Helpful Score: 1
Congratulations to Nina Simon for having her debut novel Mother-Daughter Murder Night selected as the September 2023 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.
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.
Los Angeles Real Estate Mogul Lana Rubicon moves three hundred miles north to convalesce at her daughter's house after cancer surgery. Her daughter Beth and granddaughter Jacqueline "Jack" are both busy with work and school during the day, leaving Lana to watch TV and daydream. When Jack takes a group of people kayaking during her weekend job, she finds a dead body. Jack quickly becomes the number one suspect in a homicide. This doesn't sit well with Lana who was with Jack when the detectives questioned her. Lana decides it's time to get out of bed, put on her wig, and figure out what is going on. With Beth and Jack's help and between chemo treatments, Lana goes out to find a killer.
Nina Simon's debut novel is a good mystery with interesting family dynamics. Lana and Beth have a rocky relationship. They love each other, but their past experiences have left a strained relationship. Jack is an adventure seeker who sometimes must play peacemaker between the older women.
I loved the mystery and the supporting characters. I did guess the killer; but still enjoyed how the story unfolded. The pace of the last portion of the book seemed too slow and felt drawn out. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Jane Oppenheimer who does a very good job with this story. My rating: 4 Stars.
Nina Simon's debut novel is a good mystery with interesting family dynamics. Lana and Beth have a rocky relationship. They love each other, but their past experiences have left a strained relationship. Jack is an adventure seeker who sometimes must play peacemaker between the older women.
I loved the mystery and the supporting characters. I did guess the killer; but still enjoyed how the story unfolded. The pace of the last portion of the book seemed too slow and felt drawn out. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Jane Oppenheimer who does a very good job with this story. My rating: 4 Stars.
