This book would never have taken flight without the dedication and generosity of so many librarians, archivists, and historians who answered questions, combed through documents, and dug out photographs. I need to thank several of them in particular: Matthew Schaefer, head archivist at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch, Iowa; Dennis Northcutt, associate archivist at the Missouri History Museum Library and Research Center; the entire staff of the Yale University Library, who oversee the Charles Augustus Lindbergh Papers housed there; the archival staff at the National Air and Space Museum, especially Elizabeth Borja; and the reference librarians at the Minnesota Historical Society. I am particularly grateful to Mark W. Falzini, author, Lindbergh kidnapping expert, and archivist in charge of the largest collection of documents pertaining to the case, housed at the New Jersey State Museum, for opening my eyes to the complexities of the case, as well as for fact-checking the manuscript. I also owe a huge debt to Susan A. Brewer, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point and author of Why America Fights: Patriotism and War Propaganda from the Philippines to Iraq. Not only did she read and comment on the completed manuscript, she emailed and called to discuss those Gordian knots in history and find solutions for its telling, not because she had to, but because she cared.

Friends, too, have made a vast contribution to this book. What would I have done without Katrin Tiernan, who sacrificed her summer days (and at times, her sanity) to translate the German text of Das Doppelleben des Charles A. Lindbergh into English? Thanks, too, to the talented and insightful women of my writers group—Penny Blubaugh, Stephanie Hemphill, and Barbara Rosenstock—for their sharp eyes and smart comments.

For the writing—the actual crafting of this story—I need to thank first and foremost my editor, Anne Schwartz. As always, she pushed me to make the story better with her piercing questions and brilliant suggestions. In Anne, I have found not simply an editor but a writing coach, a sounding board, and a good friend. I would be remiss not to thank designers Rachael Cole and Stephanie Moss for once again creating a gorgeous book; Anne-Marie Varga, editorial assistant at Schwartz & Wade for fielding my many requests; copy editors Barbara Perris, Alison Kolani, and Colleen Fellingham for their close and careful read; Adrienne Waintraub and Lisa Nadel for their unwavering support of my books; Ethan Ellenberg, my literary agent, for his always-wise counsel; and last, but never least, my shoulder to lean on, provider of diagrams, maps, and takeout, Eric Rohmann.