Detective Aunty: A Novel by Uzma Jalaluddin (Paperback)

Fiction - Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths 

Published: 5/6/2025

“I’ll read anything Uzma Jalaluddin writes.”—New York Times bestselling author Kate Quinn

“I am such a fan.”—New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry

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 troubling: 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…

AUTHOR BIO: 

Uzma Jalaluddin is a critically acclaimed and bestselling novelist, playwright, and teacher. She writes nuanced and entertaining stories about Muslims, South Asians, and Canadians and is the author of Much Ado About Nada, Three Holidays and a Wedding, Hana Khan Carries On, and Ayesha at Last. as well as her first play, The Rishta. Her novels have been optioned for film and television, including by Amazon Studios and Mindy Kaling. A high school English teacher, Jalaluddin is also a former contributor to the Toronto Star and the Atlantic. She lives near Toronto with her family.

"Jalaluddin, who has crossed into crime fiction from the romantic comedy genre, doesn't skimp on plotting--the whodunnit twist caught me pleasingly flat-footed--but shines most with character and community, showing complexities of mother-daughter relationships and the variability of longtime friendships. Detective Aunty is the first in a new series and I certainly welcome more installments." -- New York Times Book Review

"Jalaluddin's first mystery is beyond satisfying, from Sherlock-style deductive reasoning to Christie-esque dinner parties, but infused with the flavors of samosa, biryani, and raita. Most tantalizing of all is Kausar herself, a proud South Asian Muslim woman defining her second act, a woman unafraid of turning her observational skills on herself, revealing deep pain and the personal flaws that stem from it. Put on a fresh pot of chai, because Kausar Aunty is just getting started. Who could resist 'Jack Reacher in a dupatta'?" -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Jalaluddin deftly pivots from writing romance novels to launching a mystery series...This cleverly crafted tale gracefully tips its literary cap to Golden Age mysteries while at the same time entering a relevant and intriguing twenty-first-century plot into the genre equation. Featuring a superbly nuanced protagonist--an aunty and grandmother who cares as much about her community as Agatha Christie's Jane Marple cared about St. Mary Mead--Jalaluddin's first Kausar Khan novel is a triumph." -- Booklist, starred review

"Jalaluddin has created a complex character who must come to terms with her past as well as her future while dealing with outmoded ideas and behavior aimed at women of a certain age, and supporting characters add humor to the plot. Recommended for fans of Sujata Massey's Perveen Mistry books and Robert Thorogood's 'Marlow Murder Club' series." -- Library Journal