Rating: 
Summary: A mystery starring an endearing stay at home mom -what fun!
Review: I read this one in a single gulp and had a blast doing so. Author Ayelet Waldman has created a wonderful new sleuth in Juliet, a stay at home mom with a toddler, a woman dying to go back to work - until she becomes pregnant with her second child and her career plans are put on hold. Resigned to staying at home, Juliet is less than perfect on the domestic front, finding life with a toddler hard to take at times. As Juliet herself says, " I wasn't any June Cleaver. I did all the things mothers aren't supposed to do. I yelled. I was sarcastic. I let her watch TV". Clearly, Juliet needs an outlet besides mothering. Then Juliet's daughter, Rudy ("half adorable..angel, half street urchin from hell") fails to ace the admissions interview at the Heart's Song school. Shortly afterwards, the principal of the school killed and Juliet has a new mission - she decides to solve the crime. The details are what set this book apart from the average mystery - Juliet's frustration living among overly ambitious parents striving to get their toddlers into the best schools, her difficulty balancing her desire for a career with her decision to stay home and her humorous attempts to solve a crime without alienating every "suspect" ( in other words, she isn't the most tactful detective). Waldman catches the subtle nuances of suburban life (albeit suburban Hollywood life) perfectly. I hope to see more from this new author and am looking forward to getting her next book, The Big Nap.
Rating: 
Summary: I love LA
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing is delightful, the characters are believable, the protagonist is very likable. Juliet Applebaum is every woman's favorite girlfriend. She is fun, she is comfortable with herself, and she has a positive attitude. As a former angelino, I especially appreciate that the author captured the atmosphere of Los Angeles so well. I gave Nursery Crimes four stars because the plot is quite thin, as many of the other reviewers commented. The number of suspects is very small, and, although there were no clues planted about the identity of the murderer, the mystery is too easy to solve. Despite these defficiencies, I highly recommend this book. It left a pleasant aftertaste, and I can't wait to spend more time with Juliet.
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: A 'mommy-track 'mystery? Oh, please!
Review: Is she serious? I figured the author, married to icon Michael Chabon, would write something better than Nursery Crimes. The premise is good, but the plot (thin), story (predictable), dialogue (reads like dialect when the kid speaks), and writing (actually, not so bad!) just doesn't deliver on the promise.
Rating: 
Summary: "Cute," Fast-paced, but the ending is obvious
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: The Mommy of Mysteries
Review: Juliet Appelbaum is a treasure! Bright, funny, savvy with a lot on the ball, the Harvard educated attorney/public defender is the proud mother of a bright, verbal 2-year-old girl and a son on the way. Juliet is married to a playwright who provides a creative foil to her serious side. Indeed, Juliet is never at a loss for creative energy and activity. After failing to get Ruby accepted at a prestigious nursery school, Juliet literally walks into a mystery. The school's founder and director is found murdered days after Juliet's encounter with her and Juliet is determined to crack the case. The list of suspects is quite long -- a former husband, a current husband, an irate parent with questionable connections whose child did not get accepted into the school are likely suspects. The internet offers clues to solve a seemingly interlocked set of mysteries. I absolutely LOVED this book and can't wait for Waldman's next! I hope she'll keep Juliet permanently installed as a literary detective!
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: 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: 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.
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