The Lindbergh nanny A novel

When Betty Gow takes a prestigious new job, she hopes her past stays in the past. As nanny to Charles Lindbergh Jr., she takes the Lindbergh family's privacy very seriously as well. Not long after she's gained their trust, however, the unthinkable happens. In the aftermath of the baby's infamous kidnapping, she is determined to clear her name from suspicion and uncover what might have happened on that fateful night. The pace intensifies as Betty pieces together whom she can trust and which of her coworkers might have been involved. Fredericks' (author of the Jane Prescott mysteries, including Death of a Showman, 2021) carefully researched Betty Gow is compassionate, observant, and above all devoted to her young charge. Betty painstakingly goes over every detail, endures multiple interrogations, and becomes a public target both in the U.S. and back home in Scotland. This is a compelling story about a courageous woman nearly forgotten by history, with a bittersweet mix of sorrow and redemption; for readers who enjoy Jennifer Chiaverini, Marie Benedict, or Melanie Benjamin.

Betty Gow, a 26-year-old Scottish immigrant and Lindbergh family nanny, narrates this poignant crime novel from Fredericks (the Jane Prescott series), which fictionalizes the 1932 kidnapping of 20-month-old Charles Lindbergh Jr. from the family's New Jersey home. Though many idolize Betty's employer, aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh, she's unimpressed by the odd, arrogant man. Still, she likes his wife, heiress Anne Morrow Lindbergh, and adores the couple's son, Charlie. When Charlie disappears from his nursery after Betty leaves a window open, she hopes Mr. Lindbergh is pranking her; he has, after all, jokingly hidden the baby before. A ransom note confirms otherwise, however, making Betty a person of interest. Desperate to recover Charlie and exonerate herself, Betty begins scrutinizing everyone she knows, from the staff at the Morrow estate to her new boyfriend. The pacing is uneven, with an overlong setup and a rushed denouement, but Fredericks creates suspense for even those familiar with the case by suggesting the real-life culprit had accomplices, thus rendering everyone a suspect. Betty's distress and distrust are palpable, heightening anxiety. Historical mystery fans and true crime aficionados will be well pleased. Agent: Victoria Skurnick, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary. (Nov.)

Author of the Gilded Age--set "Jane Prescott" murder mysteries, Fredericks turns her attention to the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, retelling the story from the perspective of the baby's nanny. A Scottish immigrant, Betty Gow must prove her innocence when she's caught in the terrible glare of suspicion, even as she struggles to secure justice for little Charlie. A 50,000-copy first printing.