#TheMasalaChaiMysteryClub #NetGalley
The cover of this traditional mystery appealed to me and made me want to find out what happened in the story within its pages. It offered an enjoyable read highlighted by lots of delicious sounding Masala Chai and yummy snacks, along with some Shakespearean quotes and other book references.
Soni’s book may be compared to something like The Thursday Murder Club because it features a group of sleuths within a closed community. They are amateurs who readers know will find out what is going on. They have the help of one police officer much as The Thursday Murder Club had Donna on their side.
A man, Rohit, has been killed. He was disliked by many but, of course, this does not make his death okay. Neeti has known Rohit for many years and owes him for something big that he did for her in the past. Neeti wants to investigate as she does not believe that his death was natural. Having just read Dumb Witness, she also wonders if Rohit’s dog will help to solve the case. So, she forms the Masala Chai Murder Club.
Helping Neeti are her best friend Peggy, Peggy’s husband, and her niece Myra. (Myra also has a precocious young son but he is a bit young to be a detective.) The group follows where the clues lead which is largely to members of the community’s HOA.
This book is worth a look for those who enjoy traditional mysteries that do not feature overt gore. It is refreshing to have a protagonist from India as the main character and readers meet others of color in this story. I think that Neeti will be back for another case in the future.
One niggle: The Agatha Christie book is referred to as The Dumb Witness. I believe it is titled just Dumb Witness.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 21 July 2026
Post first published on 28 March 2026
Description:
from the publisher
Suspects abound when a much-despised neighbor is killed, perfect for fans of Only Murders in the Building and Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club.
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 neighbor’s house, she finds Rohit’s body sprawled across the bottom of the staircase with Agatha Christie’s The Dumb Witness nearby. Blackmailing his neighbors, 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.
But Neeti and her club members need to be careful. As more bodies turn up and more suspects start to appear, they’ll need to find the killer before they end up in hot water!
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 