Crime of the century

by Ludovic Henry Coverley Kennedy

The kidnapping and murder of airman Charles "Lucky Lindy" Lindbergh's infant son stunned the nation in 1932. Bruno Richard Hauptmann, an illegal alien from Germany with a criminal record, was tried, convicted, and executed for what came to be known as "the crime of the century." Ludovic Kennedy's detailed account of the investigation and trial reveals a shocking array of perjury, cover-up, manufactured evidence, and inept legal work, pushed through in a lynch-mob atmosphere. His compelling book leaves readers with grave doubts about the American criminal justice system and little doubt as to the wrongful conviction of Hauptmann.