Netgalley ARC

As I listened to the prologue, I was worried that this book was going to be a tedious read. But it turned out that the prologue was the most tedious part. The rest of the book is a compelling look at three major cases worked by one Texan detective. Focusing on one detective's cases was a good approach; it gave the book more narrative structure than three disparate cases would have.

This is very much an information - not a dramatic story - focused look at true crime. I appreciated the approach as it felt less exploitative. The contrasts and similarities across the three cases, and how they affected the outcomes, were very interesting.

If Munchausen by Proxy is an interesting topic for you, I highly recommend this one. The audiobook narration was excellent here.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

This book was absolutely fascinating—and disturbing in all the right ways. The Mother Next Door is a deep dive into a real-life medical mystery involving deception, manipulation, and the heartbreaking reality of Munchausen by Proxy. It’s one of those stories that sticks with you long after you’ve finished it.

This true crime story follows the shocking cases of 3 mothers who appear to be devoted and loving, but behind the scenes, something much darker is going on. Through the lens of medicine, parenting, and trust, the book explores how they manipulated doctors, family, and even their own children in a complex web of lies. The authors, Andrea Dunlop and detective Mike Weber, give both the emotional , technical and clinical sides of the story, which adds a whole new level of insight.

What I appreciated most was how readable it was. Even though it covers medical and psychological topics, it never felt too technical or hard to follow. It pulled me in like a thriller would, but I found myself saying, "Wow...this really happened". The emotional impact is heavy, but the authors do a good job of being respectful and informative.

The pacing was off at parts, but still, the story is so compelling that it’s easy to look past that. If you're into true crime with a psychological edge or stories about complex family dynamics, read this! Haunting, thought-provoking, and impossible to forget.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

A Riveting Deep Dive into the Dark Side of Motherhood
Andrea Dunlop's The Mother Next Door is not just a book; it's an absolutely riveting deep dive into one of the most chilling psychological phenomena: Munchausen by Proxy. From the very first page, I was completely hooked. This book brilliantly weaves together different stories from the past, each one a stark and disturbing example of this devastating form of child abuse.

As a huge fan of true crime podcasts, I felt like I was listening to one in book form. The pacing, the detailed exploration of each case, and the way Dunlop presents the facts made for an utterly immersive experience. I was so into it, devouring each chapter, eager to uncover the next layer of these unbelievable, yet tragically true, narratives.

For anyone who loves the unbelievable stories of what crazy people have done, and who, like me, is constantly trying to understand the "why" behind such heinous acts, this book is a goldmine. Andrea Dunlop does an extraordinary job of digging into the psychological underpinnings, exploring the complex motivations and the horrifying manifestations of this disorder. She doesn't shy away from the ugly realities of these stories, presenting them with a journalistic precision that is both informative and deeply unsettling.

This was a great read that satisfied my craving for true crime while also offering profound insights into the darker corners of human behavior. Highly, highly recommend!

The Mother Next Door is a gripping and profoundly emotional exploration of some of the most disturbing and heartbreaking true stories I’ve ever encountered. Focusing on cases involving Munchausen and Munchausen by proxy, this book pulls back the curtain on the deeply complex, often hidden world of medical child abuse and fabricated illness.

Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber handle these real-life stories with care, empathy, and a journalist’s eye for truth. Each account is chilling, not just because of the harm caused, but because of how easily these behaviors can hide in plain sight—under the guise of love, concern, and even heroism.

What makes this book so powerful is the way it gives voice to survivors and sheds light on the psychological manipulation at the heart of these cases. It’s haunting, deeply human, and impossible to forget. Despite the heavy subject matter, I couldn’t stop reading.

An unflinching, necessary read that will stay with me for a long time. Five stars aren’t enough for the courage and clarity this book delivers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Andrea Dunlop, Mike Weber, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book, see below, but I had to do it in print because the narrator’s voice and pace did not work for me.

I love true crime and The Mother Next Door was a compelling well-written story of the three investigations into Munchausen by proxy, the affliction whereby a mother purposefully harms her child(ren) for attention. The stories are told through the lens of one of the most experienced investigators who has worked on Munchausen by proxy cases. The author has a personal connection to the condition; she believes that her sister has it and has abused her own children, although that has never been established in Court. I found the personal connection to really work here and add to, as opposed to detract from the story. I flew through this book and highly recommend it. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a free arc. All opinions are honestly and my own.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of The Mother Next Door by Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber.

Wow! First off, applause for such great writing. This book has tremendous flow and organization, it holds on to you every step of the way.

Second, the amazing amount of research and detail that went into this was so impressive. Andrea Dunlop definitely sold me on her podcast, I'll be tuning in!

Third, these terrible cases were uncovered in my Fort Worth backyard. In fact, my husband works in some of those hospitals. I really commend how hard these officers worked to bring this stuff to light.

Why is Munchausen-by-proxy so fascinating? (Side note: I think it's been classified as something else, it's now known as a specific type of abuse instead of diagnosis). It's a horrible form of abuse, motivated by greed and attention. It's also hard to nail down, and those who have it seem to be pathological, like they'll keep lying long after the game is up. It's weird, sick, and hard to look away. But I'm glad that it's a form of abuse that we're talking about because it might be more common than we realize. I highly recommend this read, especially if you are in any form of healthcare or social service. Trigger warning though, it's fascinating, but at the end of the day, we're still talking about the mistreatment of vulnerable children.

I thought this was an interesting book, it was a super fast read and very informative. The stories told in "The Mother Next Door" are deeply sad and shocking! I am sure that medical child abuse is a severely underreported crime in this country. I have never heard of any of these type of stories until I listened to this book. I feel for every child that has to go through this kind of life.

The Mother Next Door is a compelling and unsettling exploration into the world of Munchausen by Proxy (MBP), a form of medical child abuse where caregivers, often mothers, fabricate or induce illness in their children for attention or sympathy. Andrea Dunlop, drawing from personal family experiences, and Mike Weber, a seasoned detective with extensive experience in MBP cases, collaborate to shed light on this complex and often misunderstood phenomenon.

The book delves into three harrowing cases, providing detailed narratives that highlight the psychological manipulation involved and the systemic challenges in identifying and prosecuting such abuse. The authors effectively balance clinical analysis with human stories, making the content accessible without diminishing its gravity.

What sets this work apart is its dual perspective: Dunlop’s personal connection offers emotional depth, while Weber’s investigative insights provide a procedural backbone. Together, they expose the gaps in medical and legal systems that allow such abuse to persist and emphasize the need for greater awareness and reform.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

MBP has always fascinated me since it because nationwide news with the story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard. This true crime novel told about lesser known cases and the impact they had on the families and investigators. As someone who works with children, it is so disheartening to hear how easy it is for parents to harm their children simply by doctor hopping. This was well researched and you could feel how deeply impacted the investigators were while dealing with these cases. I would highly recommend the audiobook!

I really appreciated that this book is cowritten by two people - one who had her family torn apart by it and a detective who worked on numerous medical child abuse cases. It is narrated by Andrea Dunlap, one of the authors.

This is not an easy topic to tackle in a book, but I thought that Andrea and Mike made a smart choice to focus on a few cases instead of discussing Munchausen by proxy from a higher level or by looking at a lot of different cases. They presented information with empathy and you can tell this is a topic about which they are both passionate and knowledgeable.

This book does focus on Munchausen by proxy, so take care if medical child abuse is a sensitive topic for you. This is a well-researched and informative book, but it will not be for everyone.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the gifted audio copy. All thoughts are my own.

OMG. This was so heart wrenching. I felt sick to my stomach hearing what these mothers are doing to their young children. It’s unimaginable, yet it happens more often than I realized. I just can’t wrap my mind around Munchausen by proxy. It’s horrific.

Thank God for Andrea, Mike and the many others advocating for these children. Sadly, fighting against political unjustness. I pray someday soon there will be more support in protecting all children.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy.

The mother next door offered multiple stories about women who have MBP and abuse their children. I liked the incorporation of the author's own family into the storytelling. Well done and good on audio.

The Mother Next Door is a harrowing and eye-opening account of Munchausen by proxy cases and the devastating impact it has on children. Written by an author with firsthand experience and a detective who has worked these cases in Texas, this book brings chilling real-life stories to light in a way that is both gripping and heartbreaking.

What shocked me the most was how unbelievable yet disturbingly real these cases are. The way some mothers manipulate, control, and harm their children is beyond comprehension, and this book does an excellent job of shedding light on the hidden horrors these victims endure. It’s well-researched, deeply emotional, and impossible to forget.

This is an important and necessary read for anyone interested in true crime, psychology, or child advocacy. Highly recommended.

A nonfiction read on medical child abuse via Munchausen by Proxy, specifically in Tarrant County, Texas, this book was hard to wrap my head around as a mom, but also very informative.

The Mother Next Door is difficult to read as it’s nonfiction about Munchausen By Proxy (MBP) - mothers who knowingly and purposefully inflict medical abuse on their young children. The authors have very personal connections to this horrific subject; author Andrea Dunlop suspects her sister of MBP and Mike Weber is a respected law enforcement MBP expert. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Ms. Dunlop.

While the subject is appalling, this book is compelling. The majority of its content are detailed reviews of three specific and egregious cases of MBP in which Mike Weber was an investigator. I was shocked by the behaviors of these mothers, the blind faith of medical professionals who accepted their lies as facts which extended the medical abuse of vulnerable children, and the barriers faced by attorneys, law enforcement, and others when attempting to intervene.

I hope The Mother Next Door will educate more people about the warning signs of MBP and the importance of taking action on suspicions. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for early access to the audiobook; all opinions are my own.

A heartbreaking, true crime account of stories of Munchausen by Proxy. It is so hard to wrap one’s head around why a parent would do this. This book explores multiple families and the possible reasons behind it, as well as the very difficult time law enforcement has in proving and prosecuting these type of cases. A disturbing yet interesting and informative book.

I listened to the audiobook and one of the authors narrated it, she did a good job with a clear voice. The cases were interesting and horrific. The writing was done well and I highly recommend it for other true crime lovers.

A gripping investigation into three mothers accused of Munchausen by Proxy (MBP), this piece reveals how many victims begin with genuine medical needs, often related to prematurity, only for their mothers to exaggerate these issues to dangerous extremes, putting their children at serious risk.

The author’s personal connection to these cases is clear—Andrea Dunlop’s own sister was investigated for medical child abuse, and Detective Mike Weber has dedicated his career to protecting vulnerable children from unnecessary medical interventions.

The exploration of the legal obstacles in prosecuting such cases is both eye-opening and complex. When the perpetrator is a charming, successful mother, family members, medical professionals, and even a jury can be easily manipulated.

Though it delves deeply into the legal intricacies, the medical terminology is accessible to a general audience. This narrative nonfiction is an engrossing read that brings attention to a little-known yet profoundly impactful crime.

Recommend the audiobook as it has a podcast-vibe execution.

An in depth, up-close, send you reeling sort of audiobook. If you like true-crime podcasts, hearing all the gruesome details of a case, and want the version straight from those who have lived it...this one is for you.
Andrea Dunlop introduces us to 3 of the most disturbing cases of Munchausen by Proxy and explains how it affected each person involved. Mike Weber has been the leading investigator on more MBP cases than anyone else, ever! We get taken right through each case from beginning to end. Dunlop and Weber don’t sugar coat a single tragic detail. No matter how disturbing. This is one brutally honest look at just how terrifying it is that these sorts of cases can go on for years without anyone suspecting there’s more to the story. Mother’s are their children’s protector right? How can this happen, why didn’t the doctors know? Didn’t the family suspect something?
Dunlop shares with us how sometimes even when people suspect it can take a long time for justice to be served. She also shares her own struggles, with having a sister who is an MBP case.
Weber brings us through each investigation and helps answer some of the pressing questions on Child Protective Services and how Doctor Shopping can keep others from finding out the truth.
This is one audiobook; I listened to almost straight

Extremely eye-opening, educational book about Munchausen by proxy. Author apparently has a podcast and this book is a collection of info released in the podcast prior. True stories. Highlights how many of these individuals are very educated and thus able to fool many doctors with their intelligence. It also touches on about how hard it is to confront these people even when you can see what’s going on as a “friend” or a “neighbor”. Made me think deep. Highly recommend.