I love a good mystery and the more twist the better. This book delivered! The unfolding story of the relationship between the three generations added dimension to the adventure. The setting, northwestern slough, was new to me. I enjoyed visualizing this area as they traversed the waterways and farmland. I’m hoping these 3 sleuths are going to continue their crime solving.

A delightful mystery with a realistic dynamic between three generations of women who set out to solve a crime. This unique premise (with an older protagonist!!!) made reading this a great fun. I found the characters to be well developed and their interactions very believable; and I even liked the teenager! A great whodunit that I would recommend. Awesome cover!!!

The author did a great job in detailing the crime, the motive, the players, and the clues that were interspersed throughout the telling of this suspenseful and intriguing tale. I enjoyed the backstory that made the mom, the daughter, and the granddaughter the person they are today as they ultimately worked together to find a killer hiding in plain sight. When I thought I had a handle of the person responsible, the author changed direction with a few strategically placed plot twists that enhanced my reading pleasure and ratcheted the drama up a notch to a fevered pitch and I all could do was watch it play out until the only person left standing was the killer. And I especially loved the bonding and self-discovery of the three generation of women. This was an excellent book and I look forward to more works from this author.

4 stars

This was a marvelous multi-generational female power thriller! Let’s start with the matriarch, Lana, she’s an LA real-estate powerhouse. Cancer has forced her to move in with her daughter Beth and granddaughter Jack. The three women are in a small town on the coast.

Jack is a water lover, she works a job at a kayak company, leading tours. All is well until Jack discovers a dead body one day at the end of a tour. As the police home in on Jack as a suspect, Lana decides that she will investigate the case and find the real murderer.

The three women work together to untangle the web of lies and secrecy that surrounds a land trust organization, ranchers, and shady business dealings. The trio are driving the police crazy, but are they truly in danger?

I’m excited to discover this new debut author. Lana was really the star of the show, and I loved the backstory of the author and why she wrote this book, be sure to read the description of that.

One day Lana Rubicon, 57, is a high powered real estate agent in LA, and 11 months later she’s living with her estranged 30-something nurse/daughter Beth and 15 year old granddaughter (Jack/Jacqueline) north of Monterey near the Elkhorn Slough nature preserve. Cancer has changed her life and she still needs chemo, but she is definitely bored and worried about becoming invisible (something worse than dying). The monotony of her recovery period suddenly changes when Jack, a local kayak tour guide, finds a dead body in the slough while guiding a group of tourists. Jack doesn’t recognize him, but the victim had booked a reservation on her previous tour, a bachelor party gone insane. The police initially zero in on Jack with these flimsy circumstances and Lana will have none of that: she and her granddaughter (and her reluctant daughter) are going to solve this murder.

The author tells us that this is a love letter to her own mother who was also diagnosed with cancer, and this is a delightful story of three generations of women with all their personal quirks still united by unconditional love. There’s a Gilmore Girls vibe that I loved. 5 stars!

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO but close — Beth has hazel eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Elkhorn Slough is a real place, an environmental restoration protected by the state.But Paul’s thinking that if you place two different plants in close proximity then they would magically absorb each other’s characteristics is pretty stupid.

Nothing more bonding for a Mom and daughter than....murder? Real Estate investor Lana is recovering from cancer at her daughters home in a coastal town when her granddaughter Jack come upon a body while kayaking. Jack becomes a suspect and craziness ensues. Lana decides to investigate in order to save her family. Loved the bond between these women and the dedication to get to the truth. I found the book easy to read and I definitely wanted to know how it ended.

This was a fun story for me. Three generations work together in different ways to solve a local murder. I enjoyed the relationships that the women had in the story and the way their sleuthing and working though solving the elements of the murder brought them closer together and essentially through their past misgivings. I would recommend to anyone looking for a light hearted story that will hold them to the end and keep them wondering.

This is a well-written debut novel by Nina Simon. It’s about three generations of strong women who come together to solve a murder. The grandmother just found out she has cancer and moves in with her daughter and granddaughter. The granddaughter finds a dead body in the slough while she is giving a kayaking tour.
The three main characters are smart and likable even when they have their disagreements. The writing and character development is good and the story is easy to read. I liked that it flowed smoothly. I wouldn’t mind if the author followed up with another murder with the same women. Even though there is a murder to solve I think this is a good book about a loving family.
I want to thank William Morrow, NetGalley and Nina Simon for this book. I think we’ll see more books by this author.

This was a solid debut, part cozy mystery and part family relationship story. I enjoyed the family dynamics between the grandmother (Lana), mother (Beth), and daughter (Jack) and the murder mystery kept me turning the pages. I wish the author focused more on the relationship between Lana and Beth and how that differed from the relationship between Beth and Jack. And how their relationships impacted how each viewed the murder that took place, including how they each got involved in the investigation of the murder. Instead, the story lost me a little with the land trust storyline.

Thank you to William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review.

This was a sweeter-than-expected multi-generation tale of three women--grandma, mom, and teen daughter--in coastal California. I loved how the environment played a supporting role, and how the relationships between the three women were fleshed out and grew over the course of the novel. It was also a solid mystery, keeping my interest until the end.

I loved this book. It hooked me from the beginning and I could't put it down. The book focused on a mother and teenage daughter and a grandmother who isn't close to either, who comes to live with the daughter for a period of time to recuperate from an illness. The teenage daughter is accused of a killing someone and while the grandmother recuperates she tries to solve the crime. The potential suspects all have something to lose. The characters are well developed and the evolution of the relationship between the mother and grandmother is interesting to watch. I will keep an eye out for future books by this author.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night is new take on a familiar genre. The relationships between mothers and daughters are at the heart of this murder mystery. Simon has created engaging characters and a well-crafted plot.

I really enjoyed this fun debut novel, Nina Simon"s "Mother-Daughter Murder Night"!! It's a cozy-type murder mystery and it mixes plot twists with the complicated relationships of three generations of the Rubicon family, grandmother, mother and granddaughter, in a sleepy Central California, small town setting. I was instantly engaged as the three investigated a local murder, and soon find themselves implicated & in danger. Loved former L.A. real-estate maven, Lana the most! Thoroughly enjoyable, quirky & full of charm! My sincere thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the complimentary DRC, my pleasure to review it...

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Lana is recovering at her daughter's house, when her granddaughter becomes a suspect in a murder investigation. Lana decides to use her talents to solve this case. This book kept me guessing.

Not since I read The Thursday Murder Club has a mystery's main characters so vividly come to life and captivated me, making me wish they were real and I could share their adventures.

The title of this book is what grabbed my attention, and I requested it hoping for a fun, cozy mystery about the antics of amateur crime solvers. It was such a pleasant surprise to discover the book not only has a great setting and an interesting whodunit mystery but also a family of endearing, well developed characters who quickly got me invested in their lives just as much as the mystery. Getting to follow along as the initially strained bonds between Lana, Beth, and Jack grew and strengthened and seeing their quirky, complex relationships evolve as the story progressed was my favorite part of the book. There's a solid mystery here, and I did really enjoy that part of the story, but these ladies stole the show for me. I hope we get to meet up with them again.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night is an engrossing mystery that sits a level above most of the mysteries I've read recently thanks to the Rubicon women and the big dose of heart they brought to the book. I simply loved it and can't wait to see what Nina Simon writes next.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for providing me a copy to read and review.

I enjoyed this whodunit very much. Three generations of women bonding together to solve a mystery and heal their fractured relationships. Very colorful characters and a beautiful setting helped me picture the scenes, I can definitely picture this book being made into a limited series on AppleTV.

I look forward to reading more by this author and hope we get to see Lana, Beth and Jack again!

What a fun and cozy mystery. I am not a huge fan of the octogenarian sub genre, but felt this one worked (even though she may not be quite 80....). I loved the 3 generation female character approach, and fell in love with each character. I really thought I had this entire case solved early on, but the novel tricked me and while the killer was one of my suspects, it was not my leading solution - how fun to be shocked!

Synopsis: The quiet life Beth shares with her teenaged daughter is upended when her diva mother, Lana, is diagnosed with cancer and comes to live with them while recovering. Additional disruption occurs when Beth’s daughter discovers a body while kayaking off the California coast, and Lana decides that solving the murder would be the best way to regain her mojo after cancer treatment. With Hurricane Lana in town, can Beth manage to keep her family safe and sane?

Review: An enjoyable read with winsome characters and an evocative setting. Simon does a nice job creating plausible motives for several suspects, so readers sleuth alongside the characters.

Comps: “The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise” (multigenerational; spunky characters); Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series and Deanna Raybourn’s “Killers of a Certain Age” (older crime solvers; spunky characters)

If you enjoy the cozy murder mystery shows of the 80s, you’ll love this one. A family of want to be detectives mixed with family quips equals a great read!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

3.75 rounded up!
TW: Cancer

There is nothing that can bond a grandmother-mother-and granddaughter together more than a real life murder!
🕵️‍♀️🕵️‍♀️🕵️‍♀️

Feisty Real Estate investor Lana Rubicon is recovering from brain cancer at her daughter Beth’s home in a sleepy coastal town when her granddaughter Jack, happens upon a dead body while kayaking near their bungalow.

Jack quickly becomes a suspect in the homicide investigation, and Lana, needing a distraction from her chemotherapy, decides to put on her wig, and her steel heeled stilettos to try and find the true murderer, and protect her granddaughter.

Her amateur sleuthing uncovers more than she bargained for, but it also bonds the three together in a way that she never thought was possible.

Although I didn’t find the COZY MYSTERY to be riveting, I did LOVE the family dynamics of the three generations of women, with Matriarch Lana, STEALING the show!!

You know what else I loved? ❤️‍🩹

This book was written when the author’s own mother was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer, and she quit her job to care for her. Losing hope and needing a distraction to bring them joy instead of anxiety, the mystery loving duo started this project. Nina wrote and her mother read and this book was born. (See acknowledgement page)

How special is that? ❤️

A buddy read with DeAnn. Be sure to watch out for her amazing review!

Available September 5, 2023

Thank You to William Morrow for the gifted copy, provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review.