The Masala Chai Mystery Club by MJ Soni
Debut Author Interview + Book & Author Info + Author Pet Corner!
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The Masala Chai Mystery Club
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 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!
To purchase your copy of The Masala Chai Mystery Club, click any of the following links: Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Penguin Random House.
The Masala Chai Mystery Club Author Interview
The Masala Chai Mystery Club centers around Neeti Shah and her chai-loving book club friends. What would you want your readers to know about Neeti?
She’s a librarian who is at a crossroads because she’s been forced into early retirement due to budget cuts.
She’s also a badass boomer lady inspired by my mom who wore a saree most of her life and didn’t tolerate fools easily. She loves her family, especially her niece, Myra, and Myra’s young son, Ved, and she’s a good friend to the other members of the Masala Chai Mystery Club including Peggy and Lawrence, and the newest member, Thandi.
The victim in The Masala Chai Mystery Club is Neeti’s neighbor Rohit, someone she knows well. What’s at the heart of their relationship?
They went to the same high school back in India and he gifted her a copy of Jane Eyre, which was a turning point for her because from it she learned what agency is. Later he did something that changed both their lives. She feels indebted to him on both counts because without him she may not have had the life she did.
The Masala Chai Mystery Club incorporates other literary greats, from Shakespeare to Agatha Christie. How did those writers influence your debut?
Like so many mystery authors I loved Agatha Christie when growing up. I have twenty of her books and almost all her short stories. I marvel at her ability to create amazing characters and ingenious plots. I’m inspired to at least try to be as clever as her, of course always falling short.
Shakespeare’s writings are timeless, something we all grow up with in high school. I can still quote from Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice. I wanted to add some of his quotes which are still so apt today, especially since Lawrence and Neeti share a love for his writings.
The Masala Chai Mystery Club includes actual chai, what makes the best chai?
The chai powder is essential. I include a simple recipe in the book. My mom used to grind her own but I find it too strong so I adapted her recipe.
In addition to being a novelist, you are an eye surgeon and scientist. How did that career impact your writing?
It helped and hindered. Medicine and science are data-driven and strive toward clarity. Creative writing is the opposite. Especially mysteries where you need to be clear but also sneaky to surprise the reader.
I overcame the conflict by separating them in time, often by going for a long walk before moving onto one or the other.
As a medical student I loved anatomy and forensic pathology, so that certainly helps when writing a mystery.
What are you working on now?
A follow up book to the MCMC and another family-oriented series.
Words of Wisdom for Aspiring Writers:
Read. Write, Submit—Repeat.
Don’t take rejection personally.
Always keep learning.
Author Pet Corner!
I used to have a Shiba Inu who lived to the ripe old age of sixteen. We called her Kitsu, short for Kitsune, which means fox in Japanese.
Fun story about her, she acted as the puppy in a movie called Hachi, A Dog’s Tale starring Richard Gere.
It was based on a true story of a loyal Japanese dog called Hachikō from the city of Shibuya. Hachikō was an Akita dog remembered for his loyalty to his owner, for whom he continued to wait every day at the train station for almost ten years after his owner’s death.
I first met Kitsu at my writing teacher’s house because her daughter was training Kitsu and her sister for the role of the puppy in the movie.
After her role in the movie was over Kitsu would have been returned to the breeder to be bred again and again. So, in a way I like to think we rescued her from the puppy mill.
One last factoid … Shiba Inus are known to be cat-like in their behavior with lots of self-grooming and limited physical affection. It always intrigued me that she seemed so happy to lick Richard Gere on the cheek in some of the movie posters. In fact, I was a tad jealous.
But then her trainer told me they had to trick her by placing a bit of peanut butter on his cheek. That made me feel so much better.
Such a beautiful dog! I’m so glad you saved her and gave her a wonderful life, that’s a terrific story.
The Masala Chai Mystery Club Author MJ (Manju) Soni
Manju (MJ) Soni grew up in South Africa and wrote, DEFYING APARTHEID, a part-memoir about being a doctor/ activist under apartheid.
Since then, drawing on her American, African, and Indian background, she’s written mystery short fiction and her debut cozy mystery, THE MASALA CHAI MYSTERY CLUB, which are full of heart and humor, with a saree-wearing librarian protagonist is to be published on July 21 with Crooked Lane Books.
You can connect with her at her website, or via newsletter on Substack or Instagram and on Facebook.
And if you’re in the Northeast please come and say hi at one of her events, which can be found here.
Elena Hartwell | Elena Taylor
