The kidnap years : the astonishing true history of the forgotten kidnapping epidemic that shook Depression-era America Cover Image

Book

The kidnap years : the astonishing true history of the forgotten kidnapping epidemic that shook Depression-era America / David Stout.

Stout, David, 1942- (author.).

Record details

ISBN: 1492694797 : HRD
ISBN: 9781492694793 : HRD
ISBN: 9781492694793
ISBN: 1492694797
Physical Description: pages cm
Publisher: Naperville, Illinois : Sourcebooks, [2020]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Summary, etc.:

"The Great Depression was a time of incomparable financial desperation in America. Thugs with submachine guns and square-jawed G-men have long dominated the vernacular images of fear, lawlessness, and corruption set against the decimating poverty of that decade. But little known-until now-are the many serial dramas that played out in homes and hideouts, courtrooms and cold cases across the country. In a time of panic, legal lethargy, corruption, and incompetence, there was one sure-fire means to make money, one that was seized upon by both criminals and resourceful civilians. Best of all, one likely to go unpunished: kidnapping. Gritty, visceral, and thoughtfully reported, The Kidnap Years chronicles a forgotten time in America's history when the economic hardships of the Great Depression and the low legal risk of kidnapping led to a sweep of abductions that afflicted all corners of the country"-- Provided by publisher.