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Okay, I admit it - I should not have tried this book. I was so determined to try it, to prove that the fact that this book was called a "mommy-track mystery" wasn't going to sway me; after all, writers can't be held responsible for marketing decisions. Juliet Applebaum is a former public defender who stays home with her two children, Ruby and Isaac. She loves her kids, but she admits that she needs a little more in her life than diapers and dependency. Her husband is a screenwriter, so their life in Los Angeles is pretty comfortable. When her personal trainer is found dead, an apparent suicide, she gets curious and wants to look into it. Bobby wasn't depressed, he was planning to be married, it just doesn't look right. His family is pretty cold, refusing to acknowledge the woman he lived with Betsy, in any way, not very caring. Other people are borderline anti-Semites, self-absorbed egotists, or sexist jerks. I recognize that I'm the least interested human being around when it comes to children and I found the passages about Isaac spilling things and whining and shrieking (the author's words, not mine) intolerable. I'm sure a great number of parents, especially moms, will find these situations recognizable, and probably will find a lot to smile at, and I'm sure that discussions of weaning and children screaming "I want my breast now!" will going to be an attraction to a lot of readers. Not this one. The passive-aggressive husband similarly caused me to lose patience. He sabotages things that Juliet tries to instill in her children and gives up at the first sign of any problems, dumping them back on his wife. At one point in the book, when Juliet is concerned about her family's safety, her friend Al -- former cop and new private investigator - suggests that Peter take the kids to his cabin. Peter immediately says, no, he's not leaving Juliet, but that Al's daughter (who is a biathlete, excellent shot, wannabe cop) take the kids to the cabin. He couldn't ask her first? How arrogant to think that some stranger is just so anxious to baby-sit his whiny kids. His supposedly smart wife runs home every time Peter can't find Ruby's purple tutu, or Isaac screams. She refuses to do things and then gives in, every time, to anyone and everyone. Where did she leave her backbone? In some major passive-aggressive behavior (again?), she gives in to something she detests but then gives an eye-glazing lecture about it to Al (and I even agree with her on the topic). A major issue in this story involves Bobby's birth and the issue of genetics. Tay-Sachs disease is a major plot point and within moments, I was interested in the issue and thinking I'd do research on the internet. Juliet apparently never thinks of this; she uses the net, she knows how to do research and she simply takes the word of people without ever looking for herself. And by relying solely on others, she misses a vital piece of information. Is this how she operated as a lawyer? (I tried it; within less than 60 seconds, no joke, I did a web search, found a major website and found the information I wanted on who carries Tay-Sachs.) This is another one of those reviews, I'm afraid. There are probably many readers who won't mind the holes in the plot, the unlikable people or the children. Me? I learned a valuable lesson in trusting my instincts when it comes to books that I doubt I'll like but I somehow should try. Don't do that next time.
Reviewed by Andi Shechter, June 2002
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