Nina Simon

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, 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.… (plus d'informations)

A lighthearted whodunnit about a grandmother-mother-daughter trio of amateur sleuths. Gilmore Girls , but with murder.

High-powered businesswoman Lana Rubicon has a lot to be proud 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 depend on each other… (plus d'informations)

Great "who dun it " type book with a wonderful cast of characters. Mother-Daughter Murder night - Lana "Prima", a real estate consultant from LA - mother of Beth a nurse at Bayshore Oaks nursing home and Jack, Beth's teenage daughter and Lana's granddaughter Lana and Beth, have been basically estranged since Beth moved to Monterey with her daughter years ago. Lana now needs Beth as she is battling cancer - Lana moves into the little cottage with Beth & Jack while she undergoes treatment and starts re-arranging their home to fit her up scale needs. Jack works part time at Kayak Shack giving tours to kayak groups. As she is filling in for her boss one evening, one of her customers who ran astray of the group come across a body floating face down wearing the Red Life jacket with the Kayak Shacks logo. The worst part, the identified body was registered for Jack's tour. She didn't recognize him and all the tourists were accounted for. Somehow, Jack is now the prime suspect. Lana comes to Jack's rescue when the detectives start questioning her. Jack and Lana, begin their own investigation as to who could be the murderer. Beth gets pulled into the investigation and the 3 Rubicon women become the key to solving the murder. Good murder msystery - family style.… (plus d'informations)

A fun cozy-type mystery. Estranged mother who is very successful and independent and lives four hours from her daughter is diagnosed with brain cancer. She contacts her daughter for help and finds herself moving in with her daughter and 15 yr old granddaughter in a small, coastal town in California. The house is small and run-down, but she needs help with her cancer treatment. Her granddaughter works part-time as a kayak tour guide. On one of her tours a man and son find a body floating in the slough. Granddaughter Jack finds herself the target suspect for the death of this body. Lana, the grandmother, sees this as an opportunity to prove Jack's innocence and find who is behind the killing. A fun read as the entire family gets involved in solving this crime.
Kirkus: Sleuthing is a family affair in this novel featuring strong women and even stronger motives for murder.

When teenage Jack Rubicon becomes the prime suspect following the discovery of a body in Monterey Bay’s Elkhorn Slough, her mother, Beth, and grandmother Lana step in to prove she’s innocent. Mother-daughter bonding rituals don’t usually include criminal investigations, but in this by-the-book, well-paced debut crime novel, three independent women morph into amateur sleuths to solve the murder of Ricardo Cruz, a young man who worked for a local land trust. At the time of Ricardo’s death, Lana is living with Beth and Jack while she undergoes cancer treatment. An energetic Los Angeles real estate mogul who doesn't “ ‘do’ sick,” the antsy Lana sets up a murder board and decides to pass the time gathering evidence about Ricardo’s death. Beth and Lana have been on the outs ever since Beth became a single mother 15 years before. They’d once had a good relationship, and one of Beth’s fondest childhood memories involves the nights she and Lana obsessed over episodes of Columbo, trying to ferret out the identity of the murderers. Having learned that rumpled detective’s crime-solving techniques will soon prove invaluable when Beth and Jack are pulled into the investigation as well. They soon discover another suspicious death tied to a wealthy local family fighting over the fate of a multimillion-dollar ranch on the Monterey coast. Simon puts most of her muscle into developing Lana’s character while Beth and Jack, as likable as they are, aren’t as fully drawn. Simon knows how to build an intriguing plot with lots of suspects, plenty of red herrings, and a handful of jaw-clenching attacks on the Rubicons designed to stop their investigation.

Nancy Drew meets Columbo in this feisty-female–driven whodunit.… (plus d'informations)