The Matchmaker

Children’s author Saeed (Omar Rising) makes her adult debut with a bumpy romantic mystery centered on Nura Khan, who runs a thriving matchmaking service among Atlanta’s Pakistani community. Nura’s company has brought wedded bliss to hundreds of couples, but she remains single on the cusp of turning 32, relying on her best friend, Azar, to be her plus-one to the countless weddings she’s invited to. While contending with her growing feelings for Azar, Nura starts receiving disturbing emails from former applicants accusing her of being a “fraudster” who “ruins people’s lives.” When one client’s lavish ceremony is interrupted by the bride’s angry parents shouting recriminations about Nura’s incompetence, Nura vows to ferret out who’s targeting her reputation, and why. Saeed delivers brisk prose and generates sweet chemistry between Nura and Azar, but she stumbles with the book’s mystery component, outsourcing most of the investigation to Nura’s staff while Nura frets about Azar’s new girlfriend. Despite some promising elements, this never quite takes flight. Agent: Faye Bender, Book Group. (Feb.)