Mystery author, MJ Soni, joins the Spotlight this week to discuss her debut novel
Author Name: MJ Soni
Book Title: The Masala Chai Mystery Club
Book Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release Date: July 21, 2026
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Welcome, MJ! Please tell us a bit about The Masala Chai Mystery Club.
THE MASALA CHAI MYSTERY CLUB features a saree-wearing retired librarian and her diverse cast of chai-loving friends as they delve into the investigation of their despised HOA president’s murder, which echoes the plot of their latest Agatha Christie book club read. It’s perfect for fans of Only Murders in the Building and Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club.
How long did it take for you to write the book? Did you do any research?
It took me about a year to write it from start to first draft. I signed with my agent about six months later and she made me do five rewrites, yes five. Most of them were to decrease the number of points of view characters from six to two. And each iteration made the book so much better!
Yes, I did loads of research. I researched the physics of falling down stairs especially what falls could kill you. I researched homeowners associations and learned they can take away your home by taking out a lien on it for various reasons. And I researched fun things like pirate costumes, and pirate invasions.
What drew you to writing mysteries?
I’ve been a fan of Agatha Christie since I was a teenager. And I think being a doctor is all about unraveling mysteries related to patients and their illnesses. In fact, as a medical student I loved forensic pathology, it was gruesome but so interesting to try and work out the cause and mechanism of death.
About fifteen years ago, I joined a writing class at my local community center. And that was the true beginning of my being a writer, and being a writer was so much more fun than my day job, which I finally left to write full-time.
What’s your favorite part about writing/being an author? What do you find challenging?
My absolute favorite part of writing is having written a complete story, whether it’s a short story or a novel-length work. It’s worth all the slog and sweat.
My favorite part of being an author, is the writing community I am now part of. There is so much camaraderie and support amongst author friends. Part of this is because writing and getting published is so humbling. Even best-selling authors tell you how they struggle with imposter syndrome or with their next book not being as well received as they had hoped
What I find most challenging about writing is the blank page. I overthink my opening sentences, my opening paragraphs, who should be in that scene, should I open it with prose or dialogue…. I become paralyzed with all the questions I ask myself.
Recently, a friend said to me to stop caring so much and just write. Because no one will see it and no one cares how bad it is. So, I’m trying to apply her advice to get words onto a page and keep moving forward.
If you were speaking to someone who hasn’t read your writing before, why should they want to read The Masala Chai Mystery Club?
I believe they may want to read it for all the reasons I enjoyed writing it.
It’s a lighthearted murder mystery, a great summer read, with rich friendships especially female friendships, a multigenerational and multicultural sleuthing cast, with a protagonist who is a boomer badass lady, and to cap it off there is a very cute dog called Yolo and an even cuter kid both of whom help solve the mystery.
Fans of which authors or books might gravitate toward your book?
Fans of Agatha Christie of course.
Also, fans of Jesse Q Sutanto’s Vera Wong series, the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman, the Detective Aunty series by Uzma Jalaluddin, and The Marlowe Murder Club by Robert Thorogood. Oh, and fans of the TV show Only Murders in the Building.
What about the writing/editing/publishing process has been the most surprising to you so far?
I think the most surprising thing is how long things take. From signing a deal to the book actually being published takes almost a year. Of course, I’ve learned how many things have to happen before pub day, but for an author it feels glacial.
Any words of wisdom you give your pre-published writer self (or to a new writer)?
It’s not only to my pre-published self, I’m still distracted by research, or social media, or my newsletter, or streaming shows mindlessly. I have to remember that to call myself a writer, I have to write.
So, I’s say to my younger self—read, write, submit, accept rejection… repeat.
What are your interests outside of writing and reading?
My family, being a couch potato, and when I’m feeling energetic, I like to sew. I’m proud to say I sewed all my daughter’s prom dresses, and she says she loved them. Although maybe she’s just being kind.
What was the last book that stuck with you? Why did it make such a lasting impression?
So many….
- Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. It’s a timeless story about immigrant families beautifully told and set in Korea and Japan.
- Tall Cotton by Catherine Tucker. Set during the Civil Rights struggle, it’s a thriller told from the perspectives of a young boy and a lawyer. It’s basically To Kill a Mocking Bird but told from the Black characters’ points of view.
- Maame by Jessica George. George is British born to Ghanian parents, and her writing is so beautiful and elegantly simple.
Where can readers find you?
Facebook: @SoniAuthorMJ
Instagram: @mjsoniauthor
Substack newsletter: @mjsoniauthor
And if you’re in the Northeast I would love to see you at one of my book launch events:
Tuesday: July 21: 5PM: Bank Square Books, Mystic, CT: https://banksquarebooks.com/event/2026-07-21/mj-soni-masala-chai-mystery-club-book-launch-and-signing
Friday: 24 July: 6:30PM: Barrett Bookstore, Darien, CT: https://barrettbookstore.com/event/2026-07-24/cozy-mystery-conversation-featuring-mj-soni-korina-moss
Wednesday: July 29: RJJulia, Middletown, CT:
https://rjjulia.com/event/2026-07-29/mj-soni-masala-chai-mystery-club
Thank you, MJ! The Masala Chai Mystery Club is out NOW.
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!
Author Bio: MJ Soni’s first literary work that received an A+ was a sad essay about footprints disappearing on a beach when she was in high school in South Africa. This little flame of recognition burned bright for many decades while she worked as an eye surgeon and physician scientist. Decades later, after attending a writing class at her local community center, the flame roared back to life, and the result was DEFYING APARTHEID, her memoir that captures her experiences as a young activist in South Africa. A lifelong fan of Agatha Christie, she now draws upon her love of the culture and cuisine of her diverse Indian, African, and American background, to write heartwarming murder mysteries set largely in coastal New England. Her short stories have appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Akashic Books, and the Best New England Crime Stories Anthology.
She’s a recipient of the Leon B. Burnstein/MWA-NY Scholarship, and a runner up to the Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award, a Pitch Wars mentee and mentor, and a member of Crime Writers of Color, Sisters in Crime National, and Sisters in Crime-CT.