I think everyone has heard of the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, but I knew very little detail. The author did a thorough job of explaining the kidnapping and investigation. He also made a good case for the innocence of the man who was convicted and executed for the crime. I love a good cover up conspiracy story and the theories set forth in this novel are quite compelling. The audiobook narration kept a good pace, so even speeding up the playback didn’t distort the voice or tempo. The narrator used accents that were occasionally cringe-y, but mostly fine, and did me help keep the cast of characters straight.

William Norris takes a very deep dive into the facts surrounding the Kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby in his book, A Talent to Deceive. Long the source of speculation and mystery, the trial and execution of Brunno Hauptman remains controversial Was Hauptman truly the kidnapper? He professed his innocence until his last breath, after which, his wife took up the mantel of clearing his name. Norris reviews facts that the "investigators" and judicial system chose to ignore. He uncovers communications between many of the parties in Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh's inner circle and interviews sources who were hesitant, both then and now, to speak of what they knew. In his uncovering of the smallest of details and analyzing the characters and motivations that comprise the Morrow and Lindbergh families, Norris presents what he feels to be the only logical conclusion. More shocking, he asks the question of who knew this and how were they able to live with sending an innocent man to his death? A truly fascinating read.
My thanks to NetGalley and for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! Alot of time, research and information has gone into this book! Really impressive.
The narrator was fantastic

Charles Lindbergh was world famous. Larger than life. He was idolized and one of the first men to be made a household name by media coverage. When his 20-month old son was kidnapped and later found dead in 1932, it was a huge crime. Bruno Richard Hauptmann, a German immigrant, was arrested and executed for the crime. Author William Norris contends that Hauptmann was wrongly convicted.

This book is so interesting. Norris presents evidence of shoddy police work, misleading evidence and a cover-up. And then he formulates his own theory on who may have actually been guilty. I've heard similar theories before. While I find it intriguing, there really is no way to prove or disprove the validity of Norris' ideas. It does make for interesting listening, however!

The audio book is just short of 12 hours long. Tom Beyer does a great job of narrating. He reads at a steady pace and has a pleasant, easy to understand, voice.

Enjoyable listen. It is obvious that Norris did a lot of in-depth research into the Lindbergh kidnapping and the court case against Hauptmann. I will definitely be reading more of Norris' books!

*I voluntarily listened to a review copy of this audio book from CamCat Perspectives. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.*

A Talent to Deceive explores the kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh’s son and the injustice behind how it was handled. I actually was not familiar with this case before I listened to the audio version of the book. I did find it very well researched and presented very well. I did find it slow in a few parts. I do think the narrator did a wonderful job.

Thank to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me listen to this book and sharing my honest opinion.

The Case: On March 1932, twenty-month old Charles Lindbergh Jr. son of the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh was abducted from his crib in their bedroom upstairs. Two months later, his body is discovered by a truck driver. Investigations would later lead to the arrest, conviction and execution of a German immigrant carpenter, named Bruno Richard Hauptmann who had maintained his innocence until his execution day.

My thoughts: First published in 2006, this is a revised edition with additional information and details. The amount of research put into this book was incredible which covers the events on the night of the kidnapping, family background, investigations, Lindbergh's affairs, Hauptmann's background, investigation, trial - basically just about everything pertaining to this case! A lot of the information presented in this book is new-to-me which was insightful.

After finishing this book, I felt that this is still an unsolved case as you would learn about evidence that was ignored by police due to biasness and tunnel vision investigations. It was really infuriating and heartbreaking at the same time. During the trial, there were many theories that supported Hauptmann's innocence which could have prevented his execution.

The audiobook was enjoyable and the narrator Tom Beyer did an excellent job.

No doubt this entire case was a heartbreaking one and there was miscarriage of justice, but it was an important case as well. The Lindbergh Law was passed on June 1932 which makes transporting kidnapping victim across state lines a federal crime.


***Thank you CamCat Perspectives, IBPA and NetGalley for this listening copy.***

This book was archived before I could download it to listen. Therefore, it was removed from my netgally shelf. I will still try to read this book at some point as I am very interested. Unfortunately, it will not be through this platform.

I unfortunately only got a few chapter into this audiobook. Though the narrator was enjoyable, the format of the book wasn't working for me in audio. It was difficult to keep track of characters and important information. The author would also say, "What I think happened..." which made for a confusing listening experience. The story sounds interesting, but I don't think it would work as an audiobook for me.

A Talent to Deceive, by William Norris, presents the facts and alternative theories of the Lindbergh kidnapping case. I am flabbergasted that such a travesty of justice could occur in the United States. According to the book, it is well documented now and at the time of the trial that Hauptmann was not guilty of the crime. Even so, he was convicted and executed in the electric chair.

Synopsis:
Norris describes the public outcry that resulted from this crime as similar to the aftermath of 911. Once a man was identified as a suspect and charged with the crime, there was no going back. Norris presents documentation that the police planted evidence, concealed evidence, and bribed witnesses. Several men in positions of power stood to suffer hits to their professional reputations if Hauptmann was acquitted.

A man who was deaf in one ear testified that he had heard a voice from 80 yards away through a closed window. He then testified a year later that he could identify the man based on hearing his voice that one time. Multiple men lied under oath, directly contradicting their previously well-publicized statements.

Norris also presents alternative theories of the crime. One had the ring of truth, and one felt more like a conspiracy theory to me.

Story Review:
I was impressed with the amount of research completed and documentation referenced in the book. However, I had the incorrect impression that Norris ‘discovered’ much of what was presented.

In the latter half of A Talent to Deceive, Norris presents a letter from Hauptmann to his mother. This letter basically contains a roadmap to what had already been presented in the book. I felt a bit let down by the author at this point.

I am not convinced that Norris’s alternative theories as to the real killer’s identity are correct. But, I am 100% convinced that Hauptmann was innocent.

Narration Review:
The narrator, Tom Beyer, did a phenomenal job. I was interested in A Talent to Deceive the entire time, which is a feat for a work of research. Beyer portrayed each character with a different voice. His accents really added to the feeling that you were there watching everything unfold.

Reading Recommendation:
If you liked A Talent to Deceive, you should check out The Man Who Ate Too Much. It is a fascinating biography of James Beard.

Source:
I received a free copy of A Talent to Deceive at my request in exchange for an honest review.

William Norris has assembled an extremely impressive alternative to the 'accept' facts and outcome of this case. Even if you don't know the details, most Americans would be hard-pressed to not have at least heard of the Lindbergh case. Whether you accept all the assertions and conclusions suggested by Norris, you will be completely engaged in the story. A mystery of epic proportions. This case will always fascinate true crime experts and fans, because there is so much to question.

Was someone framed? Was someone protected? How many of the pieces of evidence were fabricated? Is it even possible with all the advances made in forensic technology, for this to happen with a case today? So fascinating from beginning to end. Well worth reading for anyone interested in history and true-crime stories. I highly recommend this.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Glad you can’t see me blush.
I’ve been living under a rock!

I’d never heard of this true crime.

I can’t compare this with anything else written about it but all I’ll say is, this writing by William Norris has delved into a fair bit of compost to reveal “stuff”

It’s so clearly defined and I was hooked

A Talent to Deceive is a good piece of investigative journalism. William Norris does a great job of telling the story of the Lindbergh baby and subsequent trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann. Norris shows the clear imbalance of power between one of the time’s most lauded citizens and a German immigrant with few friends.
Norris offers a new potential suspect in the murder of the Lindbergh baby, and provides compelling evidence to back up his theory. If the authorities had not been hindered in their investigation by Lindbergh and others, would an innocent man have been spared?
Tom Beyer provides a great performance in the audio recording. His accents are well-done and do not distract from the reading. I would listen to more audiobooks narrated by Tom Beyer.
Overall, I was pleased with this investigative work.

I received a copy of this audiobook for free via NetGalley, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

A big thank-you to William Norris, Camcat Perspectives, and NetGalley for an audiobook in exchange for my honest review.*
The Author provides a most intriguing and insightful take on the Lindbergh kidnapping. I have read several articles and watched documentaries on this tragedy but the speculations presented by Mr Norris did surprise me. I followed with interest the detailed and superbly presented version of what probably happened and I admit I am convinced. The most tragic thing is that this case will probably be never solved and justice will not be done.
A lot of information regarding Mr Lindbergh was quite a revelation to me, especially refering to his private life. I was aware of his sympathies towards the Nazis but not of what a grand deceiver he was. It is quite understandable why the general feeling at that time was for the national hero, alas, an innocent man became a scapegoat and even after decades his wish for the truth to be formally acknowledged cannot be granted.
The narrator, Mr Tom Beyer does a splendid job reading the book for us.

Thank you to NetGalley and CamCat Perspectives for providing me with a copy of this audioARC.

I will preface this by saying that I have never listened to an audiobook. I can’t concentrate on them if I’m doing anything else but I’ve recently discovered podcasts and I wanted to give audiobooks a try.

This particular one grabbed my interest - who hasn’t heard of the Lindbergh Baby and Richard Bruno Hauptmann? This book covers the kidnapping and discovery of the baby, Hauptmann’s past and his actions at the time of the kidnapping/ransom demands. It also covers the trial and subsequent execution, so it’s a fairly comprehensive book. I like how the author wrote - I felt he was taking me along the research journey with him, and I could definitely feel his conviction with his theories as to who could’ve been responsible. It was all fairly chronological so it was easy to pick up the threads with each audio session.

I really enjoyed the narrator. He was so clear and he had different voices for speech so I knew when different people were speaking. He was clear, I liked the pacing, and I almost felt like it was the author telling me a story about the work he’s done. He definitely made this a wonderful first experience!

Who did it? Norris throws up some interesting theories, and Hauptmann is definitely guilty of things (including greed and sheer stupidity), but was one of those things murder? Time and interference from various parties means we’ll never definitively know.

Although I've read a great deal of true crime, I've never put much thought or effort into learning about the Lindbergh kidnapping. I stumbled upon this book and decided to give it a go. It seems that there was a lot more to the Lindbergh story than I was aware. If the information presented in this book is accurate, the Lindbergh case now sickens and infuriates me. Every step of this investigation, arrest, and prosecution was disturbingly botched. There were many times in the book where I said, "That's not how that's supposed to work!" Between witness tampering and flip flopping experts, this case is the worst of all worst case scenarios. It's obvious that the author has done a lot of research on the case, and even mentioned some information he didn't think other researchers had found. It was well written and interesting to read. I am intrigued by the author's theory of who may have been responsible. I'd be interested to see if there's any strong evidence supporting it out there had the investigation been properly done.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator. His voice was easy to listen to. I would definitely listen to more of his narrations.

This is about the supposed kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh's son by Bruno Hauptmann. The freedom police gave him and the power he was given in running the investigation were simply based on who he was, the so-called American Royalty, a freedom that would never have been given to a regular American. It was as easy then as it is now to believe a rich, white man than an immigrant, regardless of his color, as to who was guilty. I am one of those who never thought Hauptman was guilty but a dupe. William Morris makes a good case, well researched, and we'll be presented on his conclusion of who was the actual perpetrator. Regardless, a child died and a possibly innocent man paid the price. Very well written and I enjoyed the narrator on the Audio version. Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this audiobook free in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

*I received an advanced reader’s audiobook copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This was an interesting non-fiction audiobook. It definitely kept my interest. I didn't know too much about the Lindbergh baby kidnapping before other than what is referred to in pop culture, including some of the plot of Murder on the Orient Express.

A very interesting read and a great listen. I really enjoyed this, it was a great way to find out more about a case which I didn't know a lot about. I would definitely recommend giving it a listen.

Over the years, I’ve seen documentaries and read a couple of books about the kidnap of the Lindbergh infant. I was never convinced that Hauptmann was guilty, but he was a convenient scapegoat.

William Norris reviews the case in detail, with contemporaneous accounts and highlights evidence and information that was totally ignored. It’s all compelling stuff and also of great concern that an innocent man was executed and a wealthy American got away with far too much. Given his interest in eugenics and the child’s disability, it seems unlikely that the infant would be his pride and joy.

The narration throughout is excellent and this is a detailed and engaging account. Really enjoyed it and learned a few new facts. My thanks to the publisher for an audio copy via Netgalley.

This is a fascinating tale of a missing child and a botched investigation that led to sending an innocent man to jail. Corruption and scandal run rampant in the rush to blame anyone for the crime. True crime buffs will enjoy this story of the Lindbergh kidnapping.