I really enjoyed this one! I'm not much of a mystery fan, so take my words with some salt. To me, this reads a step up in intensity from a cozy mystery. A lot of the elements are there (no one liked the victim, {older} civilian female protagonist is on the case, love interests), but you've also got racism and misogyny (some of which is coming from inside the house). I really like that you've got a female MC in her 50s ready to start her second act. I'll definitely be on the look out for the next book in the series!
Thank you very much to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the ARC!

I read everything that Uzma Jalaluddin writes because I know that she never, ever disappoints. "Detective Aunty" was no exception. Kausar's voice was strong and clear, her motives sure, and her drive impossible to ignore. Watching her unfold the mystery was so engaging. The mystery was also accessible -- I was able to follow along and solve little pieces of it myself, as she did. The cast of characters was interesting and unique, as is the hope with cozy mysteries. The ending both shocked me and didn't shock me -- but in a good way. Mysteries should never fully take you by surprise, in my opinion, because you should be able to work some things out for yourself, and I did. Needless to say, if Kausar Khan finds herself investigating more mysteries in the future (which I sincerely hope she will!), I'll be an avid reader.

pretty fun mystery with a well-written protag and a suitably unlikeable victim. 4 stars. tysm for the arc. would recommend.

Kausar Khan has retreated from her Toronto home after her son died in an unsolved hit-and-run. Leaving her other children behind, she is deeply reluctant to go back and disrupt her quiet, undemanding life as a middle-aged widow. But when she gets a call from her adult daughter telling her she's suspected by the police of murdering her landlord, she rouses herself to launch a defense. Her good friend May encourages her to investigate, since Kausar has an uncanny knack for connecting the dots and solving so-far trivial mysteries. But her daughter, who is going through a tough time in her marriage, doesn't want her help - other than to take care of the grandchildren and cook, which was Kausar's traditional role in a traditional Desi marriage. But trying to find out who really killed the unpopular landlord is something she has to do - and it helps her to discover her own inner strength.

I enjoyed this book primarily because it submerges us in a very specific place: a neighborhood in suburban Toronto largely populated by immigrants, many of them Muslim Indians like Kausar. The author gives us the flavor of their customs and habits and, yes, the food that flavors the story with a vivid sense of being somewhere specific in the world. I guess it qualifies as a "cozy" because the protagonist is an amateur sleuth, but it isn't fluffy-light. The family relationships are complicated and the troubles of the neighborhood - unaffordable housing, hostile policing, poverty - keep it from being too over-sweet. And provide material to drive the plot forward. The ending drew a little too much on classic mystery tropes for me, making it a bit less plausible than much of the book, but overall it kept me turning the pages.

One of my favorite Uzma Jalaluddin books!! Detective Aunty takes us back to the same neighbors from Ayesha at Last. This was such a good book and Uzma is a fantastic author!

A heartfelt exploration of family relationships packaged inside a delightful cozy mystery! This book had such bra depth of emotion while still maintaining the page-turning pace of a mystery novel. The themes and social commentary were lovely, and I very much enjoyed the reading experience, This was first experience with this author’s work and certainly won’t be the last.

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=3.5 | 😘=2 | 🤬=2.75 | ⚔️= 3 | 15+

summary: a cozy mystery starring a woman whose daughter has been accused of murder so Kausar (our titular Detective Aunty) goes to solve what really happened and there’s interesting family vibes and it’s set in a close-knit and complicated South Asian Canadian and Muslim community, which makes for unique character dynamics!

thoughts: fun! not reinventing the wheel or anything, but a good time—I really like the vibes of the second chance detective, a woman finding herself later in life.

What a great start to a new cozy mystery series. Aunty has had a hard time dealing with the tragedies of her past. But when her daughter calls with a cry for help, she will do everything in her power to step up. I loved the characters and their interactions. The plot was great with lots of little twists, turns, and side problems that helped keep the reader engrossed in the story. I loved her big reveal at the end. Looking forward to seeing what she gets up to next .
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really really enjoyed this cozy mystery thriller. thank you so much to the publisher for giving me a digital galley of this book.!!

I loved this start to a series. I am not a big fan of cozies, but this book may have changed my mind! Detective Aunty was heart warming, painful, and a good read! I liked how “modern” women react to the older generation, and yet still fall into the same pitfalls as the generation before.
I liked that Aunty was able to make changes in her life at the “advanced” age in her fifties, and could change her life for the better. Go, Aunty, go!
I also loved the growth of her family, her connection with her daughter, and her great relationship with her granddaughters.

Really enjoyed Detective Aunty!

I especially loved the last several chapters!

My first novel by Uzma Jalaluddin; not my last. Loved this Aunty.

Cozy mysteries are not my typical genre, but I was captivated by the title and cover. The central character is Kausar; her daughter is being investigated for a murder. Kausar hasn't returned to the neighborhood in quite some time but had some history there and she has a knack for investigating.

I'm not familiar with the Muslim culture and I enjoyed being introduced to that bit of diversity with some customs and phrases. I didn't feel lost at all with the dialogue.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing for the opportunity to read the advance read copy of Detective Aunty in exchange for an honest review. Approx 336 pages, publication date May 6, 2025.

Low key investigating by a woman easily overlooked. Love it. Also really liked reading a book with characters and customs different to those I am surrounded by. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Detective Aunty.

To be honest, I didn't have high hopes for this but I've never read this author before so I was keeping an open mind.

This is part of a growing trend where an elderly-ish character solves crimes.

I'm happy to say I was pleased with Detective Aunty and that's because Kausar is a relatable, thoughtful and sympathetic character.

Kausar is still mourning the unexpected death of her husband when an urgent call from her daughter brings her back to her hometown.

As she tries to prove her daughter's innocence, she realizes she needs to come to terms with the loss of her younger son and find a way to live again.

Kausar is not typical despite her conventional upbringing. She's resilient, smart, and more socially aware or perhaps just adaptable to cultural norms and modern times.

She knows when to push the boundaries and when to play 'dumb' to elicit information.

I liked how annoyed she was when people assumed she was older than she was, a common annoyance for many women of a certain age.

This was cozier than what I typically read as the violence and murder occurs off-screen, which is fine.

The writing style and tone flows well as Kausar busies herself with taking care of her family and interviewing witnesses and potential suspects.

I liked pounding the pavement and investigating the case alongside with her.

I also enjoyed the insight into her culture and the descriptions of the foods she cooked. Delicious!

I liked how her friends, May and Fatima, were loyal confidants, helpful and their personalities added a comedic touch to the story.

The way Kausar pieces the mystery together felt a bit convoluted; there are many subplots and characters involved.

I didn't care about the mystery as much as I did for Kausar and how she evolves from a person who has hidden herself away from her family and past and how she opens up again.

This is the first book in the series and I look forward to reading the sequel.

This book was AMAZING - I loved it. Kausar was an extremely well developed amateur sleuth. She cared about her daughter, she wanted to solve this murder and she wasn't overly pushy about it. And she didn't have some stupid foreign accent. This was a great mystery that had a lot of heart and family values incorporated seamlessly into it. Can't wait for more books in this series.

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****