by Linda Kay Hardie

This week we have a review of the first in a new mystery series by Uzma Jalaluddin, along with a fun interview with Uzma. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it.

Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin
review by Linda Kay Hardie

Step Aside, Elspeth, Detective Aunty Does It Better Than You and Columbo Combined

Almost an hour after I finished reading Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin, I’m still breaking out in sobs. Crumpled tissues surround my chair, wet with tears: sad, happy, angry, conflicted tears. So many OMG-did-they-really-do-that emotions I can’t hold inside. Families! Love them, hate them, need them, reject them; it doesn’t matter how you feel, families know the buttons to push because they made you who you are for better or worse. Jalaluddin’s mystery novel ignites tumultuous memories of love and pain, safety and guilt for her characters, but also for me as the reader of this emotionally truthful novel.

Kausar Khan is overwhelmed with emotions after decades of evicting them from her consciousness and entire life. But that was only a facade––a shield, a ruse, even to herself––to cover up her deep loss, to protect herself from acknowledging pain that was too heavy to live with. Better to live without emotions at all. That seemed to work fine, until her husband died of cancer, and months later, their daughter Sana calls, accused of murder and sounding guilty. This, Kausar knows, would be all her fault. To repair the past, she leaves the too-tranquil peace she (with her husband Hassan) found in a small community far from the rest of their family. She finally runs toward something instead of away from the bitterest hurt in a mother’s life.

This novel turns out to be so much more than just another murder mystery with an intuitive Columbo-like investigator. Sure, it definitely is a fun romp with interesting suspects and clues galore. But Jalaluddin dives into not only the personalities and backgrounds of all of Kausar’s old friends and family members, but also looks deeply into Toronto’s desi culture, taking readers on a journey into the lives of the peoples of the Indian subcontinent who emigrated to North America, bringing their old heritages to meld with the New World’s cultures.

Sana is accused of killing her landlord inside her small exclusive boutique in a strip mall in a desi neighborhood. Sana’s security cameras had inexplicably malfunctioned, so there was no video evidence. Investigating against her daughter’s wishes, the grandmotherly protagonist is known around the desi parts of Toronto as Kausar Aunty, a term of respect. But it’s also a reminder that she’s an older woman, invisible in most cultures, which gives this observant woman advantages in her sleuthing.

With her Elspeth-esque talent of listening carefully and connecting seemingly disparate facts, Kausar ties together the inconsistencies in everyone’s stories. So many people with something to hide! So many who hated the victim! Why does her son-in-law not seem to be living with her daughter and granddaughters? The handsome, divorced desi gentleman from her past: is he interested in her or trying to put her off the trail? And why are two high-powered developers after one small, run-down desi strip mall?

Despite the huge cast of characters with disjointed motives and backgrounds, Uzma Jalaluddin’s skilled writing is easy to follow, tugging the reader along on the ride. In the end, she ties up all the loose strings beautifully, leaving the reader emotionally jumbled and hoping this is the start of a series.

Linda Kay Hardie writes crime, humor, horror, and SF/fantasy stories, as well as poetry, essays (often about cats but sometimes about baseball), and fiction for children. She also writes recipes and won a trophy in 2002 for best rib rub in the amateur division of the Best in the West Rib Cook-off in Sparks, Nevada. She is also the reigning Spam champion for Nevada (yes, the tasty treat canned mystery meat) and represented Nevada in the National Chicken Cooking Contest years ago. Linda’s writing has won awards dating back to a fifth grade essay on fire safety, and in 2024 her post-apocalyptic short story “Grenade Blows Up” won a certificate of excellence from the Cat Writers Association. In 2022, she was honored with the Sierra Arts Foundation’s Literary Arts Award for fiction in Reno, Nevada, where she works as staff for Abyssinian cats. See Linda’s work at sierraarts.org/user/linda.kay.hardie.

Interview with Uzma Jalaluddin:

KRL: How long have you been writing?

Uzma: Since I was a child, really. I enjoyed writing stories and daydreaming. I started taking my writing seriously when I was on maternity leave with my second child. At that point, it felt like now or never. Of course, I had no time, as the working parent of young children, but that was when I decided to really make a conscious effort to pursue my writing dream.

KRL: When did your first novel come out, what was it called, and would you tell us a little about it?

Uzma: My first novel, Ayesha At Last, was published in 2019. The novel is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, set in a close-knit Toronto South Asian Muslim community.

KRL: That sounds really interesting! Have you mostly written mysteries/suspense and if not, what else have you written?

Uzma: I’m actually better known for writing romcoms! I’ve written four of them so far, with more on the way. But I’ve always loved mysteries, read them since I was a child, and I finally had to put my long-simmering ideas down on the page.

KRL: What brought you to choose the setting and characters in your latest book/series?

Uzma: Detective Aunty has a central theme: A woman’s ambitions are always impacted by her circumstances. I wanted to write a book about a woman in her late fifties, an immigrant woman who had spent the majority of her adult life taking care of others – her children, her husband, her community – and who finally has time to focus on herself and her own interests, except she doesn’t know what they are. I was also inspired by Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple. I’m a huge Agatha Christie fan!

KRL: I love Agatha Christie! Do you write to entertain or is there something more you want the readers to experience from your work?

Uzma: Certainly as a writer, I always want my readers to have a good time reading my work. I also hope that I can show them something different. My work represents an experience that many readers have not seen on the page, or even on the screen before – the life of contemporary immigrant, South Asian, and most importantly of Muslim characters. Many readers have contacted me to express their appreciation for my nuanced and authentic representation of Canadian Muslims.

KRL: Do you have a schedule for your writing or just work whenever you can?

Uzma: I generally write in the mornings, and don’t stop until I’ve met my daily word count of about 2000 words, or 10000 words per week. If I’m also doing my day job (I’m a high school teacher) that drops to about 1000 words a day, or 5000 per week, and I’ll work during the evenings.

KRL: What is your ideal time to write?

Uzma: Mornings.

KRL: Do you outline? If not, do you have some other interesting way that you keep track of what’s going on, or what needs to happen in your book when you are writing it?

Uzma: Yes, I outline. I’m motivated by word count.

KRL: Did you find it difficult to get published in the beginning?

Uzma: Getting published was very difficult, mostly because I had to convince myself that my words were good enough, that I was good enough, to run after this dream. The whole process of finding a traditional publishing deal is also quite opaque for someone not in the industry. I was fortunate to know a few writers, and we would commiserate on the journey.

KRL: What are your future writing goals?

Uzma: I hope to continue writing, hopefully across a variety of genres, and to pick up more and more readers as I go!

KRL: Who are your writing heroes?

Uzma: The everyday writers who sit in front of their computer screens or notebooks and pursue their dream, tell their story, day in and day out, to the best of their ability.

KRL: What kind of research do you do?

Uzma: Quite a lot. I’ll interview people who work in the same field as my characters, I’ll read articles about the setting and era my books are set in, or particular architectural details and pop cultural facts. When I wrote Detective Aunty, I had to do the usual amount of googling about forensics and the like!

KRL: What do you like to read?

Uzma: I read across all genres, but lately I’ve been reading a lot of romance and mystery, the same genres I write in. It’s important to stay up to date with contemporary authors, and the conversations that occur in their books.

KRL: What are your favorite TV shows or movies?

Uzma: I’m a fan of the classic 90’s romcoms, and I’ve seen them all. I also love good scripted comedies, like The Good Place, Community, Modern Family.

KRL: Have you any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?

Uzma: Don’t stop reading. Remember this is a marathon, not a sprint. Surround yourself with cheerleaders. Most importantly, do the work. Writing is not a romantic or easy job, and requires endless patience and self-reflections.

KRL: What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

Uzma: I’m quite grumpy until I’ve had my morning coffee.

KRL: Where can our readers find you online?

Uzma: I’m not on social media a lot, but you can find me on Instagram @uzmajalaluddin or sign up for my free and very random substack.com @uzmajalaluddin.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copy of Detective Aunty, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Detective Aunty” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen June 7, 2025. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.