A Playdate With Death (Mommy-Track Mysteries (Hardcover))

Rating:
Summary: A so-so mystery that lacks the wit of its predecessors.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Questionable Paternity, Tay-Sachs, and Death
Review: I picked up A Playdate with Death because I was intrigued by its title and cover artwork. It is a well-written, fast-moving book. Author Ayelet Waldman seems to put a lot of her personal experiences into her books. Just like the book's heroine Juliet Applebaum, Waldman is a former public defender turned stay-at-home-mom. Applebaum often wavers from loving her two young children and movie-making husband and homelife to borderline resenting her family from keeping her from pursuing her career aspirations. In a very un-Dr. Laura way, Applebaum reflects: "Since I'd quit work, I'd found myself increasingly bored and frustrated with staying home. I'd left my job because I thought raising my kids myself was more important than working, but sometimes it was difficult to imagine my sighing, listless presence around the house was really doing Ruby and Isaac any good" (pg. 73). At this point, she must juggle her strong-minded daughter's schedule and drag around her 2 ½ year old son who still demands to be nursed (at one disturbing point, the child announces "bring me my breasts"!) as she investigates the sudden and suspicious death of her physical trainer. His death is deemed a suicide, but Applebaum is not so sure.

Waldman obviously conducted a lot of research in writing this book, especially on the Tay-Sachs disease which plays a large role in the story. Some parts of the book seemed a little unrealistic, especially the ease with which Applebaum was able to get numerous strangers to open up about extremely sensitive issues. Applebaum seems to do no wrong in this book, getting answers she needs from people in only a few visits, having a cop turned private investigator beg her to work with him because of her legal skills, even succeeding in firing some rounds at a rifle range for the first time. Her distaste for firearms is also substantiated. The book is fast-moving enough to hold one's attention, but, to me, the circumstances surrounding the death were more intriguing than the whodunnit. One fun sidenote: when searching her trainer's laptop, Applebaum runs across a review the suicide/murder victim wrote on Amazon for a John Grisham book which "he liked...okay but he wasn't thrilled" (pg. 52). He probably gave it 3-stars like I am giving A Playdate with Death.

Rating:
Summary: No blood, lots of guts
Review: I'm an avid mystery reader (PD James, D Sayers, R Hill) and enjoy Waldman's series immensely. Characters come across, even with brief descriptions and the dialogue is full of things I wish I'd have the chutzpah to say myself. I picked up 'Playdate' and didn't put it down until I was done.
As a new mom I relate totally to Juliet Applebaum (what mother wouldn't?!) and I greatly appreciate the lack of blood and gore. Many mystery writers rely on these devices to hold audience interest but Waldman never sinks to this level, instead relying on factual revelations and character analysis to further the plot development. Granted, one won't find a Dalglieshian tortured soul expounding on human philosophy while quoting WH Auden, but for an enjoyable, quick-paced humorous read I would recommend this book and series highly.