Detective Aunty

Book Review

Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin
Mystery | Cozy

When Kausar Khan’s daughter Sana calls to say she’s been arrested for murder, Kausar packs her bags and heads to Toronto for the first time in twenty years. A widow with a keen eye for observation and sharp intuition skills, Kausar is determined to help her daughter by doing more than just caring for her granddaughters and taking care of the household duties — she’s going to catch the real killer and prove her daughter’s innocence.

Detective Aunty is a delightful cozy mystery set in Toronto, featuring an amateur detective in her mid-fifties and a vibrant South Asian Canadian and Muslim community. This story is full of family dynamics, mystery, humour, and a whole lot of heart. It’s a modern cozy mystery with a lead character who is unique, well-rounded, and absolutely steals the show.

I love that we’re getting to see more middle-aged characters play lead roles in cozy mysteries, and Kausar’s character was a joy to follow along with here. A recent widow, Kausar has experienced her share of grief throughout her life, and that has impacted her relationship with her daughter, Sana, and her other family members. We see those family dynamics come into play within the story, and I thought that added to the complexity of an otherwise light and cozy mystery. Kausar is intelligent and witty, full of life and grief, and not only is she actively attempting to solve a murder, but she’s also navigating what she wants this “second act” of hers to look like.

There are a lot of characters in this book, each with secrets, and the mystery kept me guessing until the last moments. (Complete with the classic mystery trope of bringing all the suspects together for the final reveal!) Teenage characters, in particular, can be difficult to capture correctly, and I think the author did an excellent job creating Kausar’s grandchildren and drawing out the emotions and responses they would have during this time.

Overall, this book kept me engaged throughout and captivated me with its characters and sense of community. While it may be a slower mystery, its focus is on the love of a mother and the strength of family and neighbourhood in times of hardship, all wrapped up with wit and clever detecting by a woman redefining her life after loss.

This was my first read by Uzma Jalaluddin, but I will certainly be back for more!

Recommended for:

Cozy mystery fans!

This post contains affiliate links; as an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Advance copy of the book provided courtesy of the publisher, Harper Collins Canada. All opinions expressed are my own.

About the book:

(From the publisher): When her grown daughter is suspected of murder, a charming and tenacious widow digs into the case to unmask the real killer in this twisty, page-turning whodunnit—the first book in a cozy new detective series from the acclaimed author of Ayesha at Last.

After her husband’s unexpected death eighteen months ago, Kausar Khan never thought she’d receive another phone call as heartbreaking—until her thirty-something daughter, Sana, phones to say that she’s been arrested for killing the unpopular landlord of her clothing boutique. Determined to help her child, Kausar heads to Toronto for the first time in nearly twenty years.

Returning to the Golden Crescent suburb where she raised her children and where her daughter still lives, Kausar finds that the thriving neighborhood she remembered has changed. The murder of Sana’s landlord is only the latest in a wave of local crimes which have gone unsolved.

And the facts of the case are Sana found the man dead in her shop at a suspiciously early hour, with a dagger from her windowfront display plunged in his chest. And Kausar—a woman with a keen sense of observation and deep wisdom honed by her years—senses there’s more to the story than her daughter is telling.

With the help of some old friends and her plucky teenage granddaughter, Kausar digs into the investigation to uncover the truth. Because who better to pry answers from unwilling suspects than a meddlesome aunty? But even Kausar can’t predict the secrets, lies, and betrayals she finds along the way…