The case that never dies - Lloyd C. Gardner

The Case That NeverDies
places the Lindbergh kidnapping, investigation, and trial in the
context of the Depression, when many feared the country was on the edge
of anarchy. Gardner delves deeply into the aspects of the case that
remain confusing to this day, including Lindbergh's dealings with crime
baron Owney Madden, Al Capone's New York counterpart, as well as the
inexplicable exploits of John Condon, a retired schoolteacher who became
the prosecution's best witness. The initial investigation was hampered
by Colonel Lindbergh, who insisted that the police not attempt to find
the perpetrator because he feared the investigation would endanger his
son's life. He relented only when the child was found dead.

After
two years of fruitless searching, Bruno Richard Hauptmann, a German
immigrant, was discovered to have some of the ransom money in his
possession. Hauptmann was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death.
Throughout the book, Gardner pays special attention to the evidence of
the case and how it was used and misused in the trial. Whether Hauptmann
was guilty or not, Gardner concludes that there was insufficient
evidence to convict him of first-degree murder.

Set
in historical context, the book offers not only a compelling read, but a
powerful vantage point from which to observe the United States in the
1930s as well as contemporary arguments over capital punishment.