Member Reviews

The Lindbergh Nanny
by Mariah Fredericks
Narrated by Penelope Rawlings
Pub DateNov 15 2022
Dreamscape Media
Historical Fiction


Netgalley and Dreamscape Media provided me with a copy of The Lindbergh Nanny for review:


Betty How, the Nanny who discovered Baby Charlie was missing and who some suspected of committing the murder, tells the story of The Lindbergh kidnapping through her eyes.


Charles Lindbergh, Jr., the most famous toddler in America, is kidnapped from his family home in New Jersey in 1932, making international headlines. A country's golden boy, Charles Lindbergh, Sr., is already celebrated for his flight across the Atlantic, accompanied by his wealthy, beautiful wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh. There's someone else in their household: Betty Gow, a formerly obscure young woman now known around the world as the Lindbergh Nanny.


As a Scottish immigrant navigating her new homeland and its East Coast elite, Betty finds Colonel Lindbergh eccentric and often odd, Mrs. Lindbergh kind but nervous, and Charlie simply adorable. Despite being away from home and bruised from a love affair gone wrong, Betty finds comfort in caring for the child and warms to handsome sailor Henrik. .Charlie disappears after that.


In order to clear her name and find justice for the child she loves, Betty must uncover the truth about what really happened that night.


I give The Lindbergh Nanny five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

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Growing up in New Jersey, I always knew about the Lindbergh Baby. It was a tale told many times but it never really meant anything to me. When The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Frericks came to my attention on NetGalley I requested it, was accepted, but never got to it. How strange that I started it on MARCH 1st!!!! The same day Charles Lindbergh Jr. was kidnapped. The towns mentioned in the book are towns that I know well and it is just so interesting how close this case was to where I live.

I enjoyed this historical fiction novel and appreciated the author giving more details at the end of the novel to really wrap things up. I also enjoy historical fiction books about events that I do not know much about. It leads me down a rabbit hole of searching but this was an interesting case in America and I really enjoyed getting more familiar with the case.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this gifted audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Are you looking for a spellbinding and twisty read? If so, look no further. The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Fredericks is a beautiful story with even more beautiful story telling by the narrator. What a great job performing this audiobook and keeping the audience fully mesmerized by the words on those pages. This is a suspenseful book all the way until the very end. A historical fiction novel based on a real life crime that happened back in march of 1932.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books and Dreamscape Media for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review. I highly recommend this book. I didn’t know much about the Lindbergh case prior, but this book caught me right up to speed. The author did an amazing job telling this well researched story. Look forward to future reads by this author.

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Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced copy of #The Lindbergh Nanny. So, I do like Historical fiction, and was definitely interested in this event, so I was excited when I was approved for the audiobook! This was one of the first audiobooks I listened to when I started to get back into listening to books. Mariah Federicks did a great job mixing fabrication with the truth.

The book was written from the nanny's perspective and her relationships with the family as well as outside of the family. I was surprised at how lonely it was for her during her time with the family, mostly due to the fact that they were never around. While it did move rather slow for me, I stil enjoyed it. If you are into historical fiction, I would definitely read/listen to it....but do not google it if you are not familiar with the story.

#TheLindberghNanny #NetGalley

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*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was a really interesting read! I have read several nonfiction books about the Lindbergh kidnapping but i think this is the first fictional book i've read and it was really awesome! Couldn't put it down!

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Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review. 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. The story was disconnected and haphazard and the characters confusing to follow. This book had such an interesting premise.

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Thank you @dreamscape_media and @netgalley for my gifted audiobook. My thoughts are my own.

The Lindbergh kidnapping was the crime of the century long before anyone had ever heard of O.J. I knew the basic facts of the tragic crime, but I had not read about it. So I was delighted to be approved for this audiobook, which appealed to the mystery-lover in me!

The story gives us a brief glimpse into the lives of the wealthy Morrow and Lindbergh families, and some of the staff who served them. The handsome flight hero and his quiet wife were celebrities, American royalty, at the time. They wanted to get away from the crowds. They lived on the Morrow family estate in New Jersey while their own place was being built. When the Lindberghs had a baby boy, they protected him from reporters and prying eyes. They hired Betty Gow, who went through an interviewing process, finally being interviewed by Lindbergh himself as he carefully selected who would work as his son’s nurse, or nanny, as she would be called today.

Told from Betty Gow’s perspective, Betty was a pretty young girl who arrived in the US from Scotland. She fell in love with baby Charlie, and was arguably closer to him than his own mother. When the baby was kidnapped, she puzzled over who would do such a thing, not wanting to suspect those around her. She was blamed by many, and questioned by the police, but never a true suspect. The tragedy affected her for the rest of her life. She never married or had children of her own.

I really enjoyed the behind the scenes look at what went on. The author does a great job blending the facts in with the narrative. This crime happened such a long time ago, it’s easy to forget about the emotions of the people who lived through it.

The audio is superbly narrated by Penelope Rawlings.

Read this if you love historical mysteries based on true crime.

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I didn’t know anything about the Lindbergh family pre- this novel. I was captivated by the story and found myself pausing and researching while reading. I think the author did a good job weaving fact and fiction together to tell an unforgettable story of a tragedy.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

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I loved this deep dive into a household name. It offered such interesting perspective and insight into a world that I knew very little about. Highly recommend this book if you enjoy historical books!

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I love books that are based on a true life thing. That always pulls me to a story! Definitely a compelling mystery. It seemed like the author did their research and this was well executed. Love the genre bending elements between HF and crime fiction. I do think it was a bit slow at times tho. The audio was well done as well

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The kidnapping of the Lindbergh Baby was the crime of the century. One that so shook the world that stories of the child snatching still reverberate today, nearly 100 years later. Mariah Fredericks dives into the mystery of what happened to little Charles Lindbergh in her new novel, The Lindbergh Nanny, which examines the crime through the eyes of the child's caretaker, Betty Gow.

The book follows Betty as she takes on the job of caring for the son of "American royalty" - Charles Lindbergh and wife Anne Morrow - and delves into her personal and professional relationships throughout her years spent in the Lindbergh home. This novel is primarily an exposition of Betty's own life, with her work as the Lindbergh nanny always hovering in the background. It concludes with the kidnapping of young Charles from his bedroom, and the subsequent investigation into his disappearance. It examines how Betty, who was the last person to see Charles before he was taken, was considered a suspect, and how she blamed herself for the crime in that she left the bedroom shutters unlatched, thus allowing easy access to Charles' bedroom.

The Lindbergh Nanny is one of those historical novels that keeps readers on the periphery of a well-known event, inviting them to follow along as the events play out, but never really building intimacy between the characters and reader. I personally prefer greater characterization in my historical fiction novels - I want to see notable people brought vividly to life - but if you like historical fiction that almost nearly reads as nonfiction, The Lindbergh Nanny may be right up your alley. Fredericks does embellish a bit in her narrative, as outlined in the Author's Note, but many other details of Betty's time as the Lindbergh's nanny are kept true to the record.

The audiobook production of this novel is done well, with Penelope Rawlins lending an accent to the Scottish Betty Gow, fleshing her out to a more fully-formed person.

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I found the story interesting. I enjoyed listening to it. However, the added scene about the chauffeur being gay bothered me. Even in the moment, if felt added soley for the purpose of including something LGBT. Considering that later in the book if refers to his wife, it didn't seem needed. During the fact vs fiction, the author even states that there was no evidence of this in real life. As a conservative reader with a conservative audience, that one scene keeps me from being able to recommend this book to my readers.

At the same time, I really appreciated the fact vs fiction section. I had heard of the Lindbergh case, and knew the overall idea. This book made me want to dig in deeper though. When stories are based on true events, it's nice to know exactly what the author used as fact, and what was included to make the story readable.

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I received an audio copy of The Lindbergh Nanny from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

I think it’s safe to say we all know the story of kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby. This novel follows this event. It’s told through the eyes of the nanny, Betty Gow, an immigrant from Scotland. She applies for the nanny position and surprisingly is hired. Charles Lindbergh is a hero and his wife Ann Morrow is the daughter of the NJ senator. Betty quickly falls in love with baby Charlie and blames herself for his kidnapping. The story progresses to the investigation and trial. The novel ends with Betty’s testimony.

I know who was found guilty and executed, but the book left me wondering did the NJ State Policeget the right person. I enjoyed this book and will read a nonfiction dealin with the kidnapping. 4 stars.

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3.5 Stars. I had heard of the Lindbergh kidnapping/murder of Charles Lindbergh Jr. that took place on March 1, 1932, but this story was told from the perspective of Elizabeth Gow, Charlie's nanny/nurse. We learn a bit about her life in general, but the rest of the story is her caring for Charlie, the kidnapping, investigation and trial. Betty Gow was a suspect and the questioning of her was ruthless. They tried to make her confess to being immoral, associating with criminals and even harassed her about the death of her brother. She was the last person to be with baby Charles before his disappearance so I understand the suspicion, but both Charles Lindbergh and his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh were positive that she had nothing to do with the kidnapping. Of course, the suspicion followed her and forever changed her life.

The story is told in the first person through Betty Gow, and took me through the time leading up to the kidnapping; the kidnapping and, the subsequent police investigations afterward. Betty returns to Scotland and is unable to find employment. It is two years later before an arrest is made and Betty goes back to the US to testify at the trial. There are many secondary characters in the book that were also involved in the real case, and many that fleshed out the story. I did find the story dragged at times, especially with all these characters. I wanted to learn more about the case and I did, but it was not gripping or thrilling as other reviewers stated. Mariah Fredericks does a wonderful job of mixing facts with fiction. She has done a through job researching this case to present us with an interesting historical who done it. Included in the author’s notes, she differentiates between the facts and her added fiction element. Overall, this was an interesting book, but it was just an okay listen. The audiobook was narrated by Penelope Rawlins. I'm not sure if it was her voice, or just the writing, but I found this story dragged and was hard to get into. If you are interested in the lindbergh story, you will probably enjoy this audiobook.

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I was very intrigued by the premise of this one and I’m always in need of more historical fiction. Overall I enjoyed it but I wasn’t wowed. The pacing kept me from staying continuously engaged.

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I loved the premise of The Lindbergh Nanny and was thrilled to be approved for the audiobook. However; the narrator’s voice instantly turned me off and I could not get past listening to the first chapter of Mariah Fredrick’s novel. I hope to pick up this novel and read it throughout 2023.

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This was honestly too long. It was interesting to read about (and listen to) the background and story surrounding Charles Lindbergh’s son, but much of it felt like it dragged on too long and had so many details that weren’t necessary or beneficial to the story. While I did think it was okay, I would give it 3.5 stars.

Thank you to z NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

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Did not finish, found that the story did not engage me and I was frustrated by the decisions of the main character.

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I honestly didn’t know very much about ‘the Lindbergh baby’ before I read this book. What a sad, sad story. I loved the authors note at the end that explained exactly which parts of the book were fact and which were fiction. Also, Mariah writes beautifully. I especially love the way Betty talked to Baby Charlie. I could feel her love for him.

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I really enjoyed listening to this book. The narrator did an amazing job portraying different characters. I had never heard of the Lindbergh kidnapping and it was very interesting. Would recommend to any historical fiction fan.

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