The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Fredicks, A Scottish immigrant is the suspect, is she guilty? Review

About the Book

When the most famous toddler in America, Charles Lindbergh, Jr., is kidnapped from his family home in New Jersey in 1932, the case makes international headlines. Already celebrated for his flight across the Atlantic, his father, Charles, Sr., is the country’s golden boy, with his wealthy, lovely wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, by his side. But there’s someone else in their household―Betty Gow, a formerly obscure young woman, now known around the world by another name: the Lindbergh Nanny.

A Scottish immigrant deciphering the rules of her new homeland and its East Coast elite, Betty finds Colonel Lindbergh eccentric and often odd, Mrs. Lindbergh kind yet nervous, and Charlie simply a darling. Far from home and bruised from a love affair gone horribly wrong, Betty finds comfort in caring for the child, and warms to the attentions of handsome sailor Henrik, sometimes known as Red. Then, Charlie disappears.

Suddenly a suspect in the eyes of both the media and the public, Betty must find the truth about what really happened that night, in order to clear her own name―and to find justice for the child she loves.

“Gripping and elegant, The Lindbergh Nanny brings readers into the interior of the twentieth century’s most infamous crime.”―Nina de Gramont, New York Times bestselling author of The Christie Affair

My Thoughts

I think we have all heard of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping even though it happened in the early 1930’s. I’m not even sure how I heard of it, basically all I knew was it was a rich couple, and he was a famous aviator, and they had a darling baby boy with blond curls who was kidnapped.

Reading this book has given me more of an insight into what happened.
Quoted from the book, ” The Lindbergh Nanny is not a work on investigative nonfiction. It is a novel, based on biographies, histories of the case, and a range of sources including websites dedicated to the crime.”
I invite you to do your own research into this case for more information if you have the interest.

Scottish immigrant, Betty Gow comes to America to work. Struggling to make sense of the rules in this new country as she cares for Charles Jr, she finds Mrs. Lindbergh shy and nervous and Charles Lindbergh Sr eccentric and an uncomfortable person to be around.

Her darling is Charles Lindberg Jr. the baby in her charge that she dotes on. The Lindbergh’s are very wealthy and have plenty of staff to help them.
Betty takes her childminding seriously and doesn’t have time for flirtations or romance then Henrick , aka Red comes around and she’s smitten.
Shortly afterwards the darling baby disappears.

The book has a somber tone to it the whole way through.
I do believe after the kidnapping there is a lot of filler in the book. It talks about Betty’s daily life, the police interrogation multiple times being that Betty is the prime suspect because she saw the child last before his disappearance.
The book gives us good interaction between staff members, and we get a back story on most of them. Very well researched book. I give it 4 stars.

Pub Date 15 Nov 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

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About The Author

Mariah Fredericks was born and raised in New York City. She graduated from Vassar College with a degree in history. She enjoys reading and writing about dead people and how they got that way. She is the author of the Jane Prescott mystery series.

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