Excellent examination of an often misunderstood crime -- medical child abuse, otherwise known as MBP or Munchausen by proxy.

As a registered nurse and legal nurse consultant, I've long been fascinated by any crime that involves medical ethics, negligence, malpractice, or victimized patients. There's nothing quite so frightening, however, as an innocent child being deliberately harmed by a parent or guardian under the guise of them being brave and heroic for their care of a sick dependent. That devotion and attentiveness can have another side and this book tells the stories of three separate cases where mothers were actively harming their children through unnecessary medical care and procedures for conditions and diagnoses that did not actually exist. Heinous. Made worse by the difficulty in getting the perpetrator's loved ones and friends to accept that the primary care giver's presence and manipulations are making the child ill. Even more frustrating: the lack of cooperation by protective services and the courts in taking appropriate steps to remove the source and cause of the abuse.

The descriptions of events in the stories were very difficult for me to read. I was so impressed by Mike Weber, the detective who is probably one of the leading investigators into crimes against children and a dogged and faithful crusader in his efforts to protect and save the children who are being abused. He overcame so many discouraging setbacks to help get those sickened children away from the mothers who were actively trying to harm them. I love how the book named names of people in the system who did not actively prosecute and obtain justice for the victims. Shame on them.

I agree that there is an issue with MBP because of the attitude regarding the sanctity of motherhood. This, despite the fact that every day you can read news about mothers abusing and even outright murdering their children. So why is it so hard to accept that a mother could deliberately make her child sick to even the point of death while all the time being hailed as a great selfless, sacrificing saint.

At the heart of all of this is the question of why. What drives someone, almost always the mother, to make her child sick. To tell the lies and distort reality so much that their child receives unneeded medication and treatments or even invasive surgical procedures for conditions they do not have. It's definitely a complex issue as it's not that the mothers are mentally ill -- they know what they are doing. Is it the attention they receive? The respect and admiration of others? The drama? That's not been established and it is likely an amalgamation of many personal needs or issues.

Regardless of what makes a mom do this, it has to be caught. Everyone who is suspicious needs to take a stand and report. Despite the fact that MBP , or factitious disorder imposed on another, has existed in the literature for years, it needs greater attention and understanding so that this complex form of abuse can be identified and stopped.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book, both provided by the publishers. The narrator, also the book's co-author, Andrea Dunlop, alludes to having dealt with MBP within her own immediate family as apparently a sister of hers was accused. Details of that were not given, but she references her true crime podcast for further information. I plan to check it out. I always enjoy the experience of listening while reading as it adds to my appreciation of the book.

This book follows author Andrea Dunlop and detective Mike Weber as they examine the complex world of Munchausen by proxy, or factitious disorder imposed on another. Dunlop finds healing and understanding after her own experience with the illness within her family, while Weber offers critical insights as a longtime investigator of child abuse who found a niche in medical child abuse cases.

The book homes in on three notable Texas cases: Hope Ybarra, Brittany Phillips, and Mary Welch. Dunlop and Weber deftly explore the nature of the Aillness, its pipeline to criminal abuse and behaviors, and the challenges of achieving justice within the existing criminal justice system.

Overall, a solid read for true crime readers interested in this poorly understood, underreported disorder.

I'm not going to lie...I went into this thinking I was settling in for a domestic thriller. What I got was a shocking (and informative) non-fiction about the horrors of Munchausen by Proxy. I saw the first part of the title but apparently missed the words after the colon. Obviously, as a healthcare professional, I know what MBP is but I've never been faced with a case of it so my knowledge is pretty superficial. This book breaks down three cases, all similar but with their own nuances. I felt that this book did a good job of breaking down these cases and showing the patterns that are likely present in people with MBP. I think the most shocking revelation to me was just how many people in the medical and justice fields were so apathetic about it. I don't know if it is indifference or ignorance but both are equally scary. I was also equally horrified by how unjust the justice system can be especially when the victim is a child. I'm not sure why I am surprised by this but I just can't believe how many people just brushed some of these cases aside. If you work in either the medical or the justice field, for the love of God, educate yourself!! These victims are children and they don't deserve to be mistreated by those expected to protect them and then have their trauma marginalized by those who should be advocating for them.

Holy smokes Batman !!! 😐😳🙀
What in the world did I just read ....
I mean I know these stories are sadly out there more than they should but this book tells you of 3 insane Munchausen by proxy cases that you HAVE to read to believe.. I just cannot wrap my head around this .
I was TEARS reading some of the things these mothers allowed to happen to their children. 💔

I myself have a lot of medical issues going on & have since I was 5 so 31 years now. I cannot fathom at 5 years old my mother doing this to me ... & Worse my family backing her up !!!!
Faking epilepsy makes my blood boil as I suffer with epilepsy & it's because of people like these 3 women that I'm questioned so hard & most of the time I feel in going to court when I go to a doctor's appt so yes I'm completely flabbergasted that just because these women were " good liars" any of this was able to happen.
&& also I just can't wrap my head around doctors doing anything & I mean prescribing an anactaid without proof.
My brain is 1000% boggled after reading this madness ...
The last story was so heartbreaking & I felt Mikes anger & hopelessness whole sharing that story.
I pray anyone suffering because of women like this get the help they truly need & hopefully medical professionals will read this book & never let even 1 more case like this happen ever again .
It's just unacceptable

Ok that was my sad book quota for the year.
I do recommend this book even though it's definitely a tear jerker & honestly makes you hate the world for a minute.

This book was absolutely fascinating. Mike Weber is a true hero for all that he has done for abuse victims. The amount of research that went into this book is astounding. I felt so many emotions reading about the absolutely horrifying stories of abuse and tried to wrap my head around how they happened. Highly recommend for true crime fans.

An extremely well done nonfiction book about Munchausen syndrome and Munchausen by proxy. The research and compilation of information was spot on. This is a must read for anyone who is morbidly curious!

Wow. This book is about three cases, in particular, about Munchausen syndrome and munchausen by proxy. It is absolutely maddening to me that the laws do not protect these children by now. It is 2025 and attorneys and judges just don't want to hear these cases, regardless of the amount of damning evidence against a parent, usually the mother. My heart broke throughout this book, but it also angered me that so many just look the other way, rather than doing their job and protecting the children from abuse. This book is difficult to read at times, but it's a book that NEEDS to be read. More people NEED to know this happens way more than we ever hear about. Eyes NEED to be opened!

Aptly titled The Mother Next Door is about manipulation, deception, mother/child bonds, roles of healthcare providers, government policies, (in)justice, and unprotected children in Munchausen by Proxy which is medical child abuse.

Novelist Andrea Dunlop shares glimpses into her family which has experienced this horror. She also describes three cases elsewhere in the United States with the help of co-author Detective Mike Weber who has been instrumental in more cases than anyone. This disturbing yet compelling book gave me goosebumps and filled me with disgust for the perpetrators as well as frustration for the innocent children who suffered at the hands of their mothers, those they should feel safest with. The focus is investigating the families and providing protection for the children. There are so many gaps which need to be filled in. Sadly, Munchausen Syndrome and Munchausen by Proxy are more common than we think.

Told in an unflinching and raw manner, the stories are powerful and impactful. My eyes were opened to learn more about what drove these mothers to gain attention and sympathy. The levels of deceit of these spin doctors are through the roof! From feigning university degrees to convincing family they had cancer to deceiving physicians to making up medical histories for their children, they must have had to use spreadsheets to keep track of their numerous deliberate lies. The Hope Ybarra case struck me most in its complexity and the lengths Hope went to are mind boggling.

Are these mental health issues or crimes? After lies upon lies are revealed, what does one believe? The "separation test" is telling. Imagine intentionally putting your child through unnecessary surgeries for your selfish motives! Fascinating, yet heartbreaking.

My sincere thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this engrossing and informative book.

4.5 stars. I don’t know that I know enough powerful adjectives to describe this book. It’s accessible, spelling everything out in a clean and concise manner, while being absolutely heart-wrenching and anger inducing.

I, like many people I’m sure, know about MBP from the highly sensationalized accounts that hit the mainstream. This book pulls back the curtain on it and centers the story back where it should be (and always should be): the children who suffer at the hands of caregivers who want more.

Thank you to NetGalley, Andrea Dunlop & Mike Weber, and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Mother Next Door is my latest true crime reqd. This book took me down the rabbit hole in an examination of medical child abuse, or as it is better known, Munchausen by proxy. This book recounts three cases of the syndrome that took place in the Fort Worth area of Texas in the 2000s. These were the cases that made detective, Mike Weber one of the leading authorities on Munchausens in the nation.

Each case is examined in detail, from the crimes, to the investigation to prosecution. Every step of each case was fascinating, heartbreaking and infuriating. Most Munchausen cases are perpetrated by women and therein lies the biggest problem with prosecuting these crimes. People just don’t want to believe a mother could inflict that kind of abuse on their child. Weber met with pushback as he investigated what amounted to attempted murder over and over.

The crimes themselves in this book were bizarre. It is hard to imagine having unnecessary medical procedures inflicted on your own child, much less poisoning them to induce symptoms to aid in your deception. Each case looked at here is similar in the perpetrator’s methods of abusing their child, there is definitely a pattern to this disorder. But the first case looked at in the book, took deception to a level rarely seen in crimes of any type. I was left in shock at the ways and number of people that she managed to deceive.

I highly enjoyed this book. It is certainly disturbing, but the fact that there are people like the author’s in the world working as advocates for the victims is inspiring. This was a fascinating read. Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Mother Next Door is a gripping exploration of Munchausen by Proxy (MBP), told through the cases of 3 mothers. Each woman, through various means, factitiously created illnesses in their children for attention. The victims underwent unneeded medical procedures, hospitalizations, and other medical trauma.

This book was a page-turner, and often hard to read. With the help of Mike Weber, Dunlop goes into extreme detail about the lengths to which these offenders went to convince medical professionals that their children were extremely sick. The writing was exceptional, and it read like fiction. Having to periodically remind myself that it was true made it all the more harrowing. I do wish Dunlop had gone into further detail about how her life was affected by MBP, rather than just alluding to it. Overall, this was one of the best true crime books I’ve read in awhile!

If you’re a fan of true crime and psychology, I highly recommend this book. Huge trigger warnings, so make sure you check them before starting.

Big thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted eARC!

A fascinating and frightening look at three women-Hope Ybarra, Brittany Phillips, and Mary Welch- who committed MBP against their children told by a woman who is more than a little familiar with it and a detective-Mike Weber- who has investigated cases of it. MBP has gotten a great deal of attention in recent years but there's still a lot that's unknown about it, notably what turns the mind of the mother. Dunlop. whose sister was investigated doesn't offer much of her personal experience or insight (which frankly would have made this a better, albeit more voyeuristic, read). What she does so, along with Weber, is document the lengths to which these mothers will go and how difficult it is for law enforcement and the medical community to right the wrongs against the kids. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Well written and interesting read.

This book is a bit uncomfortable, in a good way. It has big "podcast" energy, sort of like a large format "Did you hear THIS crazy story?" townie bar conversation.

Andrea Dunlop is an author and podcaster, her sister was lost to her due to Munchausen by proxy. Because of her personal experience she created a podcast based on a famous case of MBP, Hope Ybarra, who pretended to have cancer 4 times and faked that her daughters had cerebral palsy and cystic fibrosis. At first her family thought she was delusional. Then they discovered she was guilty of fraud, falsifying medical documentation.

Mike Weber was the sheriff/law enforcement on the Hope Ybarra case, he has made his career on several child abuse cases to varying results.

On one hand, this book is a good guidebook for those who want to know the patterns. On the other hand, it is also a good guidebook for how to work on this and pull it off. For me it felt like "eek this is none of my business" and I legitimately felt like a rubber necker... but I suppose there is a bit of that in all true crime genre.

It was an eye opener. I learned a lot. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around MBP is both a mental illness and a crime.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the ARC. Book to be published February 4, 2025

I have really enjoyed Andrea Dunlop's fiction, so when I saw she had a new book coming out, I was instantly interested. I was even more intrigued when I realized it wasn't a fiction book, but a non-fiction book looking exploring Munchausen by proxy.

Co-written with a detective from Texas, Mike Weber, this books takes a look at three cases that Mike worked on in Texas exploring the nuances of each case, allowing the reader to see the similarities that emerge along with the complex systemic and cultural challenges that are at play.

I heard about this book because I listen to Andreas podcast "Nobody Should Believe Me." I was excited to hear she was coming out with a book about MBP as it's a topic in fascinated by. Unfortunately the book doesn't cover anything that wasn't on the podcast. Andrea doesn't delve a lot into her sister and covers 3 women who she devotes seasons to of her podcast. It's still an interesting read but not much new information to learn.

Thank you to #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for the DRC of #TheMotherNextDoor. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

This is a riveting book about a topic that most people think is rare, but it actually common though under-reported. Author Andrea Dunlop has first hand experience through family and her co-author has been investigating these cases for 15+ years. This is a well-written account of 3 cases with different outcomes that is eye-opening and infuriating. Should be required reading for anyone who works with kids especially in a medical setting.

Definitely recommend.

I have always been fascinated with mental health but especially Munchausen.

This was really good! I loved the authors passion for these three cases. I loved seeing the legal side to this mental health diagnosis. A beautiful mother being charged with MBP. The dynamics of the jury, family members, doctors, and the legal system being swayed in these cases.

So good!

4/5

This book was both fascinating and terrifying. Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a topic I have always been interested in, however, I still felt as though I learned so much reading this book. Detailing three different complex cases and the challenges involved in researching and prosecuting, the writing was easy to read and follow.

It is incredibly difficult to read about how easily these cases can fall apart due to politics or a lack of understanding. Hopefully books such as this one can help make the general public more aware of Munchausen by proxy. Although at times an upsetting read, I would highly recommend to anyone interested in learning more on the topic.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy.

Honestly, I thought this was a work of fiction when I requested it. I didn't read the blurb past the mention of Munchausen by Proxy. I was surprised to find out it was more of a case study, but I ended up enjoying it very much. It's well written and really taught me a lot about a subject that I thought I already knew a lot about. As a mother myself, it's so hard to believe that a mother can be capable of such horrific things.

📚The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy by Andrea Dunlop & Mike Weber

CWs for graphic descriptions of hospitalizations and ailments (both real and made up), child abuse, gaslighting/manipulation, and pretty much anything else you can think of given the topic at hand

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

A huge thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“No bond is more sacred than the one between a mother and child. And no figure is more sympathetic than a mother whose child faces a life-threatening illness. But what if the mother is the reason for the illness?”

I’ve worked as a medical/behavioral health social worker for over 7 years, and diagnoses like Munchausen by Proxy (MBP) have always felt so elusive and scary to me. I've always wanted to learn more about MBP in particular, especially given how uncommon it is and the fact that the stakes are so exceptionally high. Andrea Dunlop (an author who witnessed MBP within her immediate family) and Mike Weber (a law enforcement professional specializing in medical child abuse with over 20 years of experience) are both uniquely qualified to shed light on this topic. I was engrossed right from the start and had a hard time putting this down. I love reading nonfiction where you can clearly feel the the passion and knowledge of the authors.

This book provides a detailed explanation of what MBP is, what it often gets confused for, the way that medical abuse cases have been handled in the past, and goals for tackling it in the future. Through three separate real life case studies (Hope, Brittany, & Mary), the authors effectively portrayed the varying faces and insidious forms that MBP can take. This book truly gives you a front row seat to the gaslighting, manipulation, coercion, fissures in relationships, and heartbreak that is so common within MBP.

Let's start this by saying this book will make you so incredibly angry and frustrated at times. Most obviously, it can be incredibly hard to wrap your head around the fact that someone could intentionally harm their own child for various reasons (ie., attention, money, sympathy). It bluntly showed how the system has failed (and will likely continue to fail) children in situations where medical abuse is evident.

As angry as I was with the perpetrators and the people in their lives that reinforced the behavior, I found myself even more angry with the providers. I remember this one patient I had that presented to multiple EDs across multiple state lines requesting alcohol detox. Through a basic chart review, I quickly noticed that the patient’s blood alcohol content was not always checked (and it was checked it was always 0.00). I brought this up to the treatment team and was immediately faced with resistance (because what does the dumb social worker know, right?). Long story short, we eventually discovered that the patient was a benzodiazepine addict that was pursuing alcohol detox in order to get the detox medications (benzos). I felt so angry and helpless after the fact. Both in the fact that my concerns were so quickly dismissed by the doctors, but we ultimately became her glorified dealer and were just as culpable in her illness. I felt all of those emotions come rushing back when I was reading about the numerous providers that performed invasive and expensive procedures on children without doing a thorough history/assessment/chart review. It absolutely broke my heart. I understand that there’s only so much that a provider can do during a 15 minute interaction (and the heavy reliance on self-report from the parent), but there are still steps that a provider should be taking to provide basic ethical care in line with their license.

But then there were moments where you couldn’t help but feel hopeful. It showed examples of bystanders using their voices and speaking up when they saw something that wasn't right. It showed us people like Mike Weber, a passionate professional driven to protect all children from MBP and medical abuse. I really liked how respectful they were when discussing Child Protective Services and social workers in general. They succinctly explained how CPS is not always able to act when faced with a dangerous situation, and how it is an overworked and underpaid job. I also felt like the authors did a good job at emphasizing the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach when addressing MBP. Everyone (bystanders/law enforcement/hospitals/families) need to work together if we want to make any progress.

Ultimately, I think the biggest takeaway from this book is “see something, say something”. You never want to people that person that suspects something but finds whatever reason to not make a report. Maybe you think you “don’t have enough proof”. Maybe you think you’re “making a big deal out of nothing”. Maybe you're a doctor that thinks they "don't have enough time to make a report" (yes, I've actually seen that happen). It doesn’t matter. If you suspect that a child could possibly be experiencing medical abuse, make a report. It is not your job as the bystander to prove abuse (there are literally people that get paid to do exactly that).

I highly recommend picking this book, but definitely make sure you're in the right headspace before diving in.