I don’t normally read non fiction, but I loved this one. The pacing was well done, and the story was captivating. I like how all the cases were interwoven. I would give it 4.5 stars.

I got an advance copy through NetGalley and Sourcebooks - thanks!
On one hand, there was a lot of history in this book that I wasn’t aware of and found deeply interesting. On the other, the biggest issue I had was that a few of the stories got chopped up across the whole book instead of being resolved within the same section(s) of the book, so I sometimes had a hard time following what the story was. Overall I found the book interesting and informative, though the style wasn’t always one I enjoyed.

This book was fascinating, as I had no idea that the Depression years were also known as the Kidnap Years. The author wrote such a well-researched and interesting read. I loved how it included gangsters, wealthy business owners, and other interesting personalities. The variety of "characters" in this book made this read like a novel versus a history book. I learned a lot and enjoyed every second reading this.

Fascinating true crime book. Although I've read fairly extensively about the Lindbergh kidnapping and some of the other cases that were discussed in this book, many of them were new to me and all the more interesting for that. In this very readable book, Stout leans toward creative nonfiction, relying a good deal on imagined conversations and thoughts, so if that is something that bothers you in a non-fiction book, you should probably be wary of this one. Personally, I don't mind it in an otherwise well researched book -- which this was -- so it didn't bother me and I didn't grade the book down for it. If I had a criticism it would be that Stout rambles a little. It was a very enjoyable book but it would have been even better if it had been tightened up by a few pages. Nonetheless, I certainly recommend it to other fans of true crime, especially those who don't mind a little novelization in their non-fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review.

It's not often that you can say that a book about kidnapping is an entertaining read, but this book is. I found this to be well researched & well written. The book has stories about many kidnappings but mainly focuses on the Lindbergh kidnapping, and references the repercussions of this in kidnappings that happen after. I liked how the author referred back to previous cases, and also described the progress of the Lindbergh case over months while other kidnappings had occurred. Well worth a read if you are interested in this era of history.

Great read, a little dry at times but very fascinating details. Definitely recommend if you're a fan of true crime! The depth of research that went in to understanding this era of kidnapping during the Depression was impressive, and I had no idea that kidnap for ransom was so prominent in the 20's and 30's. Will definitely be referencing this book in the future!

A fascinating read that was very well researched. Probably one of the more intriguing true crime books I have read. It talks about the kidnapping epidemic in America during the Great Depression. There are a lot of kidnapping cases (bankers, doctors, oil tycoon, etc) discussed in this book, but it centers around the famous kidnapping case of the 20 month-old baby, Charles Lindbergh Jr., the son of the famous aviator, Charles Lindbergh of New Jersey. This case sparked public outrage and eventually led the Congress to pass the Federal Kidnapping Act or Lindbergh Law in 1932, which made kidnapping across state lines a federal offense. It flowed quickly and I heard of other cases from the same period that I didn't realize happened as it started an epidemic of kidnappings.

Motherhood is wonderful and it comes with so many challenges, struggles and fears, and my biggest fear or paranoia is my child being kidnapped, or taken away. I guess that's why kidnapping cases terrifies me yet fascinates me at the same time. It's horrifying to learn news about child abduction yet I want to know how they were taken away, so I can better protect my children and be more vigilant around people. So, naturally, this book - The Kidnap Years - caught my attention and I knew I had to read it!

This is one heck of an amazing read! Just like the title, it talks about the kidnapping epidemic in America during the Great Depression. There are a lot of kidnapping cases (bankers, doctors, oil tycoon, etc) discussed in this book, but it centers around the famous kidnapping case of the 20 month-old baby, Charles Lindbergh Jr., the son of the famous aviator, Charles Lindbergh of New Jersey. This case sparked public outrage and eventually led the Congress to pass the Federal Kidnapping Act or Lindbergh Law in 1932, which made kidnapping across state lines a federal offense.

There are also crime stories of bootleggers, gangsters (The Barkers Brothers, Machine Gun Kelly, Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd, etc), which I find absolutely intriguing as they are all somehow connected in one way or another. And of course, there was corruption within the police department itself with the "layover agreement". Police cover ups and the criminal conspiracy of the Union Station Massacre or Kansas City Massacre, where FBI director J. Edgar Hoover had a pivotal role, was intriguing!

This book is replete with interesting information and it is really well-researched. I enjoyed it immensely! It is not a book to be read in one sitting but rather to be savoured slowly. Although it is jam-packed with facts, the writing is engaging and easy to read. I highly recommend this book to true crime or history aficionados.

"… the judge said kidnapping was a crime that "strikes a blow at the tenderest and most sacred affections of human blood" and was becoming all too common."


Pub. Date: 7 April, 2020

***I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from SOURCEBOOKS (non-fiction) through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed in this review are my own and was not influenced by the author, publisher or any third party.***

This book feels like it was throughly researched to the nines. I have never read anything about the 1930's Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping Case which was stated as being the crime of the century. I think those who are true crime fanatics will enjoy this one. For me who has kids this was very scary. It was chilling and and fascinating all at once.

Bootleggers, gangsters, and other such criminals. This book is full of them - and still it's not the main point. There have been movies and books written about the kidnapping of the 1930s, and The Kidnap Years by David Stout does an excellent job of bringing this book to life.

True crime is sometimes boring and just full of facts. David Stout was able to create a narrative and an interesting look at this time period and the money making schemes of just generally bad people.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book really impressed me. I have always been interested in true crime, but books of this genre scare me a bit because some of them are so unprofessional and simplistic. But this book is just so good. It's a perfect mix of investigative work and writing style. It's very long, in my opinion, but this also shows how seriously this author takes his job.

A fun read! Not the words one usually uses to describe a history, but this popular history reads like a novel, complete with gangsters, business magnates, and other colorful characters that the author brings to life. Each chapter tells the tale of a specific kidnapping that took place during the 1930s in the United States, when kidnapping reached unparalleled heights, as rank amateurs, hardened criminals, and gangsters tried their hand at this crime. The individual narratives of these criminal capers are held together by two interrelated threads that run throughout the book. The first thread is the story of the "crime of the century," that is, of course, the Lindbergh kidnapping. The author details not only the crime, but also how it contributed to a new federal law that allowed the FBI to intercede in kidnapping cases. The second thread concerns J. Edgar Hoover's desire to promote the FBI as the premiere national crime fighting organization. The reader is treated to tales of the agency's early bungling of kidnapping cases and of Hoover's savvy manipulation of the press to portray the FBI as the crime fighting agency that always catches the criminal.

A well researched and interesting history of the kidnap years in America - some well-known cases here but also many intriguing ones I'd never heard of! An excellent read, although at times a life slow - perhaps felt a little over long however still an enjoyable book.

The Kidnap Years was a well written and very well researched deep-dive into the kidnapping epidemic of the 1930s. Personally, I had never heard of such an epidemic and enjoyed learning about a period in history I was previously unaware of. I found it very interesting that many adults in this time were also kidnapping victims and not just children. I learned a lot from reading this and really enjoyed the author's writing style and really loved how each chapter was its own story while weaving in a larger kidnapping story throughout the book. Great read!

Most people have heard of the Lindbergh kidnapping, but the Great Depression forced many people to survive by any means necessary. Some went further than was acceptable - which led to the era being a time of kidnapping beyond what had been seen before or since. Desperate people pushed by circumstances to kidnap for ransom were all over the country. David Stout has written an interesting history of the age, with details of the investigations and details of the lives of both kidnapped and kidnapper. Interesting from both the historic and true crime perspectives.

America 1930’s was a time of great uncertainty and known as the depression era. As a way of creating an income everyday people as well as known criminals started to kidnap others and ask for ransoms. In 1932 Charles Lindbergh, a 20 month old baby was asleep in his cot when he was abducted. When it was discovered that he was missing left in Charles’s place was a ransom note. 2 months later his body was discovered at the side of a road...
This book details the kidnappings that went on at the hands of many people during the early 1930’s. It is shocking that this was seen as a way to make money and some of the victims were just killed there and then! I would have liked more background to this but an interesting read

The Kidnap Year is a thorough review and synopsis of back when kidnapping (20s-50s) was a big thing. Believe it or not, it wasn't that many years ago when kidnapping wasn't even against the law - particularly for children. It's several stories of true crime and how it was essentially a time in America when kidnapping and holding a ransom was like "the" thing to do. It's fascinating and I liked it, even if the material is disturbing

The Kidnap Years publishes 4.7.2020.

4/5 Stars

A deep dive into a little known area of history. This was an absolutely fascinating read! The author takes readers on a hell of a journey through Depression-era America. True crime fans cannot miss this book! I would not be shocked to see some fresh fictional takes on this subject after reading this.

A really fascinating look into a part of history I didn't know virtually anything about, despite extensive scholarly work in that era. It was a little dense at times but I came out with a huge amount of knowledge about each case and the 1930s as a whole.

This book is a history of a rash of kidnappings in the early 20th century, some, like the Lindbergh kidnapping you have heard about. So many others you have not.
During the Great Depression, people desperate to take care of their families turned to desperate measures. Kidnapping became a major resource not just for criminals and the Mob but for your everyday citizens as well.
David Stout's account of this era shares the laws that came about, how the FBI became involved and how investigators solved these kidnappings without DNA and other modern investigative tools.
I found this book to be well researched and very well written. The accounts of the kidnappers, the victims and their families read more like a novel then history.
Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks and David Stout for a copy of The Kidnap Years in exchange for a fair and honest review.