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The Mother Next Door

By: Andrea Dunlop, Mike Weber
Narrated by: Andrea Dunlop
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Publisher's summary

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.

"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

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. Listeners 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.

©2025 Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber (P)2025 Macmillan Audio
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Critic reviews

"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

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