. Set expectations appropriately.

I would most recommend to people interested in reading cutesy, behind the scenes depictions of medical training in a teaching hospital.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. It was a struggle to get through the story because I didn't connect with any of the characters. In murder mystery books, I always look for a feeling of excitement and rush which I did not get.

3.5 Stars

A Pre-Med(itated) Murder by Niru Mohandas kicks off the Ally McKinley Mystery series, a BIPOC historical cozy set in 1992 New Jersey. Third-year med student Neena McKinley turns amateur sleuth when suspicious "accidents" and a murder shake her hospital.

With twists, humour, and a rich medical backdrop, Mohandas delivers an engaging mystery filled with well-rounded characters and cleverly placed clues. Neena shines as a protagonist, and the setting feels immersive thanks to the author’s medical expertise.

Perfect for fans of medical dramas, this is a promising start—I can't wait for more!

Thanks to Niru Mohandas, NetGalley, and Amplify Publishing Group for the eARC.
A Pre-Med(itated) Murder is on sale March 4th, 2025

I really enjoyed this book and loved the change in pace with it being set in a hospital in the early 90s. The first half was a bit slow with a lot of character building, but the second half dove right into the mystery and kept my attention the whole way through. I also really enjoyed the cultural representation and the way the author keeps you on your toes as you try to solve the mystery yourself. Overall, this book was a really quick & fun read, and I think it would be a great choice for any murder-mystery fan!

This book was very hard for me to get through. The author did a really good job at building the story around the relationships but the fact that it’s a murder mystery and it was 60% into the book when the murder finally happened. I feel all those details that were used to build a backstory took away from the enjoyment of the book where I had to force my way through this in order to finish it.

I was really excited to dive into A Pre-med(itated) Murder, the debut novel by Niru Mohandas, who's a physician herself. It turned out to be such a great cozy mystery! The story follows Neena Sundar, a third-year med student starting her surgical rotation, and it gave a really interesting look at the stress, sleepless nights, and fast pace of life in a teaching hospital. Plus, it had me laughing out loud at times—Neena is such a fun character. You can't help but love her and her close-knit group of med student friends—Cecilia, Raj, and Neel—who always have each other's backs.

The first half of the book was mostly about character development, giving us a peek into the lives and routines of the students and doctors. The mystery really kicked in around the 50% mark, and from there, it turned into a fast-paced whodunit. I loved the storyline and the twists along the way. The only part that threw me off was the helicopter scene toward the end—it was a bit confusing with all the commotion, and I thought it could’ve been written a bit clearer. But other than that, it was a fantastic cozy medical mystery. I’m definitely looking forward to more from this author!

Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Unfortunately I had a lot of problems with this book. First of all, the excessive use of exclamation points was incredibly distracting. I’m not sure why that wasn’t edited out of the book and hope it will be in the final copy. I also didn’t love that this is marketed as a mystery but the mystery doesn’t really start until very late into the book. I wish it had started earlier instead of focusing on medical rotations which were just kind of boring to get through. I think this had a lot of promise, but wasn’t executed well. So even though I wasn’t a fan, I’ll definitely check out their next book still.

definitely a likeable read and very fun once it actually gets going. the protag is cool too. however, it doesn't get going till around 55%, and the initial part felt quite laggy. 3 stars. tysm for the arc.