Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of The Mother Next Door.
This book was a page turner. It followed stories of 3 women and their families as they were being charged with endangering their own children.
Based on Munchausen by Proxy, these moms would all tell their doctors what was wrong with their kids. These conditions ranged from Gerd issues to brain issues and everything in between. This would cause the kids to undergo major unneeded surgical procedures.
Mike was an investigator for child abuse cases and Andrea had her own personal experience with this syndrome. Although I do wish she would have gone in to more detail about her own situation, the book itself was very well written and sometimes extremely hard to read. These kids should not have had to suffer at the expense of their mom wanting attention. And in most cases the rest of the family didn't even know.
One mom went as far as to say that she had cancer to get all the attention as well as her child having major (unnecessary) procedures. Although a couple of these stories ended with prison sentences for the mom, not all cases end in favor or the child.
Mike did a great job trying to give details to everyone involved to try and take these cases to court. Even if the outcomes weren't what he hoped for.
Very well written and descriptive book! 4.5 🌟

5-Stars

The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy by Andrea Dunlop and Detective Mike Weber is a meticulously researched, eye-opening exploration of one of the most disturbing forms of child abuse—Munchausen by Proxy (MBP). This book offers a sobering look at the psychological manipulation behind MBP, where caregivers, typically mothers, intentionally harm or fabricate illness in their children for attention and sympathy. Dunlop and Weber highlight not only the personal tragedies that unfold but also the serious failures within our social care and justice systems that allow these crimes to continue unchecked.

The authors have done an exceptional job in carefully presenting real-life cases without sensationalizing the subject matter. Through their own personal experiences with real cases and in-depth research, they paint a thorough and empathetic picture of what it’s like for children who fall victim to MBP, as well as the professionals who must navigate these complex cases.

What stands out most in The Mother Next Door is its unflinching focus on the systemic issues that fail to protect children. Dunlop and Weber shed light on the gaps in social care systems and the often insufficient legal action taken against perpetrators. The book does an excellent job of illustrating how even when abuse is suspected, it can be difficult for authorities to intervene in a meaningful way, leaving many children vulnerable.

The Mother Next Door reads with the accessibility and flow of a compelling narrative, making it approachable for the everyday reader. Despite its heavy subject matter, the book avoids the dryness of a textbook, offering a balanced and engaging storytelling approach that keeps you hooked while also informing and educating. It’s compelling, deeply human, and hard-hitting, but always respectful of the gravity of the issue. A must-read piece of non-fiction that raises awareness of a growing issue and calls for meaningful change in how we protect children from this form of abuse.

I thought this book would have more about the authors family issues, but I completely understood why she stopped and could not dive deeper into it. While the stories told in this book were pretty much the same it gave detail on what needs to be evaluated when looking into MBP. I loved the fact that Mike was able to share details of how be put case information together. As a criminal law major with a minor in psychology these stories shared gave a more in-depth of the realities dealing with a person accused of MBP and how the criminal justice system overlooks important information when all the facts are not clearly presented. Had this book been published and available at the time I was in school I would have made a recommendation that students read and discuss it openly.

Definitely a book I will recommend.

I am not familiar with Andrea Dunlop's fiction writing, having come across her podcast first. I will say, if you have listened to her podcast there is a lot that is repeated but this is an even deeper dive into the three highlighted cases. The writing style is extremely approachable- people who don't think they like non-fiction will be able to read this book. For those not familiar with the podcast, this book is greatly informative about the different ways that Munchausen by Proxy presents as well as the very different outcomes that are possible based on where it ends up in the justice system. Honestly, the disturbing nature of this disorder and the societal inclination to not want to believe in its validity almost makes this required reading.

Wow. I could not put down this deeply disturbing non-fiction book on Munchausen and Munchausen by proxy. It's truly unbelievable the horror these poor children experienced and a system that isn't set up to identify this type of abuse. This will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy.

Not me being obsessed with MBP since I was young and then reading this masterpiece. I am obsessed with this book. Obsessed. I don't need to walk you through who the characters are or how this story build a psychological tension that was palpable, I'm just going to tell you I need garlic pills because the blood pressure rising was real.

As a true crime junkie, it is nice to get a book that goes more into detail how Munchausen By Proxy (or Ficticious Disorder By Proxy) works, how it shows up, and the level of physical and emotional wreckage this particular form of abuse leaves in its wake.

I am somewhat cautious of recommending this book as some digging around has revealed that some issues exist regarding the writer’s credibility. I am unable to comment on this one way or the other, but I felt it warranted being repeated.

I felt like this book did a good job of exploring the three case studied but I wish there was a little more about why they did what they did. I guess its difficult to know that and the abusers themselves might not know. Oddly some of the more interesting tidbits were about how these cases were investigated and why. The fact that they all lived in the same county makes you think this crime might be more common than you'd think.

I did find the insertion of Dunlop's personal life into the book a little odd, I felt like there was little backstory and explanation there and it was written as if we already know this woman. I do not.

I am not sure how an autism test comes back "negative"--it is not a blood draw.

Haunting. Harrowing. Horrifying. Three words that describe this book perfectly. It blows my mind that Munchausen by Proxy is still not recognized as a disorder, nor taken seriously. In a world where everyone gets up in arms about protecting children, many are left completely at the mercy of their parents. Worse yet, they're conditioned from before they can walk or talk to think they're sick, disabled, and need their parents to provide for them and to undergo unnecessary procedures and take unnecessary medications. It's so sad. This book follows a few major cases that crossed the desk of one of the only MBP detectives. None of them had I heard of, all of them left my jaw hanging open. It's a great read, hooked me from the start. I finished it in two days!

I've loved reading true crime stories since I was a teenager. This book checked all of the boxes for such a thrilling story and also a sad one too. No one wants to deal with family members who claim that their child or spouse is sick when they aren't. It puts a thought in many minds, and this book was hard to put down. I read it in just two days and started rereading it. If you're into true crime or stories, this book is for you. I highly recommend it to everyone.

This was a book I thought I would be interested in but the format killed it for me. It looked like someone had cut & paste from different Word documents. It made it hard to read enjoy.

Nonfiction-I went in pretty blind, so I quickly realized this. This book is about Munchausen syndrome and Munchausen by proxy, and boy is it a doozy. The author Andrea, herself watched her sister manipulate and control the narrative around her own cancer diagnosis and her daughters cerebral palsy- all to eventually find out that her sister suffers from Munchausen syndrome. The story was told in a well lined out timeline along with the effects it had on all people involved. I found it fascinating.

The authors then proceed to tell two other Munchausen by proxy stories. Again, so interesting.

I found the authors interest and then writing of this book well fitted. Andrea with her sister, and Mike Weber was a detective that worked on Andrea's sisters case, the two others discussed in the book and other child abuse cases.

Towards the end, Mike is frustrated with the politics of trying to get the county to take these child abuse cases seriously, allow the time needed to research and to prosecute.

I think this would be a great audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the gifted e-arc of this book.

This was a little dry for me. When you take out the personal opinions of the author, the weird mentions of her family with no context, and the overall impression that she gives of being an expert on the subject, all you have is a lot of repetition and some very sad stories.

The book covers three interesting cases, but the constant repetition made them hard to get fully into. I wanted to know more about the facts of the Mary Welch case, but that just didn’t happen.

I have a few friends who enjoy her podcast, so I’d recommend it to them.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

Raw and so emotional. The Mother Next Door was such a good read. So hard to believe what Mothers can do to their own children

WOW! This book is so powerful. We have all heard the stories of mothers making their children sick, to gain attention, money, fame (?), and sympathy, this book explores it and takes the reader along for the bumpy ride of prosecuting those mothers.

It was heartbreaking to read and to hear what mothers do to their own children. I am happy that the author and Mike Weber were there to stop the mothers as much as possible.

The authors really do a deep dive into what it takes to prosecute a case of medical child abuse. The heartbreaking decisions made by uninformed CPS, courts, police, and even doctors. AT points it was hard to take in and I would need a break.

yet I was also proud that Mike was determined to keep investigating, to keep pursuing justice. I learned more about how parents can manipulate the healthcare system and doctors to do their bidding.

Overall, a great book, well written, well researched about Munchausen by Proxy.

This book offers a deep dive into Munchausen by proxy, a particularly disturbing type of child abuse that reveals the darker side of human behavior. The author shares three chilling cases where mothers inflicted severe harm on their children, manipulating doctors into performing unnecessary and dangerous medical treatments just to gain attention and sympathy from others. What’s truly shocking is how effortlessly these women manage to deceive medical professionals and sometimes even evade the justice system, continuing to live seemingly normal lives in society.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Absolutely mind-blowing and heartbreaking. This book dives deep into three real cases of Munchausen by proxy, exposing the harrowing stories of mothers who harmed their own children for attention. It’s chilling to think about the trauma these kids endured, but even more heartbreaking to realize how the system often overlooks these crimes.

Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber’s writing brings these cases to life with compassion and urgency, reminding us of the importance of recognizing and addressing child medical abuse. It’s not an easy read, but it’s an essential one. The balance between emotional depth and investigative detail is incredible.

This is a book that lingers long after the last page—a must-read for anyone who cares about fighting for justice and protecting the most vulnerable.

The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy is an informative and, at times, frustrating read. It's nearly impossible to get through it without feeling some anger toward the systems that are supposedly in place to protect children, even from their own mothers. Seeing those systems fail repeatedly makes for a challenging book.

While the book was bogged down with extraneous information, the action moves swiftly in the three Munchausen by Proxy cases. Andrea Dunlop has a natural talent for giving a lot of information without slowing down the book's pace. I learned a lot without getting the sense that I was reading a textbook.

I struggled with this one because it began to feel like three different books. The Introduction provides helpful background on the author and her family's experience with MBP involving her sister. We also met co-author Mike Weber, whose work investigating MBP cases makes up most of the book.

The rest of the book is dedicated to three of these cases. What threw me is that periodically we would receive a data dump of personal info on Weber or Dunlop would call out a detail in a case as being similiar to her own experience. None of this info brought anything to the book. Both Dunlop and Weber are clearly passionate about bringing the reality of medical child abuse to light. Still, it seems like they got distracted from that purpose, as though each was trying to fit their autobiography into the book as well.

Overall, at its core, it's an excellent book that would have been served by a bit of refining. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

"The Mother Next Door" by Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber offers a profound examination of Munchausen by Proxy (MBP), a multifaceted form of child maltreatment wherein a caregiver, typically the mother, fabricates or induces health issues in their child to elicit sympathy and garner attention. The text meticulously analyzes three distinct cases, each illustrating the various tactics employed by mothers to manipulate healthcare professionals and the medical system to obtain unwarranted treatments for their children. The authors draw upon their personal experiences and professional expertise; Dunlop's sister was subjected to an investigation for medical child abuse, while Weber has devoted his career to safeguarding vulnerable children from analogous predicaments. The narrative provides a comprehensive timeline of the abusive behavior, the investigative procedures, and the obstacles encountered in pursuing legal action against these cases.

Throughout the discourse, the authors illuminate the emotional and psychological intricacies inherent in MBP. They underscore that many victims initially exhibit genuine medical concerns, which their mothers subsequently amplify, placing them in considerable jeopardy. The narrative also reveals the challenges faced by healthcare practitioners, who frequently depend on parental narratives and may struggle to discern the underlying deceit. The authors contend that the legal framework is encumbered not only by bureaucratic challenges but also by the charisma and social standing of the offenders, complicating efforts to achieve justice. This dimension of the text underscores the necessity for heightened awareness and enhanced training for medical professionals in identifying potential MBP scenarios. While "The Mother Next Door" delivers a compelling and thought-provoking account of these alarming cases, it also provokes essential inquiries regarding accountability within the system. Ultimately, the book serves as a clarion call for heightened awareness and vigilance surrounding MBP, emphasizing the urgent imperative for systemic reform to protect vulnerable children ensnared in such tragic situations.

This was a thought provoking read, one that I was very interested in after following the Maya Kowalski case. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

A fascinating look at Munchausen by Proxy through the stories of 3 different women and the trauma they put their families through. This book was heartbreaking at times, and I’m amazed at the courage of the children who made it out the other side. Thanks to #Netgalley for the arc.