It is clearly evident that William Norris spent a lot of time and energy researching the people involved with and events surrounding the kidnapping and death of the Lindbergh baby. His theory about who the kidnapper was makes sense. While the topic is interesting, it felt too long. For me, the parts about the trial and appeal process were the most interesting. The rest often felt like a massive information dump.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

First sentence: On the night of March 1, 1932, a small child was taken from his bedroom in a lonely house near Hopewell, New Jersey. A ransom note was discovered, and a demand of $50,000 paid by the distraught parents. But the little boy never came home. His body was later found some two miles away, decomposed almost beyond recognition.

A Talent To Deceive is true crime nonfiction. It highlights the injustice and absolute absurdity of the investigation, trial, and appeal process. The crime being that of the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby. From day one it was a total disaster--if the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is what guides you.

The presentation itself was a bit messy here and there. It perhaps could have been better organized. But even with its tiny 'flaws' it remains fascinating. (At least to me). So, in no particular order, the book is about: a) how the author became interested in the case b) the bare basic essentials of the crime c) background information on the Morrow and Lindbergh families d) the million mistakes made in every stage of this case e) potential suspects f) red herring suspects g) the trial itself h) the appeal process.

The book essentially argues that the man arrested, charged, convicted, and sentenced to die--Bruno Richard Hauptmann--was innocent. At the very, very least innocent of kidnapping the Lindbergh baby, and innocent of murdering the toddler. Perhaps, he was guilty of coming into possession of *some* of the $50,000 ransom. In other words, he was found to have some of the ransom in his home. And he did spend some of it. (That's how they knew to search his home.)

The book makes a case for his innocence. And it's a convincing argument, in my opinion. But Norris doesn't just make a case for Hauptmann's innocence, he argues that at the very, very, very least Charles and Anne Lindbergh KNEW the identity of the kidnapper and covered it up. Perhaps their suspicions were later confirmed, but from day one there are strong reasons to believe that they were covering up, interfering, mangling the investigation. The author does not argue that Lindbergh is guilty of the crime himself. (Though he does mention that some do.) He makes a case for a member of the Morrow family to be the kidnapper. Was his argument 100% convincing???? I'm not sure I'd go that far. While Norris convinced me that Hauptmann was innocent...and that EVERYONE involved in the case was a liar-liar-liar-liar pants. Or completely incompetent. Or completely immoral and unethical. OR easily bribed. I'm not as equally convinced that Dwight Morrow Jr. was the kidnapper/murderer. I definitely think that he should have been on the list of suspects, perhaps, but I'm not convinced he's the one and only most likely candidate.

The book was fascinating. But it was also intense in that it made me ANGRY. This trial was just appalling and absurd. There were a million reasons why the case was handled WRONG. And it cost this man his life.

I received this book through Netgalley almost a year ago, and only got around to reading it now. A shame, because I did enjoy it.

This will however be quite a short review, because this book really is what it says on the tin: a true crime book on the kidnap and murder of the Lindbergh baby in 1932. Norris describes to us the processes that went on during the investigation, the misconducts, falsifications and the wrongful execution of Bruno Richard Hauptmann. For someone like me who was completely unfamiliar with this case before starting this book it was incredibly interesting and almost unfathomable that these events could take place. If you are however familiar with the general facts of the case, which I can imagine to be a common occurrence among the American readers, I don’t know how much new information this book will give you.

My only, personal, problem with this book is that Norris can get a bit loud with his personal opinions and ideas at times. In certain cases short comments on the credibility of evidence and statements works really well. But in other cases, especially when he makes a case on who He thinks did it, it gets a bit much and I would have preferred if stuck a bit more to the facts. This is very much a preference of me though, and I can imagine it may not bother other readers whatsoever.

Overall I found this a very readable, detailed and interesting book and would certainly recommend it if this is a topic you are interested in whatsoever.

This is a very interesting true crime book about the kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh's son. The author does not believe that Bruno Richard Hauptmann is the culprit and explains his theory of the crime by describing the case and his research. He does seem to be a bit biased and inserts his opinions into his writing more so than other non-fiction authors, but I still thought the book was captivating and worth the read.

In <i>A Talent to Deceive</i> author William Norris tells the story of the investigation of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping before and after the trial and conviction of Bruno Richard Hauptmann. Norris portrays Hauptmann's conviction as a miscarriage of justice and ultimately names another person as the culprit responsible for the infamous crime. While most of the book is a third person description of the historical events as they unfolded, he describes some of his research and sets forth the reasoning behind his theory of the case in the first person. At various points in the book, this author states in no uncertain terms his personal opinions of the actions taken by the historical figures portrayed. The personal experiences and views related in this book give the text something of an unprofessional flavor as I see it, but they are nonetheless interesting. Overall, this book is an unusually compelling read. The description of the crime, the investigation, the trial and subsequent inquiries into Hauptmann's guilt are set forth in the form of a dramatic tale that makes the book a definite pageturner. The occasionally melodramatic depiction of certain personalities involved in the events adds to the excitement of the reading experience. Despite the subjective portrayals, the factual information set forth allowed me to come to my own conclusions about the merits and meaning of each person's part in the events. For example, I did not buy into Norris's theory concerning who perpetrated the crime; in fact, certain information provided in the book based on the author's unique research in the case raised suspicions in my mind about the possible guilt of another person entirely. Even though I was able to make independent judgments based on the factual information included, I did wonder if information that would undermine Norris's angle on each person and different events' significance was excluded. I think this is a weakness inherent in the subjective approach taken by the author in this work. Overall, I would recommend this work to other readers as a fascinating read that provides some information about this complex and historically significant criminal case. I am grateful to the publisher for making a review copy of this work available on Netgalley; I am providing this honest review in recompense for that free access..

This is not a comfortable book. To be expected as it deals with the kidnapping and murder of a child, but for those who may be getting their first in depth look at the case from this book, it would be wise to be prepared.

Many of us are familiar with the general facts of the case, and I think that's where this book falls short. I was hoping for more in depth speculation as to Bruno Richard Hauptmann and his actual level of involvement, but I found the book spent a lot more time rehashing the facts that we already come in knowing or having an awareness of. Of course others coming into it with less knowledge may feel differently, but therein lies the need for more balance.

Overall I think this is a worthwhile read if you are interested in the Lindbergh kidnapping but are lacking background knowledge. This book will fill in the gaps.

Thank you to NetGalley and CamCat for the ARC.

As I originally mentioned (about halfway through), I never realised just how deceptive and obstructive Lindbergh and his in-laws (the Morrows) actually were throughout this drama. The whole train of events after the discovery of the missing child (including the investigation and trial) were almost (and horribly) farcical - and for Hauptmann - the alleged kidnapper and murderer - tragically so.

For those wanting to gain a different insight into this "crime of the century" and read about an alternate perpetrator, this is definitely for you. Norris provides enough background information for the reader that prior indepth knowledge is not essential.

I enjoyed this enough to want to give it 3.5 stars.

This was a refreshing take on a mystery for the ages! I found Norris’ writing style to be personable and knowledgeable, and felt for the first time like I really understood the context and characters involved in this tragic and complex moment in American history. The author certainly has a talent for fleshing out historical fact and making events long since passed feel relevant and vivid. I would definitely read another of his forays into a historical whodunnit.

I decided to read this book because the subject has interested me since I was 11 years old. My mother went to a middle school when Lindbergh's mother was a teacher.
I've read perhaps three books that describe the circumstances, the discovery of the ransom money, the actions of those involved after Lindbergh's child went missing.
This book spends far too much time treading over all that. Basically the entire book. Then the author spends a few minutes at the book's end offering his idea on who the kidnapper might be. I didn't enjoy going through the whole story just for that. There were some odd things going on in the Morrow family and I wish he had spent a lot more time researching that, difficult though it may be.

Was a bit "newsy" and not an enjoyable book to read. Not a favorite.

Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

In March 1932 the young son of Charles Lindbergh, aviator and international celebrity, was reported as kidnapped from the family’s new rural home. Within hours the New Jersey police were called and a huge police and media “circus” started with Lindbergh bizarrely and openly manipulating both the situation and the police through his connections. It was believed that the child had been taken for ransom and this became the focus of the police operation, both locally and more widely (at this stage the FBI was not involved in kidnapping matters). When in May the body of a child was found close to the house the matter took a more serious turn. Murder was a capital crime. But public evidence as to who was involved was slight. In the meantime a bizarre series of incidents followed as supposed ransom notes began to circulate with frankly ridiculous demands for delivery of the ransom money. These were treated as genuine, but little success tracing the criminals followed, due possibly to attempts to pass marked money across being subverted by the family’s agents. With no return of the child (impossible) things went quiet until some of the money was traced in 1934. The person caught – an illegal German immigrant – Bruno Richard Hauptmann, would be tried with murder and in spite of declaring his innocence would ultimately be executed by electric chair in early 1936.
Norris will here review the whole sorry tale using original documents (as far as they survive and are available), newspapers and new witness testimonies wherever possible. He will clearly separate the kidnapping incident and all things that relate to the “ransom” money. He will document the appalling legal predicament that Hauptmann found himself involved in that inexorably led to his death. Not only will he detail the processes, but the key characters in the highly politicised legal system of America. He will list the miscarriages of justice he became aware of – witness coercion and evidence tampering by the police and others and the blatant abuses of the trial process itself. He recognises both the media and the political pressures to “deal with” this shocking crime that ran for years, but will review why he believed that ultimately Hauptmann was innocent and executed nevertheless.
Pulling the two crimes of kidnap and extortion of money apart he was able to look at the situation more clearly. From the evidence he believes that the kidnapping was an “inside” job and that Lindbergh (and his wife’s Morrow family) had a clear idea of who had snatched the child (a disgruntled family insider) – something that ultimately had to be covered up. The highly publicised rigmarole of trying to make payment of the ransom was then incidental to this. But once the charade started it was difficult to stop. Once Hauptmann was found with some of the money a huge effort was made to pin the kidnap and murder upon him although he had clear alibis for the time in question. Evidence was lost, created, falsified and witnesses suborned. The Lindbergh family who Norris believes knew full well that Hauptmann was innocent quietly left the country and him to his fate.
This could be regarded as an “historic” crime with no modern implications, but it is so much more than that. It shows that America had (as it does now) a highly politicised police and legal system. That media pressure to “solve” crimes can lead to abuses. That influence can outweigh justice. That poorer people with no influence can find themselves dragged into miscarriages of justice in an expensive and convoluted system. Norris has showcased “names” (not always in a flattering light) that are still familiar in American circles of influence and has shown too how there is still control over access to information sources around the process even now – if indeed they have not been disappeared.
Together this makes for an interesting, albeit a not very comfortable, read. The reader might regard what is included here as eye-opening, but in reality it carries reflections of constant claims of abuses and miscarriages of justice still in the USA – and other places too. It talks of the advantages of privilege, the abuses of power, but also proves it is seemingly simple things and attitudes that can kill.

A Talent to Deceive
The Search for the Real Killer of the Lindbergh Baby
by William Norris
CamCat Publishing
CamCat Perspectives
Mystery & Thrillers | True Crime
Pub Date 05 May 2020 | Archive Date 01 May 2020

I have an interest in this topic since we read a book on LIndbergh for Book Club recently.
This book painstakingly lays forth evidence and lead the leader through several theories.
I really liked the book.
Thanks to Net Galley and Cam CAt for providing the ARC for me to read.

354 pages

4 stars

Mr. Norris painstakingly lays out the various theories and explanations given by various people involved – or not- in the investigation of the kidnapping and murder of Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr.

This long and very convoluted tale takes several unbelievable side trips down fantasy lanes. Mr. Norris illustrates succinctly and clearly why most of these theories are incorrect or outright lies. The various police agencies did not share information and the truth was at a premium. The Lindbergh family, especially Charles himself, did their best to obsfucate the obscure the truth. Evidence was falsified, witnesses lied and the accused's innocence was pushed aside in order that the powers may be would obtain the conviction and the eventual execution of the suspect.

The American public wanted someone to pay for the kidnap and murder of the baby. So, the police gave them someone to save face and to put it all behind them. Bruno Richard Hauptmann paid the ultimate price for other peoples' agendas.

He does give the reader a very viable suspect. The evidence fits.

I have known that Mr. Hauptmann did not kidnap or murder the Lindbergh baby. I didn't, however, know much background on the case. I feel much more educated now that I am aware of the facts. I am now able to articulate my suppositions.

I want to thank NetGalley and CamCat Publishing/CamCat Perspectives for forwarding to me a copy of this educational and informative book for me to read, enjoy and review.