The Mother Next Door - by Andrea Dunlop & Mike Weber (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

"Harrowing." --Wall Street Journal - "Riveting." --Seattle Times

A groundbreaking work of narrative nonfiction that investigates Munchausen by Proxy from the host and creator of the award-winning true crime podcast Nobody Should Believe Me.

No bond is more sacred than that between a mother and child. And no one is more sympathetic than a mother whose child faces a life-threatening illness. But what if the mother is the cause of the illness? What if the sympathy is the point?

Munchausen by proxy (MBP) has fascinated and horrified both professionals and the general public since this disturbing form of child abuse was first identified. But even as the public has been captivated by these tales of abuse and deception, there remains widespread misinformation and confusion about MBP. Are these mothers unfeeling psychopaths, or sick women who need help? And more important, how can we protect the children whose lives are at stake?

The Mother Next Door offers a groundbreaking look at MBP from an unlikely duo: a Seattle novelist whose own family was torn apart by it, and the Texas detective who has worked on more medical child abuse cases than anyone in the nation. Readers ride along on three high-stakes MPB investigations; through riveting reporting and shocking stories from the family members, friends, and doctors caught in the blast zone of these unthinkable acts, a twisted portrait of motherhood and deceit is revealed.

With help from some of the top MBP experts in the world, Dunlop and Weber uncover the complex maze of psychological, systemic, and cultural issues that compound MBP and offer solutions for how we might find our way out.

Review Quotes

"A riveting deep dive into MBP." --Seattle Times

"I have been an admirer of Andrea Dunlop's fiercely original work for years. Rarely is someone able to strike such a perfect balance of rigorous research, courageous fact-finding, and compelling narrative storytelling. I have no doubt that this book will be known as the canonical Munchausen by Proxy text." --Amanda Montell, New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Magical Overthinking and host of "Sounds Like a Cult"

"I devoured this chilling yet critically important book in 48 hours, unable to believe what I was reading. Dunlop and Weber have written a powerful, unflinching deep dive into our country's systemic failure to protect children from medical abuse." --Stephanie Wrobel, bestselling author of Darling Rose Gold

"I was hooked from page one until the very end. A page-turning, jaw-dropping examination of MBP, our healthcare system, and the ways that perpetrators hide in plain sight." --Nora McInerny, bestselling author of Bad Vibes Only, and host of "Terrible, Thanks for Asking"

"A truly vital, groundbreaking, and riveting contribution to the literature on child abuse. This immensely readable book is the most important literary work since the MBP term was coined fifty years ago. The Mother Next Door shines like a beacon." --Marc D. Feldman, M.D., coauthor of Dying to be Ill: True Stories of Medical Deception

Praise for Nobody Should Believe Me
"A rich and harrowing chronicle." --New York Times

Praise for Andrea Dunlop's fiction
"Twisty and thought-provoking." --Sara Shepard on Women Are the Fiercest Creatures

"Searing, gripping...a complicated tale of sisterhood unlike any told before." --Taylor Jenkins Reid on We Came Here to Forget

"Part family saga, part racy, salacious page-turner." --Caroline Kepnes on She Regrets Nothing

About the Author

Andrea Dunlop is the author of four novels, including She Regrets Nothing and Women Are the Fiercest Creatures, and the host and creator of Nobody Should Believe Me, an award-winning investigative true crime podcast about Munchausen by proxy. Andrea is the founder of Munchausen Support, the nation's only non-profit dedicated to supporting survivors and families affected by MBP, and a member of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children's MBP committee, where she serves alongside the country's foremost experts. She lives in Seattle with her husband and two children.

Mike Weber has forty years of law enforcement experience, including fifteen years as a crimes against children investigator. Detective Weber has consulted with numerous police agencies and district attorney's offices nationally on cases of medical child abuse, and was awarded the 2016 NCMEC Texas Hero for Children Award. He currently lives and works in Fort Worth.