This entertaining debut is a fun combination of mystery and family drama. High-powered businesswoman Lana Rubicon is diagnosed with cancer and leaves LA to convalesce with her daughter Beth and granddaughter Jack in their sleepy Monterey Bay bungalow. Just when Lana feels like she is going to die from boredom, Jack happens across a dead body and quickly becomes the main suspect in the murder. The focus on Jack throws the three Rubicon women into chaos and provides Lana with a purpose as she begins scrutinizing this small-town murder case. The characters are authentic, the humor is engaging, the setting is vivid, and the plot has unforeseeable twists making it an all-around stellar read. Mother-Daughter Murder Night is a smart and laugh-out-loud murder mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.

A heartwarming and fun cozy mystery standalone about an intergenerational group of women who work together to solve a local murder. Great for fans of Only Murders in the Building.

A slow-burn, heartfelt murder mystery with familial drama. This book paid beautiful attention to the dynamic of mothers and daughters while giving us three distinct generations of women.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night takes a trio of makeshift amateur sleuths (Lana - a grandmother/career driven realtor who moves in with her daughter while undergoing chemo; Beth-single mother/nurse; and Jack-teen/kayak tour leader) and puts them smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation.

During one of her kayak excursions, Jack comes upon a body. Despite her age and attempts to explain her proximity to the victim, Jack quickly becomes the main suspect. Lana is positive that the police are not equipped for this job and jumps into action to save her granddaughter, bringing a more reluctant Beth into the fray. The three are desperate to prove Jack's innocence but none of them are prepared for how deep the secrets go.

This was a fun and enjoyable mystery. I liked the family dynamics between the 3 female main characters. I liked the ending. If it’s a series I could see myself reading the next book.

Thanks to the author and Harper Collins for the e-arc I received via NetGalley.

Real estate tycoon Lana is struggling as she undergoes cancer treatment so she leaves Los Angeles to stay with her daughter and granddaughter in a small town north of the city. Her daughter, Beth, is a nurse and her granddaughter, Jack, is a high school student who works part time giving kayak tours along the coast. On a tour one day, one of Jack’s customers stumbles upon a body. Lana doesn’t like the way the police investigation is going and decides to do some investigating of her own.

I picked up MOTHER-DAUGHTER MURDER NIGHT when I saw it was a Reese’s Book Club pick and was getting rave reviews but it didn’t work for me. I didn’t think the characters were developed well and the plot was too slow and predictable for a mystery. As a matter of fact, I set this book aside a few times in favor of other books. I’m in the minority, though, so you might want to give it a try if you like cozy mysteries.

This is a multigenerational amatuer sleuth tale. Lana, Beth and Jack (short for Jacqueline) have been living very busy and full lives. But Lana when gets cancer and has to move in with her daughter, Beth, you just didn't think things could get more hectic, but boy do they. Jack is at her afterschool job, when she discovers a body. All eyes turn to Jack as the possible suspect and grandma Lana puts all her "free time" to use and volunteers to clear her name.
This story had a lot of potential, IF there weren't three people all vying for the main character position. It got super exhausting that they never really trusted each other, even though they were all hoping for the same end result.
I didn't suspect the killer at all, I actually kept saying that it can not be this person. I read this as part of a buddy read and my friend had it figured out in 100 pages.
All this to say, I think that people will like this if you enjoy everything being spelled out for you. But the repetition and the miscommunication was exhausting for me. I wanted a cozy mystery, this was not cozy...

I started this one and just couldn't get into it... to me, it felt slow and I didn't really connect with any of the characters.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night is everything you want in a mystery novel. A compelling whodunnit, supported by family drama from the investigators and the suspects, with a dash of eco-friendly history.

A former NASA engineer, Nina Simon, wrote this debut mystery with her mom while undergoing cancer treatment to pass their time together.

When Nina's mother battled stage 4 cancer in late 2020, it prompted her to leave her CEO position and care for her.

Amidst the challenges, Nina and her mother found solace in their shared love for murder mysteries, leading them to write a mystery book of their own to keep them busy during their long days in the hospital room. I loved hearing about the therapeutic power of creativity, courage, and resilience that emerged through the act of storytelling that bonded Nina and her mother during this challenging period.

This heartwarming family drama within a mystery introduces readers to an unlikely trio of amateur sleuths—a spirited grandmother, a determined single mother, and a curious teenage girl—bonding together to unravel a perplexing murder.

Lana Rubicon, a powerful real estate magnate accustomed to the bustling life of Los Angeles, finds her world shattered by a cancer diagnosis. She must move to a sleepy coastal town with her estranged daughter Beth and granddaughter Jack as she finds her life at a standstill.

However, their life takes a sharp turn when Jack stumbles upon a lifeless body during a kayaking excursion.

Suddenly entangled in a murder investigation, the three generations of Rubicon women embark on a little amateur sleuthing as they discover Jack is the main suspect in the investigation.

This novel will satisfy slow-burn mystery readers who appreciate the setting as much as they do their characters. She writes the characters distinctly and depicts a beautiful ending for these three women.

I can admit, though, that what really enhanced this book was hearing about Nina's publishing journey and how this project gave her and her mother something to do in their darkest moments. Nina's joy is infectious, and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Patrons can enjoy a spoiler-filled episode with Nina to discuss the revealed killer and what Nina wanted to achieve with her ending. Thank you to William Morrow for the advanced copy and the opportunity to participate in this beautiful book launch.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night hits store shelves on September 5th.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night received so many great reviews and is a celebrity book club pick, I don’t know why I just didn’t connect.

The strength of the book is the relationship between the three generations of women and how they changed with time. I would say this was what saved the book for me.

The story did seem to drag throughout and the pacing just fell flat, and I did have a hard time with the constant POV shifts.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to review this book.

Definitely a fun read. Mother daughter relationships can be complex now add in a mysterious death and it gets even weirder. I Beth’s mom Lana is a successful real estate mogul. Jack Beths daughter works as a kayak tour guide. When a body shows up on one of jacks tours Lana steps in to solve the case. Made me think of Nancy drew but as a grandma .

The following is my review as posted on Goodreads and Instagram. I am thankful to the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Another edition of “Catching Up on Fall ARCs” is done! Mother-Daughter Murder Night was a really fun book about a mother, daughter, and granddaughter who (somewhat reluctantly) team up to solve a murder that occurred in the waterways behind their home. The mother is a spunky, fierce woman who decides to take matters into her own hand to investigate and gather evidence. As the story progresses the women find their relationships put to the test and their lives in danger as they close in on the killer. There are so many funny, heartwarming, and tense moments in this book that really make you want to keep reading to the end! I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon was a fun and quirky read. The relationships between grandmother, mother, and daughter were very realistic and added so much to the feel of this book. I flew through the story and I wish it would be made into a series. It was a unique mystery. This book was not like any average mystery book that I’ve read. I hope to read many more books by this author! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Another comedic mystery. While I've gotten hooked on a few others - Finley Donovan and Stephanie Plum, this one didn't do it for me. I'm generally not a comedic mystery fan so take that into account!

this is a very interesting read about a realtor finding out she has cancer and ends up moving in with her daughter and granddaughter while she recovers from surgery and having chemo. One night she sees something wierd out of the window, and the next day her granddaughter finds a dead body in the water. while she is working as a kayak guide. This brings the realtor to start investigating to make sure that her granddaughter is off the list of suspects.

I really enjoyed the characters and the twists and turns of the plot. It was funny and exciting at the same time.

When Lana is diagnosed with cancer, she moves north to be with her daughter and granddaughter during her recovery. While there, someone is murdered and her granddaughter is the first suspect. Lana takes it upon herself to investigate this murder to clear her granddaughter and fill her days.

Such a fun, popcorn thriller read!! A case of the who-dunits. This was witty, clever, heartwarming and intriguing! It was a bit far fetched at times, reminded me of Finlay Donovan, but it was a fun read so I was able to look past that.

I liked this one. There is a writing/publishing trend right now focusing on older protagonists in mystery/thrillers and this was a perfect fit for that trend. I liked the mother daughter relationship, and felt like it actually was very on point and not trite or precious. Was the storyline original? No, not particularly. Did I enjoy reading this? Absolutely.
And I will absolutely recommend to others.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night features 3 generations of women, a bit like Gilmore Girls (as the blurb mentions), but with a Rear Window type murder mystery that the Grandmother (Lana), the Daughter (Beth) and Granddaughter (Jack) must work together to solve. The beautifully descriptive story takes place in Elkhorn Slough on Monterey Bay, California. I've toured the Elkhorn Slough by boat to see the amazing otters and birds and creatures, so I was excited to read a mystery set in one of my favorite places! I absolutely LOVED the character of Lana as she added so much humor, insight and livened the story up. The murder mystery was intriguing, but the story of how these three women came together to heal and. become a family again was the real heart of this story and it made it worth reading. The story was slow in areas and a bit repetitive in others, but the revelations and twists kept me wanting to read more. Also, I wished for a bit more main character development for the 3 main characters, about who they were before and the relationships they had with each other (why was Beth a nurse when she seemed interested in artistic outdoor landscaping? did Jack have any friends? Did Lana and Jack see each other much before this time?). That information would have made this a total five star for me. It was impressive that this book is the author's first novel and she wrote it as her own mother was going through a health crisis similar to Lana's. I look forward to reading more of this author's work!

I thought that MOTHER-DAUGHTER MURDER NIGHT would be more comical than I expected (given the title of the book and the cover), and it's more of a family drama with a light mystery as a secondary storyline. The story involves power dynamics between women from different generations and how they can come together amid their differences. I enjoyed the messaging behind the story, but it took a while for me to get invested into the story. I usually DNF after 50 pages, but this book needed an additional 40 pages for me to really get into it. That being said, once I got into the story, I was really excited to see how it played out. MOTHER-DAUGHTER MURDER NIGHT is a cozy mystery for all mothers and daughters.

Earlier this month, I read Mother-Daughter Night and loved it. This was more than just a mystery/suspense novel, but also a novel about mother and daughter relationships, the choices we make as parents-- as humans, really--and how they can impact the other.

Lana Rubicon is as ambitious as they come, putting her career in real estate above all else. She learned the hard way how a person can only depend on themselves. A diagnosis of cancer and the stresses treatment put on her body mean Lana must turn to her daughter, Beth, for help. Lana finds Beth to be an enigma. She seems to be everything Lana is not. Beth lives a quiet life as a nurse in a sleepy coastal town with her teenage daughter, Jack. Jack is fiercely independent and longs for a different life than the one she's living. She loves her grandmother and mother and wishes they got along better.

When Jack finds a dead body while leading a kayak tour, the police are quick to name her as their main suspect. Lana and Beth are beside themselves with the accusations made by the police. Lana is quick to realize the police are not up to the task of finding the real killer, and, in an effort to prove her granddaughter is innocent, she begins to look for other possible suspects on her own. Beth, on the other hand, is not keen on the idea of her mother conducting her own investigation, especially not while she's in such a weakened state and should be focusing on her recovery. It soon becomes clear though that there is no stopping Lana, and Jack and a reluctant Beth lend her a hand.

Lana and Beth's relationship is mired in the past by slights and misunderstandings. I found myself siding with one or the other at various points in the book, but ultimately hoping they would find common ground between them. They are so much alike even as they think they are so different. And I really felt for Jack being in the middle. The relationships between all three women do grow over the course of the novel. I found all of them extremely relatable. (Not to mention I love the idea of a Mother-Daughter Murder Night! Read the book and you'll know why.)

From wealthy ranchers to land trusts, family vendettas and secret deals, Lana, Beth and Jack find themselves in dangerous territory. While not a fast paced mystery in the way some mysteries are, Mother-Daughter Murder Night was a compelling read. The mystery itself was made up of a complex web of conflict and characters that had me wanting to know where each thread would lead. While the final whodunnit was not a real surprise, the fun was in getting there.