I’ve long been morbidly fascinated by Munchausen by Proxy (MBP). As a mother myself, the idea that a person (almost always the mother) could inflict this type of medical child abuse is unfathomable to me. The Mother Next Door presents three cases of MBP, diving deep on how the abuse transpired, how long it took for someone to notice, and how hard it is to prosecute these cases. Although the cover looks like it will fit in right next to your thrillers, the atrocities here really happened.

Although not addressed in the book, author Andrea Dunlop has some personal experience with MBP, and you can tell through her written word and narration how passionately she feels about the topic. Thanks to her podcast experience, she’s an excellent narrator on top of being a highly skilled writer. Her co-author, Mike Weber, is a Texas detective and one of the nation’s foremost experts on medical child abuse. The narrative is clear and compelling as it explores the investigations of Hope Ybarra, Brittany Phelps, and Mary Welch, whose children all suffered needless medical interventions (including feeding tubes and brain stents!) due to their mother’s deception. This book is mainly focused on these specific cases and the justice system, so although I would love to read more about MBP in general and what drives women to engage in these destructive, abusive behaviors, it’s outside the scope of what’s presented here.

The book is extremely well written and it had me deep in my feelings while I read and listened. It’s horrifying to me how the families of some of these women refused to see what was happening or even outright defended them. Worse still, I found out it’s incredibly difficult to prosecute these cases, and even though two of the three cases in this book end with justice, all too often the perpetrators go free. Despite all the sadness, anger, and horror, there are bright moments of hope as you see the public servants and healthcare workers who tirelessly work to protect vulnerable children, as well as the resilience of the children themselves after their nightmare situations are over.


Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Thank you, Net Galley, for the advanced audio of THE MOTHER NEXT DOOR by Andrea Dunlop. I thought I knew a lot about Munchausen By Proxy, but this book taught me a lot more. I was unaware until I started listening that this book was non-fiction, but personally, most of the non-fiction that I've read is rather dry. This was not. I knew that MBP cases were difficult to prove, but I was under the impression that once they made it to trial, a guilty verdict was a forgone conclusion. As the examples in this book showed, it's not quite that easy. I am now checking my library for the backlog of books by Andrea Dunlop.

Such a fascinating topic. As a mother myself, the worst thing is when one of my children is sick, I can not imagine the mind of someone who purposely makes their child ill. I’m very thankful to people like Mike Weber who are working toward justice for these children!

Review of The Mother Next Door by Andrea Dunlop & Mike Weber – 4.5 Stars

This book was a gripping and emotional read—so engaging that it almost felt like fiction, yet it covers very real and heartbreaking cases. Dunlop and Weber examine Munchausen by proxy (MBP), a form of medical child abuse that is both deeply disturbing and difficult to detect. Through expert insights, investigative reporting, and real-life cases, the book explores how and why these situations unfold, as well as the challenges in identifying and stopping them.

What stood out most to me was how complicated these cases are and how easily warning signs can be missed. It’s heartbreaking to think about the children who go unheard and the people who fight tirelessly to protect them. It also highlights how difficult it can be for doctors and law enforcement to navigate these cases, which is why advocacy and awareness are so important. While the subject matter is heavy, I appreciate that this book focuses on those working to challenge the system and push for change. A truly eye-opening and important read.

In SEEKING SHELTER by Jeff Hobbs, we get to know two women and their children as they navigate a life of homelessness. Their stories shatter stereotypes, while educating all of us on how easy it is to end up on the street, and how difficult it is to then get off those same streets.

Some topics we learn about along the way include:

➛Lack of affordable housing
➛Lack of affordable childcare
➛Inadequate school systems within poor areas
➛The absence of a strong support system, such as family or close friends
➛Fear of the government getting involved

One thing not discussed is that the absent fathers here did not pay a dime in child support, which is all too common. Women’s rights continue to be trampled upon, while too many fathers saunter away to live their lives as they please. If men were forced to take financial responsibility for their children, then we wouldn’t have so many single mothers with their children living in their cars and in temporary shelters.

But this book wasn’t all gloom and misery. We see remarkable strength and resilience with the women and the children. We see mothers doing everything they know how to do in order to give their kids the best education possible, setting them up for a successful adult life.

I alternated between my print copy and the audiobook. Janina Edwards provides a straightforward narration without embellishment, which I found easy to listen to and engaging.

*I received a free ARC from Scribner Books, and a free audiobook download from Simon Audio.*

This was heartbreaking and hard to listen to, which is to say it was very well written and hard-hitting with the facts.

4.5 stars. I don’t know that I know enough powerful adjectives to describe this book. It’s accessible, spelling everything out in a clean and concise manner, while being absolutely heart-wrenching and anger inducing.

It is so hard to believe any mother would do such horrendous things to their child, but I can only assume this is a mental illness.

Munchausen by Proxy - where a mother thinks her child has a life threatening illness and somehow convinces doctors to do invasive treatments on her child. Author Andrea Dunlop looks at three cases that ended up in court. Often the mother's parents, the child's father, medical personnel and teahers don't see what the mother is doing. Horrific and suprisingly somewhat common.

I couldn't put this book down as I read and listened to it. . The author narrates her book.

My thanks to Net Galley, St. Martin's Press and Macmilian Audio for an advanced copy of this e-book and audiobook.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. This is narrated by the author, Andrea Dunlop, who does a great job!

THIS is how true crime should be written! I was glued to the story and found the offenders and characters to be incredibly interesting. While I know of Munchausen syndrome, I did not realize the patterns or know about these specific cases. I was heartbroken to see how little is done to protect these children.

This is so well written, researched and fantastic! Be prepared to clear your calendar when you start because you wont be able to put this one down!!!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this chilling true crime book by Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber, with the audiobook narrated by the authors. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Munchausen by proxy has fascinated and horrified both professionals and the general public since this disturbing form of child abuse was first identified. But widespread misinformation still swirls around these cases, because who could believe that a parent (especially a mother) would intentionally harm their child?

This is such a disturbing subject, but this book tackled it as sensitively as possible, from the viewpoints of a novelist whose own family experienced MBP and a detective who has worked on more medical child abuse cases than anyone in the country. With most cases where mental illness and crime intersect, it's difficult for the public, medical professionals, and the justice system to understand and treat these perpetrators, but this book should open eyes to the fact that these cases aren't a rarity and something must be done to protect the innocent children. It was an in-depth look into 3 cases as well as the author's own family connection, and it was heartbreaking. I liked the fact that the authors narrated the book, making it feel even more personal. Hopefully this book shines more light on this very dark issue.

⭐️⭐️⭐️½ — Informative and Heartbreaking

Munchausen by proxy (MBP) has always fascinated me in the most heartbreaking way. The Mother Next Door is a well-researched, eye-opening look at this complex form of abuse. The mix of personal experience and investigative reporting makes for a compelling read, though it can feel repetitive at times. Still, it’s an important and informative book on a deeply disturbing topic.

Thank you, NetGalley & Macmillan Audio, for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

In general as long at the narration is good (it is) and there aren’t glaring prose or editing issues I usually rate non fiction generously at 5⭐️ but something prevented me from doing so with this one.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book. (Although the prologue was like listening to a boring textbook and had I not gotten the ALC I may have DNF’d it as it was way too long and did not pull you in). But after the first half where the author got into more cases something unraveled a bit and I found myself checking out.

I think it’s a great subject matter for folks to
Learn about as having the information could help someone but it’s a shame that it wasn’t more engaging. It was clear that the author knew her subject matter and tried to make it a bit more interesting to read but the execution wasn’t as strong

That being said, I still rated it 4 stars as it is absolutely worthwhile to read and listening to it I found really allowed you to be immersed in the subject matter. It can be really hard to wrap your brain around Munchausens/ fictitious disorders but learning about the cases we know about can help a person recognize it.


I am thankful to have gotten the ALC for free from Macmillan Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

If you’re a fan of true crime or if you followed stories like Gypsy Rose’s, this is a book for you. I was definitely someone fascinated by her story, and when I saw this title was available for request, I jumped at the chance to learn about similar cases. This book shares information about a few cases, as well as the investigations that took place to ensure the child’s safety. It’s great to see the teams dedicated to ensuring abuse like this does not continue. The audiobook was very engaging and I binged it in one day.

Thank you so much to the authors, MacMillan Audio, and NetGalley for my gifted ALC.

Three cases of medical abuse. This book will have you thinking twice before using the phrase “mother knows best”.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘕𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘋𝘰𝘰𝘳 takes us for a ride in which we get to explore the complexity that munchausen by proxy is. We get to learn a whole lot about the three specific families and how these mothers managed to fool so many people around them, including doctors.

As a mother myself, this book was so hard to get through. I cannot fathom making my kid believe they are sick. I cannot fathom wanting to fool doctors so they could perform unnecessary medical procedures that may result in the death of my child.

One of the biggest things I took from this book is just how highly mothers are perceived in society, which unfortunately can be a slippery slope. It is so incredibly hard to believe that a mother would purposely hurt their own child(ren). So many people that knew these families could see the red flags but refused to feed into the possibility that something may actually be terribly wrong.

I highly recommend this book to everyone; I think it is very informative and offers crucial information we should all be aware of.

I would like to thank the two authors of this book for doing the hard work that most would shy away from; your efforts do not go unnoticed. Thank you both for putting the kids above workplace politics and beyond.

We must use our voices to defend those that cannot speak for themselves.

Excellent examination of an often misunderstood crime -- medical child abuse, otherwise known as MBP or Munchausen by proxy.

As a registered nurse and legal nurse consultant, I've long been fascinated by any crime that involves medical ethics, negligence, malpractice, or victimized patients. There's nothing quite so frightening, however, as an innocent child being deliberately harmed by a parent or guardian under the guise of them being brave and heroic for their care of a sick dependent. That devotion and attentiveness can have another side and this book tells the stories of three separate cases where mothers were actively harming their children through unnecessary medical care and procedures for conditions and diagnoses that did not actually exist. Heinous. Made worse by the difficulty in getting the perpetrator's loved ones and friends to accept that the primary care giver's presence and manipulations are making the child ill. Even more frustrating: the lack of cooperation by protective services and the courts in taking appropriate steps to remove the source and cause of the abuse.

The descriptions of events in the stories were very difficult for me to read. I was so impressed by Mike Weber, the detective who is probably one of the leading investigators into crimes against children and a dogged and faithful crusader in his efforts to protect and save the children who are being abused. He overcame so many discouraging setbacks to help get those sickened children away from the mothers who were actively trying to harm them. I love how the book named names of people in the system who did not actively prosecute and obtain justice for the victims. Shame on them.

I agree that there is an issue with MBP because of the attitude regarding the sanctity of motherhood. This, despite the fact that every day you can read news about mothers abusing and even outright murdering their children. So why is it so hard to accept that a mother could deliberately make her child sick to even the point of death while all the time being hailed as a great selfless, sacrificing saint.

At the heart of all of this is the question of why. What drives someone, almost always the mother, to make her child sick. To tell the lies and distort reality so much that their child receives unneeded medication and treatments or even invasive surgical procedures for conditions they do not have. It's definitely a complex issue as it's not that the mothers are mentally ill -- they know what they are doing. Is it the attention they receive? The respect and admiration of others? The drama? That's not been established and it is likely an amalgamation of many personal needs or issues.

Regardless of what makes a mom do this, it has to be caught. Everyone who is suspicious needs to take a stand and report. Despite the fact that MBP , or factitious disorder imposed on another, has existed in the literature for years, it needs greater attention and understanding so that this complex form of abuse can be identified and stopped.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book, both provided by the publishers. The narrator, also the book's co-author, Andrea Dunlop, alludes to having dealt with MBP within her own immediate family as apparently a sister of hers was accused. Details of that were not given, but she references her true crime podcast for further information. I plan to check it out. I always enjoy the experience of listening while reading as it adds to my appreciation of the book.

This is the first nonfiction book I’ve read in a while and I really enjoyed it. I’ve always been fascinated by the Gypsy Rose Blanchard case and this book shows more stories of munchausen by proxy that are also super interesting. I love watching true crime shows but I don’t often read books like this and I thought it was educational and attention grabbing. Def recommend.

The Mother Next Door describes 3 Munchausen by Proxy (MBP)/medical abuse cases that were investigated by one of the authors, Mike Weber. Andrea Dunlop, the other author and narrator of the audiobook, is a novelist and podcaster with a close relationship with the perpetrator of another case of MBP. I have not listened to Dunlop's podcast, so while I was passingly familiar with MBP, the cases were all new to me. I have to imagine that if you are a fan of the podcast, you are likely familiar with both the topic and the specific cases. I can't speak t how much information is repeated, but it seems as though even though the book is different format than the show, this may be a retread of the podcast - especially if you listen to the audiobook. Dunlop has a very podcast-y delivery, part journalist, part chatty confidant. It works really well for the book and is part of what had me hooked.

Of the three cases presented in the book, two are "ideal outcomes" where justice is served, while one is a more typical (according to the authors) negative outcome. While I was fascinated by the book, topic, and delivery, I can recognize that the authors have a motivating agenda: getting the reader to understand MBP and to raise awareness about this under-reported crime. While I really appreciated the straightforward presentation of the cases, I would have liked to see more research about the facts presented about MBP (for example, where are they getting the statistics that are included in the book?). (Also, to be fair, perhaps these are included in lengthy endnotes in the book that were not included in the audio.)

That said, I can certainly recommend this as a captivating, disturbing listen!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the audiobook.

This audiobook played out much like a well produced documentary. I felt like the author provided the information right from the start instead of dragging out boring historical information related to the three cases discussed. I enjoyed the authors perspective- as a victim of MBP, and felt little bias in the way the information was conveyed. Overall, a great resource and informative read!

The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy by Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber
Rating: 3.5/5
Andrea Dunlop and Detective Mike Weber take readers on an unsettling journey into one of the most shocking medical and psychological conditions—Munchausen by Proxy. The Mother Next Door is a well-written mix of true crime, medical facts, and psychological insights, giving readers a closer look at how some people manipulate the healthcare system in dangerous ways and the harm it causes to innocent victims.

This book is both captivating and informative, skillfully combining real-life storytelling with expert knowledge. Dunlop’s writing style makes it easy to stay engaged, while Detective Weber’s crimes against children background, specifically medical abuse, adds valuable details that help explain this disturbing issue. The book also makes readers think about trust, the healthcare system, and how deception can hide in plain sight within everyday life.

With thorough research and thoughtful storytelling, The Mother Next Door is a must-read for true crime fans, psychology lovers, and anyone interested in understanding the darker side of human behavior. It’s an eye-opening and unforgettable book that stays with you long after you finish reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.


I did not know the stories behind Mary Welch, Hope Ybarra and, Brittan Phelps, mothers who were guilty of horrifying crime against their children.
The book seemed very well researched. I am true crime podcast addict, I found a full length book a bit long.

Wish there were more resources for children who are victims of their caregivers not providing CARE!