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Title: A Playdate with Death

Subtitle: Mommy-Track Mystery, Book 3

Author: Ayelet Waldman

Narrator: Christine Marshall

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-17-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Modern Detective

Publisher's Summary:

Public defender turned stay-at-home mom Juliet Applebaum is back in top form, investigating the mysterious death of her personal trainer ... in between taming tantrums, planning playdates, and playing dress-up with her two rowdy kids.

Members Reviews:

Ms. Waldman....getting better and better

I really enjoyed this book. As a matter of fact, I thought it was much better then the last book, (the second in this series). I had decided to wait for paper on this one, but I won't do that again. I am going to rush out and get her next one as soon as possible. By the way, note to Ms. Waldman, I love the way you say things about your children, and things about being a mother, that all of us think at one time or another, but never say out loud!

Five Stars

Really enjoyable series.

A so-so mystery that lacks the wit of its predecessors.

Ayelet Waldman had a great idea when she came up with the idea for the "Mommy-Track" mysteries. The main character in this series is Juliet Applebaum, an attorney who has decided to be a stay-at-home mom. Between wiping up the assorted messes that her two toddlers are constantly making, ferrying her kids to school and playdates, and tending to her other assorted "mommy duties," Juliet solves murders. What has made this series enjoyable thus far is that Juliet is usually witty and self-deprecating and the mysteries have been fun.

Unfortunately, "A Playdate with Death," as brief as it is (a bit over 200 pages and undersized ones at that), is a chore to read. Gone is the humorous and easy-to-take Juliet, whose wisecracks are not particularly funny in this novel. Waldman has churned out a formulaic and labored mystery about the death of Juliet's personal trainer, Bobby Katz. Bobby appears to have shot himself, but Juliet suspects that he was murdered. Bobby was an easygoing guy who did not seem to be at all suicidal, and for some reason, Juliet feels compelled to solve the mystery herself.

In the course of her investigation, Juliet barges in on all of Bobby's friends and relatives, including both the parents who adopted him and his birth mother. One of the ridiculous conventions of this type of book is that Juliet has no standing at all in this investigation. She is not a private detective, she is not a police officer and she is not even related to Bobby. Since the police have ruled that Bobby's death is a suicide, the case has officially been closed. Yet, Juliet manages to pry information out of an assortment of people who do not have to say one word to her. Yet, of course, they give her all of the information that she needs to solve the crime.

Juliet's long suffering husband, Peter, puts up with her shenanigans, even though she is endangering both herself and her family with her "investigations." The formulas and conventions wouldn't bother me if the mystery itself were at all entertaining. Unfortunately, there is nothing compelling about this case nor is the uncovering of the murderer's identity particularly suspenseful or believable. If Waldman wants to get back on track, she needs to bring back the truly humorous Juliet Applebaum and she needs to craft a mystery with a little more bite and substance.

Another good title in this series

I must applaud Ayelet Waldman for writing her mommy track series.