Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Fredericks. The main character was Betty who was the nanny for the Lindbergh family's son. This is a work of historical fiction with some true content.

I absolutely adored this book! Having only known the very basics about the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, I used that event as background and concentrated mainly on the story of Betty Gow herself as she navigates her way through the Lindbergh family and the world surrounding her there. The ups and downs and intrigue surrounding the staff members of the Morrow and Lindbergh households drew me in and I enjoyed getting to know all of them. Don't skip over the author notes at the end, either for a bit of extra info on all of the players. Finally, kudos to Penelope Rawlings who does an amazing job narrating this story! A big thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the early listen to this great book in return for my honest opinion.

If you like true crime you’ll probably get a kick out of this book. This novel uses some facts to portray a fictional version of what happened- or is it fiction? The truth is, the baby was kidnapped and the mystery was never truly solved.

I thought the author did a great job portraying how the nanny viewed the situation and it was easy to put ourselves in her shoes.

🌀Synopsis
Betty Gow came to America to make a future for herself. Only, it has turned out to be very goo so far. She’s a little odd and she’s had bad luck with previous employers. She decides to interview with the Lindberghs, the most famous family in America at the time, and in a shock to Betty they give her the job.

She’s now in charge of taking care of Charles Lindbergh Jr and it’s actually going well. Until one night, when Charles was sick, she left the window cracked and the baby goes missing. Everyone is a suspect, but especially Betty.

Everyone’s secrets and pasts are exposed. When the babies remains are found and no one can be accused Betty returns home, defeated. The police end up finding someone who they believe did it and they put him on trial for which Betty returns. It’s the final closure she needs to move on with her life.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I couldn't put this book down. I have always been fascinated by the Lindbergh family so I knew that I must request this book when I saw it. I really was surprised that this was the first book by this author, it is really well written.

I love how the real events are interwoven with the fictional story created by this writer. I am a lover of Historical Fiction and I really enjoyed this book. I will definitely be recommending this book to people that I know that are big Historical Fiction readers like I am.

Thank you so much to Dreamscape Media for the chance to listen to and review this audiobook prior to release.

Prior to reading this book, I knew of Charles Lindbergh only from what I learned in school about his aviation successes. I had somehow never heard of the story of the kidnapping of his 20 month old son in the 1930s.

This is a historical fiction retelling of the Linbergh's story. There's some truth and some fiction, but I was captivated by the story told from the nanny's perspective.

If you're unfamiliar with the story, do NOT Google it before reading: you will enjoy it much more if you go in blind!

Mariah Fredericks did an excellent job of making the story new and exciting while still respecting that these were real people enduring tragedy. I appreciated how she distinguished between fact and fiction at the end of the book. It's easy to see she really did her research and sought to make this as historically accurate as possible.

The narration was so well done and really added to the whole experience! I highly recommend the audio version!

This book will be available for purchase on November 15th!

The Lindbergh kidnapping was one of the most sensational news stories in Depression era America. Charles Lindbergh and his wife, Anne, represented hope for a better future, an America that would rise from the ashes. The kidnapping of their child sent shockwaves across the nation. Many are now familiar with the story, its players and the tragic outcome, but few know anything about the child’s nanny. Fredericks imagines the life of the Lindbergh’s Scottish nanny, far from home, surrounded by luxury and the wealthiest, most influential people in the country. The story follows her love affair with a local sailor and the censure she endured from the press, the public and the Lindbergh’s themselves for her perceived role in the kidnapping. This story is a window into a different world, a time long gone by

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stamperlady50
The Lindbergh Nanny
By: Mariah Fredericks

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Betty Gow has taken a job to nanny for one of the world’s most famous family, The Lindbergh’s. She is a Scottish immigrant living in New Jersey in 1932. Soon after she takes on the new job, Charles Lindbergh, Jr’s (Charlie) parents take an extended vacation and Betty has all the responsibilities to stay back and watch the young baby.
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Betty has also met a young sailor Henrik, known as Red. Soon after Charlie is kidnapped. Betty and Henrick become suspects. Betty must find out what happened to clear their names.
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Such a gripping story, taken from the headlines. We all know how the real story ended.
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QOTD- Have you ever been accused of something and had to prove your innocence?

Available November 15th. Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and St. Matins press for the advanced book and audio.

#thelindberghnanny, #mariahfredericks, #dreamscapemedia, #stmartinspress, #audiobook, #bookreview, #booksconnectus, #bookstagram, #stamperlady50

This is a fascinating fictional account of the famous Lindbergh kidnapping and the possible role of the baby’s nanny, Betty. I’ve heard of the kidnapping but did not know many details, so this account definitely held my interest and gave a description of the actual people involved. The audiobook version of this has an excellent flow and the narrator captures Betty’s personality and her Scottish accent perfectly. Although this is historical fiction, suspense definitely figures into the plot as well and it moves along quickly. The author notes at the end the accuracy of her fictional account and how in reality, some things were different, which was enlightening and forthright. This will be a huge hit with book clubs and I will definitely be recommending the audio version.

Wow! I would give this one higher than 5 stars if it was allowed. The book is fiction but is based on the true story of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping and murder. It is told from the perspective of the nanny. I have never seen a written account of the nanny’s perspective. It is apparent that the author did extensive research and took the actual facts of the case and put them in a story format. She even adds a chapter at the end letting the reader know which parts were fictional vrs fact. She even points out that no one ever wrote the nanny’s story and they should have! She was the person who spent the most time with the baby, was the last person to see him alive, the person who discovered that he was missing, a suspect herself as well as having a boyfriend that was a suspect. So it only makes sense that her perspective would shed a light on this mystery. This was a very interesting and well written account!

The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Fredericks

This was a well researched book about the kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh Jr. The story lines up with the actual facts of the story as we know it. There will always be a question mark about the kidnapping itself because Bruno Hauptmann was charged and convicted but he did not seem to have any ties to the family. So there where rumors that someone inside the family gave information.

This story focus is on the Nanny who is Betty Gow who was last to see Charles Lindbergh Jr. that night. The police and FBI put Miss Gow through the ringer about people she dated the media made her a villain even though there was no proof she had anything to do with the kidnapping. Betty Gow was an interesting character and the story was told from her perspective. It was terrible what happened to little Charles and the way everyone treat Miss Gow. She truly love Charles and was very good to the young boy.

Betty Gow story needed to be told and I am glad that Mariah Fredericks decided to take this story on. Betty is actually a hero she was the one who identified the body and became a key witness at the trial of Bruno Hautmann trial. She was treated by misinformation by the media and the public acted in kind to treating her like a criminal. Her life was spilled out into the public and every detail about every mistake she might have made was also written about. She did stay on when the Lindbergh's had another child then left the family shortly after.

I loved this book so much it is what I expect when reading a historical fiction book a well written account of historical facts with added characters to enrich the story. I love that so many women where doing good things during this time even being a Nanny but trying to get to the truth and being a key witness is what Betty Gow story well worth the time and effort to tell her story. This was a five star read for me. If you love historical fiction and love stories based on historical fact this story is for you.

Betty Gow is everything you expect her to be even as a Nanny she went way above and beyond what someone would do today. She stayed at the house with just her and Charles as well as another staff through a brutal winter to keep Charles away from getting an illness that was spreading during that time. Betty Gow story I hope comes to the screen we need more stories like this. I also like the mystery that still swirls around the kidnapping/murder.

Penelope Rawlins narrated this story and brought life to every character especially Betty Gow. She did a fantastic job telling the story. It was easy to follow.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for a free audio copy of this book for an honest review. All opinions expressed in the review are my own with any coercion.