When Kausar Khan moved back to Toronto to be closer to her family, she didn't expect to have another murder investigation on her hands so soon—or really ever. But when a young man named Mateen is found dead in their Golden Crescent neighborhood, and when she learns he was close to her granddaughter, Maleeha, what’s a grandmother to do but try and solve the case?
And it’s not just her heartbroken granddaughter spurring Kausar to find answers; it’s also how the circumstances of Mateen’s death remind her of her own teenage son, Ali, and his mysterious death nearly twenty years before. Kausar knows firsthand what a difference closure can 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 finds closure for herself as well.
As Kausar digs into both Mateen’s and Ali’s cases and her “aunty” skills continue to bring more information to light, she can’t help but wonder if the similarities between 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.
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.