Moonlight Murder by Uzma Jalaluddin
Uzma Jalaluddin’s amateur sleuth Detective Aunty Kausar Khan returns to solve crimes in Moonlight Murder. She moved out of her daughter Sana’s home, where she baked, cooked, cleaned, and established close relationships with her granddaughters Maleeha and Fizza after investigating a murder. Kausar had ensured justice was done by proving her daughter’s innocence and then purchased a three-bedroom condo in the predominantly South Asian Muslim Golden Crescent neighborhood in Scarborough in order to be closer to her family. One guest room will be decorated for her Northern Ontario resident best friend May to enjoy lengthy visits. After 18 years, Kausar is finally ready to reside in Toronto, which had been made unlivable when her cherished 15-year-old son and youngest child, Ali, was killed in an unsolved hit-and-run accident while walking home from a friend’s house.
A New Home, Old Wounds
Hassan Khan was a 32-year-old physician when he met and simultaneously wed his 17-year-old bride Kausar in an arranged marriage. Her long journey to the event from Hyderabad to Toronto was the first time she had traveled outside of India. They had been married for nearly four decades when he died of pancreatic cancer. In addition to tending their immaculately kept household and raising three children, Kausar was, unusually for a traditional Muslim wife, entrusted to manage their finances, which she astutely invested in properties and stocks, quietly accumulating wealth without ostentatious display. She was ever an avid reader, which led to meeting her instant best friend, May Kildair, in the mystery section of the North Bay library after she and Hassan had relocated from Toronto to Northern Ontario.
May is about 15 years older, an ever-optimistic non-Muslim petite blond yoga instructor who helped Kausar through the worst times of her life. She had dubbed her “Detective Aunty” after noticing uncanny observational abilities that would later assist her in discerning telltale clues police detectives overlooked.
A Suspicious Death and a Search for Justice
Before Kausar can decorate and furnish her new flat, she becomes embroiled in two cases previously dismissed by the police. Her granddaughter Maleeha is heartbroken when her first (and secret) boyfriend Qasim is found drowned in an ornamental pond with ketamine in his system. Although police detectives concluded it was suicide, Maleeha insists Qasim was a stellar, popular student and talented poet who, unlike his troubled younger brother, never took drugs or alcohol, an opinion shared by his schools’ staff. Unable to deny her granddaughter’s plea to prove this was a murder and unmask the killer and reminded of Ali’s needless death, Detective Aunty launches a perilous investigation.
Familial complications intrude as Sana’s philandering husband Hamza, after squandering her inheritance and moving in with his girlfriend, demands a huge payoff from Kausar before agreeing to finalize the divorce. Also, Kausar is conflicted about her growing feelings for handsome and charming Nasir, a successful attorney and long-time family friend who, with open admiration, protectively supports her sleuthing.
Secrets Buried in the Golden Crescent
Meanwhile, seeking closure with her son’s death, Kausar personally examines the skimp cold case file, which effectively goads Constable Ilyas Marjani, who is not-so-secretly in love with Sana, to reluctantly assist her with both cases. Kausar grills Ali’s three best friends, their parents and previously unknown girlfriend Cynthia. As her investigation deepens, Kausar intuitively senses these two cases occurring in the tight-knit Golden Crescent community nearly two decades apart share similarities and are indeed part of a tangled web of deceit. “Sherlock” Kausar and visiting chauffeur/sidekick May analyze the gathered and annotated evidence over endless cups of chai. Dredging up buried memories and uncovering inconsistent answers and outright lies, Kausar wrests the painful truth from those responsible, revealing solid evidence of the crimes committed. The dead may rest easier and the living granted some measure of closure.
Moonlight Murder reminds the reader not to overlook a determined, intelligent senior citizen who may happen to wear a salwar kameez and hijab. The adventure concludes with an urgent plea for help from Constable Ilyas, suggesting a third installment may be underway. Uzma Jalaluddin imbues her cozy mysteries with an authentic blending of Muslim traditions and culture infused into the milieu of the big city, making them savory treats not to be missed.
About Uzma Jalaluddin:
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.
