Nina Simon

Disclaimer: Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for sending me a copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

At the heart of MOTHER-DAUGHTER MURDER NIGHT by Nina Simon (William Morrow/HarperCollins, September 5, 2023), are three generations of strong women in one family: Lana, Beth, and Jack. I just fell in love with these characters. I was also enthralled by the setting: Elkhorn Slough in Monterey Bay, California.

Beth’s tranquil life is upended when her mother, show more real estate mogul Lana, moves into Beth’s beach bungalow after a cancer diagnosis. Her daughter, free-spirited Jack, discovers a corpse while leading a kayaking tour, creating further disruption in the family of three. Discovering that the dead man was murdered and that her granddaughter may be a suspect, Lana discovers a direction for her boundless energy: amateur detective work.

Neither Beth nor the police are enthusiastic about Lana’s new mission. Jack wants to help Lana, and Beth wants to protect her daughter. While Beth doesn’t think she is much like Lana, Jack thinks they have a lot in common with each other–and with her.

Every potential murder suspect is keeping secrets on both sides of the Elkhorn Slough, and Lana may have finally found a project too big for even her to tackle as environmental preservation and corporate development interests collide, which appear to be closely connected with the murder victim. There is plenty of family drama coming into play, which I found to be very realistic, being in the middle generation, like Beth.

This is a first-rate mystery, and I say this as a mystery fan for four decades who has read hundreds of them. The identity of the murderer surprised me, the red herrings were well executed, and the big climax at the end was terrifying. The reader can feel that Simon is writing from a place of deep love for the characters and the setting. The characters are based on Simon, her mother, and her daughter, and the setting is a beautiful place with which she is familiar. Very artfully done and highly recommended. I can’t believe this is Simon’s first novel. show less

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 show more 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. show less

3.5***

Lana Rubison is a high-powered businesswoman in Los Angeles, specializing in real estate deals and developments. Her daughter Beth, works as a nurse at a nursing home and is content to live in a small beach cottage in the Monterey Bay area with her daughter, teenager Jacqueline (Jack). But when Lana has a serious medical emergency, she winds up living with Beth and Jack. And when Jack discovers the body of an environmentalist while leading a group of tourists on a sunset kayak tour, show more Lana feels compelled to investigate.

I enjoyed this fresh take on the typical whodunit / cozy mystery. The amateur sleuths here are intelligent and reasonable in the risks they take. Of course, they should probably leave the sleuthing to the professionals, but then we wouldn’t have much of a story.

I appreciated that Simon crafted a plot that kept me guessing right up to the reveal. First I thought it was X, then I was sure it was Y, then I went back to X, only to settle on W a few chapters later. I was kept guessing right up to the reveal.

But, what I really enjoyed about the book was the family dynamics. Beth and Lana are frequently at odds, but clearly love one another. And they are both fiercely protective of Jack. I could not help but think back on the often-fraught relationship I had with my own mother. We loved one another but could not live close to one another. And yet, when the need arose, we were there for one another. I still miss her (but wouldn’t want to live together).

The ending of this novel makes me hope for a sequel. I want to know how the Rubicon women navigate the next phase of their journey. show less

Self motivated, successful business women Lana Rubicon found herself needing to impose on her daughter, Beth and granddaughter Jack (Jacquelyn) after a cancer diagnosis. Kayak tour guide on the slough, Jack was in the group that found a dead body, making Jack one of the prime suspects to murder. Needing a distraction from the treatment, the difficult relationship with her own daughter, and to clear Jack, Lana enlisted Jack and eventually Beth in trying to find out what happened, who was show more involved and why.

Debut novel for Nina Simon, the story of how and why she wrote the story was touching and they did a fabulous job with it. I had no idea what a slough was so I had to look that one up, otherwise I thought the writing was good
The story was really more about the relationship between these ladies with a side of mystery. The story flowed well with a couple of miss directions on the 'who dunit' part but fun enough to keep my attention. show less