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After I read the first book in Uzma Jalaluddin's Detective Aunty series last year, I knew I had the read the next one. I was ecstatic when I received an ARC. I'm pleased to say, Moonlight Murder is even stronger than its predecessor.
Kausar Khan has moved back to Toronto to be with her family. She did not expect to be wrapped up in another investigation involving a suspicious death, but when the teen victim is a friend of her granddaughter's, Kausar feels compelled to get to the bottom of this mystery.
While investigating the death of her granddaughter's friend, Kausar is lead back to the circumstances around the death of her own son almost two decades earlier. Can she help her granddaughter find closure after the death of her friend and can Kausar finally get closure on the death of her own son, all while navigating a complex relationship with her daughter?
This is a solid entry into what I hope becomes the long-running Detective Aunty Investigates series. What I loved most was that the two mysteries in this one were both strong. The author successfully makes this a cohesive story. There are lots of twists and turns, with several suspects to consider. The reader is also left wondering how the two deaths are connected, if they are connected at all. I had some ideas about the whodunnits, but in the end I was surprised. The events leading up to the big reveals were suspenseful and engaging. Everything came to a logical conclusion when all was revealed.
I love the characters in this series. Kausar and her daughter Sana have a strained relationship, but it's clear that they really do love each other. They have both experienced a great deal of emotional pain over the years and it sometimes shows in their interactions with each other. Kausar is grounded and wise, though. She often says things that make me stop and reflect on my own experiences. There are a few life lessons in this book, but none of it felt too preachy. This is all well-balanced with light-heartedness and occasional humor. Kausar's long distance friend also provides some emotional support and helps keep her grounded.
If you like a bit of romance in your cozies, you'll be pleased to know there is some in this book. It's definitely a slow burn, as I believe it should be. Relationships take time to develop, especially after all the trauma Kausar Khan and her family have faced over the years. The subject of grief (and more) is handled beautifully.
Kausar Khan, her family, and many of the other main characters in this series are Muslim. As someone who is myself a Muslim, I felt seen. I could relate to so much of what I read in this book. Readers who are not familiar with Kausar Khan's culture likely won't feel overwhelmed. Uzma Jalaluddin presents it in a way that is easy to understand.
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 my 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 cursing.
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 about 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!) Overall, (minus the cursing in this installment), I did enjoy the author's writing style and I want to explore other books written by Uzma Jalaluddin.
If you're looking for a cozy mystery that is not necessarily set in a small town, but still has a strong sense of community and characters with depth, look no further than this series. Moonlight Murder can be read as a standalone, but for optimal enjoyment and no spoilers, I highly recommend starting with Detective Aunty and reading them in order. Moonlight Murder releases on May 5th in the U.S., so you have time to read the first one before then.
Thanks to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book.
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