Murder without a Duck: A Simpato Mystery, Book 1

Simpato Mystery #1

by Claudia H. Long

In Simpato, California, the wine flows, the gossip spreads, and murder is always just around the corner.

Recently divorced and temporarily suspended from practicing law, Sal DeVine is desperate for a fresh start. She retreats to her late parents’ home in the small Northern California town of Simpato, hoping for a little peace, privacy, and time to figure out what comes next.

But Simpato has other plans.

In a town where everyone knows everyone’s business—and the locals seem to know far more about Sal than she knows about them—keeping a low profile proves impossible. Then a murder occurs just minutes from where Sal is hiking, plunging her into a dangerous web of long-buried secrets, small-town rivalries, and suspicious characters.

As Sal digs deeper, she begins to suspect that the town’s secrets may hold answers to a mystery much closer to the unexplained deaths of her parents years earlier.

With wine flowing, gossip flying, ducks roaming, and nuns selling cannabis cookies, Simpato is anything but ordinary. Sal will need all her legal instincts, determination, and wit to uncover the truth—before she becomes the next victim.

Welcome to Simpato, where murder is serious business, but almost nothing else is.

Murder Without a Duck is the first installment in Claudia H. Long’s Simpato Mystery Series, a delightful blend of small-town intrigue, eccentric characters, family secrets, and plenty of terrible duck puns.



About the Claudia H. Long is the author of seven novels, including the deeply emotional mystery series featuring Zara and Nine Tenths of the Law and Our Lying Kin. Her books span centuries and topics, including the poetry of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz (Josefina's Sin), the Hidden Jews of Mexico during the Inquisition (The Duel for Consuelo), women in the mining industry in 1753 (Chains of Silver), women in the labor movement in 1920s San Francisco (The Harlot's Pen), and the legacy of inherited trauma as a daughter of a Holocaust survivor. Her humorous mysteries are “sisters-books, family scandals with a mystery flowing through them.”

Editorial Reviews

“A good old-fashioned mystery with just the right amount of wit, humor and long-held secrets. I loved it !” —Denise Allan Steele, author of Rewind

“For a small town, Simpato has some giant secrets. And it’s all duck or no dinner for Sal DeVine if she can’t discover the secrets that got her mother killed. A tongue-in-cheek murder mystery with a hilariously irreverent cast of characters.” —Kelly Oliver, author of The Jessica James Mysteries

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery

238 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 15, 2024

About the author

Claudia H. Long has written in a wide range of genres. She first wrote historical fiction, beginning with Josefina's Sin. Following Josefina's Sin, Claudia wrote The Duel for Consuelo, featuring the Secret Jews of Mexico, and Chains of Silver, set in the silver mining city of Zacatecas in 1753.
Turning her attention to family history, her next book, Nine Tenths of the Law, was published by Kasva Press. Based on her mother's survival in World War 2, and featuring a contemporary mystery starring two daughters as they searched for an artifact stolen during that war, this book broke new ground for Claudia. The second book in the Zara and Lilly series, Our Lying Kin, came out from Kasva in 2023.
Then Claudia discovered the joys of small-town, edge-of-cozy mysteries. The first in the Simpato Mysteries, Murder without a Duck, flies out in November, 2024.
Claudia lives and practices law in Northern California with her husband. They have two grown children.

Reviews

[Sylvia Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder without a Duck, written by Claudia H. Long, is Book 1 of 1 in The Simpato Mystery Series. It is a Women's Humorous/Crime Fiction book. It was published on November 15, 2024, and consists of 234 pages. Sal, recently divorced and a temporarily suspended lawyer, moves into her parents' summer cottage, which has been vacant for a decade. One would believe that nothing bad happens in Simpato, California. However, looking back at the history from 10 years ago might prove otherwise. Did a murder happen 10 years ago in Simpato? Will the town be struck with another tragedy three months later as well? What is going on in this town that we once thought was a safe place? What secrets will unfold? If you want a book that's easy to read and fun, this is the book for you. The author has mastered the mystery genre to its fullest potential. 5*

[Julia Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great cozy -- Claudia Long is a brilliant writer whose historical fiction is already stunning. I'm thrilled to read her mystery at last! This is a fun cozy mystery with a playful rubber ducky theme. Delivers the goods!

[Margie Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story and smooth writing. Easy to read, terrific characters.

[Katherine Hackbart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun summer read! This is a quick read and very enjoyable. The duck references are cute and the mystery is not bad. I will read the second book in the series.

[Cozy Champagne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder Without a Duck is the first book in the Simpato Mystery Series by Claudia H. Long. 

It has all the hallmarks and hoped-for elements of a cozy mystery: amateur sleuth, off-stage murder, and a cat. It also turns a few regular cozy tropes on its head (in a good way) and features a setting based on a real place (Calistoga).

The amateur sleuth is Sal, a recent divorcee and temporarily suspended lawyer who relocated to Simpato, a small town in Northern California that has lots of quirky characters, plenty of secrets, and oddities like cannabis cookie-selling nuns.

The writing is witty and contains lots of ducky puns. The mystery is twisty and kept me guessing. 

I enjoyed the humor and originality of this new cozy mystery and hope to see more from this author and series.

I received a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Lora Chilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder Without a Duck by Claudia Long is a fun read! Located in Simpato, Northern California, the main character returns home to rebuild her life after a divorce, the deaths of her parents and the suspension of her law license. A sudden murder plus gossip and secrets bubble to the surface, compelling her to make peace and find answers.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was quite an interesting read. You know how every town has someone who’s a bit quirky, the town oddball? Simpato doesn’t have one of those. They have a town of them.
While the mystery itself was serious, the characters were hilarious. I know I’ll never be able to look a nun in the eye again without laughing.
So Sal moves into her parents’ old summer home after her divorce and professional suspension. She immediately gets dubbed the Keeper of Secrets, a role her mother held that she knew nothing about. Without really trying too hard she winds up embroiled in a new and old mystery, all in the first week in town.
The story was interesting and I can’t wait to find out more about this town and its inhabitants. The story moved quickly and kept my interest. I can’t wait to read book 2.

I received a free copy of this book via Claudia Long's Review Team and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ellie Witch · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book says a lot without saying anything.

It took me so long to get through this book because it just did not keep my interest. So much was happening, but by the end of the book I completely forgot what the main point was. There were countless stories and characters interwoven into the main story, but that made it overwhelming. Too much was going on at once, to the point the characters had to spell it out for our main protag rather than her being able to figure it out herself.

The main protag was less a detective, or investigator, and more a conduit to get the story across, which makes her irrelevant to the story in the end.

I didn't hate the kind-of-sorta-not-quite romance that was going on, and I'm glad it was left ambiguous at the end.

I would give this author another chance, maybe read the next book in this series, or if they write for a different series, this book was simply a miss for me.

[Bart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder without a Duck is an absolute treat. From the very first chapter, the book bursts with personality—quirky characters, playful dialogue, and a mystery that never takes itself too seriously yet still keeps you guessing. The author clearly had fun writing this, and that sense of joy comes through on every page.

The plot moves with a lively rhythm, and even when the story slows down a touch in the middle, the charm never fades. I especially loved the clever twists and the wonderfully oddball premise, which somehow works far better than you’d expect. It’s refreshing to read a mystery that embraces humor without sacrificing intrigue.

If you’re looking for something light, clever, and genuinely fun, this book is a fantastic pick. It left me smiling, and I’d happily follow these characters into another adventure.

I received a free copy of this book via Claudia Long's Review Team and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lisa Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I write in the cozy mystery genre myself, I rarely enjoy reading new ones, but this delightful tale was an exception. The community of Simpato, with its duck jokes, nuns who aren't really nuns, and a Keeper who listens to people's secrets, was wonderfully real. There was humor and the reader really gets to know and like the protagonist, a lawyer whose divorce is only recent history as she moves into her missing (presumed dead) parents' summer home. The pace was perfect and I had trouble putting it down, and the ending was positively thriller-like. A fun read and I look forward to more from Claudia Long.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so excited to read the next one. I absolutely loved this book! I kept hoping that maybe Sal would find out her parents were just hiding somewhere....the hope of. August is like one of my favorites. Immediately was. You just can't help it. And Scooter was definitely not lol. I love that the characters are so eclectic. That the pretty boys are not so nice. The quirky characters, the mystery of it all. I'm curious how a few things are going to turn now. Such a great mystery!.

I received a free copy of this book via Claudia Long's Review Team and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Anna J · Rating 3 out of 5]

A small town, a gossip queen, cannibis cookie selling nuns, amateur sleuths and plenty of duck puns make this quick and entertaining funny read. Salvia Devine is recently divorced and temporary suspended lawyer who moves to Simpatico, California. She moves into her mothers old house and now is the town keeper.

Salvia finds a body while hiking and is now trying to figure out who did it.

The duck puns and the nuns were the best parts of the book.

[Tammy Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one day, it was so fun, cozy yet some tense moments. Seeing Sal settle in Simpato and dealing with the figuring out the keeper thing, something she was not aware her late mother did, but also trying to figure out the murder of the local gossip columnist, this was so great and can't wait to read more of the world of Simpato.

I received a free copy of this book via Claudia Long's Review Team and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Denise Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a good and witty read with all the elements of what makes an intriguing mystery - a charming small town, gossipy neighbors, a handsome police chief, nuns who are up to something and a woman who finds herself in the middle of it all!

[Martine · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are no ducks involved in this wonderful and entertaining book. I really enjoyed. Likeable characters, a good storyline, suspense, a touch of humor. Nice ingredients for a good book. I recommend it.
I received a review copy via Booksprout and I’m leaving a voluntary and honest review.

[Suzan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the series, and it is a great read. I enjoyed all the duck references, and the cozy mystery was good too. I am looking forward to reading more about these characters and their adventures in Simpato.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just a bit too strange and dark for me to enjoy as a cozy.

[Claire Hart-Palumbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claudia Long creates a hilariously eccentric environment and cast of characters, but still delivers the mystery. Great read if you want to laugh and chill out while still working the puzzle!

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story kicks off with a bang (or perhaps a quack-less thud) when the peace of Simpato is shattered by an unexpected death. The central mystery revolves around a seemingly innocent accident that quickly reveals itself to be something far more sinister.

The title’s humourous nod to the absence of a duck might seem peculiar at first, but it ties cleverly into the book’s plot, adding a layer of charm to an otherwise deadly affair.

I love puns and books that can carry a theme through the story and I am keen to read more from this author.

[Muriel Murch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where was this going? I had no idea to begin with but the writing was such I was happy to follow along and I'm glad I did. Charming, light and yet relivant in that way that stories about small towns and all their people can be. It's one of a series and I'm following along. A good read.