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.

Find me on Instagram @dinner.and.a.book !

N.B. Review may be posted closer to pub date, at which point this review will be updated with link to post on Instagram.

✈️ 👩‍👦Book review!👩‍👦✈️

The Lindbergh Nanny follows Betty Gow, a Scottish immigrant and obscure woman who becomes the books namesake, The Lindbergh Nanny. Colonel Charles Lindbergh, celebrated for his flight across the Atlantic, and his wife, become Betty’s employers as she cares for America’s most famous baby at the time. All is well until little Charles, at just 20 months, is kidnapped. The novel follows the devastation in the wake of the missing baby and Betty’s journey to be a part of justice for Charles Jr and reclaim her life.

I’m a big lover of historical fiction, so I was super excited when @netgalley and @stmartinspress approved me for this book!

I enjoyed the book from Betty’s point of view, and the plot was interesting (for how famous this was in the early 1900s, I had never heard of the kidnapping). As historical fiction can, it was definitely slow at points and I found my mind drifting. I feel like it could have stood to be a little shorter, but I also had my giant TBR stack on the brain so that could be the reason!

Overall, I give it a 🤷🏻‍♀️☺️ (3.75/5). It’s not a book that will necessarily stick with me, but I enjoyed learning more about the case (and especially loved the fact v fiction chapter at the end).

This was a mostly factual story of the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby and the "nurse" that loved and cared for young Charlie before the tragic events. I loved how this story unfolded like a true crime mystery, and as a reader not knowing much about this event made it more suspenseful for me. The afterword of the novel explains what was fact/fiction and I appreciated the author's attention to these important details. This book in the end is about the sweet Scotish immigrant Betty Gow who cared for young Charles. She is a strong, poised, courageous woman who was.a part of a tragic event. But in the end she lost a child she loved very much. Heartbreaking.

Awesome read………a great historical fiction that kept me engaged and on my toes from beginning to
end. Thank you to the author Mariah Fredericks for writing such an awesome book, the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary copy, Looking forward to more from Mariah Fredericks

I received an advance reader copy of The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Fredericks from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and…wow. I loved it!

I’m a huge fan of historical fiction, particularly when it is done well, and this was. I was already somewhat familiar with the story of the Lindbergh kidnapping in broad terms, but not with the finer details. This book focuses primarily on Betty Gow, Charlie Lindbergh’s nanny, as well as the butler, chauffeur, and other staff. It was fascinating and I found myself constantly taking breaks from the book to look up more information on Betty (she was lovely), or Anne Morrow Lindbergh, “Lucky Lindy,” or the investigation or trial. I feel much more informed about this event now.

The book itself is fiction, but the author clearly did painstaking and meticulous research. She brings the characters and tragic story to life.

There were a few minor typos/grammatical errors, which will presumably be corrected before publication (November 15, 2022) but they didn’t detract from the well written and engrossing story.

I highly recommend The Lindbergh Nanny, (5 stars!). It will be published November 15, 2022. I’m very grateful to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC, to Mariah Fredericks for writing such an enjoyable, thought provoking and riveting read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early read. This is an interesting historical book. I don5 think I’ve red by novels about the Lindbergh Kidnapping. You already know the end result but the story in between is interesting.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC for this amazing, passionate story of the Lindbergh family, staff and relatives, and the kidnapping.
Deep descriptions of every characters were written with ease and I could relate. Ms. Gow was a strong, gentle Nanny and loved Charlie to bits. There are so many staff members in the households, I enjoyed learning about them all. The mystery surrounding the kidnapping is quite sad for all involved, making it difficult of who to trust. Enjoy this one, I’m still saddened by the awful loss to the Lindbergh family.

I don't like to leave negative reviews. The basic story in this book was good however I did not care for the writing style. I found it much too wordy. I did find the story of the nanny interesting for the most part. I recommend this book for people who like historical stories.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Fredericks. I have read other books about the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby so I was very intrigued by the story being told from the perspective of the baby's nanny. Betty Gow, originally from Scotland, was given the position of nanny. A job she took seriously as she had to keep him protected from the press and the public with two famous parents. The story focuses on Betty and the other hired help from the Lindbergh and Morrow houses. Then the baby, Charlie, is taken by someone. The way the author develops the story from here is interesting as she tells about the back stories of some of the help as the police question everyone. When Betty returns to the US from Scotland for the trial of Bruno Hauptmann, the story picks up in interest for me. In the Author's Notes, she tells about the Betty after and more details about her research and what was real and what was fiction. This is one of my favorites parts of historical fiction books because I am always in awe how the author's use the research and their imaginations to create a very interesting story. I've rounded up a 3 1/2 stars rating for this book to 4 for this review based on the ending of the story and the Author's Notes.