It breaks my heart to know this actually exist. The one person on earth puts their own flesh and blood through this type of abuse blows my mind. Is it really mental illness of the parent or some demonic selfish twisted scheme?

Dunlop and Weber shares stories of how MBP can be investigated, and how important it is for both law enforcement and medical communities to commit to fact-based pursuit of justice so that children can be protected from these monsters. Dunlop experienced this disease in her own family and she shares that story in her book We Came Here To Forget.

We meet three very different women; Hope, Brittany, and Mary. 3 cases of medical child abuse. Two authors. One baffling criminal deception: Munchausen by Proxy (MBP).

THE MOTHER NEXT DOOR is a compelling exploration of three mothers investigated for MBP. Many victims start with legitimate medical needs, often prematurity, that become exaggerated by their mother’s to the point of placing the child in grave danger.

The author’s passion for these perplexing cases was so evident; Dunlop’s sister was investigated for medical child abuse several times, and detective Mike Weber has spent his career devoted to helping vulnerable children avoid unnecessary medical procedures. This book is hard to imagine but a necessary read.

After reading the last page I'm left still wondering about the doctors? Why did they believe...the author mentions we see what we want. What do you think?

In exchange for my honest review I received a Galley copy exchange for my review.

As a psychology major and graduate I found this book very interesting. It breaks down three cases of this not often caught disorder. Well researched as well.
I enjoyed the audiobook version as well.

Wow, what crazy stories! This is well written, page turning, and very compelling. I would have appreciated a little more background on Munchausen by proxy itself, so something about the context, as well as the author's own family experience but I suspect there is a legal implication there. It was wonderful that she included some of the legislative changes that one victim is fighting for!

It's so hard to recognize the signs of Munchausen that the victims have been abused for many years before help intervenes. Conventional wisdom saya parents take care of children, not use them or hurt them. Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber profile three cases that have been prosecuted. The information shared is very hard to reconcile with "the mothers next door" but is true. This is heavy reading, but the more people who can recognize the signs, victims can be identified sooner and damage lessened.

**Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy**

This is an incredibly well researched book on Munchausen by Proxy and how it slips through the cracks of our medical and political systems. It is also an easy, organized read; I was glued to the pages and wanted more information on EVERYTHING.

It is remarkable how well researched this novel is. Dunlop and Weber present each case comprehensively, from the perpetrators, to the victims, to the medical and justice system. MBP has been in the public's view for a while, but there are few publicized stories and those out there are pretty sensationalized. This book eschews that and systematically dives into the ways that MBP manifests and slips through the cracks.

For me, a non fiction book succeeds when I learn something new and I learned a LOT. I really enjoyed learning about how pediatrics works, and specifically, how perpetrators of MBP manipulate doctors and family members. I also really appreciated the formatting of the novel with the three distinct stories, but with references being made to the others throughout. It made following the behavior patterns and catching similarities much easier.


tldr; holy shit

This was a wow read for me. The levels that some women will go to, honestly, just astounds me.

As a mother, there were parts of this book that horrified me, and knowing that is, in part, based on a true story made it worse. But, it was a good read, and will give those who enjoy true crime a shiver or two.

In these pages, you are going to feel all the emotions. Anger, hate, bitterness, horror for the antagonist, and overwhelming sadness for the victim.

Highly recommend!

WOW. W O W.

Even two days after finishing this, I am still struggling with reviewing this amazing book. On one hand, I want to just do a huge emotional info dump and hash out just ALL I think about feel about what I just read [and it is serious feels folks, S E R I O U S feels], and on the other hand, I hardly want to share even a tiny bit because 1. I HATE spoilers, and 2. I honestly feel it is best to go into books like this blind [I knew it was a book about Munchausen by Proxy and that is about it when I started it] so you CAN feel all the feels without having any real preconceived notions.

So I have tried to compromise...This IS a fantastic book/read. It is excellently written, has been expertly researched [including some what must have been seriously troubling interviews], and the result is three stories that will take you on the wildest ride of your life. You will be angry, you will want to yank your hair out as you YELL at the book [I cannot even remember now how many times I stopped the audiobook to yell "HOW HOW HOW" and then inundate my poor mother with all the CRAZINESS I was reading], and then you will be finished with the book and you will be left deeply sad, moved to tears, and FULL-BLOWN angry as so many people [including many "professionals"] who have let so much of what you just read continue, no matter the cost, and I will tell you this - the cost is extremely high.

I applaud Mike Weber for his continued work for these children who have suffered from medical abuse and at the hands of people who are supposed to love you; I cannot even imagine what that must be like, diving into that world day in and day out [and NOT losing your mind and very soul], and in my opinion, he deserves all the awards.

Andrea Dunlop is able to take all she has learned from her own personal tragedy with Munchausen by Proxy and channel that into writing a concise, fact-filled [but never dry or boring] book, and her voice, through her podcast, the books she writes, and her nonprofit work helps bring this story to full fruition. Kudos also to her in some of the interviews she has to chase; she is a better person than I am.

Ms. Dunlop also narrates the audiobook for this book and she does an excellent job. She reads in a clear, concise manner [and when her voice occasionally breaks, it's just a reminder of all she herself has gone through and just adds to the overall listening experience], which sucks you in from page one and keeps you completely engaged until the very end. I highly recommend this audiobook!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Andrea Dunlop, Mike Weber, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

The Mother Next Door is a true crime book discussing three high profile Munchausen's by proxy cases, and the authors own personal experiences with this crime. She also interviews Mike Weber, a detective who has investigated so many of these cases that he is now considered an expert on Munchausen's by proxy cases.

This is one of the best true crime books I have ever read. This book was incredibly well researched and well written. It never gets dry or boring, and reads like a novel. I thought the author did a wonderful job explaining such a complex phenomenon, and never makes excuses for the perpetrators; she makes it very clear these people know exactly what they are doing. Dunlop does a great job at centering victims and their stories, and clearly illustrates the harm they are left with when the crimes are over. I wondered how much the authors own experiences with this type of crime would be in the book, and the answer is, not much. She references how her own family was affected by Munchausen's by proxy, but lets the other victims stories take center stage. This book is obviously hard to read because of its subject matter, but I think it is a really important read, as this is a very little understood and under reported crime. I highly recommend this book.

By now, we've all heard of Munchausen by Proxy. Gypsy Rose, Sixth Sense, heck it was even mentioned on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills years ago! I started and finished the book in a matter of hours.

We know it is a complicated issue but one that is ultimately disgusting. We wonder how someone could do this to another person let alone their child.

I have never read anything by Andrea Dunlop but I'm interested now! Though I was hoping for more info on her own personal issue with her sister but I'm guessing legally that is still a mess. This book contains the true accounts of several recent cases involving Munchausen by Proxy. Each one is tragic and baffling. How have we failed these children so much?

If you are interested in finding out more by the disorder, the authors do a great job of explaining it all. Thank you to NetGalley, Andrea Dunlop, Mike Weber, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read the book. I have written this review voluntarily and honestly.

As someone in the legal field, I loved this book! I enjoyed diving into the issues prosecuting a case like this and felt so much anger for the victims. The authors were so knowledgeable and clearly did a lot of research. I took one star off because I didn't think the book flowed well.

"A groundbreaking work of narrative nonfiction that investigates Munchausen by Proxy from the host and creator of the award-winning true crime podcast "Nobody Should Believe Me".

I had heard of Munchausen by Proxy before, but I did not know how little the perpetrators are held accountable. Andrea Dunlop does an amazing job with Mike Weber in creating a nonfiction book that reads like a narrative. It follows the stories of three abusers and their victims from the very beginning. They show how the webs that are created by the perpetrators (usually mothers) are sometimes so tangled that even their own families can't see the abuse happening in front of their eyes.

There are committees and special task forces, even special pediatricians, strictly for crimes against children and more specifically for medical abuse of a child, but still MBP is one of the least type of child abuse case to be followed through on and the abusers are more likely to get away with their crimes.

This book hit me and captured me from the beginning and I empower anyone to say something if their gut is telling them that something isn't right. Saying something and being wrong is better than saying nothing and being right.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

Munchausen's by Proxy is such a tough topic for me to read about, especially as a mom. This book was hard to read, but easy to get through. And heart wrenching.

The Mother Next Door
A true crime chronicle investigating Munchausen by Proxy, a chilling crime against children.
Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber explore three cases of MBP highlighting the intricate tangle regarding deception and medical child abuse. Everyone involved found it so hard to believe that “the mother next door” could be responsible for such horror!
This shocking story was very well executed and captivated my heart for the victims of this crime.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc

The Mother Next Door by Andrea Dunlop; Mike Weber has written a heart-wrenching book on MBP.
Dunlop and Weber have written an interesting and intriguing story! That kept me hooked till the very end.
The journey on a three high-stakes MPB investigations; through riveting reports and shocking stories from the family members, friends, and doctors caught in the blast zone of these unthinkable acts, a twisted portrait of motherhood and deceit is revealed.

It is so hard to believe any mother would do such horrendous things to their child, but I can only assume this is a mental illness.

Munchausen by Proxy - where a mother thinks her child has a life threatening illness and somehow convinces doctors to do invasive treatments on her child. Author Andrea Dunlop looks at three cases that ended up in court. Often the mother's parents, the child's father, medical personnel and teahers don't see what the mother is doing. Horrific and suprisingly somewhat common.

I couldn't put this book down as I read and listened to it. .

My thanks to Net Galley, St. Martin's Press and Macmilian Audio for an advanced copy of this e-book and audiobook.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5/5)

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for my #gifted copy of 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗧 𝗗𝗢𝗢𝗥.

This was a very insightful book about Munchausen by Proxy and presents info about real cases, some of which I’ve never heard of and it just blew my mind.

The authors are extremely knowledgeable on the condition and how difficult it can be to hold those guilty of it accountable for their actions. It’s amazing to me how many of these cases there are and how many slip through the cracks. It’s truly terrifying.

My only gripe with this book is it’s doesn’t flow well, especially the first chunk of it. I just don’t know that we needed to hear as much about her family or maybe not as much I don’t know. Then learning about Mike although that seemed to flow a bit better. It just jumped around a lot in the beginning. I wasn’t sure if we would be focusing on one author or the other or other cases and the answer was all of the above. I might’ve had an easier time if I read this one rather than listening to it. The format / flow of this one wasn’t my jam. The content and information made up for it though.

I did learn a lot and got more insight into how those with Munchausen by Proxy are able to fool those around them and somehow get medical professionals to perform unnecessary surgeries and treatments.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this chilling true crime book by Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber, with the audiobook narrated by the authors. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Munchausen by proxy has fascinated and horrified both professionals and the general public since this disturbing form of child abuse was first identified. But widespread misinformation still swirls around these cases, because who could believe that a parent (especially a mother) would intentionally harm their child?

This is such a disturbing subject, but this book tackled it as sensitively as possible, from the viewpoints of a novelist whose own family experienced MBP and a detective who has worked on more medical child abuse cases than anyone in the country. With most cases where mental illness and crime intersect, it's difficult for the public, medical professionals, and the justice system to understand and treat these perpetrators, but this book should open eyes to the fact that these cases aren't a rarity and something must be done to protect the innocent children. It was an in-depth look into 3 cases as well as the author's own family connection, and it was heartbreaking. I liked the fact that the authors narrated the book, making it feel even more personal. Hopefully this book shines more light on this very dark issue.

The Mother Next Door by Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber

This was an easily digestible read about a complicated topic, Munchausen by proxy. The authors did a great job with structure and flow. The three cases were focused, walking readers through the entire process from history, to investigation, to trial, and then after. But it didn’t get bogged down in the details.

As far as true crime reads go, this was an engaging narrative that mostly stuck to the facts. It was evident the authors both had personal ties to MBP cases, so occasionally I felt some bias. However, it was evident that the authors’ passion contributed to this well-researched book that highlighted a hard crime and left me feeling like I learned something.

I had previously watched Take Care of Maya on Netflix and ended up feeling very conflicted after watching. This book adds to the conversation.

Fans of books that walk through the entire investigative/legal process, true crime, and books that examine flaws in our systems will find value in this one.

I found this book extremely interesting. I did not know much about Munchausen Syndrome outside of the widely publicized Gypsy Rose Blanchard case. All the facts and other cases from different prospectives and different parties involved was extremely interesting and informative!

Thank you NetGalley, the authors and St Martins Press for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book touches on the unfortunate reality of the difficulties in identifying Munchausen by Proxy abuse, and the faults in our justice system that enable the suffering of children at the hands of the people who are supposed to love them the most—their parents. I found a sliver of hope in the heartbreaking reality that awareness is slowly growing. I would recommend this eye-opening read for anyone so they can be aware and vigilant to what's happening in the world around them.