Detective Aunty

Detective Aunty, the latest book by Canadian author Uzma Jalaluddin, is a blend of mystery and an exploration of complicated family dynamics and the impact of grief. 

Kausar Khan is widow in her mid-50's who has a penchant for inserting herself into mysteries. When her daughter calls asking for help after being accused of murder, Kausar leaves the safety of her new life in North Bay and returns to her old neighbourhood in Scarborough to find the real murderer.

The balance between the mystery and exploring strained family relationships and grief was equally balanced in this book. The personal relationships added to the story, but I would have preferred more focus on the mystery. I loved the sweet and delightfully flirty potential romance, the bits of humour and thought the highlights of Muslim culture and the expectations put upon women added an interesting dynamic and would give book clubs great conversation fodder.

While touted as a 'cozy' mystery, I think of it more of a contemporary mystery that also has a strong focus on Kausar's journey of self-discovery as she works through grief and figures out what she wants the next chapter of her life to look like and who she wants in it. My only beefs are that the mystery felt too convoluted and it irked this 50-something reader that Kausar, who is in her mid-50's, was treated as if she was well into her dotage by other characters.

Overall, this was an entertaining, slower paced mystery with culture, family dysfunction, bits of humour filled with a few red herrings and a satisfying ending. I love that this book had a Canadian setting as it explores how people in their 50's and beyond should excitedly embrace new chapters of their lives. 

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: Uzma Jalaluddin

Genre: Mystery, Canadian

Type and Source: Trade Paperback, personal copy

Series: Detective Aunty Investigates 1

Publisher: Harper Perennial

First Published: May 6, 2025

Read: Nov 25-Dec 2, 2025

Book Description from GoodReads: 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…