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Detective Aunty Investigates #2
Moonlight Murder
Not yet published
Expected 5 May 26Win a free print copy of this book!
23 days and 07:14:26
25 copies available
U.S. only
Kausar Khan, the Detective Aunty, returns in a new case about the mysterious death of a young man in the Golden Crescent neighbourhood, which draws her back to the unresolved death of her son twenty years ago . . .
When Kausar Khan decided to move back to Toronto to be closer to her family, she didn’t expect to have another murder investigation on her hands so soon—or rather, she didn’t expect to have another murder investigation on her hands ever. But when a young man named Mateen is found dead in their Golden Crescent neighbourhood, and when it turns out Mateen was close with Kausar’s granddaughter, Maleeha, what’s a grandmother to do but try to solve the case?
And it’s not just a heartbreakingly devastated Maleeha that is spurring Kausar on to find answers; it’s also how much the circumstances of Mateen’s death remind her of her own teenage son, Ali, and his mysterious death nearly twenty years before. Kausar knows first-hand what a difference closure could make to a grieving parent—and the more she seeks to find that for Mateen’s parents, the more she begins to realize that perhaps it’s time she find it for herself as well.
As Kausar conducts parallel investigations into both Mateen’s and Ali’s deaths and her “aunty” skills continue to bring information to light, she can’t help but wonder if the similarities in the two cases are more than just mere coincidence—but how could two deaths, twenty years apart, possibly be related?
Detective Aunty is determined to find out . . .
When Kausar Khan decided to move back to Toronto to be closer to her family, she didn’t expect to have another murder investigation on her hands so soon—or rather, she didn’t expect to have another murder investigation on her hands ever. But when a young man named Mateen is found dead in their Golden Crescent neighbourhood, and when it turns out Mateen was close with Kausar’s granddaughter, Maleeha, what’s a grandmother to do but try to solve the case?
And it’s not just a heartbreakingly devastated Maleeha that is spurring Kausar on to find answers; it’s also how much the circumstances of Mateen’s death remind her of her own teenage son, Ali, and his mysterious death nearly twenty years before. Kausar knows first-hand what a difference closure could make to a grieving parent—and the more she seeks to find that for Mateen’s parents, the more she begins to realize that perhaps it’s time she find it for herself as well.
As Kausar conducts parallel investigations into both Mateen’s and Ali’s deaths and her “aunty” skills continue to bring information to light, she can’t help but wonder if the similarities in the two cases are more than just mere coincidence—but how could two deaths, twenty years apart, possibly be related?
Detective Aunty is determined to find out . . .
336 pages, Paperback
Expected publication May 5, 2026
5 people are currently reading
5251 people want to read
About the author
Uzma Jalaluddin
9 books2,700 followersI write funny, nuanced stories about Muslims, South Asians, Canadians, people. MUCH ADO ABOUT NADA (June 2023), THREE HOLIDAYS AND A WEDDING (Sept 2023), HANA KHAN CARRIES ON (2021) and AYESHA AT LAST (2019). Find out more at www.uzmajalaluddin.com and thanks for visiting!
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 13 reviews
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December 1, 2025AHHHHHHH im screaming i cannot wait to read this!!!! 🥹😭😭😭🧡💛💚
February 16, 2026
I don’t know if I just wasn’t in the right mood when reading the first Detective Aunty book, or if this one is just that much better, but I enjoyed this sequel so much more. I loved how Kausar grows in this one, in so many ways. I thought it was so poignant for her to have to confront her son’s murder more directly because of her granddaughter’s friend’s death. I appreciated how things were woven together and how Kausar had to go about trying to sort through all the different connections. In my opinion, a skillful and well-balanced mystery novel is one in which things aren’t too easily solved too early on, but also doesn’t involve hiding details from the reader so that it’s only obvious to our intrepid detective. In this book, I felt like Jalaluddin struck that balance well. And, as with all of her books I’ve read so far, I greatly enjoyed how Jalaluddin incorporates South Asian culture into the book.
Many thanks to Uzma Jalaluddin and Harper Collins for the chance to read this in advance and to leave this honest review.
Many thanks to Uzma Jalaluddin and Harper Collins for the chance to read this in advance and to leave this honest review.
January 25, 2026
The way that I consumed this book in a day is very telling. For me to have done that, means the book was well written; and had me on my toes the entire time to where I needed [insert that one SpongeBob meme]to know how it ended right away. I,along with everyone else in the world, want to know the secret of Kausar Aunty and how she isn’t a consultant for a police department. I hope I’m a nosey aunty like she is one day.
I will say I’m excited for the third book (iykyk) and is wondering how many more books in this series will there be.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. If the pattern is right, then I can’t wait for May of 2027 for the next installment.
I will say I’m excited for the third book (iykyk) and is wondering how many more books in this series will there be.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. If the pattern is right, then I can’t wait for May of 2027 for the next installment.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
📱📖 Read on Kindle (ARC) | 📃 336 pages
⏱ Approx. 4 hours reading time
🏷️ Publisher: Harper Perennial
📅 Release Date: May 5, 2026
✨ ARC provided by Edelweiss
Kausar Aunty is back, and somehow even sharper, nosier, and more emotionally grounded than before. Moonlight Murder doesn’t just deliver another cozy mystery; it deepens the heart of the series by tying a present-day investigation to a decades-old wound that has never truly healed. This time, Kausar isn’t just solving a crime out of curiosity or civic duty. She’s driven by love, grief, and the need for long-overdue answers. Golden Crescent feels like a lovingly fictionalized slice of Toronto suburbia with convenience stores, aunties on benches, mosque chatter, making it ridiculously easy to picture Kausar stomping through parking lots and plazas, collecting secrets like grocery flyers. As a Toronto girl, I felt that specific delight of recognizing the bones of real neighbourhoods under the serial‑numbers‑filed‑off setting, and it gives the mystery an anchored, lived‑in texture.
What really worked for me is how Jalaluddin lets Kausar’s “nosy aunty” persona be both her superpower and her shield. Any South Asian reader knows an aunty can assemble a full family tree and three scandals from one casual conversation, and Kausar weaponizes that reputation beautifully. People underestimate her, and that’s exactly why they talk. The parallel investigations into Maleeha's boyfriend's and Ali’s deaths add emotional heft: each clue in the present case presses on an old bruise, and you feel Kausar inching toward a kind of closure she’s been denying herself for decades. The mystery itself leans classic cozy with local suspects, layered motives, a steady drip of reveals, but the emotional throughline keeps it from ever feeling fluffy for fluff’s sake.
By the time we reach the resolution, it’s less about the “gotcha” of who did it and more about who gets to heal and who finally gets to be heard. The way Kausar reads silences and side‑glances, and how she respects the weight of community reputation while still pushing for truth, felt honest to how desi enclaves work. The love, the gossip, the claustrophobia, all of it. And that tiny teaser for book three? Consider me already loitering in Golden Crescent’s imaginary Tim Hortons, waiting for the next dead body to disrupt the aunty WhatsApp chats.
Would I recommend it?
If you love cozy mysteries with strong cultural grounding, emotional depth, and a sharp older woman at the center doing what she does best, Moonlight Murder delivers on all fronts. It’s comforting without being fluffy, clever without being cold, and heartfelt without losing its mystery edge. This series is quietly becoming one of my favorites, and Kausar Aunty is a character I want to grow old with. The blend of familiar Toronto landmarks, aunty‑powered sleuthing, and a genuinely affecting look at long‑shadow grief makes it a standout follow‑up to Detective Aunty, and that end‑teaser basically begs you to clear space on your TBR for book three.
⏱ Approx. 4 hours reading time
🏷️ Publisher: Harper Perennial
📅 Release Date: May 5, 2026
✨ ARC provided by Edelweiss
Kausar Aunty is back, and somehow even sharper, nosier, and more emotionally grounded than before. Moonlight Murder doesn’t just deliver another cozy mystery; it deepens the heart of the series by tying a present-day investigation to a decades-old wound that has never truly healed. This time, Kausar isn’t just solving a crime out of curiosity or civic duty. She’s driven by love, grief, and the need for long-overdue answers. Golden Crescent feels like a lovingly fictionalized slice of Toronto suburbia with convenience stores, aunties on benches, mosque chatter, making it ridiculously easy to picture Kausar stomping through parking lots and plazas, collecting secrets like grocery flyers. As a Toronto girl, I felt that specific delight of recognizing the bones of real neighbourhoods under the serial‑numbers‑filed‑off setting, and it gives the mystery an anchored, lived‑in texture.
What really worked for me is how Jalaluddin lets Kausar’s “nosy aunty” persona be both her superpower and her shield. Any South Asian reader knows an aunty can assemble a full family tree and three scandals from one casual conversation, and Kausar weaponizes that reputation beautifully. People underestimate her, and that’s exactly why they talk. The parallel investigations into Maleeha's boyfriend's and Ali’s deaths add emotional heft: each clue in the present case presses on an old bruise, and you feel Kausar inching toward a kind of closure she’s been denying herself for decades. The mystery itself leans classic cozy with local suspects, layered motives, a steady drip of reveals, but the emotional throughline keeps it from ever feeling fluffy for fluff’s sake.
By the time we reach the resolution, it’s less about the “gotcha” of who did it and more about who gets to heal and who finally gets to be heard. The way Kausar reads silences and side‑glances, and how she respects the weight of community reputation while still pushing for truth, felt honest to how desi enclaves work. The love, the gossip, the claustrophobia, all of it. And that tiny teaser for book three? Consider me already loitering in Golden Crescent’s imaginary Tim Hortons, waiting for the next dead body to disrupt the aunty WhatsApp chats.
Would I recommend it?
If you love cozy mysteries with strong cultural grounding, emotional depth, and a sharp older woman at the center doing what she does best, Moonlight Murder delivers on all fronts. It’s comforting without being fluffy, clever without being cold, and heartfelt without losing its mystery edge. This series is quietly becoming one of my favorites, and Kausar Aunty is a character I want to grow old with. The blend of familiar Toronto landmarks, aunty‑powered sleuthing, and a genuinely affecting look at long‑shadow grief makes it a standout follow‑up to Detective Aunty, and that end‑teaser basically begs you to clear space on your TBR for book three.
February 6, 2026
This is a solid entry into what I hope becomes the long-running Detective Aunty Investigates series. I enjoyed the first one, Detective Aunty, but this second one is even better. What I loved most was that the mystery was strong. In fact, there are two mysteries that Detective Aunty investigates in Moonlight Murder. One murder happened almost 20 years ago and the other one is recent. The author successfully makes this a cohesive story. Not only are the mysteries strong, there are subplots with the characters that are seamlessly woven in. These characters are flawed, yet very likeable, and they have depth, which makes their stories more interesting.
There are two things, however, that convinced me to give this four instead of five stars. First, and most notable, was the sprinkling of cursing. I was surprised to see it so much in this book because I don't remember any swearing at all in the first book. The first time I read a swear word in this book, I actually laughed out loud because I genuinely thought it was well-placed despite not being a fan of swear words. However, it continued to happen and such language quickly felt out of place. I would have enjoyed the book more without the swear words.
The second thing was I didn't understand why Kausar kept things under wraps when she knew more than her family did. I won't spoil it by telling you what the secret was. It just didn't make sense to me why she couldn't be more open with it. Other than these two things, this is a near perfect cozy mystery. There is a cliffhanger at the end, which makes me eager to read the next book. (I hope there will be a third book!) I also want to explore other books written by Uzma Jalaluddin.
Thanks to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book.
See my full review here: https://caboodleofcozies.blogspot.com...
There are two things, however, that convinced me to give this four instead of five stars. First, and most notable, was the sprinkling of cursing. I was surprised to see it so much in this book because I don't remember any swearing at all in the first book. The first time I read a swear word in this book, I actually laughed out loud because I genuinely thought it was well-placed despite not being a fan of swear words. However, it continued to happen and such language quickly felt out of place. I would have enjoyed the book more without the swear words.
The second thing was I didn't understand why Kausar kept things under wraps when she knew more than her family did. I won't spoil it by telling you what the secret was. It just didn't make sense to me why she couldn't be more open with it. Other than these two things, this is a near perfect cozy mystery. There is a cliffhanger at the end, which makes me eager to read the next book. (I hope there will be a third book!) I also want to explore other books written by Uzma Jalaluddin.
Thanks to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book.
See my full review here: https://caboodleofcozies.blogspot.com...
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
"Cow-sir Can" is back!
I cannot say enough good words about this book. I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this title and I loved every minute of it.
It is so refreshing to read a novel set in Scarborough and the GTA. I also really appreciate how Uzma incorporates Muslim culture so authentically and respectfully. It was so lovely to read about my culture and smile when I see that all too familiar confusion when the other person does not understand.
We are all beta.
Onto the mystery of it all, I really enjoyed the nuances of this book and how the murder in this title forces Kausar to confront her past and look into the death of her son. The grief and determination was portrayed very authentically.
There were moments in the book where I was able to piece things together faster than Detective Aunty herself but I did not see that last plot twist coming. And overall that is what I enjoy about mystery novels, they pull you in to solve the crime alongside with them but even you can't see the ending coming.
I can't wait for the next book! This series really has it all; mystery, drama, suspense, navigating family relationships, loss and even some romance.
I cannot say enough good words about this book. I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this title and I loved every minute of it.
It is so refreshing to read a novel set in Scarborough and the GTA. I also really appreciate how Uzma incorporates Muslim culture so authentically and respectfully. It was so lovely to read about my culture and smile when I see that all too familiar confusion when the other person does not understand.
We are all beta.
Onto the mystery of it all, I really enjoyed the nuances of this book and how the murder in this title forces Kausar to confront her past and look into the death of her son. The grief and determination was portrayed very authentically.
There were moments in the book where I was able to piece things together faster than Detective Aunty herself but I did not see that last plot twist coming. And overall that is what I enjoy about mystery novels, they pull you in to solve the crime alongside with them but even you can't see the ending coming.
I can't wait for the next book! This series really has it all; mystery, drama, suspense, navigating family relationships, loss and even some romance.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Just finished *Moonlight Murder* by *Uzma Jalaluddin*, and honestly, this one felt like a warm hug wrapped inside a mystery.
But the real star for me? Our detective aunty! 🕵🏽♀️
She isn’t your typical sharp-suited investigator — she’s observant, nosy in the most lovable way, always noticing who said what at dinner, who avoided eye contact, who brought store-bought dessert instead of homemade 😄. The kind of aunty who serves chai, asks personal questions, and quietly solves crimes in her head. Her intuition, life experience, and soft strength made her feel so real… like someone straight out of our own family gatherings.
The small-town setting, the desi community dynamics, the gossip, the secrets — everything felt so relatable and cozy, yet the suspense kept me flipping pages late into the night. It’s that rare mix of comfort + crime that totally works.
If you love mysteries with heart, culture, and strong women leads, this one’s for you.
Thank you @netgalley @uzmajalaluddin @harperperennial for the ARC
But the real star for me? Our detective aunty! 🕵🏽♀️
She isn’t your typical sharp-suited investigator — she’s observant, nosy in the most lovable way, always noticing who said what at dinner, who avoided eye contact, who brought store-bought dessert instead of homemade 😄. The kind of aunty who serves chai, asks personal questions, and quietly solves crimes in her head. Her intuition, life experience, and soft strength made her feel so real… like someone straight out of our own family gatherings.
The small-town setting, the desi community dynamics, the gossip, the secrets — everything felt so relatable and cozy, yet the suspense kept me flipping pages late into the night. It’s that rare mix of comfort + crime that totally works.
If you love mysteries with heart, culture, and strong women leads, this one’s for you.
Thank you @netgalley @uzmajalaluddin @harperperennial for the ARC
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Moonlight Murder by Uzma Jalaluddin is a mystery within a bigger mystery.
Auntie Kausar is not your usual lovable but ditsy boomer amateur sleuth. Instead, she’s a kind , mature, and intelligent woman who is tormented by the hit and run death of her teenage son almost twenty years ago.
Memories of the trauma of that time are resurrected when the body of her granddaughter’s friend is discovered. Detective Auntie springs into action to fight for justice for both these young men whose lives came to an end before they had truly begun.
So much fun to see Auntie stand up to her son-in-law and a local gangster. There was a time when she would’ve kept quiet for her daughter’s sake, but gloves come off in this one.
Sprinkled with lively family interactions, food references, and vignettes of the diversity the Golden Crescent neighborhood is so proud of. Moonlight Murder is a great addition to this series.
Thanks to Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC!
Auntie Kausar is not your usual lovable but ditsy boomer amateur sleuth. Instead, she’s a kind , mature, and intelligent woman who is tormented by the hit and run death of her teenage son almost twenty years ago.
Memories of the trauma of that time are resurrected when the body of her granddaughter’s friend is discovered. Detective Auntie springs into action to fight for justice for both these young men whose lives came to an end before they had truly begun.
So much fun to see Auntie stand up to her son-in-law and a local gangster. There was a time when she would’ve kept quiet for her daughter’s sake, but gloves come off in this one.
Sprinkled with lively family interactions, food references, and vignettes of the diversity the Golden Crescent neighborhood is so proud of. Moonlight Murder is a great addition to this series.
Thanks to Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
There's really nothing better than a good cozy murder mystery, and that's exactly what you get with the Detective Aunty books. I'm a huge fan of Uzma Jalaluddin's, and have been ever since I read Ayesha at Last, but there's something so different and fun about the Detective Aunty books, and I think it's because Kausar is just such a fun protagonist! She's very unique in the sense that she's just a normal person putting the pieces of a mystery together, but she's also so driven and has motivations that are so deep-rooted and important to her which makes her a very relatable character to root for. I think this mystery was even better than the one in the previous book, mostly because there were really 2 stories in this one that were weaved together in a really riveting way. It was so interesting to finally get into the details of Ali's death -- I felt so proud and satisfied for Kausar when she finally solved that mystery. I also continue to adore the side characters. Maleeha has really grown on me, in particular, and May has been my favorite since day one! I can't decide if I want a May in my life or if I want to *be* May! And I'm so excited by the way the book left off -- Detective Aunty number 3, I'm ready for you!
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Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!
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Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC
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What a great follow up to the first book. Detective Aunty is back on the case to help her granddaughter when a missing friend, show up dead. The novel also explores the death the protagonist's son nearly 20 years earlier and some surprising connections between the two young men.
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What a great follow up to the first book. Detective Aunty is back on the case to help her granddaughter when a missing friend, show up dead. The novel also explores the death the protagonist's son nearly 20 years earlier and some surprising connections between the two young men.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I have loved both books in this series. Great characters with interesting backstories, a compelling plot, and the mysteries are a great driving force for character development. Now I’m only sad I have to wait for the third installment in the series!
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Just finished it last night. I enjoyed the way the author wrote the story, laying everything out so the reader could also try to figure it out. Will definitely be reading more books by this author.
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