The Lindbergh Kidnapping Suspect No. 1

The Man Who Got Away

By: Lise Pearlman

Narrated by: Lise Pearlman

Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Astonishingly more key evidence is accessible today than was presented at the death penalty trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann for the kidnap/murder of Charles Lindbergh, Jr. You get to judge for yourself who committed the "crime of the century".

This shocking but true story is told in dozens of short, riveting chapters you can't put down. In the depths of the Depression, millions worldwide followed every twist and turn of the Lindbergh baby kidnap/murder. Yet what was reported was largely fake news. Nearly a century after undocumented immigrant Bruno Richard Hauptmann was executed for the dastardly crime, questions still linger.

If the wrong man was convicted, who did it? When? Why? Where? How? The shocking answers this audiobook suggests have eluded all prior authors. Extensive research into dusty archives yielded crucial forensic evidence never before analyzed. Listeners are invited to reexamine "the crime of the century" with fresh eyes focused on a key suspect - a slim man with a fedora partially obscuring his face, who was spotted with a ladder in his car near the Lindberghs' driveway that fateful night. The police let an insider who fit that description oversee the entire investigation - the boy's father, international hero Charles Lindbergh.

Abuse of power, amorality, and xenophobia all feature in this saga set in an era dominated by white supremacists and social Darwinists. If Lindbergh was Suspect No. 1, the man who got away, what was his motive? Who else was involved? Who helped cover up the crime? Listen to this audiobook, and judge for yourself.

©2020 Lise Pearlman (P)2021 Lise Pearlman

Critic reviews

"Myth-smashing, beautifully written, powerfully argued." (Lloyd Gardner)

"Shocking.... Well-documented.... Highly plausible." (Dr. William M. Bass)

"Expertly researched.... Superbly crafted.... Must-read." (Greg Ahlgren & Stephen Monier)

Depth of research.

Another “hero” fallen by reality. Exhaustive evidence of his guilt. Excellent read engrossing and yet detailed.

Compelling

Well researched. Well presented. Provides for a thoughtful review of the case as well as a general look at justice perverted by privilege.

Kidnapped

He got away with Murder. Such a horrible and sick person. To think he when on to having 12 more children and shouldn’t have had any.

Hero worship in the 20th Century

The author should have hired a dramatic reader. The author reveals the story of a Narcissistic American hero. Hard to believe the criminal justice system’s failure at the highest levels.

Good

Should have hired a professional narrator. Seriously. Sounds winded and nervous. Very distracting at first but resigned myself to finishing the book .

Good story

I've learned over the years that we should idolize concepts, not people. Since the average person doesn't know the celebrities they hold in awe, it can be a serious let down when ominous details emerge about their personal lives. The details about Lindbergh's personality are disturbing at best, and I can't help wonder how his wife felt when she learned what her husband was really like throughout their years together. Given how he was raised and what his views were, I still find it hard to believe any parent could do the things he did or let happen to his son. Yet, the facts as presented make it plausible that the father did have a hand in the disappearance and subsequent death of his son. The author is meticulous but I do wish she had allowed a professional reader to narrate.

Riveting!!

One of the best, if not the best, true crime novel/stories I have ever encountered. Lise Pearlman’s investigation, synopsis and theory of the Lindbergh kidnapping will blow your mind. A MUST READ/HEAR!

Solution to all the clues

Loved it! It's the most perfectly crafted explaination of ALL the details. And am so relieved to have made it to the end without having to hear that Alexis Carrell actually ate the baby.

Horrifying

I read the book "Clue" about the kidnapping about 50 years ago, when I was in high school and was enthralled by the kidnapping story. At that time, I never thought that Hauptmann was the guilty party. The man who left him with the money, and died in Germany, always seemed to be the likely candidate to me. I went on to read Anna Lindbergh's books and learn more about the Charles Lindbergh, who always seems an odd duck with his involvement in the "America First" movement. However, if the things revealed in this book are true, even the simple things such as playing practical jokes on people while searching for his missing son, let alone being responsible for his actual murder, make him nothing less than a monster.

Charles Lindbergh was a dirtbag

Every piece of information I learn about "Lindy" is more shocking than the last. The theory presented regarding why and how he perpetrated this heinous crime seems crazy, but not in the context of who he was and where the evidence points. Interesting from start to finish, if not slightly repetitive in places. I also think it would have been better if a voice professional had done the reading rather than the author, as mispronounciations and inconsistent tone/intensity were somewhat distracting.