Mother Daugther Murder Night

This is my first read by Ms. Simon, and I'll be back for more. 

It's so hard to find a clean murder mystery these days, free of gore, foul language, and sex. Ms. Simon proves that a good mystery can be written clean and thoroughly enjoyed. 

The murder of a naturalist brings the three women in one family together, even if some of them are reluctant. 

There's a great deal of research that Ms. Simon did to accurately portray the town and the issues of land use that revolve around the murder. She likely only put in a quarter of what she learned, and parcels it out bit by bit over the course of the novel. 

This novel is a womencentric story, and I enjoyed getting the perspectives of each woman. 

The only question on the table is which motive is the strongest: love, money, or power. 

AMAZON

High-powered businesswoman Lana Rubicon has a lot to be proud of:her keen intelligence, impeccable taste, and the L.A. real estate empire she’s built. But when she finds herself trapped 300 miles north of the city, convalescing in a sleepy coastal town with her adult daughter Beth and teenage granddaughter Jack, Lana is stuck counting otters instead of square footage—and hoping that boredom won’t kill her before the cancer does. 

Then Jack—tiny in stature but fiercely independent—happens upon a dead body while kayaking. She quickly becomes a suspect in the homicide investigation, and the Rubicon women are thrown into chaos. Beth thinks Lana should focus on recovery, but Lana has a better idea. She’ll pull on her wig, find the true murderer, protect her family, and prove she still has power.

With Jack and Beth’s help, Lana uncovers a web of lies, family vendettas, and land disputes lurking beneath the surface of a community populated by folksy conservationists and wealthy ranchers. But as their amateur snooping advances into ever-more dangerous territory, the headstrong Rubicon women must learn to do the one thing they’ve always resisted: depend on each other.