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. ( )

this is super fluffy - a crazy fast read with an unrealistic plot, halfway annoying characters, and theoretically humorous interludes. i feel like there are parts that show that waldman is a good writer, but that she was purposefully choosing to make this silly and not well written.

i read a book a few months ago that this reminded me a lot of - bingo barge murder - but for whatever reason, i kind of liked that one and not this one. (this isn't terrible at all, it just wasn't as good as i wanted it to be; it wasn't the right time for me to read this.) it's probably just me because there are a lot of similarities between them. or maybe it's just that most of the attempts at humor in this one didn't seem funny to me or that the stereotypes in this one were so glaring. for whatever reason, i didn't connect with this, but do think that she has writing chops. i'd be interested in reading her nonfiction or her general fiction but it would have to be better than this for me to keep reading her. ( )

Waldman, Ayelet
Nursery Crimes

Mysteries
As fluff goes, this is a dandelion seed riding its parachute across a playground. So why couldn’t I put this down? The characters are charming. That’s how you know they are the “good” guys. The villains are cliché and stereotypical making them very familiar and adding coziness to the mood. The very pregnant crime buster has a charming husband with whom she has a charming relationship. Her child is imperfectly charming, as are her mothering skills. They all have the right attitude and a buoyancy that while it may not keep them from harm at least guarantees another day. Mysteries and murders are solved almost matter-of-factly and the book is short enough to guarantee a desire for the next installment in the Mommy-Track Mystery Series.
Recommended March 2007

It was a quick read like other mysteries but ultimately I found the narrator too annoying. Won't read other books in the series. ( )

While pregnant with her second child, Juliet investigates the murder of an elite preschool's principal.

This was fun, but very light (the mystery was easily seen...). ( )