02271cam a2200361 i 4500 587982851 TxAuBib 20220722120000.0 191016s2021||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 2019032997 9781728217550 paperback $16.99 1728217555 paperback $16.99 (OCoLC)1105151295 TxAuBib rda Stout, David, 1942- The kidnap years : the astonishing true history of the forgotten kidnapping epidemic that shook Depression-era America / David Stout. Naperville, Illinois : Sourcebooks, 2021. xxvii, 435 pages, 7 unnumbered leaves of plates : illustrations ; 21 cm. txt rdacontent n rdamedia nc rdacarrier sti rdacontent rdamedia rdacarrier Includes reading group guide. Includes a conversation with the author. Includes bibliographical references (pages 412-435) and index. "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. 20220722. Kidnapping United States History 20th century. Crime United States History 20th century. True crime stories.