I have always had a fascination with the case of the Lindbergh baby, but I didn't know many details. This was a new angle for me, as told from the viewpoint of the servants, notably, the nanny. I appreciated that the author used the real names for the characters and made them all well-rounded, admittedly adding details that most likely are untrue, but make for a more complex story. For a premise that is so well-known in the true crime community, the author did a great job imparting some twists and turns, many of which depend on the characterization. Overall, this was an interesting read, and I especially loved the author's notes at the end discussing the liberties she took, and what actually happened.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
I LOVED this book. Really great mixing in fiction along with facts and historical account.
Author did very good researching and also provided a lot of great sources at the end of the book as well.
Very well written and enjoyable read. Definitely recommend checking this one out.

Mariah Fredericks did a great job of writing about Betty Gow, the nanny for the Lindberghs, and the other servants. I have read a lot about the Lindberghs and the kidnapping, so I wasn’t really excited about the story. But for anyone who isn’t real familiar with the Lindberghs, this is probably a great read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book is everything I love about historical fiction.
As the author states, it is not investigative in nature but Mariah Fredericks puts you at the scene of the Lindbergh kidnapping through the eyes of Betty Gow, the baby's nurse, or nanny. Betty was there at every pivotal moment of this story so it is natural that this perspective be considered.
I loved Betty; the more I got to know her through the story, the more I liked and admired her. Her love for little Charlie and her genuine affection was perhaps the best part of his short life.
It is impossible not to empathize with Betty and her friendships and relationships with the other household staff just makes her more real to us.
Loved this book, and highly recommend.

Book Title: The Lindbergh Nanny
Author: Mariah Fredericks
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books
Genre: Historical Fiction ~ Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: November 11, 2022
My Rating: 4 stars

At twenty=six, Scottish Betty Gow’s dream comes true when she is hired by the Lindbergh’s as a nursemaid for baby Charles Jr. When toddler Charles Lindbergh Jr. is kidnapped from his parents' weekend home in Hopewell, New Jersey in 1932, his parents are frantic.
Betty Gow, the Lindbergh nanny was named a suspect.

Story is non- fiction but author, Mariah Fredericks did a lot of research and this novel is based on biographies and a wide range of sources. In fact, she devotes many pages as the end of this novel on a section entitled “The Lindbergh Nanny: Fact vs. Fiction”. This section is a story in itself.
Another section is entitles “The Real Betty Gow” which was totally interesting.

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press ~ Minotaur Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for November 11, 2022

I was really looking forward to this one and while I liked it, I felt it was so confusing and hard time to follow at times. I’ve seen mostly rave reviews and while I see why people love it, I expected much more.

The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Fredericks is an historical fiction account of the kidnapping and murder of little Charlie Lindbergh. Everyone has heard about this heartbreaking event so you basically know what happens and how it ends, but Fredericks fills in all the details and introduces us to all the people involved in young Charlie’s short life.

The story is presented from the view point go Betty Gow, Charlie’s nanny. You really get an understanding for the atmosphere, characters and events leading up to the tragic day. You can sense the panic and tension when it is discovered that the baby is missing. And finally, you can fell the utter despair and heartbreak after the body is found.

One of the things I enjoy most about historical fiction, is all the details that are presented concerning an event you already know about. Time and time again as I was reading The Lindbergh Nanny, I stopped to further research one topic or another. This thought provoking presentations of one of America’s great tragedies is one you will not want to miss.

Blending fact and fiction, the author introduces us to the Nanny. The nanny of the most famous kidnapped child in America at the time Charles Lindbergh was shining bright and everyone wanted to see the famous baby.

Ready to move house and have some privacy, the Lindberghs hire Betty Gow. Betty is still trying to get used to America. Hailing from Scotland, she is determined to do well and succeed in this strange country. She is a bit naive and that will get her into a lot of trouble.

Betty finds the Lindbergh household odd, to say the least. Some of the rules Mr. Lindbergh had were bordering on cruelty. As well as his views on Hitler. They are not what she expected at all. Dodging photographers hiding in the bushes trying to get a picture of the baby. People are really nuts about this.

And when the baby disappears it’s the nanny who becomes infamous. Blamed and shunned, she returns to her home in Scotland until the day a man is charged and she must testify in court.

There really was a Betty Gow and a lot of this comes from her as well as impeccable research! I have always thought that the Lindberghs were sympathetic people. I don’t think that now. He was rather an ogre and bigot. She was jumpy and afraid of him. I don’t think either of them actually wanted a baby.

I loved this book. A different look at the story we’ve all been led to believe.

NetGalley/November 15, 2022, St. Martin’s Press

I have read other fictional accounts of the infamous Lindbergh kidnapping as well as a few non fiction articles. I was still hoping I wound find this book intriguing and it was. The book was extremely well written and engaging. It was a shocking event and it still is all these years later. Kudos to the author for a fresh take on this event. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC. Opinions are honest and my own.

The kidnapping of the century happened in 1932. Charles Lindbergh’s son is missing and one of the primary suspects is his nanny, Betty Gow. She is an attractive young lady from Scotland who has come to the United States to make her fame and fortune. She is very well vetted by the Lindberghs prior to being hired to take care of their young son Charlie.

Charlie’s mother, Anne Morrow Lindberg, is busy making trips all over the globe with the first man to cross the Atlantic on a solo flight. Anne is a very attractive woman and achieves her pilot's license during the time Betty was the nanny.

Betty is suspected of the crime and under continual suspicion. She has to return to Scotland because of the notoriety in the case but returns when some of his nightwear is found in the woods near the home. Days later the body of baby Charles Lindbergh is found fairly close to the home. Betty is totally devastated by the boy’s death and stays on through the investigation and trial.

This book is very well written. The characters are very well developed and the narrative heartbreaking in its exposé. I found myself very sympathetic with Ms. Gow and the Lindbergh family. 5 stars – CE Williams

Having no previous knowledge about the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, I found this book quite interesting. I wasn’t necessarily hooked to the book where I had to finish it immediately but it was a good read all the same.
I don’t really feel as though the book came to a good conclusion in terms of who actually aided the killer in the baby’s whereabouts on that Tuesday night. However, since the book is from Betty’s POV it makes sense that it was just her speculation.

I did also enjoy the Fact vs Fiction at the end to gain insight on what was dramatized for the sake of the book vs what actually happened in the real kidnapping.

I don't read much historical fiction anymore. Getting a degree in History kind of ruined the genre for me. However, there are instances where it's an effective mode of storytelling. The Lindbergh Nanny is one of those cases. The Lindbergh kidnapping is one of those cultural touchstones that most people know about, but only an uncomplicated story involved America's beloved pilot, Charles Lindbergh. Mariah Fredericks takes us inside the story from a new perspective, that of the Lindbergh nanny, Betty Gow. We meet Gow as she's hired by the Lindberghs and becomes the primary caregiver to Charlie. Fredericks builds up to the main event, which only happens in a few pages, but the downfall is beautifully captured. The confusion of the kidnapping, the peculiarities of the case, like how the kidnappers knew the location of Gow and the child, and the media spectacle that followed. The book takes quite a bit to get to the actual kidnapping, which results in a back 1/3 that sometimes feels a bit rushed. It would benefit the book to spend less time building the relationship between Charlie and Betty. Betty is an excellent lens through which to view the story. I'd like to see a book from Anne Lindbergh's perspective or even a good biography. She was an exciting figure outside her husband, but she was a one-note in this retelling. It's still a fascinating peek into a story that indelibly changed American law. Even if you've never heard of the Lindbergh kidnapping, you'll be interested in this book!

(4..5 stars due to pacing)

The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Federicks

I really only knew the basics behind the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby but I learned a lot by reading this novel. The story is told through the eyes of the Nanny, Betty Gow. Gow is at the center of the storm when Charles Jr. is kidnapped from his nursery in 1932. The world became captivated in finding the Charles Lindbergh’s son.

Through this book, I learned the elements of the crime, the key players (suspect list), and general background on who was involved in the daily life of the Lindbergh family. This is a work of historical fiction but I really enjoyed reading it especially the afterwards which tells what was true and what was speculation. I want to thank Netgalley for allowing me early access to this entertaining novel for my honest review.

I wish to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a very interesting historical fiction and the title says it all. It is the story of the kidnapping of the Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh baby from the standpoint of the Nanny. It deals with the effect this kidnapping had on all the members of the household staff rather than being told as strictly a crime story. So much has been written from the investigation point of view that I found this fascinating. The nanny was the person closest to the baby and charged with the day to day care of the infant. She became the prime suspect once the kidnapping came to light. The story deals with the fear, the stress, and misery this young Scottish immigrant woman experienced in dealing with the loss of the baby and being under heavy scrutiny by the police and press. I certainly saw a side of Aviator Charles Lindbergh that I did not know.

At the end of the book in the author’s notes she explained what is factual and what she changed or invented in the writing of the book. I was fascinated with all this and the recommended reading list that she outlined.

I found the book to be well written as it captured my full attention quickly. All of the characters were well developed and it was evident from the very beginning that this was a totally different point of view of the story of the most famous kidnapping in America.

I am a sucker for historical fiction. Although based on a real event , this book intertwines both fact and fictional events. Incredibly well written, and so happy I was able to get a copy from NetGalley.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. I don't read historical fiction very often but something drew me to the story of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping as told from the point of view of his nanny. I was vaguely familiar with the story. The Lindbergh Nanny is a suspenseful story, even if one knows the outcome. Told from the viewpoint of Betty Gow, the name of the real-life nanny, the inner workings of the Lindbergh family are shown and Betty's love for little Charlies shines. The detail is spot-on and very suspenseful at the same time. I looked up information about the kidnapping after finishing the book and was surprised at how accurate this account of historical fiction was.

Historical fiction at its absolute best. Mariah Fredericks takes a well-known historical incident, the kidnapping of the Lindbergh nanny, and brings it to life. By telling the story from the viewpoint of Betty Gow, the Scottish immigrant nanny, we too see the people and events from the point of view of an outsider who is right in the middle of the action. This was an engrossing read, and I much appreciated the author's section at the end telling what was fact and what was fiction in the novel, so I didn't have to go research it myself.

A slow start but once it got going, wow! I enjoyed this one quite a bit. thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review!

Excellent story! I had heard things here and there over the years about the Lindberghs and the kidnapping of their child, but I never really heard the whole story. This was well written and satisfying in every way, except the actual outcome, of course. Highly recommended.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat! It was an amazing story to follow. I loved following some of these characters. I did find that the beginning was kind of slow to get started but was worth pushing through.