Customer Reviews

The Cradle Robbers (Mommy-Track Mysteries)

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Ayelet Waldman is in top form with "The Cradle Robbers," her latest "Mommy-Track" mystery. Los Angeles-based Juliet Applebaum is the harried mother of three young children, including a four-month-old baby girl whom she nurses day and night. In another life, Juliet was a graduate of Harvard Law School and a federal public defender who routinely crushed lying witnesses with her aggressive cross-examination. Now, she is a rumpled and exhausted mother who can barely keep her eyes open. Juliet is filled with self-loathing, not just because she is a terrible housekeeper, but also because she neglects Peter, her long-suffering screenwriter husband. To make matters worse, Juliet's job as a part-time investigator is far from lucrative. Business is bad and promises to get no better anytime soon.

As a favor to her office assistant, Juliet agrees to donate her time to a pro bono investigation. It seems that several women who gave birth in prison had their babies taken away from them under false pretenses. Juliet's investigation takes her behind prison walls, into junkies' apartments, and into the office of a church-based foster care agency known as the Lambs of the Lord. During her interviews, Juliet often brings along her always hungry baby who somehow manages to poop at the most inopportune moments.

"The Cradle Robbers" is a terrific entry in this entertaining series. Juliet's witty wisecracks and satirical observations are funnier than ever. She ridicules everything, including her own ineptitude, her husband's weird work habits, and the shallow lifestyles of the upper class people who live in LA. At the same time, Waldman has constructed a tight and poignant mystery about women in trouble who have no one to speak for them. Juliet becomes their voice and she takes a stand, not just for these particular women, but also for the agonizing, exasperating, and glorious institution of motherhood. At the same time, Juliet continues her valiant uphill struggle to balance the demands of work and family.

Juliet Applebaum is a delightful protagonist whose experiences will resonate with every overworked mother who desperately needs a good night's sleep. She is also a wonderfully humorous and compassionate heroine who is willing to stick her neck out to further the cause of justice. "The Cradle Robbers" is an engrossing and beautifully crafted whodunit that will satisfy Waldman's loyal fans and undoubtedly earn her many new ones.

I prefer my mysteries on the cozy side. Wouldn't you expect a series called Mommy-Track Mysteries to be cozy? These are too much like the weirder part of the evening news for me.

Waldman can write -- no doubt about that. But her plotting with this book in particular left me confused and unsatisfied. And the motivations behind her protagonist's actions are also a bit sketchy.

There were too many loose ends here and not enough beef... Characters are introduced and then conveniently manipulated, killed off, or abandoned. The sub-plot about Juliet's husband and his lawsuit also seems a bit too convenient -- merely a chance for Juliet to redeem herself in his eyes.

I'd like to see something with more "oomph" and a little less carefully-scripted-plot-designed-to-show-how-bad-the-establishment-is.

I've followed this series since its beginning and as always, I was happy to read another installment. I enjoyed the storyline in this one and it seemed to resonate with the character well since it was about children. Juliet's antics are always fun and her kids very real. I can't wait for the next one.

however "The Big Nap" is still my favorite Juliette book. I am looking forward to the next book with eager intrest.

Not the best one from Ayelet Waldman. Starts with a "Liberal" whining that goes and goes for awhile then the real story starts. First "Juliet Applebaum" story that I was not sad to finish. Disappointed reader.

I have found each of the books in the "Mommy track" series engaging. While I do not have children, I can empathise with each burp and well, whatever, her children do. This book is a welcome addition to the series. While I am saddened by what I learn about the system as it deals with children born in prison, I am heartened by the compassion shown here. Ms. Waldman has written a first-rate mystery with wonderful light notes here and there. She also gives us a look at the sadder side of the care of the children born into the penal system.

Oh, and for those readers who participate in a book discussion group....chapter three is a "must read"!!!!!