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A Mommy-Track Mystery #1
Nursery Crimes
From the New York Times bestselling author of Bad Mother.
Juliet isn't too surprised when her feisty, tantrum-throwing two-year-old daughter doesn't get into Hollywood's premier preschool--but she's shocked and suspicious when the school's principal is killed in a hit-and-run accident. Against the advice of her screenwriter husband, and with her rambunctious toddler in tow, Juliet heads to the local playground to dig up some dirt on a disgruntled studio executive whose daughter wasn't offered a place in the school. But she has some surprising new suspects to consider when her investigation takes her into a seedy on-line newsgroup--and the most dangerous parts of the human heart.
"Smart sleuthing . . . the way [Juliet] maintains her sense of humor while juggling detective chores and baby duty is awesome."--The New York Times
"Juliet Applebaum is smart, fearless, and completely candid about life as a full-time mom with a penchant for part-time detective work."--Sue Grafton
Juliet isn't too surprised when her feisty, tantrum-throwing two-year-old daughter doesn't get into Hollywood's premier preschool--but she's shocked and suspicious when the school's principal is killed in a hit-and-run accident. Against the advice of her screenwriter husband, and with her rambunctious toddler in tow, Juliet heads to the local playground to dig up some dirt on a disgruntled studio executive whose daughter wasn't offered a place in the school. But she has some surprising new suspects to consider when her investigation takes her into a seedy on-line newsgroup--and the most dangerous parts of the human heart.
"Smart sleuthing . . . the way [Juliet] maintains her sense of humor while juggling detective chores and baby duty is awesome."--The New York Times
"Juliet Applebaum is smart, fearless, and completely candid about life as a full-time mom with a penchant for part-time detective work."--Sue Grafton
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
23 people are currently reading
837 people want to read
About the author
Ayelet Waldman
28 books40.3k followersAyelet Waldman is the author of A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life, Love and Treasure, Red Hook Road and The New York Times bestseller Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities and Occasional Moments of Grace. Her novel Love and Other Impossible Pursuits was made into a film starring Natalie Portman. Her personal essays and profiles of such public figures as Hillary Clinton have been published in a wide variety of newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Vogue, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. Her radio commentaries have appeared on "All Things Considered" and "The California Report."
You can follow Ayelet on Facebook and Twitter.
Love and Treasure is available for purchase here.
You can follow Ayelet on Facebook and Twitter.
Love and Treasure is available for purchase here.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
June 22, 2011
I wanted to enjoy this book and usher on to a new series of fluffy mysteries. Alas, not as an enjoyable as I had hoped. The author is clearly attempting to write what she knows but it isn't as interesting as it could be. This feels more like a book about motherhood with a mystery thrown in rather than a mystery with a crime solving mother.
Our protagonist is a heavily pregnant mother of a two year old. She is an Ivy League educated former attorney now stay at home mom. Her husband is a screen writer and the two of them have a loving a close relationship. While she and her husband are attempting to secure a spot for their precious monster Ruby at a top pre-school, they stumble across the murder of the director of the pre-school.
A lot of this book is set up. It is setting the scene for the forthcoming series. However, I did not find our protagonist that likeable. The setting of LA and the mixing in of the Hollywood scene added a drop of interest but not enough. I also found (not that this is the author's fault per se) the use of technology in this book as attempting to be cutting edge. But this book was written/published in 2000. Her illustration of internet chatting and computer sleuthing was a might painful. Again not truly her fault given that a lot has happened in 11 years.
This book was only ok. I am toying with the idea of reading the next in the series to see if her writing improves. I cannot say I was rushing to finish, the book was just short and very simple. I will say that the writer doesn't gloss over pains of pregnancy or childrearing - she states front and center that at times her daughter is hard to handle and being a stay at home mom is difficult.
Our protagonist is a heavily pregnant mother of a two year old. She is an Ivy League educated former attorney now stay at home mom. Her husband is a screen writer and the two of them have a loving a close relationship. While she and her husband are attempting to secure a spot for their precious monster Ruby at a top pre-school, they stumble across the murder of the director of the pre-school.
A lot of this book is set up. It is setting the scene for the forthcoming series. However, I did not find our protagonist that likeable. The setting of LA and the mixing in of the Hollywood scene added a drop of interest but not enough. I also found (not that this is the author's fault per se) the use of technology in this book as attempting to be cutting edge. But this book was written/published in 2000. Her illustration of internet chatting and computer sleuthing was a might painful. Again not truly her fault given that a lot has happened in 11 years.
This book was only ok. I am toying with the idea of reading the next in the series to see if her writing improves. I cannot say I was rushing to finish, the book was just short and very simple. I will say that the writer doesn't gloss over pains of pregnancy or childrearing - she states front and center that at times her daughter is hard to handle and being a stay at home mom is difficult.
January 2, 2018
Part of my 5-Review Extravaganza: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEuM6...
Featured in my Top 20 Books I Read in 2017
Hilarious and exciting all the way through, with a wonderful protagonist that's both kickass and very relatable. It's a cocktail-novel, it goes down sweet as honey but packs some punch in a few dark-ish pages. Even if you see the ending coming (which you might), the laughs and the off-beat-mother musings more than make up for that.
Featured in my Top 20 Books I Read in 2017
Hilarious and exciting all the way through, with a wonderful protagonist that's both kickass and very relatable. It's a cocktail-novel, it goes down sweet as honey but packs some punch in a few dark-ish pages. Even if you see the ending coming (which you might), the laughs and the off-beat-mother musings more than make up for that.
July 16, 2014
I give you the extensive notes I made about this earlier:
"#1. The one about the preschool principal."
Okay, sometimes it can be hard figuring out which book is which in a series, so that's why I noted #1. [Thanks, goodreads, for addressing that, by the way]. But "preschool principal"? Whatever. The fun thing about Waldman's mysteries isn't the mystery. It's the interaction between the mother, the father, the baby, and society. In the "write what you know" vein, Waldman has a new mother trying to decide whether or not to stay home or continue working as a public defender. And she's pregnant. And her husband's a writer. So there's a whole bunch of madcap family stuff that is funny as hell. That's why you'd read it. And the rest in the series.
"#1. The one about the preschool principal."
Okay, sometimes it can be hard figuring out which book is which in a series, so that's why I noted #1. [Thanks, goodreads, for addressing that, by the way]. But "preschool principal"? Whatever. The fun thing about Waldman's mysteries isn't the mystery. It's the interaction between the mother, the father, the baby, and society. In the "write what you know" vein, Waldman has a new mother trying to decide whether or not to stay home or continue working as a public defender. And she's pregnant. And her husband's a writer. So there's a whole bunch of madcap family stuff that is funny as hell. That's why you'd read it. And the rest in the series.
October 11, 2008
This book was so incredibly predictable. I called every "turn" that was in this book. The author tries to be funny and witty but comes off as dumb. I actually ended up throwing this book at the wall when I was done because I was hoping that it would not end the way I suspected it would...which it did.
February 23, 2017
Well, since Sue Grafton approved I had to read it. The mystery itself was rather weak but the heavily pregnant "detective" with a toddler in tow was fun. It would definitely be hard to go from being a public defender to a mother of two. Instead of losing her mind or maybe because she already has lost her mind she becomes a detective...will look good on her resume at some point, I am sure. Interaction with her whole family was entertaining and the writing style is easy to read and focussed. I enjoyed this book. Easy fun read if that is what you are looking for.
September 15, 2009
Nursery Crimes by Ayelet Waldman (Mommy Track Series #1)
Juliet Applebaum is a stay-at-home mom who used to be a public defender. Being a stay-at-home mom isn't always her cup of tea, but she's trying to make it work. With a new baby on the way and her daughter almost 3 years old, Juliet and her husband attempt to enroll their precocious daughter in a prestigious Hollywood preschool. While it's no real shock that rambunctious Ruby doesn't get in, it is a shock when the preschool's director is run down that evening and killed. Juliet can't help but wonder who did it. Was it an angry parent? Her cheating husband? You can take the mom out of work, but you can't take the investigative work out of the mom.
This is a fun book for a couple of reasons. The storyline and mystery are pretty well-written. That said these books are extremely easy reads. I only have about 4% brain power after my daughter goes to bed at night and I still managed to grasp everything in the book and follow along with the investigations twists and turns. I also enjoy the character of Juliet because she is the kind of stay-at-home mom I can relate to. She loves her kids and wants to be there with them and for them, but she longs for a career and life that is just her own. She hasn't found a way to have both successfully, and in many ways resents that. It's honestly refreshing. Juliet and her husband also work well together as a parenting team, which is a nice element.
Nursery Crimes is the first book in a series of seven books all with the same protagonist. Book #2 is The Big Nap. That one is next on my list.
Juliet Applebaum is a stay-at-home mom who used to be a public defender. Being a stay-at-home mom isn't always her cup of tea, but she's trying to make it work. With a new baby on the way and her daughter almost 3 years old, Juliet and her husband attempt to enroll their precocious daughter in a prestigious Hollywood preschool. While it's no real shock that rambunctious Ruby doesn't get in, it is a shock when the preschool's director is run down that evening and killed. Juliet can't help but wonder who did it. Was it an angry parent? Her cheating husband? You can take the mom out of work, but you can't take the investigative work out of the mom.
This is a fun book for a couple of reasons. The storyline and mystery are pretty well-written. That said these books are extremely easy reads. I only have about 4% brain power after my daughter goes to bed at night and I still managed to grasp everything in the book and follow along with the investigations twists and turns. I also enjoy the character of Juliet because she is the kind of stay-at-home mom I can relate to. She loves her kids and wants to be there with them and for them, but she longs for a career and life that is just her own. She hasn't found a way to have both successfully, and in many ways resents that. It's honestly refreshing. Juliet and her husband also work well together as a parenting team, which is a nice element.
Nursery Crimes is the first book in a series of seven books all with the same protagonist. Book #2 is The Big Nap. That one is next on my list.
September 26, 2015
I have always been a fan of Independent bookstores and when I found this book on the shelf, it caught my attention from the start. I had not heard of the author before but after reading the first page I knew it was going to be a hoot. And I will tell you, it did not disappoint.
This is a great debut to what I think will be a fun-filled series. Juliet Applebaum and her little girl Ruby are the star of this book. Juliet is pregnant again, she is full time mom and amatuer slueth on the side when murder calls. She has all the knowledge of the law as she was a public defender before pregnancies. So when things go awry and a murder takes place she is determined to find out who the killer before they find out she is sleuthing and come after her.
The twist and turns will keep you on your seat in eagerness to see what will happen next. You won’t want to put it down. Ruby is witty and sassy and Juliet is wiry and fun. You will be laughing out loud with every page.
A witty and humorous read that will have you up late in the night reading.
This is a great debut to what I think will be a fun-filled series. Juliet Applebaum and her little girl Ruby are the star of this book. Juliet is pregnant again, she is full time mom and amatuer slueth on the side when murder calls. She has all the knowledge of the law as she was a public defender before pregnancies. So when things go awry and a murder takes place she is determined to find out who the killer before they find out she is sleuthing and come after her.
The twist and turns will keep you on your seat in eagerness to see what will happen next. You won’t want to put it down. Ruby is witty and sassy and Juliet is wiry and fun. You will be laughing out loud with every page.
A witty and humorous read that will have you up late in the night reading.
October 16, 2011
I didn't hate it but I thought it was weak and not very interesting or believable. If we could rate in fractions, I would have given it 1.5 stars.
July 29, 2014
I usually love cozy mysteries but I draw the line at a heavily pregnant mom going around trying to solve a murder and almost getting herself killed in the process.
October 13, 2018
This fairly cosy (by Los Angeles standards) detective thriller fizzed along at a breezy enough pace, until I guessed the killer with 50 pages to go. Lost a star for that.
*-months pregnant mother already of 1 ex-Public defender isn't taking terribly well to the life of a stay at home mum and converts herself into a de facto PI. A few nice lines such as - "In L.A., being star struck is one's civic duty".
Written by the wife of Michael Chabon. But it's not very feminist to put it like that.
Can't imagine I'll read another one, the mother juggling diapers with clues schtick would only work once for me I think.
*-months pregnant mother already of 1 ex-Public defender isn't taking terribly well to the life of a stay at home mum and converts herself into a de facto PI. A few nice lines such as - "In L.A., being star struck is one's civic duty".
Written by the wife of Michael Chabon. But it's not very feminist to put it like that.
Can't imagine I'll read another one, the mother juggling diapers with clues schtick would only work once for me I think.
August 4, 2010
The subtitle "A Mommy-Track Mystery" caught my eye because I've been on the mommy track a long time! I should be able to relate to this detective more than those in other mysteries, right? At times I could relate to her, especially during her interactions with her daughter, Ruby. The problem is that this book just wasn't very good. I gave it two stars but it really deserved only 1 1/2. The biggest problem, and it's a big one for a mystery, is that the mystery wasn't engaging, or interesting, or even much of a mystery. And, as our mommy-track crime fighter, Juliet, gets closer to solving "who-dun-it," it gets even less interesting and more predictable. Why would Juliet want to solve the mystery of the murder of a woman who she met for all of ten minutes and who rejected her daughter from her "prestigious" preschool? Why would she put her life on the line (and her unborn baby's) confronting narcissistic, power-crazed film executives and cheatin' spouses to solve the murder of this woman? There's lots of Los Angeles film industry name-dropping in this book so it shouldn't surprise me that the story seems like an amalgam of movies such as "Legally Blonde" and "Fargo." I don't know if Waldman's strength lies in being a crime writer. She's getting rave reviews for her new book, Red Hook Road, (which is why I read this book) so maybe she should stick to serious literature. This is an amateurish attempt at a mystery. And if this is the most interesting case Juliet gets to solve, I think I'd just stay on the mommy track.
January 17, 2013
The 1st in the Mommy-Track Mystery series. With Sue Grafton's endorsement of "Kinsey Millhone would approve" I just had to pick it up. It was a good read. It was interesting to read her take on going from a career to a stay at home mom. You won't read stuff like this in any parenting magazine, "Anyone who tells you that having a child doesn't completely and irrevocably ruin your life is lying. As soon as that damp little bundle of poop and neediness lands in your life, it's all over. Everything changes. Your relationship is destroyed. Your looks are shot. Your productivity is devasted. And you get stupid. Dense. Thick. Pregnancy and lactation make you dumb. That's a proven, scientific fact."
It's a little over the top, but some of it is spot on. I plan on reading the next in the series.
It's a little over the top, but some of it is spot on. I plan on reading the next in the series.
January 25, 2021
Read again almost 7 years later in 2021. I think I appreciated the mystery more this time around. Juliet is a kind and caring person who just wants to see justice done and ends up with a gunshot wound and in premature labor, delivering her second child, Isaac, 4 weeks early.
I will meet this author on Friday, so wanted to read at least one of her books, if possible. Definitely not "high literature," but quite enjoyable, and some nice musings about mother-child issues. I particularly like the fact that she realizes she needs to truly appreciate and enjoy her child/children if she continues to work as a full-time mommy. And she battles with herself regarding her desire and need to be "useful" in the outside world and her desire and need to raise her daughter... Although the mystery wasn't all-consuming, this book did make me laugh and think... Good things!
I will meet this author on Friday, so wanted to read at least one of her books, if possible. Definitely not "high literature," but quite enjoyable, and some nice musings about mother-child issues. I particularly like the fact that she realizes she needs to truly appreciate and enjoy her child/children if she continues to work as a full-time mommy. And she battles with herself regarding her desire and need to be "useful" in the outside world and her desire and need to raise her daughter... Although the mystery wasn't all-consuming, this book did make me laugh and think... Good things!
October 8, 2014
I've read a few of this series and they were unusual, well-focused and just right for someone with kids, who can't concentrate on too many plot twists and levels of detail for long.
The amateur sleuth has been a public defender but now she's a stay-home mother who is looking for preschools, attending play-dates and funerals and all kinds of things that women do instead of being at work. She still can't help investigating crimes and in this book a pre-school owner has been run over. The kids are pretty good kids I have to say, and the good mother comes to the fore and puts their needs first.
The amateur sleuth has been a public defender but now she's a stay-home mother who is looking for preschools, attending play-dates and funerals and all kinds of things that women do instead of being at work. She still can't help investigating crimes and in this book a pre-school owner has been run over. The kids are pretty good kids I have to say, and the good mother comes to the fore and puts their needs first.
January 2, 2025
You can tell Waldman is a former defense attorney - Applebaum’s opinion on guilty/innocence clients is spot on. I’ve never had a problem with guards visiting clients in jail, but I’ve only been to county jail, never state or federal prison.
This was a fun book to read. I figured out who did it, which is rare for me in my recent mystery experiences.
I can imagine other books in this series could annoy me. She hates being a stay at home mom (which is fine, but not fun to read about) and her dwelling on her weight would drive me nuts. But I enjoyed this book and might try the second.
This was a fun book to read. I figured out who did it, which is rare for me in my recent mystery experiences.
I can imagine other books in this series could annoy me. She hates being a stay at home mom (which is fine, but not fun to read about) and her dwelling on her weight would drive me nuts. But I enjoyed this book and might try the second.
April 15, 2011
This is not really a cozy, but more like a chick lit book with a mystery plot. Juliet’s skill-set seems rather contrived and the concept of a heavily pregnant, ex-public defender tracking down criminals because she’s bored with the “mommy track” seems unlikely to connect with the public. The supporting characters (so important in a series, whether it’s books or television) lack the quirk factor and none of them are particularly interesting. The insider stuff relating to Peter’s career as a screenwriter won’t interest people who don’t actually work “in the industry.”
December 21, 2015
It was cute - i liked it well enough, but it's not going to win anything or go down as a "best read ever". I read it in a few hours, it moved quickly.
My problem with it will be a spoiler so I won't explain, but ultimately - I find the authors close-mindedness of relationships to be frustrating and judgmental.
My problem with it will be a spoiler so I won't explain, but ultimately - I find the authors close-mindedness of relationships to be frustrating and judgmental.
July 30, 2012
Well written, but this author just annoys me. The main character is so clearly auto-biographical and the author clearly thinks highly of herself. Blech. I am also reading a memoir she wrote and it can be hard to tell them apart. For someone who decries the idea of parents judging each other, she is awfully sure that she is doing the best possible job.
July 2, 2013
After I finished this book I was left wondering more about the main character’s motivations than the murder’s motivation. What kind of woman puts herself in that much danger when she’s 8 months pregnant? The mystery was obvious, the characters annoying and child services needed to be involved.
October 7, 2015
Another 'cozy', which I hate to think I'm reading. The book is well-written even though I believe the premise is too much.. What 8-month pregnant woman, with a 2-yr old is going to chase murderers? Despite all that I like the main character, and the way she deals with her kids and husband.
May 27, 2018
I was in the mood for something light after some of the weightier topics I’d been reading for my classes. I had heard of Ayelet Waldman, mostly because of her husband, but did not decide to check out her books until I ran across the author herself in a book forum on the internet. I am, however, glad that I did.
The Plot
Juliet Applebaum is a Harvard Law graduate and former LA public defender who gave it all up to stay at home after the birth of her daughter Ruby. She’s married to a screenwriter who’s a participatory father; their daughter is a smart two and a half year old with definite opinions; Juliet has a solid marriage and she’s eight months pregnant with their second child (a boy). What could possibly be wrong? Juliet is bored out of her mind.
The book opens with Juliet, Peter, and Ruby on their way to an interview with “the” premiere nursery school in Los Angeles. Two other couples and their children attend the interview with them. Ruby doesn’t get in. Neither does the child of a studio magnate, Bruce LeCrone, who threatens the school’s founder and principal, Abigail Hathaway. Peter defuses the situation and the families go home. That evening, Abigail Hathaway dies in a hit and run accident.
Juliet’s not so sure the hit-and-run is an accident and she starts poking around. First she ingratiates herself with the LeCrone child’s nanny, then she starts following Abigail Hathaway’s New Age husband after his strange behavior toward his stepdaughter, Audrey, at Abigail’s funeral. More than one person, it seems, wanted Abigail dead.
Elements of Style
Waldman narrates her story through Juliet’s eyes and her laugh-out-loud internal commentary. Nothing is sacred from Juliet’s candor, from the I’m-so-fat feelings of advanced pregnancy to a harried mom’s secret pleading for two minutes alone to intentionally manipulating her husband with the merest mention of sanitary napkins. Juliet is at once confident in her abilities, but conflicted about motherhood and whether she’s a “good” mom, even if she yells from time to time. She wants to give her daughter the best, but is slowly beginning to realize that she’s not her best self when she has no outside interests.
The plot moves along at a brisk pace and I devoured the entire book in a few sittings. I did figure out the murderer before Juliet seemed to catch on, but primarily because I’ve read a lot of mysteries and there weren’t that many characters to eliminate. For me, though, the plot has secondary consideration. I found this book riveting because Juliet is such a fascinating character. She’s contradictory with a frankness that makes her seem like a real person.
Quite obviously, Waldman is an ardent feminist (so am I), and it comes through in her writing, though not in a preachy or alienating way. The whole idea of the stay-at-home mother is based on a 19th century social construct after the rise of a middle class society; this construct, however, anachronistic, has stuck around and still informs the way women are viewed by society, especially when they are also mothers. Juliet’s observations of her reality are succinct and full of common sense, and Waldman does an excellent job of navigating the treacherous issue of whether women should stay at home with their kids or continue to work. Waldman maintains respect and approval for a variety of choices and does not condemn women who work as “bad mothers” or infantilize stay-at-home-moms as women who can’t cut the job market or are submissive moochers.
Overall
Waldman and/or her publisher are calling her series, so far three books following Juliet’s adventures, “Mommy-Track Mysteries.” I like the marketing ploy as well as the play on words with Mommy Track and with the titles of the books I’ve read so far (Nursery Crimes and The Big Nap). Before I was halfway into Nursery Crimes, I knew that I’d be adding Waldman and Mommy-Track Mysteries to my list of authors/series that I follow and snatch up as soon as they’re published and I’ve since read all of them. Although Nursery Crimes seemed as though it would be “light” reading, there’s a whole lot more going on—and that’s a good thing.
The Plot
Juliet Applebaum is a Harvard Law graduate and former LA public defender who gave it all up to stay at home after the birth of her daughter Ruby. She’s married to a screenwriter who’s a participatory father; their daughter is a smart two and a half year old with definite opinions; Juliet has a solid marriage and she’s eight months pregnant with their second child (a boy). What could possibly be wrong? Juliet is bored out of her mind.
The book opens with Juliet, Peter, and Ruby on their way to an interview with “the” premiere nursery school in Los Angeles. Two other couples and their children attend the interview with them. Ruby doesn’t get in. Neither does the child of a studio magnate, Bruce LeCrone, who threatens the school’s founder and principal, Abigail Hathaway. Peter defuses the situation and the families go home. That evening, Abigail Hathaway dies in a hit and run accident.
Juliet’s not so sure the hit-and-run is an accident and she starts poking around. First she ingratiates herself with the LeCrone child’s nanny, then she starts following Abigail Hathaway’s New Age husband after his strange behavior toward his stepdaughter, Audrey, at Abigail’s funeral. More than one person, it seems, wanted Abigail dead.
Elements of Style
Waldman narrates her story through Juliet’s eyes and her laugh-out-loud internal commentary. Nothing is sacred from Juliet’s candor, from the I’m-so-fat feelings of advanced pregnancy to a harried mom’s secret pleading for two minutes alone to intentionally manipulating her husband with the merest mention of sanitary napkins. Juliet is at once confident in her abilities, but conflicted about motherhood and whether she’s a “good” mom, even if she yells from time to time. She wants to give her daughter the best, but is slowly beginning to realize that she’s not her best self when she has no outside interests.
The plot moves along at a brisk pace and I devoured the entire book in a few sittings. I did figure out the murderer before Juliet seemed to catch on, but primarily because I’ve read a lot of mysteries and there weren’t that many characters to eliminate. For me, though, the plot has secondary consideration. I found this book riveting because Juliet is such a fascinating character. She’s contradictory with a frankness that makes her seem like a real person.
Quite obviously, Waldman is an ardent feminist (so am I), and it comes through in her writing, though not in a preachy or alienating way. The whole idea of the stay-at-home mother is based on a 19th century social construct after the rise of a middle class society; this construct, however, anachronistic, has stuck around and still informs the way women are viewed by society, especially when they are also mothers. Juliet’s observations of her reality are succinct and full of common sense, and Waldman does an excellent job of navigating the treacherous issue of whether women should stay at home with their kids or continue to work. Waldman maintains respect and approval for a variety of choices and does not condemn women who work as “bad mothers” or infantilize stay-at-home-moms as women who can’t cut the job market or are submissive moochers.
Overall
Waldman and/or her publisher are calling her series, so far three books following Juliet’s adventures, “Mommy-Track Mysteries.” I like the marketing ploy as well as the play on words with Mommy Track and with the titles of the books I’ve read so far (Nursery Crimes and The Big Nap). Before I was halfway into Nursery Crimes, I knew that I’d be adding Waldman and Mommy-Track Mysteries to my list of authors/series that I follow and snatch up as soon as they’re published and I’ve since read all of them. Although Nursery Crimes seemed as though it would be “light” reading, there’s a whole lot more going on—and that’s a good thing.
April 9, 2018
I thought this would be a fun, light read, and that I might relate to the protagonist since I am also the mom of a toddler. Boy, was I wrong on both accounts. The book was ultra light and I just found the protagonist to be ultra annoying in her cavalier behavior toward her children and in her decision making that constantly put herself at risk. Not to mention lots of convenient characters she could call upon to give her critical information that helped her solve the mystery. I have only given up on one book in my life (sorry, Corelli's Mandolin). I only made it through Nursery Crimes because it was short and I felt like it would be a failure on my part not to finish a "fun" book. Ugh. I will not be checking out the rest of the series. If you want a fun mommy-track mystery, try Jennifer Weiner's Goodnight, Nobody.
May 31, 2018
Juliet is pregnant with her second child and trying to get her first child into a prestigious pre-school. After being rejected, Juliet sees on the news the owner has been killed in a hit-and-run. Using the skills learned as a public defender, she attempts to find a murderer, if it is a murder. The cops aren't so sure.
I liked this book. It sets up the series well by introducing the characters and giving their backstories as they go through their daily lives. I liked the characters. The story held my interest. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
I liked this book. It sets up the series well by introducing the characters and giving their backstories as they go through their daily lives. I liked the characters. The story held my interest. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
February 3, 2023
Loved the book for it’s genre. Not great literature, however the protagonist is perfect mommy. She is an intelligent lawyer who is staying home taking care of a little girl while husband writes scripts for Hollywood. She is Jewish, sort of and he isn’t. Reminds me of me, 45 years ago. It is a fluffy mystery. Her real husband is Michael Chabon and I just finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and hock is how I got to her! I will read all of her books.
October 24, 2023
The opening book in the Mommy Track Mysteries. introduces Juliet Applebaum, a hugely pregnant mother of a demanding and not always adorable preschooler. Juliet and toddler Ruby gloriously fail their interview for admission to the exclusive Heart Song School but when the school's founder is crushed to death by a car, Juliet figures it was murder and decides assisting the police investigation is the perfect remedy for boredom. Nursery Crimes is a short, amusing, and ablely plotted mystery.
October 28, 2020
I read this book so fast, it amazed me. The story was so intriguing and pulled me in right from the beginning. The story line was such a mix of humor, investigative, and relatable bits that I just absolutely loved it. It took me a while to guess the ending but I eventually got there right before the main character.
April 4, 2023
this isn't high literary fiction but it was a quick and interesting read. It had an underlying humor and felt very true to life in many details. The crime itself was, as is usual, in these cozy mysteries solved not by the proper authorities but by a heavily pregnant mum on maybe the 2nd or 3rd suspect. It is a series I could continue if it fit a challenge
June 19, 2021
I don’t really know about this as a series. Juliet is funny a lot of the time, really annoying some of the time. Ditto the surrounding people, except her husband— who’s pretty much a gem. I love that they have a happy marriage, even in Hollywood, though.
September 23, 2022
Exactly what I wanted. Great narration on audible and interesting story line. I realized the ending before it happened but then there was an unexpected detail that was pretty brilliant. Overall content
October 14, 2025
Another series in my endless quest to find good Jewish-themed mysteries. I found this murder to be so easily solvable that it made the final third a slog, especially when it was all laid out for our mommy detective and she still missed it.
May come back to book 2 later, but probably not.
May come back to book 2 later, but probably not.
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