Brooklyn Author Cooks Up Delicious New Mystery That Celebrates Indian Food, Spirituality and Good Karma

Brooklyn Masala is a new novel about starting over while whipping up the perfect spice blend

Brooklyn Masala is an offbeat love story about finding romance later in life and taking chances for love and happiness

With hijinks involving smugglers, shady gurus, and loads of curry, Brooklyn Masala is the story of two women who get caught up in a criminal enterprise while trying to whip up the perfect spice blend.”

— Sophie Schiller

BROOKLYN, NY, UNITED STATES, April 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Sophie Schiller is pleased to announce the launch of a new cozy mystery series under the name “Brooklyn Masala,” about two partners who navigate crime, cooking, and karma.
Meet Brooklyn Masala’s protagonist, Bella Bloom, a housewife and erstwhile newspaper editor who discovers her husband is having an affair. When she goes to see an Indian guru for advice, he tells her the cure for her problems is “garam masala,” an exotic Indian spice. Soon she’s making her own batches of garam masala and delivering them to the Guru’s network of shady Indian groceries. But unbeknownst to Bella, her spice jars are harboring a dangerous secret: smuggled diamonds.
Meet Bella’s partner: Dolly Parton Patel, an ex-Bollywood star modeled after Aishwarya Rai, who left the limelight and stress of the cameras to become a YouTube cooking sensation where she teaches “transcendental cooking.” Together, Bella and Dolly are the brains behind Brooklyn Masala, a new Indian frozen food and spice company.
With hijinks involving diamond smugglers, kidnappers, shady gurus, and loads of curry, Brooklyn Masala is a satire about two women who get caught up in a criminal enterprise while trying to whip up the perfect spice blend.
According to Brooklyn author Sophie Schiller, the story was born during the 2020 pandemic, when she found herself in Annapolis trolling through Trader Joe’s for cooking inspiration. What she consistently noticed was that the frozen Indian meals were constantly selling out. “I took out my notebook and wrote the names of all the most popular dishes and decided that when I got back to Brooklyn, I would learn to cook them,” said Schiller.
And thus, was born the idea for a novel about a Brooklyn housewife who finds out her marriage is crumbling and goes to see an Indian guru for help, only to be unwittingly recruited as a diamond smuggler.
“The Guru tells her to learn all she can about ‘garam masala,’ and the jars of spices she creates become the repository for smuggled diamonds,” said Schiller. “Things get pretty hairy after that.”
Filled with wit, humor, and determination, BROOKLYN MASALA is an offbeat love story about finding romance later in life, taking chances, and learning to leave one’s comfort zone for love and happiness. The first in a new amateur sleuth-mystery series, for readers who love the pure comedy of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, the wry comedy of Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan series, and authors like Deany Ray, Jennifer Crusie, Gemma Halliday, and Jana DeLeon.
Brooklyn Masala releases April 1, 2026 in Kindle and Paperback.
About Sophie Schiller:
Sophie Schiller is an author of historical fiction, mysteries, and thrillers. Kirkus Reviews has called her "an accomplished thriller and historical adventure writer." Publishers Weekly called her novel, ISLAND ON FIRE, "a memorable romantic thriller", her novel RACE TO TIBET, “a thrilling yarn,” and her TRANSFER DAY, “a page-turner with emotional resonance.” Kirkus Reviews called her novel, THE UNLIKELY SPY “a compelling foray into a time of high-stakes international espionage.” She graduated from American University, Washington, DC and lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Connect to Sophie Schiller via her social accounts or by signing up for her blog:
Blog | Facebook | Instagram
###

Rachel Bodner
Sophie Schiller Books
+1 929-305-2042
email us here
Visit us on social media:
Instagram
Facebook
X
Other

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.