Perfect Is Overrated

A killer stalks preschool moms in former attorney and standup comic Bergreen’s clever whodunit. Kate Alger was a brilliant assistant district attorney with a perfect marriage and adorable baby daughter, until postpartum depression left her unable to work and ended her marriage. Though she once brought criminals to justice, her biggest challenges now are the snobby moms at four-year-old Molly’s prestigious Upper East Side preschool. When one of the mothers is murdered, Kate’s depression lifts. Her old ADA instincts return, and she’s even more intrigued when she discovers that her detective ex-husband is on the case. But when a second mom is killed, Kate kicks her investigation into high gear—if she doesn’t, she may be next. In Bergreen’s (Following Polly) twist-filled sendup of upper-crust New York City parents, she leaves a vivid but not blindingly obvious trail of clues leading to the murderer, punctuated with black humor from a wickedly funny narrator. The suspense is dampened by zany banter, and characters are distressingly unconcerned that people are actually dying, but readers will be wildly guessing until the end. Agent: Victoria Skurnick, Levine Greenberg Literary. (July)