I don't know why, but I thought this book was going to be one of those fun mystery books. Maybe that's why I found myself struggling to get through this one.

I liked the characters enough. They definitely didn't wow me. They are who they are. That's it. None of them stand out. They don't have anything that endeared themselves to me. However, I didn't necessarily dislike them.

The storytelling in this one was exptremely slow moving. It took me way longer to get through the book than it should have. There was more unneceassary filler than actual story. I admittedly did skim a handful of parts in the book because they played no part in the actual story itself.

In a nutshell, this book isn't anything extraordinary. It's an okay book, but I woouldn't be in a hurry to read it.

In this debut novel, a grandmother, mother, and daughter work together to solve the mystery of a dead body discovered in their coastal California town. This is a cozy mystery for fans of The Thursday Night Murder Club. If you like stories with girl power, strong older female protagonists, and complicated mother-daughter relationships, then you will enjoy this delightful mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced e-reader copy.

Lana discovers she has tumors in her brain and she has to call her daughter to help her. Beth wants to help her mother so she picks her up and makes all the calls to get her the best care possible. Beth brings Lana home with her while she is going through chemo treatments and wants her to rest and recover.

Lana isn’t the type of woman to lie around. Her granddaughter discovers a dead body in the slough. As Jack was leading a kayak tour and found the body the police have her as number one suspect.

Lana starts digging for clues and piecing the mystery together. This bond the whole family together as they solve the mystery. Some parts were funny and ultimately it was a great who done it mystery with heart.

This is an outstanding debut novel! From the blurb, I expected something a lot more flighty and frivolous, but this is a serious crime novel blended with a really lovely story about intergenerational mother/daughter relationships and repairing fractured family ties. Well-constructed characters, a central mystery with a resolution that made sense (and wasn't difficult to guess at) but had enough twists and turns to stay interesting and keep me reading long after I should have been asleep for the night. Looking very forward to Nina Simon's next book! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this one ahead of release.

A sweet, if predictable, cozy mystery. It was a good debut novel that kept the interest of this reader until the end.

This murder mystery is so much more than just a thriller. It is also about strong women, three generations trying to protect the lives they've created and the interpersonal relationship of mothers and daughters. If you loved The Thursday Murder Club, you'll love the Mother-Daughter Murder Night.

Lana is an excellent business person in commercial real estate. It’s her whole life until she’s diagnosed with cancer. Forced to call the daughter and granddaughter she’s not close with, she moves in with them for the next four months while recuperating. When 15 yr old Jack finds a dead body during an assisted kayak trip, becoming the primary suspect, the three women band together to solve the murder. Three strong women characters and an interesting murder make this debut mystery a hit, one that’s fun to read on many levels.

This book turned out great! It felt a little slow moving at first and I wasn’t sure where it was going, but once it picked up, I didn’t want to stop!

So fun. I loved the mystery and the relationship between the three protagonists. The dynamic between the three of them was funny and heartwarming. I enjoyed trying to guess who the killer was going to be.

It took me a while to get through this book. It felt slow & the mystery didn't really intrigue me. I was expecting it to be similar to Finlay Donovan or Vera Wong based on the cover & description.
We have 3 generations of women who don't have a close relationship. It actually reminded me of Gilmore Girls but without the fun banter & wit. Lana is the wealthy grandmother who has cancer & comes to stay with her daughter Beth & granddaughter Jack. Lana did not support Beth's teen pregnancy & became estranged. Jack her granddaughter is now 15 years old & becomes a suspect of a murder. Lana goes from being a real estate mogul to investigating a murder with many shady people involved.
I would have preferred if they all worked together as a team but instead it was a lot of arguing & pointing fingers with each other. I also didn't like how every clue resulted in a whole reason as to why this person is clearly the murderer, instead of just letting the reader decipher the clues on their own.
I did like the character of Lana. She was straight forward, confident, & fought for what she believed was right & true
Although, I didn't click with this book I would recommend to those who enjoy family drama & mysteries.

I’m giving this one a 4.5 stars rounded up!

Mother-Daughter Murder Night is an epic debut novel by author Nina Simon. From the first page I was instantly riveted to this amazing story.

Lana is an infinitely powerful woman at the top of her game. She is the empress of her real estate empire in Los Angeles and is devastated when weakness takes her down. This weakness being metastatic lung cancer. She ends up losing everything and living with her estranged daughter, Beth, and granddaughter, Jack, in their Monterey Bay bungalow. She’s living her worst nightmare when she witnesses something utterly shady out her bedroom window. This sparks a fire back into her otherwise dark and boring days, so she gets right to work scrutinizing this small town murder case. Beth and Jack also find themselves involved and fighting for their safety against a murderer, all while rekindling their lost relationship with Lana.

Nina Simon is brilliant with this legendary whodunnit. I’m a girl that pines for horror and sometimes finds whodunnits a bit boring, but this novel was just way too fun. The characters are authentic, the humor had me cracking up, the atmosphere was beautiful yet gritty, and the plot had twists I didn’t see coming. This author was able to lead me in so many directions, that I just couldn’t put that ending together. Not completely, anyways.

But Nina Simon will tell you that it isn’t just about the murder. It’s about these three women growing and learning together while piecing their relationship back together. This book was just a well-rounded, wholesome read that I would recommend to anybody.

A great thank you goes out to Nina Simon, William Morrow, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I definitely requested this book based on the cover alone! It was giving me major Finlay Donovan vibes and after reading the synopsis, I was convinced I'd love it. I'm always down for a good cozy mystery and love mother/daughter drama!

This book is about a single mom, Beth and her daughter, Jack, living their best lives in a costal town in California when everything is upended by two things : Beth's estranged mom, Lana moving in with them and the discovery of a dead body!

The three generations of Rubicon women have a lot to learn not just about the secrets of their town but also about each other as they learn to live together during difficult times.

The grandma/mom/daughter relationships gave me major Gilmore Girls vibes and I couldn't help picture them as Emily/Lorelia/Rory because there were so many similarities!

As far as the actual murder mystery part, it felt like a mix of Finlay Donovan and Thursday Murder Club but maybe even a little slower paced. Overall, I really enjoyed it but wish things moved along a little quicker.

I think this one will be a big hit for cozy mystery fans!

Thanks so much to William Morrow for the gifted ARC. This book will be available for purchase on September 5th.

3.5 stars rounded up for GR

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.