Detective Aunty
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 whodunit—the first book in a cozy new detective series from the acclaimed author of Ayesha at Last
After her husband’s unexpected death twelve months earlier, Kausar Khan never thought she’d receive another phone call as heartbreaking—until her thirty-something daughter, Sana, phones to say 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 remembers has changed. The murder of Sana’s landlord is only the latest in a wave of local crimes that 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 into his chest. But Kausar—a woman with a keen sense of observation and deep wisdom honed by life experience—senses there’s more to the story than her daughter is sharing.
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 could not have predicted the secrets, lies, and betrayals she finds along the way . . .
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Start a discussionThe series
In a quiet Toronto suburb where everyone knows your business—and remembers your childhood secrets—Kausar Khan never expected to find herself in the center of a murder investigation. She’s a middle-aged widow, a former community outsider, and now, reluctantly, the only person asking the questions no one else dares to. When her own daughter is accused of a crime she swears she didn’t commit, Kausar’s instincts sharpen, pulling her deep into a web of buried grudges, tangled loyalties, and the kind of quiet betrayals that fester in close-knit neighborhoods.
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What makes this series quietly powerful isn’t just the mystery—it’s the way it lingers in the spaces between generations, between grief and grit, between who we once were and who we’re still becoming. The tone is warm but never cloying, observant without losing heart. Each chapter moves like a conversation over tea, layered with emotional nuance, familial tension, and a generous dose of wit.
With its blend of domestic suspense, cozy mystery beats, and cultural richness, the story peels back the surface of suburban life to reveal something far more complex and intimate. There’s a gentle defiance in the way Kausar pieces together clues—not just to solve a crime, but to reclaim a sense of self that was long set aside for others.
This is a series for readers who crave character-driven mysteries that don’t shy away from emotional depth. A mystery of manners and motives, where justice isn’t just about right and wrong—it’s about truth, healing, and learning how to be seen again.
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