I haven’t been able to find a lot of recommendations for Mother’s Day reads. This year I had Mother-Daughter Murder Night and The School for Good Mothers lined up and only got to one. That leaves one for next year, though, already sitting on my shelf. As for Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon, well, I should have known by the 3.56 Goodreads review. Then again, I didn’t hate it. (It is a Reese’s recommendation.) The writing was adequate most of the time (which is more than I can say for the poor book I’m reading right now). But the story and characters were also just okay. So, I read it. I didn’t hate it. But there was very little keeping me going, which is why it took longer than it should have. (Maybe I should thank it for leaving a title for me for next year.) In a concept built on relationships, I didn’t really care.

(Also, can we with the cover? It looks like someone whipped it up on a computer in like five minutes.)

Beth is a single mom of a teenager who has built a happy life for the two of them in a coastal California town in a house on the slough. Jack, her daughter, loves the water and wants to upgrade to a boat, which is why she works at the local paddle shack. But when Beth’s mom, Lana (a high-power real estate broker) finds out she has cancer and leaves LA to live with Beth in her artsy, out of the way bungalow, she is not amused. But when Jack finds a body in the water, Lana finds something to do with her time, and it’s sleuthing.

I don’t have much to say about this book, actually. I’ve read some great stuff lately, but Mother-Daughter Murder Night did not impress. I wanted to like the characters—the ideas of them were interesting. And a Gilmore Girls with murder (which is what the blurb calls it) sounds quirky and lighthearted and fun. But almost every single character fell flat for me, not much quirk at all. It was a little bleak out on the slough. And boring, despite the intrigue. I was reading through the steps of a murder mystery, unconvinced by most scenes and most characters. Yawn.

That sounds horrible. If you love murder mystery books and are looking for something to read with your mother or daughter, then it makes sense for you to read this one, I guess. There will be things to talk about. (Note: if you don’t know what a slough is, look it up before you begin.) It was relationship-heavy, but I found even that aspect unconvincing a lot of the time, even though I wanted to be convinced. What did I like? The slough (though it could have been described better). Beth and Jack and their little house. The setup with Lana and the murder. Overall? Well, you know. It didn’t deliver on the cozy or the characters and the mystery was only mildly interesting.

Next year, The School for Good Mothers.

(There’s a pretty hilarious review by Micaela on Goodreads, by the way, that sorta sums this up. Especially if you are a usual Reese reader.)