Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon
William Morrow
Available Now!
5 stars

Lana Rubicon is a powerful and successful businesswoman who has built a real estate empire. There's nothing that can bring her down… except cancer. Having no choice, Lana uproots her life and goes to live with her daughter Beth, who she doesn't have the best relationship with, and her granddaughter Jack. Now, without her empire to run, Lana suffers from boredom which results in her staring out her bedroom window with binoculars and comes across a particular sight in the middle of the night.
Lana's granddaughter, Jack, works as a guide for kayak tours. During one tour a body is found floating in the water. After the detectives do their sweep of the crime and make some inquires, they are quick to make Jack a suspect. Hating how the detectives treat Jack, Lana sets off to find the real culprit with Jack and Beth's help. As Lana heads deeper and deeper into her amateur investigation, she finds out there's more than meets the eye in this small coastal town.

I truly enjoyed reading this book! It was a cozy mystery filled with whodunnits and the relationships between mothers and daughters. I loved the twists and turn this book took as the story progressed. Not only did I love the way the mystery was unfolding, I enjoyed seeing the dynamic between the three women, and how their relationship evolved throughout the book. Not only with each other, but with themselves too. Initially, what drew me to the book was the title, and I love how the title was referenced in the book in regards to a tradition that Lana and Beth had.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night is Simon's debut novel and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next!

Thank you, Netgalley, William Morrow Books, and Nina Simon, for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

(A review will be posted on my Instagram page bibliophiles_elite)

I found it hard to believe that MOTHER-DAUGHTER MURDER NIGHT by Nina Simon is a debut novel. Simon started writing it when her own Mom was diagnosed with cancer and one of the characters in this mystery battles cancer, too. She needs a diversion and an unsolved murder is the perfect distraction. Simon introduces readers to a very likeable and somewhat quirky trio: a hard as nails real estate dealmaker and grandmother (Lana); her hard-working daughter (Beth) who is a nurse and single Mom; plus, teenage granddaughter (Jack for Jacqueline) who loves outdoor activities like paddleboarding and kayaking. They have their differences, but truly love and respect each other so when it appears that Jack is a prime suspect in a recent murder, all three eventually get involved in the investigating. Yes, there are some poor decisions, but plenty of surprises for the characters along with both suspenseful and amusing vignettes for readers. MOTHER-DAUGHTER MURDER NIGHT received a starred review from Library Journal ("dazzling debut delivers everything a mystery fan could crave") and has been chosen as a Reese Book Club pick. You are sure to enjoy this light, cozy and very entertaining mystery! 4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC.
The book is as good as you hope it will be from the blurb! Mother-Daughter Murder Night starts when the mother is diagnosed with cancer and has no one else to call but her daughter. The two don’t have a great relationship, don’t get along, and haven’t worked through past hurts, but Lana moves in with Beth to undergo treatment. Lana thinks she sees something suspicious out her bedroom window in the middle of the night, and then her granddaughter Jack discovers a dead body. Everybody is a suspect and there are many layers to uncover. Lana and Jack work together to solve the crimes, and eventually the daughter Beth joins in as well. Great fall read! The acknowledgements really got me in my feels.

Nina Simon’s debut novel, Mother-Daughter Murder Night, marks a fine beginning to an auspicious career. My thanks go to Net Galley and William Morrow for the review copy. This book is for sale now.

The story unfolds with three generations of women—Lana, Beth, and Jack—solving a murder mystery together. Lana, the grandmother, has just received dreadful news from her doctor, and she’s forced to rely upon Beth, her estranged daughter, for help to and from chemo appointments. Jack is her granddaughter, Beth’s daughter. Although all three are important characters, Lana is the protagonist.

Lana doesn’t deal well with helplessness.

No sooner has she moved into the little beach house in central California where the other two reside, than Jack, a teenager with a job as a kayak tour guide when not in school, finds a dead body while she is working. Suspicion initially falls on Jack, and so Beth and Lana dive in, first seeking to prove that Jack is innocent, and then, led by Lana, to find out who actually did it.

Amateur sleuth books come with an inherent challenge to the author, because obviously, civilians that have never worked in law enforcement are badly outmatched by actual cops. They don’t have the tools, the connections, or the experience to carry it off, and so such mystery novels sometimes end up looking ridiculous. Simon holds her own here nicely. Another issue I see frequently is with characters that are children. Jack is a teen, and she’s a bright girl, but Simon doesn’t fall into the trap of creating an unbelievably smart teen in order to justify making her walk and talk exactly like an adult. Jack has the naivete and occasional bad judgement common to kids her age, and because of this, the story rings true.

There are a couple of things that I’d change if I could. First, the whole “fiercely independent” and “tiny firecracker” personas are badly overused and becoming a cliché. The second may be partially due to my own false assumptions. Between the cover and the title, I initially thought this would be a comic caper, with the women planning to mete out some vigilante justice with hilarious missteps and hijinks along the way. Although the book has its moments, it’s not as funny as I anticipated.

Nonetheless, this is a fun read, easily followed, and with more character development than one usually sees in a novel of this nature. The chemo occasionally seems a little too easy on Lana, but it’s not beyond the pale; after all, different people tolerate these things at different levels. There’s never a moment where I slam down the book due to disbelief. I appreciate the working class realism in Beth and Jack’s lives.

I recommend Mother-Daughter Murder Night to those that enjoy the genre, and I look forward to seeing what Simon writes next.

While I’m typically not a huge “cozy mystery” fan, I really did enjoy Mother-Daughter Murder Night. I thought the characters were well-developed and believable, and the sub-plot of the relationship between Beth and Lana, as well as the relationship between both women and Jack, the daughter/granddaughter was just as robust as the main “whodunnit” plot line and definitely brought the “cozy” warmth to the story.

What I did feel like was a struggle for me, and is typically my struggle with the cozy mysteries I’ve read prior, is that the “mystery” felt a little too drawn out, in so far as the conclusion, while maybe not necessarily obvious, definitely didn’t feel like a major reveal or surprise, so as far as the mystery was concerned, it felt a little anticlimactic. That being said, the story as a whole was captivating enough because of the character development, the readability of the piece, and the humor and charm that shone throughout.

I would highly recommend this book to fans of Dial A for Aunties, as it gave off similar familial relationship centered cozy mystery vibes.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night
Author: Nina Simon
Pages: 363

What I expected: a fun, light mystery
What I got: A fun, light mystery...with a lot of depth.

This was a delight to read. I love strong female characters and this book had three of them-Teen Daughter Jack, Mom Beth and Prima (Grandmother) Lana.

There was palpable tension between Beth and Lana ( I was happy that that tension was explained), but also fierce love and loyalty. Jack was a delight-a teen who loves her family, her work and her hobby. Beth showed just how hard it is to be a mom/single mom (but wasn't "woe is me") and Lana showed us just what sacrifices it takes to be a successful business woman-sacrifices of your family and own happiness. This is all in addition to a mystery that was well plotted.

The side characters were well drawn and boy did I finish this book wanting to live by a slough (which I admit, I needed to Google!).

I hope we see a second book and this becomes a fun series!

Congratulations Nina Simon on your great debut novel!

Thank you William Morrow for my digital ARC

This is the type of book I enjoyed more in retrospect. I had trouble making myself read it. Although I liked the characters, the mystery just wasn’t compelling enough to make me want to pick it up each day. However, now that I’ve finished both the novel and the author’s note at the end, my opinion of it has improved quite a bit. I feel that the backstory of the book being written as a joint project during the author’s mother’s battle with lung cancer added greatly to the story and should perhaps have been in an introduction.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night is a unique tale of murder, mystery, and family. I wasn’t expecting the story that I got but I was thoroughly pleased with it. The story revolves around Lana (grandmother), Beth (mother), and Jack (granddaughter). It is primarily told from Lana’s perspective. Every family has their qualms and their own share of baggage, Lana has to come live with her estranged daughter due to medical issues. It is while Lana is there that a body is found and it is up to these women to discover who the real culprit is before it’s too late. Loved every moment of this book, from character development to character growth. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It is hard to believe this is a debut, as Simon confidently combines mystery, comedy and a dysfunctional family into a successful read. Jack, the 15 year old daughter discovers a dead body and becomes a suspect so the family must come together and become detectives to save Jack. Be sure to read the author's note on the story's inspiration, it made me like it even more!

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. With mother daughter relationships as one of its focuses- we watch as relationships are strained and healed. This is a feel good story with humor and twists along the way. The characters will steal your heart! Definitely recommend.

I loved watching the author interview with Nina and Cindy at Thoughts for a Page podcast. There is something so special about hearing authors speak about their books. It was extra special hearing about Nina’s mom and the process of this story coming together.

I was lucky enough to read this before Reese Witherspoon picked it for her book club as now there is a 4 month wait at my library. Simon's debut is definitely a worthwhile choice!

It seems that so many cozy mysteries follow the same ole same oles. This does not. A fresh take with total woman power! It is lighthearted and yet touches on many weighty themes. The mystery-solving team is 3 strong ladies - a grandma, and her daughter and granddaughter. They each have different strengths, and when pulled together become an unstoppable trio. To get there, though, they needed to overcome their own dysfunctional relationships.

The plot is well thought out. The characters are well fleshed out and fun. The setting is beautifully detailed. My only gripe would be that it felt a little slow in the middle but generally it was entertaining the whole way through.

The author's note was very touching as well. Simon and her mother wrote this as a labor of love (and distraction) while her mother went through her own trials with cancer.

I am hoping this is just the beginning and that there will be many to come in a new series.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for allowing me to read an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Reese Witherspoon’s September Book Club pick, Mother-Daughter Murder Night is a fun whodunnit in which a grandmother, her daughter and granddaughter become involved in solving a murder, but in doing so, learn so much more about each other and themselves. These women, each with their own style of dress, ideas and thought processes all come to this mystery with a different way of handling things. But this is a family affair and family come first even when dealing with a dead body!

The Rubicon women are Lana (the grandmother) who is going through cancer treatments. With a flourishing career in Los Angeles, she has had to move back to the quiet little town her daughter Beth lives in. Beth (the daughter) is a caregiver at a senior facility. She and her daughter Jack, (Lana’s granddaughter) a teenager who works as a kayaking guide must somehow now all live together under the same roof. Needless to say, it’s way too close for comfort.

But when a body is found in the water by Jack and she becomes the prime suspect in a murder, the mother-daughter duo must begin to investigate the situation much against the advice of two angry detectives. And Jack certainly wants in!

What they begin to discover is as mysterious as the murder itself. Where did the body come from? Could it have been dumped from someplace else and the tide moved it? Is it possible Jack’s boss the owner of the kayak business who himself is acting pretty suspicious had something to do with the murder? And by the way, who is the dead guy?

Then one of Beth’s seniors dies in his sleep at the facility. That’s when the investigation takes a curious turn. The women discover that the murder could be tied to this wealthy patriarch who owns a large amount of land that just happens to be near where they body could have been disposed. Now, the two adult children are fighting with a someone who says they are in possession of a deed to the land that says their father did not want them to have the land. And that’s when everything begins to get interesting and dangerous.

They continue investigating in their own “special” ways, with Lana fighting for her life as well as those she loves. They start to lean on each other and begin to try and sort out past problems which were never resolved, spoken about misunderstood or forgiven.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night is a Murder She Wrote like amateur crime-solving mystery with three smart, snarky, brave women who just happen to be related. It’s clever, it’s funny and it’s sentimental. Just a wonderful old-fashioned cozy with a modern-day twist.

Thank you #NetGalley #WilliamMorrow #NinaSimon #Mother-Daughter Murder Night for the advanced copy.

Congratulations to Nina Simon for having her debut novel Mother-Daughter Murder Night selected as the September pick of Reese's Book Club!

The relationships among three generations of mothers and daughters are complicated, but add a cancer diagnosis and a dead body ... and things get very interesting.

This story about real estate mogul Lana, her down-to-earth daughter Beth, and her adventurous teen daughter Jack is an interesting blend of murder and family drama. The plot includes more than one complicated family, care for the ecosystem near their southern California town, and a cast of quirky secondary characters. Will we see some of them again in a sequel?

I love the origin story of this novel. Nina Simon stepped away from a CEO position to care for her mother after a cancer diagnosis. With their shared love of murder mysteries, they brainstormed characters and plot points during chemo treatments and hospital days. The results of this challenging time was her mother's restored health and this enjoyable novel.

Although their covers are similar, don't confuse this with Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto. While Mother-Daughter Murder Night includes some laughs, it's not the slapstick humor of Vera Wong.

Thank you to William Morrow, NetGalley, and the Thoughts From a Page Patreon community for a review copy of this novel.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon is a lovable mystery. When you throw together an estranged mother and daughter, what better activity to bring them together than to try to solve a murder? Beth and her daughter, Jack, have created a quiet life in a small coastal town…until Beth’s mother, Lana, calls from LA with some frightening news—she’s sick and needs Beth’s help. Now all three women are living together and things are definitely strained.

When a dead body is found on the water while Jack is leading a kayak tour, the women are thrown into the investigation when the police question Jack. Lana has a lot of free time and wants to protect her granddaughter so she starts investigating herself. Soon all three women are looking for clues in their small town and annoying the local detectives. There are plenty of suspects but not a lot of motive. Will the women be able to find the killer and clear Jack’s name?

I enjoyed the story! All the main characters were lovable and I liked seeing their family dynamic develop. The story had a cozy mystery feel, with twists and turns to keep me guessing how the crime had taken place. Overall a pretty decent read!

Based on the cover and title, Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon wasn't exactly what I thought it would be, but boy did it hit. Every woman in the Rubicon family touched my heart, and honestly, I think the best thing about the book is its characters. The viewpoints alternate between Jack, Jack's mother Beth, and Beth’s mother Lana which was a wonderful way to highlight each of the women. Jack may have been the youngest as a teenager, but she was also pretty mature, and I quite enjoyed what her POV brought to the story even though it doesn't occur as much as the adult viewpoints do. There is plenty of drama in this family, even before the dead body, and I loved that it was mixed with emotion and humor.

If you are a fan of listening to audiobooks, I would highly recommend this one and I thought Jane Oppenheimer did a fabulous job as the voice of the 3 different women. Even though I prefer full casts, she somehow managed to feel like a different person every time the viewpoints switched. This ended up being a more complex plot than I would have initially realized, and I had no idea what was going to happen right up until the climax. I would put Mother-Daughter Murder Night partially in the cozy genre, and it definitely gave me all the warm and fuzzy vibes. I already foresee a re-read in my future, and I would LOVE to see this turned into a series (hint, hint). Overall, I recommend this debut to fans of cozy mysteries, family dramas, and whodunnits!

Lana Rubicon is a high-powered real-estate executive. When she has an unexpected health issue, she finds her flashy life in San Francisco a thing of the past, at least temporarily. She winds up living with her daughter Beth and granddaughter Jack along the Elkhorn Slough. If her illness isn’t enough, Jack, 15, who leads kayak tours, finds herself in the center of a murder investigation. Worse, there might be more than one murder. The three women aren’t convinced that the police are doing all they can to find the culprit, so they endeavor to find the evidence themselves. It isn’t easy, but each woman brings her own special skills to the pursuit. ,

Mother-Daughter Murder Night is a fabulous debut novel. The title is off a little, as it’s really more of a grandmother-granddaughter collaboration, or maybe just call it a multi-generational teamwork as grandmother, mother, and granddaughter join together to find the perpetrator of a murder.. It’s a well-written book with characters that are fully formed and fleshed out. The setting is well defined, a bit atmospheric. It’s beautifully plotted and is likely to keep you guessing most of the way through.

This book doesn’t disappoint. It will keep you turning pages and trying to guess who’s behind the murders and why. There are many possibilities, and each has their own reasons for why they might be the one. The author says in her note at the end of the book that she wrote it with her mother as an advisor, mirroring the story line.

I loved this book, and I’m looking forward to future books from this author. This book goes on my highly recommend list.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

From my blog: Always With a Book

This is a book that grabbed my attention because I totally got Finlay Donovan vibes from it. But I also loved the comps that were being made for it – I loved both The Maid and The Last Thing He Told Me, so I figured between all three, I couldn’t go wrong…and I wasn’t disappointed. And it also just happened to be an early read selection for the @thoughtsfromapage patreon group and I loved our group chat as well as being able to hear from the author. The inspiration for this book is really something.

I loved that this book was both a mystery and a family drama. While the mystery does drive part of the story, I think the main focus is really on the family dynamics between the mothers and daughters. They all had issues in their relationships and needed to work through them, with learning to understand and forgive being at the top of the list. This is what really what kept me engaged in the story, as I found each of the three to be so well written and so realistic. I loved Lana, the matriarch of the family, the most, and felt that she really steals the show. She was fierce and formidable, feisty and downright funny at times!

I could sense the author’s appreciation for the environment, and I loved how she worked that into the story. Those early mornings on the paddleboard that Jack loves resonated deeply with me.

This was a great debut and I really enjoyed the whodunit as much as I enjoyed the family drama of the Rubicon women. I would love to see another adventure featuring these women, though I’d be just as curious to see what else this talented author has in store for us.

Special thanks to William Morrow for the ARC of this book.

This story is very clever. Even though it's more about a dysfunctional family than a mystery but I do love dysfunction in a family, especially with the female side. It makes me feel better about my own family.. If this were a movie, I'd probably label it as a dark comedy.

I'd mostly recommend this book for people looking for a light read and it's really cool to see how the book came about by the author. So I'd advise you check out the authors notes. 3.5 stars up to a 4.

This cozy mystery with some action was the perfect antidote to going back to work this fall.

I deeply enjoyed the fierce female characters, the natural setting and the suspenseful mystery of Mother Daughter Murder Night. Lana and Beth are no nonsense females who both work hard to build lives for themselves - both single mothers who were responsible for raising daughters on their own. Jack is their granddaughter and daughter who gets tangled in the web of the mystery. They team up as a formidable and unforgettable investigative team - there are moments of dark humor with Lana's cancer diagnosis as well as her move from her high-powered society life to the humdrum little town that Beth and Jack live in. The author gives us enough background history about their relationship to add to the drama of the mystery - all of their issues will be familiar to women everywhere - these are very relatable and lovable characters.

High-powered businesswoman Lana Rubicon has a lot to be proud of - her keen intelligence, impeccable taste, and the L.A. real estate empire she’s built. But when she finds herself trapped 300 miles north of the city, convalescing in a sleepy coastal town with her adult daughter Beth and teenage granddaughter Jack, Lana is stuck counting otters instead of square footage—and hoping that boredom won’t kill her before the cancer does.

Then Jack—tiny in stature but fiercely independent—happens upon a dead body while kayaking. She quickly becomes a suspect in the homicide investigation, and the Rubicon women are thrown into chaos. Beth thinks Lana should focus on recovery, but Lana has a better idea. She’ll pull on her wig, find the true murderer, protect her family, and prove she still has power.

With Jack and Beth’s help, Lana uncovers a web of lies, family vendettas, and land disputes lurking beneath the surface of a community populated by folksy conservationists and wealthy ranchers. But as their amateur snooping advances into ever-more dangerous territory, the headstrong Rubicon women must learn to do the one thing they’ve always resisted: depend on each other.

This was selected as a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick for this month, so it probably does not need my recommendation, but I do strongly suggest that cozy mystery lovers who like a little more drama and suspense should read this. It is perfect for a mother daughter buddy read and for your own book club! 4.5 stars/5

This book was...fine. The premise was intriguing, but the characters fell flat for me, and I struggled to get interested in the actual mystery.