Isn’t this winter lasting too long? Don’t you just want to bathe in the sun with a good book? Luckily, I got the chance to read a copy of MJ Soni’s The Masala Chai Mystery Club and was transported to a leafy, sunny neighbourhood that revolves around Neeti, who I would love as my neighbour.
The Blurb…
Retired librarian Neeti Shah was hoping for a restful life with her chai-loving friends, but when the body of a neighbor, a childhood friend of Neeti’s, turns up dead and the killer’s MO is similar to that of Neeti’s most recent book club read, things start to get out of control.
When Neeti hears a commotion at a neighbour’s house, she finds Rohit’s body sprawled across the bottom of the staircase with Agatha Christie’s The Dumb Witness nearby. Blackmailing his neighbours, threatening them with lawsuits, and calling them by nasty nicknames were only some of the hateful things that made him so disliked. But were they angry enough to kill?
Neeti is indebted to her old friend, and she’s determined to find his killer. But she can’t do it alone, so she enlists her mystery-loving friends, the Masala Chai Mystery Club, to get to the bottom of the murder.
Yummy food
What I loved about this book above all is the writing style. MJ Soni has the gift of telling stories with such vibrancy that you immediately find yourself trailing behind Neeti and her niece Myra through their leafy neighbourhood, taking a seat on her garden table along with fellow neighbours to enjoy a cup of Chai and ever-changing morsels of Indian food. Dog Yola and Myra’s son Ved add extra sparkle with their cleverness and cute remarks/behaviour.
Ever since I took up a waitressing job as a student at The Maharani in The Hague, I adore Indian food. I want to know more about the food Neeti serves in the book. MJ, please, put some recipes on your website, or at least point us to some good Indian baking or cookbooks!
About MJ Soni
You can visit MJ Soni’s website to find out more about the author. I share with MJ a love of mysteries and detectives. On her site, she says, “A lifelong fan of Agatha Christie, I now draw upon my love of the culture and cuisine of my diverse Indian, African, and American background, to write heartwarming murder mysteries set largely in coastal New England.”
We both write cosy mysteries and belong to Sisters in Crime and her Neeti and my protagonist Jill share some quirks. Although they are different, I can see them sitting on a garden bench, enjoying the late-afternoon fragrant jasmine, honeysuckle and lavender while discussing their latest cases. Neeti sipping a chai, Jill a 0.0 G&T. Dogs Yola and Chieny lying on the lawn together, by their sides.
While MJ Soni’s cosies are largely set in coastal New England, Jill travels to European cities that as yet are flying a bit under the radar. I look forward to reading many more of Neeti’s adventures!
Fans of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series will love The Masala Chai Mystery Club. Unfortunately, you have to wait until July for it to go on sale, but you can pre-order it from all the main bookshops.
Thank you, Crooked Lane Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
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