51 pages • 1 hour read
Nina SimonMother Daughter Murder Night
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Geographical Context: Elkhorn, California
The novel is almost exclusively set in the town of Elkhorn, California, which is a part of Monterey County on the Pacific Coast of the United States. This is a small, unincorporated community that has maintained a population of under 2,000 residents throughout the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Residents are largely employed in agriculture.
The Elkhorn Slough frequently mentioned in the novel is located in Elkhorn. A slough refers to a wetland, frequently a swamp. This particular slough is a salt marsh and is seven miles long, located in Monterey Bay. As in the novel, the geographical Elkhorn Slough is of interest to conservationists. It is protected by such organizations as the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, Nature Conservancy, and The Elkhorn Slough State Marine Reserve.
The Elkhorn Slough is home to many different species including sea otters and seals, which play a role in the novel’s Prologue. The Slough is a place where the sea and the land mingle and wildlife of all sorts are brought into contact with “farms, towns, ranchlands, and industries” according to the Elkhorn Slough website.
The land around the slough and the activities performed there are similar to those portrayed in the novel. For example, people can take kayak tours, go hiking, and easily view saltwater wildlife. The wildlife goes beyond just what can be found in the sea, as the slough is also home to a wide variety of birds.
Genre Context: Crime Fiction
Crime fiction is a genre of fiction in which characters focus on solving a crime that occurs either before the novel begins or just as it begins. The crime is frequently a murder, but it does not have to be. Crime fiction has been popular for many years with the first modern work in this genre appearing in the 19th century. English author Arthur Conan Doyle is partially responsible for popularizing the genre with his Sherlock Holmes stories. American author Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) and English author Agatha Christie (1890-1976) are two more prominent writers in this genre. Middle grade versions of crime fiction include such classics as Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys series.
As is common in crime novels, the first murder occurs in Mother Daughter Murder Night before the novel begins with the murder of Ricardo Cruz. The second murder (of Hal Rhoads) occurs shortly after the book opens. Unreliable narrators are common in crime novels. While the novel is told in the third person, the reader only learns what the main characters know. Because the characters’ viewpoints are often biased, limited, or lacking information, the reader does not have an objective viewpoint and must decide whom and what to believe.
Some crime novels center around detectives while others center around amateur or want-to-be detectives. This novel contains both. Part of the story is revealed by Detectives Ramirez and Nicoletti, but most of the information centers around the amateur sleuthing of Lana, Jack, and sometimes reluctantly, Beth. Plenty of details are revealed, but extraneous details are also provided, such as those involving the whereabouts and actions of Paul, in order to throw the reader off track just as the main characters pursue dead-end leads.
