This was a cute book and I loved all the characters, If you are looking for a fast paced, whodunnit with complex family and community dynamics then this would be a great book for you. I understand that this is the first book of a series and can see how the author set the plot up to go to the next book, but the conflicts in this first book felt a bit unresolved.

Detective Aunty starts out strong with an intriguing prologue. Unfortunately, the rest of the book is less intriguing. The mystery unfolds in a pretty standard way. The pace was sometimes slow. The ending was pretty cliched, but in hindsight, there weren’t enough clues sprinkled throughout the plot to suggest who the killer was. The focus on a desi family and that comes with it, though, was really well done. If you want a pretty standard fair mystery with a bit of South Asian twist, you’ll enjoy this one. If you want something a bit different, I’m not sure this will fit the bill.

When her daughter is accused of murder, Kausar steps in trying to find out the truth.

I don't read a lot of cozy mysteries but I have noticed that the ones I pick up tend to have old ladies doing the investigating - first Vera Wong and now Kausar Khan. This one was truly delightful. I laughed, I groaned and I cheered as I read this book. Not only does Kausar manage to solve the case but she also brings together family and community. I always enjoy Uzma Jalaluddin's books and this one was another winner.

I've always enoyed books by Uzma Jalaluddin, so I was thrilled to read her latest book. I loved Kausra and her investigatives skills. I can't wait for the second book in the series (and this book hasn't even officially been released!). The author does a good job of building out family and friends relationships. I really cared about all Kausra's friends and family. This was a quick read for me because it held my interest the entire time.

I definitely recommend reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

If I could, I would give this book a ten-star rating, but alas, I can not do that here. Just let it be known that I would have! LOL! I'm not going to bore you with a recap of this book; it is not necessary, nor could I give you one without accidentally giving something away. Let's just say that there is a murder which seems to be quickly solved, but really isn't, and since Kausar's daughter appears to be the prime suspect, Kausar comes back to Toronto to help her daughter and family.

This was an all-out thrilling read, twisty, turny, with a murderer that I never saw coming. I would be surprised if almost nobody could figure it out. Then again, maybe I'm just lacking in my detective skills!

What I loved most about this book is that it was so much more than just a murder mystery; it was also a family drama on several levels. I was able to learn a lot about Asian-Indian culture (food, clothing, death rites, etc.), and since this story takes place in Canada, I learned some things about my brothers in the North that I never knew.

There are actually several mysteries going on at the same time in this book, and I wonder if the author is going to use that loose end for her next book, and there darned well better be a next book ---or maybe a series! I love books about middle-aged women and how they deal with life. And did I mention that there might be a romance coming too?

I must tell you that, based on this one book, I just went and bought two more by this author. I hope I loved them as much as I did this one!

*ARC supplied by Harper Perennial/HarperCollins Publishers, the author, and NetGalley.

I have loved all of Jalaluddin's books previous, so I was excited to get to read this one. However, it didn't live up to her other books unfortunately. It was a little too slow in the beginning, and it just wasn't at the same level as her other books. Maybe that is on me for expecting the same thing, when this was clearly a cozy mystery series.

The writing was still clever, I just wanted more from it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for a copy of this ARC!

🦇 Detective Aunty Book Review 🦇

❓ What's the last mystery you read?

🦇 After her husband’s unexpected death, 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. Determined to help her child, Kausar heads to Toronto for the first time in nearly twenty years. 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 and 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.

💜 Congratulations to Uzma Jalaluddin for breaking into the mystery/thriller genre! Let's break down this amazing start to a new series:

✨ Characters (4/5): I loved that Kausar is savvy and headstrong. It's obvious, on every page, how important family is to her (and coming from a Muslim family, I felt that). I do wish we received more about who she is outside of her mystery-solving and investment mindset, though. There's plenty to learn about Kausar and her family in future books. As for everyone else, the supporting cast is WAY too big. That makes it easier to keep readers from prematurely guessing the murderer, but makes keeping track of everyone difficult.

✨ Plot and Pacing (3/5): I loved the plot of Kausar returning home, to her family, to HELP her family, and proving that she's more than a live-in maid in the process. However, the pacing lags a few times. Having a few irrelevant but shocking reveals thrown into the story would have helped (use that huge cast!).

✨ World-Building (3/5): The lack of setting descriptions bothered me a little, especially since the plaza plays a big part in the story.

✨ Romance (4/5): Romance isn't the story's main purpose, but what we got was heartwarming without feeling rushed.

✨ Mystery/Suspense (3/5): I really wanted to give this a five, but because the pacing lags, the tension lags as well. The big reveal is well-thought out (I figured out the first half, but not the second, which I'm glad for) and plenty puzzle pieces were laid out for readers to track, but the slow pace keeps it from feeling like a gut-punch surprise (in a good way).

✨ Tone/Prose (3/5): The story is well-written, the prose easy to follow, and I'm glad for the little snippets of Arabic (along with explanations), which infused the book with culture (so did all the food!). I definitely made more than one cup (teapot) of chai while reading this. There are some good one-liners, but I'm hoping to see stronger prose as the series continues. Unfortunately, there's a LOT of repetitive, as if there's a chance the reader wasn't paying attention as pieces were revealed, which makes it feel like we're being talked down to.

🦇 Recommended to fans of Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery series, the Spice Isle Bakery Mysteries, or Agatha Christie.

✨ The Vibes ✨
🔍 Murder Mystery
🫖 A Hint of Romance
☕ Older FMC
☕ Muslim FMC / Diverse / Desi Community
🫖 Cozy Detective Series

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #DetectiveAunty

💬 Quotes
“The pens have been lifted, and the pages have dried."

“A woman’s ambition is always limited by her circumstances."

“It would be a shame to dim a light you have only just discovered.”

"Never try to hide the things you do for love.”

This was a horrible book to try to read while doing my chores, because I ended up just reading and getting nothing done. I was instantly hooked by the prologue, which had one of the best concluding lines I think I have ever read. And while I was slower to fall in love with Kausar, I ended up loving her. She was very nuanced, with her love of her family and her struggles with her mental health. She also has amazing character development learning what it means to be on her own and pursue her passions. I am definitely looking forward to more books in this series and how she continues to grow. I also liked her friends and family, especially May, who was the Watson to Kausar’s Sherlock Holmes. I want to see Kausar’s relationships with her family grow more in future books, but this book had a really strong start. As for the plot, while it was a bit slow and seemed to meander at times, it had a good ending. I loved the big dinner party reveal. So overall this was an amazing book from one of my favorite authors and I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for this honest review. This book unfortunately was too slow for me to enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for a review. I love this author and will read anything by her. Unfortunately this book did not do it for me. The storyline was very slow and i didn’t feel connected to any of the characters.

This cosy mystery follows Kauser Khan as she faces a family crisis. Kauser and her husband moved from Scarborough to North Bay after the death of their younger son. Kauser took it very hard, and wasn't able to handle life in the same surroundings. That was years ago, and with Kauser's husband dying a little less than a year ago, she's been adjusting to a new solo life, while still keeping in contact with her daughter in Scarborough and her son in England.
When her daughter, Sana, phones her to see that she needs her, and that Sana is suspected of murder, Kauser overcomes her fears and books the next flight to Toronto. Her best friend May drives her to the airport and we hear from her how Kauser is one of those people who notices things. Small things that others don't, but that tell one things about situations and people. She encourages Kauser to get to the bottom of things, but Kauser's first consideration is Sana and her family, particularly her two young daughters.
After her children were both in school, Sana started a clothing boutique in a small strip mall near her home. Her husband was supportive, and Sana has been doing well. When she went into the store early one day, she finds her landlord in her store and very dead. When the murder weapon is found to be from the store as well, Sana finds herself the prime suspect.
Kauser arrives at Sana's and lets herself in, but with no one home, she gives in to curiosity and walk over to the mall, checking out the investigation, and observing things closely. Back home, she finds that Sana has been released and both girls are home from school.
Kauser notices some issues with Sana's relationship with her husband, and a tension within the family. As she digs deeper into the family dynamics, she also reaches out to old friends, both those of her and her husband, and those of her children. Using these connections, she arranges for a lawyer for Sana, and follows her instincts as she asks for other favours to answer the questions that come to her.
The book also leaves a hint for a future sequel, one I would definitely be interested in.
I liked the main character, and her skills with relationships. There's a lot going on, but she is able to use her skills, and the way that some underestimate her due to her age, gender, and religion, to gather the information that she needs.

I've been an Uzma Jalaluddin fan since I read Hana Khan carries on several years ago, and I've eagerly awaited each new release since then. Detective Aunty is a bit of a departure from her usual works in the sense that the lead is not a young woman. Instead, Kausaur Khan is a widow living in the north of Canada who returns to Toronto for the first time in 15 years only after her daughter is accused of murder. Kausaur, who has noticed details others often miss for her entire life, decides to find the real killer and clear her daughter's name. This is the first in a new series, and I look forward to reading what other crimes occur in the Golden Triangle and seeing Kausaur's prospective new romance unfold!

Despite the intriguing look at an immigrant community in Toronto, this multicultural cozy mystery -- the first in a new series -- was too slow paced for me. Other mystery fans may find the sedate unspooling of the story just their cup of tea.

I love a great mystery and this story delivered just that! I was invested throughout the book. The family dynamic is heavily rooted in the story. It's the perfect way to be introduced to Muslim culture while following this woman's story while solving a cozy mystery.

This was a cozy mystery with more cultural substance than most. Featuring a somewhat splintered family drawn back together by another tragedy, Detective Aunty takes place in the Golden Crescent neighborhood of Toronto.

This gave me some Vera Wang vibes. I enjoyed seeing how the family dynamics shift and grow and the way the mystery unfold. I definitely can’t wait to read the next installment.

My only issue was the pacing; in parts it felt a bit slow but not enough to impact my overall enjoyment.

Delightful mystery set in Desi community in Toronto. For fans of Vera Wong - lots of family dynamics and community tensions as a neighborhood gets gentrified.

3.75 ⭐️

Kausar Khan never thought she would return back to Toronto, but after twenty years she finds herself back in the city after receiving a shocking call from her daughter Sana. Sana has been arrested for the murder of her landlord. Determined to help her daughter clear her name, Kausar grabs the notebook she’s known for carrying around and returns to a city that no longer feels like home. With her natural detective skills, help from old friends, and her oh so curious and sneaky granddaughter, she’s on a mission to uncover the truth… It really does take a village

I love a good cozy mystery, but Detective Aunty was a struggle to get through. It was quite a slow burn. I started and stopped several times because the plot moved too slowly and my engagement level decreased. While the storyline itself was interesting things didn’t really pick up until around 50-60% in which is far too late in my opinion. Slow build-up aside, I did enjoy the humor, cultural references, and character development.


Thank you Harper Perennial for the gifted review copy

This was such a good time and I cannot wait for the next installment. This book had me guessing the entire time which is hard to do after reading probably 200 or so mysteries at this point. I loved the relationship between Kausar and her best friend as well as the one between Kausar and her older granddaughter.

Unfortunately, this cozy mystery wasn’t for me. I really wanted to love it but it was too slow. I was never really invested in the story or the characters. I felt like the plot dragged. I loved the setting: Toronto, Canada. I loved getting a glimpse into the desi culture. I loved that the FMC was middle-aged. But in the end it wasn’t enough for me to love this book.

2.5⭐️ rounded up

I just finished Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin. I loved it! The characters, the food, the mystery...all makes me hope for a second book in the Detective Aunty series.