Nursery Crimes, the first installment in Ayelet Waldman's
delightful new mystery series, introduces readers to
Juliet
Applebaum, a public defender turned stay-at-home mom.
Juliet shares parenting duties with her screenwriter
husband, but she's bored with playdates and trips to the
park. That is, until she finds a way to spice up
motherhood-
-with murder...
Getting accepted at Hollywood's hottest preschool is every
bit as cutthroat as getting cast in a Hollywood film. Even
Juliet's own two-year-old, Ruby, got butted out of the
Billy-goat room. But when the school's principal is killed
in a hit-and-run accident, Juliet wonders if someone is
taking the competition too seriously. And even though
she's
eight months pregnant, with a toddler by her side, Juliet
Applebaum decides to get off the mommy track--to track
down
a would-be killer.