This review is not needed because the title truly tells the story! Three women in a matriarchal family unit are trying to solve their own personal whodunnit. Lana, the grandmother, is a powerful and ambitious business woman, who has recently been diagnosed with cancer, and has been convinced to move in with her daughter Beth, a nurse. Beth lives in a small coastal town with her 15-year-old daughter Jack. As the women begin adjusting to all living together, Jack stumbles upon a body while working as a kayak tour guide. This leads to a series of complications, suspect changes, and some good ol’ fashioned investigation hijinks.
Each woman feels like someone I know, in the best way. But there is a special place in my heart for the stubborn loyalty of Lana Rubicon. She is the queen of one-liners, and is the reason I laughed out loud several times. After sitting in as a witness while Jack is questioned by the police, Lana decides it's up to her to solve the case. Much to Beth's chagrin, Jack is more than willing to help her grandmother, so Beth is almost immediately roped in too. The women interview most of the suspects surrounding the murder, investigate the areas where the murder might have occurred, and crash funerals to get more information. And it was truly all thrilling.
As a mystery, this was a perfect book. There was more than one mysterious death, lots of different characters with motive and opportunity, and enough twists to keep me completely invested. There’s always something special about stories that feature the relationship between mothers and daughters. And while this story does heavily feature murder & night as promised by the title, the mother-daughter bonds that are explored are truly what made this book a 5-star read for me. Cut to me reading the acknowledgements and tearing up (iykyk).
I don’t care what your preferred genre is, get this book when it’s published!
For a more detailed review, check out my blog! Thank you to NetGalley and Willam Morrow for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night - Nina Simon

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

A beautiful and captivating book, where a mother who has spent her life excelling in her job is struck by cancer and moves in with her estranged daughter and relearns the meaning of maternal love.

Many thanks to the author for the chance to read this heartfelt book, that also happens to contain a fascinating mystery that will keep you guessing.

Until next time, share this one with your family members!

Three generations of women working together to solve a crime. Witty and dark. Funny too! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed it. Four stars. I could see this as a book club selection.

Mother Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon

Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Thrill/Mystery: 5/5
Pace: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

If I could give this book a higher rating I would. This by far is one of the best books in 2023., Simon has a n uncanny ability to tell a story at a great pace that builds up to an explosive ending. I did not want to put it down. In fact, my husband said I had to chose between him and this book……. I chose the book. Seriously though, this is a one in a lifetime read that you will find yourself engrossed and entertained while trying to figure out who done it. The book had multiple complexities to it that made it great, a bond with three generations, a murder mystery and a family member accused.
Lana Rubicon decided that she would move in with her daughter who is a nurse, after having to call 911 and finding out she has several brain tumors that would require medical intervention.immediately Her daughter Beth’s home is 300 miles from California and she feels that she is trapped with not much to do. Her enjoyment is watching people from a window with binoculars. She witnesses someone pushing a wheel barrow towards the water and then hears what she perceives to be water splashing. It was the next day that Lana’s granddaughter Jack, finds a body floating in the water. Accusations fly which bring detectives to visit Beth’s home to talk to Jack because they believe she may have something to hide. Maybe she caused the mans death?
Lana is a fearless mama bear in this thriller and will stop at nothing to prove Jack’s innocence. But did she have something to do with the murder? The ending of this one in NOT predictable nor does the author let on who committed the murder. Great pace and lead up to the end.

This book will be released on September 5 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley as well as the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

Loved this story, couldn’t put it down! The author’s writing painted a location I hadn’t heard of before, vivid and fascinating. A great mystery with fun twists and turns, alongside a journey of 3 generations of strong women reconnecting. I hope to read more adventures of the Rubicon ladies in the future. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy!

I loved all these strong female characters! It moved along nicely and kept me entertained throughout. Loved the grandma being called "Prima". A great read!

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Mother-Daughter Murder Night.

I'm so glad my request was approved because I enjoyed this more than I expected. Always a great surprise!

This was an enjoyable, cozy read featuring three likable leading ladies; Beth, nurse and single mom to Jack (my favorite character), independent, outdoorsy, and a born naturalist, and their matriarch, estranged mom and grandmom respectively, Lana, a fierce, smart, and savvy businesswoman.

When an unexpected illness forces Lana to take refuge at Beth's beach cottage during her convalescence, she is pulled into a mystery when her beloved granddaughter is falsely accused of the murder.

As Lana struggles to repair her relationship with Beth, her strong will and focus returns when she brings all her attention to the murder case.

But, will solving the case jeopardize the tenuous ties she is beginning to establish with the women she's loved most in her life?

Lana is part of the growing trend in novels where a mature or elderly-ish female puts on her Sherlock Holmes hat and solves a mystery, much to the shock of everyone around her since our society belittles the elderly.

The mystery was okay, but the female characters are the true stars of the book, all diverse women with unique, individual qualities, including Detective Ramirez.

I liked how Lana applied her business acumen to the case, using her skills to gauge how to speak to witnesses and potential suspects. She knew how to read people because it was part of her job. The irony is that she didn't know how to read her daughter.

I especially enjoyed the author's personal note on why she wrote this novel when her own mother was sick.

This is a touching tribute to the author's bond with her mom and the book is a great idea for book clubs and moms, daughters, and granddaughters to read together.

An amazing mystery novel about a mother-daughter sleuth duo, taking a small time murder by storm! So good! Perfect for all mystery lovers out there.

Three generations of strong women find themselves working together to solve a mystery when a dead body appears on their beach. I think fans of Deanna Rayburn's Killers of a Certain Age and readers who enjoy the Thursday Murder Club series will also like this one.

What a great time I had reading this book!! I absolutely adored this Grandma/Mom/Daughter story and would definitely recommend it. This was a fun mystery that had plenty of humor and intriguing elements. I also would love to visit this town, it sounds like such a nice place, murder aside of course. Lookout for this one on shelves September 5!

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night is a fun whodunnit from debut author Nina Simon. As Nina herself explains, she decided to write this book when her own mother was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer and she subsequently quit her job in order to care for her. As a way to regain hope, and as a distraction they took on this book as a project.

I feel like the circumstances under which this book was written greatly influenced the story. This was as much about solving a murder as it was about the strong bonds and complex relationships between three generations of women.

When Lana Rubicon, a successful, professional woman is diagnosed with several brain tumors that need urgent surgery she is moves in with her daughter Beth, with whom she has a very strained relationship. Beth is a single mother to Jack who is a fiercely independent 15-year-old who is more like her grandmother than either of them know . . . but will soon discover.

When Lana witnesses something alarming through her window one night and the next day a young man is found dead, with Jack as the number one suspect, Lana decides to launch her own investigation into what really happened. Eventually all three women band together to solve the crime and the investigation begins!

The relationships between the three women and how they evolved throughout the story made for such a heartfelt read. I loved seeing things from both Lana’s as well as Beth’s POV. Lana was the absolute BEST character and made the whole book for me! Sassy, tough, and absolutely hilarious at times, I could only hope to be half as amazing as her someday!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A highly enjoyable murder mystery! Cozy and fun. I found myself getting sucked into it quite easily. I would recommend this to mystery readers everywhere and will be pushing my book club to read it!

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

This is a fun mystery. It keeps you guessing until the end. I love that you get the perspective of 3 people. The writing flows nicely and keeps you engaged until the end. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a easy to read mystery.

This brilliant dark comedy meets murder mystery features a dysfunctional family plot spanning three generations.

Lana Rubicon, an ambitious, workaholic, and intelligent grandmother with highly refined taste in real estate, wakes up on the floor of her kitchen barely able to move, and calls 911. She is diagnosed with several brain tumors that need immediate removal, some of which have also spread to her lungs. This means she must rely on her daughter Beth, a highly accomplished nurse, to help with her treatment. Lana optimistically thinks her treatment will only take four months and then she can return to her old life, but she couldn't be more wrong.

After four months have passed, Lana has lost her job and entire career, and is unfortunately trapped in her daughter's sleepy coastal townhouse 300 miles north of California. She spends her days in her granddaughter's bed, spying on people with her binoculars, and giving orders to improve the place despite Beth's objections.

One night, she sees something alarming through her binoculars: a man pushing a wheelbarrow and then hears a splash a few minutes later. Did the man throw someone into the water? The next day, her 15-year-old granddaughter, Jack, who works at a kayaking place, finds a dead man in the water. Later, two detectives visit their house and make accusatory remarks towards Jack about her involvement in the murder mystery. A witness claims that she was drunk during her job, and her recklessness may have caused the man to lose his life.

Lana is determined to protect her granddaughter, ignoring Beth's comments about recovery and conducting her own investigation. She delves into complex land trust issues and illegal grow operations, all while dealing with the flirty banter of the Kayak Shack owner, which is just icing on the cake. Can she do what the officers haven't achieved and find the perpetrator to bring them to justice?

This smart and laugh-out-loud murder mystery keeps you guessing the identity of the murderer until the end. I truly enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading more works by this author in the near future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for sharing this brilliant book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.