The Playground follows the life of Anna Reed; wife, mother, and small business owner in a quaint Philadelphia suburb. To alleviate a financial crisis, Anna finds herself diving over a moral line that creates a network of moms who transport cocaine in diaper bags; the cocaine in the guise of baby formula.

2020 Kindle Book Review Winner - Literary Fiction

What do cocaine and baby formula have in common?

They're both white, powdery substances. They both require careful production and packaging. And they both can be transported in diaper bags to their consumers.

At least, that's how it works in The Playground.

The Playground follows Anna Reed, a loving wife, textbook mother of three, and local business owner in a quaint Philadelphia suburb. Anna finds herself diving over a moral line that ultimately creates a network of moms who mule cocaine in the guise of baby formula and make their transfers in diaper bags. Though Anna's intentions to alleviate her family's financial crisis and help other mothers do the same make drug trafficking seem like a reasonable fix, her past catches up. Then, Anna is forced to face physical and moral dilemmas in a world she knows is wrong, but despite herself, sometimes feels right.

This debut novel is the first in a trilogy of "Secret Lives of Moms" that offers readers a relatable and poignant perspective on what it means to be a woman, a wife, and a mother in ways that maximize womanhood. Anna develops a multimillion-dollar underworld operation by leveraging the mundane about motherhood—the ever-present diaper bag, gossipy playdates and coffee klatches, and long afternoons at the playground.

Michelle Lee lives in Bucks County, PA with her husband, three kids, two dogs, and fifteen chickens. She finds that most people have a story to tell if you're interesting enough for them to share it with, patient enough to listen, and humble enough not to judge it.

Visit Michelle Lee at michelleleenovels.com. 

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