Review: Detective Aunty

Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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.

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Description: "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…"