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.