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Rating: 
Summary: Lots of fun!
Review: Cute mystery featuring Juliet Applebaum, a public defender turned stay-at-home mom. When her young daughter's application to a famous preschool is rejected, Juliet isn't too surprised. When she turns on her TV that night only to discover the school's principal has been killed, however, she is not only shocked, but completely suspicious. Soon she finds herself investigating a few clues, against the advice of all who know her. The clues lead her to a seedy, sleazy Internet newsgroup where she eventually gets herself in deeper than she'd planned to go. Now the suspects are piling up (an angry man whose daughter was also denied entrance to the school? the principal's husband?) and when the cops start to take Juliet seriously, she begins to think she's really onto something. But is she? And, if so, how much risk is this pregnant mom going to take on in pursuit of justice? Waldman is the wife of Michael Chabon, one of my favorite authors, and while her novel isn't "literture" as her husband's often are, this was a book I drank down in one afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed. Am looking forward to Waldman's next Juliet Applebaum mystery, too. Recommended!
Rating:
Summary: 5 star review from Timeless Tales!
Review: from reviewer J.P. SydneyJuliet Applebaum isn't cut out to be a working mom, but she isn't cut out to be a stay-at-home mom either. A former public defender, Juliet can't step away when she's thrust into the middle of a murder mystery. All Juliet had wanted was for her two-year-old daughter, Ruby, to get into the prestigious Heart's Song School in Los Angeles. The initial meeting and interview don't go over well and they aren't offered the application for enrollment. Taking it in stride, Juliet and her husband, Peter, a screenwriter, begin to leave. But another man becomes violent with Principal Abigail Hathaway, demanding an application. Peter gets between the man and the principal and everyone leaves. Juliet would never have given any of this a second thought if later that night she hadn't heard of Abigail's untimely death by a hit and run driver. Juliet can't get the violent encounter out of her mind, and involves herself in the police investigation. Using her connections at the Public Defenders office and some unique sleuthing skills (taking her daughter to a park near one of the suspect's homes so she could question the nanny), Juliet delves deeper into the background of both the victim and every suspect. But what starts out looking like a simple rage killing becomes more complex as Juliet learns more about the victim and the secrets she'd been hiding. Ms. Waldman is very much like her character Juliet--a former public defender who is now a stay at home mom. I'm thankful for the transition because Ms. Waldman does a phenomenal job creating a fun, fast-paced mystery that I read in one sitting. Although Nursery Crimes is Ms. Waldman's first book, she's already found her voice. Smart, witty, and entertaining, she had me hooked from the very first page. Both Ms. Waldman and her heroine are women to be respected and admired for their accomplishments, and I can't wait to spend more time with Juliet in her further adventures.
Rating:
Summary: It's Not Over Till the Fat Lady Delivers
Review: I was riveted! This book caused me to feel two things I crave from a good read: (1) I never want it to end and (2) I can't stop reading, so it's over way too soon. This plot has more twists and turns than a Brio trainset and no, I didn't guess who done it. I identified with Waldman's Juliet Applebaum, the Harvard law school trained, former public defender turned stay at home Mom -- even though I'm not a Mommy or a lawyer and as far away from Harvard as the Hollywood celebrity star-struck shrink character in the book is from Sigmund Freud. The book has lot of great characters who don't behave in ways you'd expect. There's sex, of course -- real and virtual (I must say I learned a few things about the world of cybersex I didn't expect), all seen through Juliet's wise-cracking sensibility. There is so much packed into this mystery -- it's smart and funny and heartbreaking -- the dialogue is utterly real. This is a Mommy that Ann Lamott could relate to, for a change. Unlike detectives who are so busy tracking down clues they forget to eat, Juliet never misses a chance to eat and never tires of hearing her one-of-a-kind husband tell her "you're not fat, you're pregnant". Juliet is the kind of in-your-face type of detective I get my vicarious thrills from when she confronts the high-and-mighty, all five feet and 8 1/2 months pregnant of her.
Rating: 
Summary: I love LA
Review: Juliet Appelbaum is a SAHM who is embarrassed to admit the fact (even to herself) that spending her entire day finger-painting with her 3-year-old daughter isn't mentally stimulating enough to satisfy herself, day after day. Relying on research skills honed as a Harvard Law student and then public defender, Juliet investigates the murder of a local preschool principal. Cute story, biggest flaw being the fact that I "solved" the murder a good 3-4 chapters before Juliet. I still want to continue the series, but if the next book is that obvious too, I'll be done. I read Waldman's "Daughter's Keeper" this year, and it was much better than Nursery Crimes. Very curious as to how autobiographical this book is! Many of the facts of Juliet's life match those that I know of Waldman's;
--- Both Harvard Law grads
--- and former public defenders
--- who quit work to become SAHM's (or maybe WAHM's)
--- both married to men in nontraditional writing jobs (Chabon - Pulitzer-winning author of Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. Peter, screenwriter)
--- both hubbies interested in comics, action figures
--- Neither Juliet nor Ayelet took hubby's last name
--- both live in upper echelons of large Californian cities
Rating:
Summary: Crime on the Mommy Track!
Review: Juliet Applebaum debuts in this "Mommy Track" mystery set in L.A. Juliet is a former public defender that left her position after the birth of her first daughter and she is quickly finding out that she does not feel as fulfilled being a stay-at-home mom. Being 8 months pregnant is not helping her nerves any, and when her daughter is denied admittance to an exclusive preschool, Juliet knows she needs to find something to keep her occupied. Later that evening while watching the news, Juliet is shocked to see that the principle of the preschool was killed by a hit-and-run driver, and Juliet is determined to prove that another denied preschool parent is to blame. What follows is an amusing jaunt with a very pregnant sleuth, her boisterous toddler, and one killer set on keeping his/her identity secret. I enjoyed this first book in the Mommy Track series and look forward to reading more about these characters. I found Juliet pretty whiny at times, but had to admit that being 8-months pregnant was not all that easy for me either. Overall, I thought that it was a light-hearted read, and am anxious to see how Juliet copes with two youngsters in the coming books. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Fun start to a new series
Review: Juliet Applebaum is at loose ends in her life. After her daughter Ruby was born, she decided to put her career as a public defender on hold because she wasn't giving enough to either her career or her family. Yet she's restless spending all her time at home with her two year old daughter. Trying to get Ruby into the best nursery school in Los Angeles doesn't go well. But that night the founder, Abigail Hathaway, is run down by a car. Juliet is positive she knows who the killer is. But when she starts investigating, she finds that it might not be as simple a case as she thought. Does she still remember enough of her training to successfully build a case against the killer? I enjoyed this debut novel. Juliet is a likable heroine who struggles with her desire to do what's best for her daughter and soon to be born son and the desire to continue a job she loves. Occasionally, she borders on whining, but she also knows she's made the right choice for now. The plotting was good, although I felt Juliet was a little dumber then need be at the end. Still, I only saw the ending coming a few pages before she did. I'm definitely going to continue to check in on this family and see where they go from here. Ayelet Waldman has the potential for a great series with these characters.
Rating: 
Summary: A 'mommy-track 'mystery? Oh, please!
Review: Juliet, a Harvard Law School graduate and former corporate
attorney, leaves professional life for the imagined pleasures
of being a stay-at-home mother.
She quickly discovers that it is a full-time, demanding
and unpaid job. Not only does she stink at it, but she's bored
(especially by playing CANDYLAND).
But she finds an interesting pastime as an private sleuth,
balancing investigations with finding good daycare. About 30%
of the novel is devoted to the trials of child-rearing.
Rating:
Summary: Promising!
Review: This a great concept for a mystery/detective series. The characters are set with the Juliet, a stay at home Mom, who gave up her career to be with a headstrong two and one-half year old named Ruby, an unflappable husband, and a child soon to be born. Nursery Crimes was witty and breezy at the start and a terrific page-turner at the end. Waldman did a great job with twists and turns that made sense and did not seem contrived. I did figure out who did it a couple of chapters ahead of Juliet, but it's nice to feel smart. My reason for only four stars is that Nursery Crimes did slump in the middle and I feared that a promising beginning would be for naught. However the ending more than made up for that. Besides, how many mysteries have a great start and middle only to fizzle at the end? Nursery Crimes was a nice change from the empty feeling that comes from that path. Having gone through the early stage parenthood myself I find myself identifying Juliet's parenthood trials even though I am a mere man. My child is now a teenager and I hope this series gets that far so I can see how Juliet handles a fourteen year old Ruby. Meanwhile I find myself wondering what future evils will lurk in places such as Chuckey Cheese, the PTA, and Brownies.
Rating:
Summary: Promising!
Review: This a great concept for a mystery/detective series. The characters are set with the Juliet, a stay at home Mom, who gave up her career to be with a headstrong two and one-half year old named Ruby, an unflappable husband, and a child soon to be born. Nursery Crimes was witty and breezy at the start and a terrific page-turner at the end. Waldman did a great job with twists and turns that made sense and did not seem contrived. I did figure out who did it a couple of chapters ahead of Juliet, but it's nice to feel smart. My reason for only four stars is that Nursery Crimes did slump in the middle and I feared that a promising beginning would be for naught. However the ending more than made up for that. Besides, how many mysteries have a great start and middle only to fizzle at the end? Nursery Crimes was a nice change from the empty feeling that comes from that path. Having gone through the early stage parenthood myself I find myself identifying Juliet's parenthood trials even though I am a mere man. My child is now a teenager and I hope this series gets that far so I can see how Juliet handles a fourteen year old Ruby. Meanwhile I find myself wondering what future evils will lurk in places such as Chuckey Cheese, the PTA, and Brownies.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your time
Review: This is one of the worst-written mysteries I have ever read. It reads like Waldman spent a few hours in a "how-to-write-a-mystery-novel" class and figured she'd get away with it since she's Michael Chabon's wife. It's filled with dreadful, cliche-ridden plotting and characters and has an ending you can see coming a mile away. She also panders to her readers. I usually don't read books like this one (I gave her a chance because I like her husband's work) and, God willing, never will again. Presumably, she was a good lawyer; maybe someday she'll do us a favor and go back to it.
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