Book Description
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 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!
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My Book Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
THE MASALA CHAI MYSTERY CLUB by MJ Soni is an engaging debut cozy amateur sleuths murder mystery which features a cast of multi-cultural characters who come together to solve a murder in their HOA community with the added bonus of descriptions of mouth-watering food from around the world. This is a standalone cozy mystery, but I am hoping it will return as a series with the MCMC (Masala Chai Mystery Club) solving many more cases together into the future.
Neeti Shah has loved reading and books her entire life. She was the head librarian at her local library until she was forced into early retirement. While she feels rudderless without her job, and becoming a widow a few years ago, she does have her niece, Myra and nephew, Ved living with her and wonderful neighbors in her multi-cultural HOA.
As she sits on her porch with her best friend, they hear a terrible scream from across the street and rush over to see what is happening. Rohit, a friend from her childhood in India, lies dead at the bottom of his staircase with his wife nearby. Rohit was not well liked in their community and could be quite mean to his neighbors, but while everyone else feels it is an accident, Neeti feels the scene is not quite what it appears.
Neeti and her mystery loving neighbors form the Masala Chai Mystery Club and with the help of a local police officer begin to gather evidence to prove Rohit was murdered. Will they catch the killer before they strike again much closer to home?
I loved Neeti and her love of reading and books, “real” chai, and how she shared it and many flavorful dishes with her neighbors. As is common with a new cozy mystery cast of characters, especially in a community setting, it takes a bit to get names and descriptions untangled, but it is worth it for the rich cultural mixing pot in this neighborhood. This is a well written debut mystery plot full of red herrings and surprises that kept me guessing and changing my mind on the identity of the killer multiple times. I also enjoyed the homage to Agatha Christie’s The Dumb Witness.
This is an enjoyable cozy mystery read with a great new cast of characters and wonderful food and recipes to try and share.
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About the Author
MJ Soni’s heartwarming debut, the Masala Chai Mystery Club, is to be released in July 2026.
It’s a murder mystery about badass diverse women, featuring a saree-wearing amateur sleuth, warm communities, and a dash of humor, and draws upon her love of the culture and cuisine of her diverse Indian, African, and American background.
She is also the author of DEFYING APARTHEID, her part-memoir about being a doctor activist in apartheid South Africa.
Social Media Links
Website: https://mjsoniauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjsoniauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjsoniauthor/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-masala-chai-mystery-club-by-mj-soni
