Cemetary John by Robert Zorn

On March 1st, 1932, the infant son of Charles Lindbergh, was kidnapped from his home in New Jersey. Left behind on the window sill was an envelope which contained a ransom note for $50,000 for Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr.’s safe return. Charles and his wife Anne were devastated.

Two months later, the remains of the infant would be found and confirmed to be the young Lindbergh. He was not quite two years old.

While a man Bruno Richard Hauptmann was tried and found guilty for the crime and in April of 1936 he was electrocuted for the crime, all the while stating he was innocent, right to the very end. The crime still remains to this day unsolved as evidence shows there is no way that Hauptmann could have acted alone… in fact some say he was not involved at all…

In Little Falls Minnesota there is a Charles Lindbergh Museum and State Park, about 30 miles from my home. With his Minnesota connections you think I would be on top of this subject and the controversial story around the kidnapping of his son, but sadly until now, I was pretty much unenlightened.

Cemetery John gives great insight to Charles Lindbergh life. You learn all about his famous flight, his meeting and eventual marriage to his wife Anne, and of course all about the Lindbergh household, the family friends, and baby Charles.

The story is well written and interesting. I always knew there was controversy around the kidnapping, but until the reading of this book, I was not sure of the details surrounding this controversy. This is the type of book that makes me want to know more.

Recommended for fans of historical reads.