What a wonderful book! I was enthralled from the beginning and let things sit by the wayside so I could read. I’ve always been curious about the Lindbergh kidnapping, and Mariah Fredericks gives us another viewpoint to consider. The true account at the end of the book led me to find more information after I finished the book. The Lindbergh Nanny will make a delightful Book Club choice which will invoke a long discussion after reading.

Elizabeth Gow applied for the job as a nanny for the Lindbergh's. Was accepted but had certain rules to follow. She was not to pick the baby up if he cried and fuss over him. The Lindbergh's were preparing for a long trip and would not be taking the baby. So Betty as she was called and the baby Charlie moved back to Maine the Morrow"s family home with the Mother of Mrs. Lindbergh. A new home was being built for the Lindbergh's and Betty and Charlie went there to wait for the parents when baby Charlie was kidnapped, that caused a lot of investigating by the police. The nanny felt it was her fault. I felt all the ups and downs as the story ended with a trial. Be sure you read past the story pages.

First sentence: I can see the house. But not all of it and certainly not how you get there from here.

Premise/plot: The Lindbergh Nanny is historical fiction. It opens in February 1931 and closes shortly after the trial (and conviction) of carpenter, Bruno Richard Hauptmann. It follows (closely) the events through the nanny's perspective; her name is Betty Gow.

My thoughts: This is FICTION. It is important to remember that. Yes, it is inspired by a real event. Yes, some amount of research was done. But this is a blending of fact and fiction. And sometimes the line between the two--fact and fiction--get very blurry. Facts can be embellished and changed.

The perspective makes sense. Who better to tell the story than the child's nanny? Who better can "give" us readers a behind the scenes glimpse into the whole story--before the kidnapping, the day of the kidnapping, the immediate days following the kidnapping, the weeks, months, years of aftermath as the kidnapping/murder case is investigated. The nanny would know all the major players--both upstairs and downstairs, if you will--and be an eyewitness to all the great dramatic scenes. So the perspective does make perfect sense.

The protagonist's point of view is that Bruno Richard Hauptmann was guilty. The author crafts a couple of scenes where the Nanny sees HIM, recognizes him, even interacts with him. This is pure fiction. The author does point out in a note that she also believes that Bruno Richard Hauptmann is guilty. She says she is no conspiracy theorist and that justice was done.

I do disagree. I don't violently disagree. (Enough to throw a book against the wall.) But there are hundreds if not thousands of holes in the case and how it was handled from day one through the appeal process. There are legitimate questions that don't have satisfying answers. Enough questions that it is easier to say I DON'T KNOW.

This one was a difficult read because of the content. It was a heartbreaking tragedy. This book does make the players in this tragedy feel more 'real' or 'human.'

The history of Lindbergh’s has always been of fascination
to readers. Frederick’s novel focuses on the nanny Betty Gow and much of the servant staff. The book is an easy read and hooks you immediately as Betty becomes the nanny of Charlie, the Lindbergh’s baby. Frederick’s details the details of life in the Lindbergh and Morrow households. She writes of some of the idiocies of Charles Lindbergh and his paranoia with the media. The story follows the historical facts, but we as the reader are able to see this all through Betty’s. For anyone interested in this historical event and time period, I highly recommend.
Thank you Net Galley for this ARC of which I have given my honest review

A fascinating selection of historical fiction about the Lindbergh kidnapping. This book is based on a real event, told from the perspective of the Lindbergh Nanny. There has never been a book written from the perspective of the Nanny so the author of this book researched manuscripts from the trial and pieces together events as to how the events could have played out.

The reader doesn’t know who to trust and is kept guessing. It’s not until the very end of the book that the puzzle is “solved” even though it is a work of fiction.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.

In 1932 the world was mesmerized by the newspaper reports of the Lindbergh kidnapping. There were rumors, speculation, and worldwide interest in the who, how, and why of the event that carried forward into the trial of the accused kidnapper. Author Mariah Fredericks has taken this event and interwoven fact with fiction in her thought-provoking book, The Lindbergh Nanny.

The Lindbergh Nanny offers up the story of the kidnapping of 20 month old Charlie Lindbergh as told through the voice of Betty Gow. Betty Gow comes to New Jersey, and the employ of Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow, from Scotland via Detroit in February of 1931. During her time with the family as Charlie’s nurse/nanny, Miss Gow introduces the reader to other staff members of the household along with Anne’s family. We become acquainted with the personalities and behaviors of those who have the trust of the Lindbergh family, as well as the Lindberghs themselves, as seen from her point of view. The reader also gets the opportunity to experience what it would have been like to be the person entrusted with the care of a child and have something unthinkable happen to that child. We follow the story from the kidnapping through the investigation and trial.

Ms. Fredericks does an excellent job of melding fact with fiction. Readers will find that they empathize with some characters while questioning the motives of others as they begin to draw their own conclusions and theories. This book will make a fantastic Book Club selection as it unearths more questions than it answers.

Expected release date is November 14, 2022. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press (Minotaur Books) for this ARC.

3 stars for this book!
The reason for the in between review is because I had mixed feelings about this novel.
First of all, I mean we have all heard of the Lindbergh baby. I admit that for me, that just meant I had heard the name before. This book is the reason my favorite genre is historical fiction. I love reading about periods of history I didn’t know much about in the first place. It causes my curiosity to have to know all the things. That’s what this book did to me and I’m so glad it did. I think others will like that as well. When I was looking into things about the Lindbergh kidnapping there really wasn’t a lot of fiction or films about this piece in history.
Now for the not so great. The first half of this novel is amazing. It actually reminded me a little of something Taylor Jenkins Reid wrote. And with me saying that, it’s a compliment. I love TJR. But the second half seemed to really drag for me. It just sort of left me behind. I couldn’t follow characters or what was happening in the criminal investigation. I just wanted it to be over.
I’m glad I read this book and I hope it does well!
Also we sure to read the authors notes at the end of the book! Really interesting!

Mariah Fredericks’s latest book centers around the 1932 kidnapping of 20-month-old Charles LIndbergh from the family’s New Jersey home. An emotional and compelling story, this book reveals the real loss by a real family and those who served them. It also reveals the destruction experienced by those close to the Lindbergh family.

I knew absolutely nothing about this kidnapping case, so I patiently and carefully read the arduous lead up in order to garner facts to help me with my process of deduction. Was it someone in the inside? The author skillfully unveiled facts at just the right time and I found myself having to reevaluate my suspect list. I enjoyed the building suspense and believe that the author’s expert choice of first person contributed to the anxiety and suspense I felt.

Not only did Fredericks show us that in the midst of a terrible loss is a great love, but also showed us the real Betty Gow and did her story justice.

The author’s notes tied up any remaining questions I had and raised the quality of the novel for me.

I was gifted this advance copy by Mariah Fredericks, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This is pure true-crime fiction at its best. From the POV of Betty Gows who was the nanny, we hear the behind the scenes account of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping. When all is said and done, can this be blamed on the actions and greed of nefarious characters or the ideology of strange parenting style by the parents themselves, or a combination of both that may well have played a role. Well researched, the author offers up a believable but fictional account with enough facts, intrigue, and suspense that makes you think there was more to the plot than what was brought about in the trial or in the papers. It is a sad commentary that there are people with no morals and are greedy, thinking the world owes them as some of those involved in the kidnapping felt. As an added bonus is the updated material by the author of the players in this horrid tale and what became of them. Hats off to Mariah Fredericks for writing an interesting whodunit that unfortunately was based in truth.

Many thanks to #netgalley #mariah fredericks #thelindberghnanny #st.martinspress for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope she writes more! I am totally hooked!

The Lindbergh Nanny is a historical true crime fictional tale that highlights the story of Betty Gow, the nurse for the Lindbergh baby, Charlie. Charlie was the young baby kidnapped in the 1900ś. Whether or not you are familiar with the story of the Lindbergh baby, this will have you up all night devouring the details, facts and emotions that come along with a child kidnapping and murder. While yes it is heart wrenching, it is also unputdownable! A 5 star read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin´s Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent book! Hooked from the first page - it’s really a wonder no one wrote Betsy Gows story (she lived to her 90s) the nanny in charge when the Lindbergh baby was kidnapped - this one is enthralling - imaginative but based in fact - loved all the details

This book had so much potential, but it ended up being disappointing.

I really liked Betty Gow's character, despite her often questionable choices. The character development overall was excellent.

Where I ran into challenges was with the way the story played out. The real story of the Lindbergh baby is full of weird anomalies and many theories do exist about what really happened. I think this book would have benefited from Fredericks choosing one and running with it. Having all of the theories in one place meant so many dead ends and frustrating twists and turns that the story lost its impact.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur books for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book. Fiction mixed with fact to create an interesting take on the crime of the century.
I love that the author adds at the end of the book a breakdown of the facts versus what was added as fiction.
There was great representation of the characters and events that took place during this book and really put you into the nannys place throughout life leading up to the kidnapping, during the investigation and afterwards.
I suggest this book to true crime lovers and anyone interested in the Lindbergs.

I am going against the reviews on Goodreads for this one – don’t bring the pitchforks! I had to actually check the rating multiple time to make sure I was seeing things correctly, and yup this book has a rating of 4.30 out of 5 but only 47 ratings so maybe it will change.

I would think almost everyone has heard of the Lindbergh kidnapping case. In 1932 the kidnapping of young Charlie Lindbergh was the talk of the nation, he was the only child of Charles Sr and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Charles Lindbergh Sr was known for his flight across the Atlantic, and his wife came from a wealthy well known family. Betty Gow was a young Scottish immigrant who was young Charlie’s nurse, or nanny. One fateful night Charlie was taken from his crib with his family nearby. This story is told through the eyes of Betty who quickly becomes the prime suspect. Betty must find the truth about what really happened in order to clear her own name and find justice for Charlie who she desperately loves.

Overall I found this book incredibly slow and boring. While the story was interesting it wasn’t really about the kidnapping – it was a story of the nanny Bettie. That’s not what I was expecting or wanting out of this book. I love historical fiction because I usually learn so much, I become intrigued then spend a bunch of additional time researching the topic. Maybe I just don’t care about this topic? I thought I would but this story proved otherwise. This is one of my lowest rated books of the year unfortunately. I do want to extend my thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy, and I hope that if you are interested in this book you get more from it than I did! We can’t all like the same books 😊

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this engaging novel. This well written historical fiction takes you back in time. You feel a part of the era as you meet each of the characters. Fredericks does an amazing job of weaving suspicion and emotions into all of her characters. You won't be able to put the book down until you finish the story...and the afterward!

I really enjoyed this book. The author did an incredible job creating the voices for the characters and you can tell that a lot of research went into this. Everyone’s heard of the Lindbergh kidnapping, but you often forget that everyone that was effected by it. I really loved she included information about the real Betty Gow at the end.

Betty Gow had experienced trouble in her young life, but in her comfortable position as nanny to “Lucky Lindy’s” baby, that was all behind her. Or so she thought. When baby Charlie disappeared from his crib one night, Betty would soon find out the real meaning of trouble.

As a fan of the Jane Prescott series, I was excited to see Mariah Fredericks write a stand-alone novel, especially about a subject rarely covered in fiction. But I ended up with mixed feelings.

Betty was an excellent main character, easy to love, even when I was shaking my head at her sometimes-questionable decisions and occasional naivete. Most of the characters were entirely believable: everyone had their own agenda and murky loyalties. The only character I really had a problem with was Anne Morrow Lindbergh, who, from past reading of non-fiction sources, was hardly the sweet, ‘I’d rather just stay home and be a mom’ person portrayed here.

A common problem with historical fiction is that sometimes the author just doesn’t know how much is too much when including their research. And that is the case here. There are so many theories about how the kidnapping happened and who was involved; I can see how it would be hard to sift through them all. The whole thing was such a circus, even hard facts are difficult to come by. But the author should have narrowed down the information she included. There were too many dead ends and unanswered questions that, while a part of the real life incident, overloaded a 320 page novel focused on one person. By the end, when I got to the theory the author wanted to put forth as “The Truth”, I was tired and it felt as ephemeral as all the others.

In the end, I’d have to describe this novel as enjoyable, but forgettable, and rate it 3 1/2 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed THE LINDBERGH NANNY and highly recommend it for fans of historical fiction.

The author does a terrific job of keeping the reader turning pages as she introduces us to Betty and to the Lindbergh family and household. The pacing seems intentional and well-done and the descriptions do a good job of immersing the reader into each scene.

I also admired how the author wove her research into the narrative. The story felt both real and imaginative.

I look forward to more from this author.

Thank, you, thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for granting me an advance copy of this book in return for my honest opinion!

A fantastic historical fiction novel that had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I became emotionally invested in all the characters and felt everything they felt. I cried for the parents and just could not put this book down.

The facts vs fiction section at the end of the book is a big bonus!

Highly, highly recommend.