5 comments about The Airman and the Carpenter: The Lindbergh Kidnapping and the Framing of Richard Hauptman.

1. An extremely well written book covering the Lindbergh baby kidnapping. I actually felt like I was right there witnessing the whole thing unfold.



2. Ludovic Kennedy demonstrates that he posseses significant writing skills. He keeps the reader interested throughout. Of all the books putting forth a theory of Hauptmann's innocence, his is the best written.
   
   However, from a historical perspective, it is actually quite disappointing. For example, Kennedy insists that Hauptmann was working on 3/1/32, the day of the crime. However, Hauptmann testified at trial that he was not working that day. There are also several bold statements offered without any source or footnote which are contradicted by original source materials from the New Jersey State Police Museum and Archives.
   
   In summary, Sir Ludovic is an excellent writer with great literary skills, but his conclusions and research leave much to be desired.



3. The author was in New York in September 1981 and saw a TV show with Anna Hauptmann; after half a century she passionately declared her husband Richard was innocent of the crime. This impressed him enough to pick this subject for his next book. Other books were on miscarriages of justice. Kennedy is against the death penalty (but for euthanasia!?). He used the recently opened case archives in Trenton for this book. The 'Introduction' tells the reader what to expect from this very readable book.
   
   Part One is a short biography of Charles Lindbergh. [It does not tell you that his Congressman father opposed the private banking cartel known as the Federal Reserve System.] Lindbergh's love of practical jokes suggests a flawed personality. Part Two tells of Richard Hauptmann. In the war he learned to do whatever it took to survive. Lawlessness increased after the war. Hauptmann burgled and robbed and was caught and sentenced. His adventures showed quick-witted daring. Hauptmann reported for work at 8 am, March 1, 1932. After work 5 pm he went home, then picked up his wife around 8 pm (p.80). Part Three explains what happened after the baby was kidnapped. Two sets of footprints were found leading from the ladder. The Lindberghs decided to stay over on Tuesday morning, so the kidnappers were either very lucky or had inside knowledge. After a ransom note arrived, $50,000 was given to a man in a Bronx cemetery. Then the body was found near the home. Part Four tells of the continuing investigation, and Hauptmann's life and friends. The Lindberghs lived as happily as possible. One of the ransom money bills led to the capture of Hauptmann.
   
   Part Five notes the methods of the investigation of Hauptmann. Kennedy explains how a witness is prepared to identify a suspect (p.176), and criticizes their methods (p.177). But Hauptmann often lied (p.178). Pages 179-182 explain how the ransom note was forged: Hauptmann was forced to copy the note with its mistakes! There is implausibility in removing a plank from the attic (p.212). The fingerprints on the ransom note and ladder did not match Hauptmann; his shoe size did not match the footprints (pp.213-4). Page 216 tells how they found an eyewitness. Rail 16 was 1/16" thicker than the attic flooring (p.220)! Page 226 explains how evidence disappears when it challenges the prosecution's case. Part Six explains the actions of the Prosecution. Evidence was fabricated (p.242, 244). Defense lawyer Reilly was crooked or crazy (p.242). The trick with the ransom note is on page 276. The study of handwriting is an art, not a science (p.277). A chisel was removed to incriminate Hauptmann (p.295)! The "expert" witnesses impressed the jury. Part Seven tells of the efforts by the Defense lawyers. How could a professional carpenter make such a ramshackle ladder (p.309)? Page 314 tells how Wilentz threatened a defense witness. Rail 16 had "only one nail hole" after the kidnapping (p.317)! The other facts to prove it didn't come from the attic are on page 319. The jury found Hauptmann guilty in the first degree (p.344). Part Eight lists the efforts to overturn the sentence. Hauptmann's lawyers argued against the unreliable testimony of witnesses. The Court of Errors and Appeals affirmed the verdict. Given the evidence, the verdict was correct. Hauptmann "collected the ransom money and was therefore the kidnapper" (p.363). Governor Hoffman was advised that the trial was flawed, and Hauptmann was not guilty (p.366). Hauptmann pointed out the flaws in the case (p.367). The Court of Pardons would not commute his sentence (p.377). The evidence against guilt is on pages 383-384. There was a problem with Rail 16; it didn't fit (p.389)! The 'Epilogue' has the aftermath of the case. Page 409 tells of Lindbergh's gullibility on the German air force; or was it his fascist sympathy?
   
   Kennedy says Hoffman "failed to win re-election as Governor in 1938" (p.408). Governors then were limited to one term of three years (as in most other states). The neighboring county is Warren, not "Warner" (p.241).



4. The author was in New York in September 1981 and saw a TV show with Anna Hauptmann; after half a century she passionately declared her husband Richard was innocent of the crime. This impressed him enough to pick this subject for his next book. Other books were on miscarriages of justice. Kennedy is against the death penalty (but for euthanasia!?). He used the recently opened case archives in Trenton for this book. The 'Introduction' tells the reader what to expect from this very readable book.
   
   Part One is a short biography of Charles Lindbergh. [It does not tell you that his Congressman father opposed the private banking cartel known as the Federal Reserve System.] Lindbergh's love of practical jokes suggests a flawed personality. Part Two tells of Richard Hauptmann. In the war he learned to do whatever it took to survive. Lawlessness increased after the war. Hauptmann burgled and robbed and was caught and sentenced. His adventures showed quick-witted daring. Hauptmann reported for work at 8 am, March 1, 1932. After work 5 pm he went home, then picked up his wife around 8 pm (p.80). Part Three explains what happened after the baby was kidnapped. Two sets of footprints were found leading from the ladder. The Lindberghs decided to stay over on Tuesday morning, so the kidnappers were either very lucky or had inside knowledge. After a ransom note arrived, $50,000 was given to a man in a Bronx cemetery. Then the body was found near the home. Part Four tells of the continuing investigation, and Hauptmann's life and friends. The Lindberghs lived as happily as possible. One of the ransom money bills led to the capture of Hauptmann.
   
   Part Five notes the methods of the investigation of Hauptmann. Kennedy explains how a witness is prepared to identify a suspect (p.176), and criticizes their methods (p.177). But Hauptmann often lied (p.178). Pages 179-182 explain how the ransom note was forged: Hauptmann was forced to copy the note with its mistakes! There is implausibility in removing a plank from the attic (p.212). The fingerprints on the ransom note and ladder did not match Hauptmann; his shoe size did not match the footprints (pp.213-4). Page 216 tells how they found an eyewitness. Rail 16 was 1/16" thicker than the attic flooring (p.220)! Page 226 explains how evidence disappears when it challenges the prosecution's case. Part Six explains the actions of the Prosecution. Evidence was fabricated (p.242, 244). Defense lawyer Reilly was crooked or crazy (p.242). The trick with the ransom note is on page 276. The study of handwriting is an art, not a science (p.277). A chisel was removed to incriminate Hauptmann (p.295)! The "expert" witnesses impressed the jury. Part Seven tells of the efforts by the Defense lawyers. How could a professional carpenter make such a ramshackle ladder (p.309)? Page 314 tells how Wilentz threatened a defense witness. Rail 16 had "only one nail hole" after the kidnapping (p.317)! The other facts to prove it didn't come from the attic are on page 319. The jury found Hauptmann guilty in the first degree (p.344). Part Eight lists the efforts to overturn the sentence. Hauptmann's lawyers argued against the unreliable testimony of witnesses. The Court of Errors and Appeals affirmed the verdict. Given the evidence, the verdict was correct. Hauptmann "collected the ransom money and was therefore the kidnapper" (p.363). Governor Hoffman was advised that the trial was flawed, and Hauptmann was not guilty (p.366). Hauptmann pointed out the flaws in the case (p.367). The Court of Pardons would not commute his sentence (p.377). The evidence against guilt is on pages 383-384. There was a problem with Rail 16; it didn't fit (p.389)! The 'Epilogue' has the aftermath of the case. Page 409 tells of Lindbergh's gullibility on the German air force; or was it his fascist sympathy?
   
   Kennedy says Hoffman "failed to win re-election as Governor in 1938" (p.408). Governors then were limited to one term of three years (as in most other states). The neighboring county is Warren, not "Warner" (p.241). One important clue in this case was the baby's pajamas; whoever had them took the baby. Where is this mentioned?



5. I have read several books about the Lindbergh kidnapping and the Trial of the Century. A friend recommended The Airman and The Carpenter: The Lindbergh Kidnapping and the Framing of Richard Hauptmann by Ludovic Kennedy. Whether or not you believe that Bruno Richard Hauptmann was guilty in the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, you can't help but be outraged over this historic trial.
   
   Kennedy starts by giving a brief look at the backgrounds of Charles Lindbergh and Richard Hauptmann, as well as the period of time leading up to the kidnapping. Months after the baby was kidnapped and the ransom paid, the baby's remains were discovered four miles from the Lindbergh home. Marked ransom bills trickled into circulation, but it wasn't until over two years later that an astute gas station attendant wrote the license plate number of a patron who paid for his gas in marked gold certificates. This led police to the illegal German immigrant, Bruno Richard Hauptmann.
   
   From the time of the arrest, the New Jersey State Police, led by Norman Schwartzkopf, Sr. latched onto Hauptmann and refused to consider any other scenario or suspect. Schwartzkopf was ill-prepared to handle such an important and high-profile case, having "never patrolled a beat or arrested a criminal." In fact, his only experience was as a floor-walker for a department store. He also refused to bring in the FBI (kidnapping was not a federal crime until after the Lindbergh kidnapping). Believing that Hauptmann was guilty but having only circumstantial evidence, the state police went to extremes to see that Hauptmann was convicted. They doctored employment records and confiscated others. They took his two ¾" chisels out of his toolbox, and then presented the toolbox in court--claiming that the chisel found at the crime scene belonged to Hauptmann. They suppressed evidence that showed that more than one person was involved, and that someone in the Lindbergh household may have provided inside information. They got two Lindbergh neighbors to lie and say they saw Lindbergh near the crime scene. They refused to allow the defense team to see Hauptmann's house or garage. This list goes on and on. And if it wasn't bad enough that the prosecution cheated and lied at every turn, his own lawyer was a big Lindbergh fan (had a photo of the aviator on his desk) and never believed in his client's innocence. The incompetent Edward J. Reilly was paid for by the Hearst Press and suffered from alcoholism and the final stages of syphilis. In four months time, he spent only 38 minutes with his client. One of Hauptmann's secondary attorneys claimed that "This is the greatest tragedy in the history of New Jersey. Time will never wash it out."
   
   The major complaint that I have with The Airman and The Carpenter is that Kennedy gives us only a very superficial examination of the aftermath of the trial. Written in 1985, he certainly could have looked much farther than he did. While I am still not convinced that Hauptmann was totally innocent, I do believe a gross miscarriage of justice was done in that Flemington, NJ courthouse.

No comments about The Giant Baby.

2 comments about Tearjerker: A Novel.

1. This was one of the funniest, yet poignant books I've read all year. A true revenge fantasy put on the page. Daniel Hayes does a brilliant job of describing the unfolding relationship between two men, one a total loser, and the other at the top of his game. Or are they? When under dog takes outlandish action and becomes top dog. the two men are thrust in to a situation that is searingly intimate. Hayes' use of dialogue and train of thought make an unbelievable situation painfully real. This is a true you'll laugh, you'll cry book. The writing is seamless, and natural, no pretention. I hope Daniel Hayes comes out with another book soon!



2. Meta- of the moment, in the moment. What you are reading is what you are writing, is what you are living, which is what is being written. On the surface, Daniel Hayes' new work, "Tearjerker" explores the revenge fantasy of an unpublished writer and a burnt-out book editor. This easily could have veered off into Stephen King's Novella "Misery" terriorty, but it does not. It delves into the depths of friendship, romance, reality, fantasy and what it is to be in the moment, and follow this closely readers - what is the moment you are in? Hayes' previous book of short stories "Kissing You" strung together short stories with themes of longing, devotion, and unchecked realities, in "Tearjerker" he does the same, but with one cohesive short novel. You will not want to put this book down until you know how it ends. And when it does end, it will leave you wondering how to feel about the characters; happy for them, or sad for them?

No comments about Xavier's Fantastic Discovery (Cabbage Patch Kids).

5 comments about Solid Gold Kid, The.

1. The book is so unusual for a kidnapping story but it is so good. I picked it up and couldn't put it down until I had completly finished it. I have read it twice since then and it just as good the second and third times. I live in Silicon Valley and go to what a lot of people would consider a school for preppies, so I know that the character of Derek Chapman is so realistic. The last part of the book was so full of the realism of the shock of surviving a kidnpping, I had to look up while I was reading it to make sure that I was still me and that I was still at home.



2. Review by Casey
   If you like realistic stories, you will love The Solid Gold Kid by Norma and Harry Mazer.
   Sixteen year old Derek Chapman, who lives in Central Park South in New York City, the son of a millionaire banker. Derek likes to take the 12:22 pm bus to the youth center in town. On one rainy, April, Saturday afternoon, Derek was at the bus stop with four other kids and they were all getting soaked. A van pulled up with a man and a woman in it and Derek asked, "Give me a ride downtown?"(p. 11) The people in the van gave them a ride. Derek and the other kids thought that the man and woman were just being nice but they were really kidnappers waiting to kidnap Derek. Will Derek and the other kids get out of this situation alive?
   I liked the realism of the story because this story could really happen. I also liked how fast the plot went. The plot kept speeding up for the majority of the story.
   I think that the story had great characters. Two of my favorite characters were Wendy and Derek. Wendy had come up with a great idea on how to get out of the fire lookout tower. They were trapped in a fire lookout tower and the trap door was tied with chains from the outside. "You'll let me down on the rope about ten or twelve feet, that's all. I don't have to go all the way to the ground. I just have to get a good swing going, swing out and then back in through the iron struts. I'll grab on to one of the struts and climb over to the stairs and untie those chains." (p.143)
   I liked Derek because he thought of everybody before himself and wanted the others to live and not get hurt. He tried to make the best out of a horrible situation. For example, when Wendy came up with the idea to escape from the fire lookout Derek said, "No it is just risky, what if the line breaks you could die." (p. 144)
   This is a very serious story. What happened in the book could happen in real life. In the story, people were shot, beaten, punched, and burned.
   The language that the author used was very easy to understand except for the times when Derek was talking to himself. For example, "Stay calm, Derek. Think. They want to kill you, but you want to live. You are going to live, you're going to live, you're going to live, you hear me, you're going to fight. Fight. Not dead till proved dead. Think. What are you going to do?" (p. 161-162). When I read the story, I thought that someone was saying that out loud.
   The book was pretty good except I didn't like the ending. During the whole story, there was alot of action that led up to the climax. After the climax, the story slowed. I think the ending wasn't necessary to the story.



3. I love stories and movies like this! The authors have a way of putting you right in those chairs, that attic, the van, right along with Derek and his friends. If you're looking for a book that you can really put yourself into, this is the one!



4. I read this book in school, I thought it would be boring because I am into Sci-Fi Books. Really I enjoyed it. Day by day my class read it and during the middle I wondered if the boy and his friends would escape safely. If you want to know you have to read it for yourselves.



5. I have now read this book at least sevent times and am working on memorizing it. I have read a lot of kidnapping stories and this one is honestly the best one out there if you're looking for one from the victim's point of view. (It even touches upon the parent's point of view a little bit near the end.)
   
   One of my favorite movies is "The Breakfast Club." If you are not sure if you want to read this book but are familiar with and like this movie, then you will enjoy "The Solid Gold Kid" just as much. In this movie, five high school age kids are thrown together for a Saturday detention class: three guys and two girls, the same as in the novel. They don't know each other at the outset but, throughout the day, come to know a lot about each other and end up actually being pretty good friends. It has been said that the kids in "The Solid Gold Kid" represent a pretty rounded representation of different social classes and circles (a rich kid, a Black guy, a Jewish girl, a middle-class white guy with glasses - whom I picture as kind of pudgy and medium height - and a strong-willed girl). The same happens in "The Breakfast Club." There are the Jock, the Criminal, the Princess, the Basket Case, and the Brain.
   
   The scene that especially solidifies this theory is the scene in the movie near the end where the students are all sitting in a semi-circle and each of them ends up taking a turn revealing their deepest secret and how it connnects them to being in detention that day. At the end of both the movie and the book, there is a certain level of commeradery, friendship, trust, and overall a genuine connection that these kids actually needed to find and wouldn't have unless they were all thrown together in this situation and had to learn to deal with it.
   
   Earlier I stated that the five characters in each of the stories are very similar. Not to make any judgements about them (especially religious or racial judgements) but based on their attitudes about the situations they are thrust into and partially just plain on how I imagine them, this is how I would pair them up across the stories. Derek = the Jock. Pam = the Princess. Jeff = the Criminal. Ed = the Brain. Wendy = the Basket Case. I don't want to influence how you read each of these characters but I just wanted to finish up my comparison of the ten characters.
   
   The two stories are even similar right down to the fact that in both there are really mean adults over them who abuse their power/authority.
   
   This truly is an excellent book. If you're still not sure you want to spend more than two hours deeply involved in a plot like this (and you WILL get deeply involved - it can't be helped), watch "The Breakfast Club" and from that you should be able to decide if you want to read "The Solid Gold Kid," right down to the quote at the very beginning(?) of the movie. Ooooh... that's one to think on...

No comments about The Street Smart Book.

5 comments about The Rules of Silence.

1. After having been disappointed in David Lindsey's last book, Animosity, I approached The Rules of Silence with at least some trepidation. Was Animosity a fluke or an indicator of a downward trend in Lindsey's writing? The answer was hard to say: on the one hand, The Rules of Silence is a far better book, but it also suffers from some of the same flaws as the earlier book.

   In this novel, Titus Cain, a wealthy software entrepreneur, is targeted for extortion by a vicious and very well-organized thug. While Cain seeks help from a mysterious anti-terrorism expert named Burden, his friends start dying. As Burden takes over, Cain is caught in the middle, manipulated by both sides: even as the extortionist makes him jump through hoops, Burden - a do-gooder willing to kill innocents if it means elimination a major terrorist - has Cain doing things that grate on the businessman's conscience.

   Interestingly, the big problem with this book is exactly the same as in Animosity: the protagonist is not a man of action but rather reaction. Cain rarely takes any initiative but merely reacts to the situation. As a reader, I want to see Cain actually do something; instead, it is Burden who is called in to save the day, and Cain is just along for the ride. In a suspense novel, we may expect the main character to try and depend on an authority figure, but we also anticipate that in the end, it'll be the hero who will succeed or fail, not his substitutes.

   The story itself is pretty exciting although there are very few plot twists. The principal villain is a nasty piece of work, and is probably the most interesting character in the whole novel. The fact that this is a generally fun and fast read goes a long way to offset its critical flaws, and overall, I'd have to rate this as a good, but not great book...a weak four stars. For fans of Lindsey, this is a mixed success, but it is generally an improvement and should encourage readers to try another of his books in the future.




2. I won't bore you with a synopsis of the book, let me just say that as someone who has read all of Lindsey's books this is one if his best. It's fast paced and is taunt. I have read very few writers who can describe places like Lindsey, you can almost smell the dank Mexico City air. If you love thrillers and enjoy great writing then you will love Lindsey and this book. Other books from David Lindsey I recommend: A Cold Mind, In the Lake of the Moon, Body of Truth, and Requiem for a Glass Heart.



3. I enjoyed this book very much. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down until the end. The basic story: Wealthy man is told that he is "kidnapped," and then told that he will lead his life normally, but if money isn't put in investments owned by the kidnappers, the protagonist's friends and family will begin to die, one by one.
   
   This is a truly frightening premise, and is well described. I was at first annoyed because the villains all seemed to be hispanic, but then I noted that one of the really good guys is a man named Garcia who lives in Mexico, who is a sort of "fixer" of these kinds of problems. I enjoyed all the characters and recommend this book for anyone that has an afternoon to kill reading a nice mystery/thriller.



4. Within the confines of its genre, this book is fantastic. It scared the daylights out of me so patiently, so quietly, that I didn't even realize I was gripping it so tightly until I became worried about library fines. We meet a character, get to know enough of him to find him okay and basically likable, and then we watch him react to his life falling apart. His heroic response wins us over. The rest of the book is not as much fast-paced as it is unrelenting, and while this isn't literature, it is an efficient use of language and scene that is admirable in any genre. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to get completely lost in a book, and find it the best of its genre so far. I hope Mr Lindsey hits the bestseller list alongside guys like Michael Connelly and Lee Childs, as both write similar mysteries that are not quite as intense or psychological as this one.



5. A real page-turner, original plot, very suspenseful. But in the end I didn't care much about Titus or Rita. And I found the baseplot of the terrorist intrigue VERY confusing. This is about my fifth David Lindsey novel and wasn't my favorite, but was very good.

2 comments about Going to Chicago.

1. Rob Levandoski's "Going to Chicago" is a must read for every avid reader of period novels and coming-of-age tales. Levandoski's prose is breezy and metaphoric, his story takes more twists and turns than US Route 20 and his research would delight a university tenure review committee!



2. "Going to Chicago" tells an unusual story set in a time and place when even the bad guys were pretty innocent. It's a "coming of age" tale about how two friends in a rural Ohio town, saddled with one bothersome little brother, set off to see the wonders of the age at the Chicago World's Fair. Through the adventures of these boys-becoming-men, the author shows the power and importance of pursuing dreams, and the meaning of friendship. Beyond that, it's a good yarn, full of unique characters--you'll love the Bonnie and Clyde wannabes who take the boys on the ride of their young lives. The book is a quick read and well worth the time and monetary investment.

No comments about Raising Safe Kids in an Unsafe World.

No comments about The Colorado Kidnapping (Sugar Creek Gang Series).