Book Log 2012 #14: We Is Got Him by Carrie Hagen

In 1874, a young boy is taken from his front yard by a pair of men (his brother is also taken, but is released shortly afterward). Shortly thereafter the father receives a ransom note, and thus begins what is believed to be the first kidnapping for ransom in US history. The search for the boy, Charley Ross, would play out in the press and gain nationwide attention.

At the same time, the city of Philadelphia (where the kidnapping occurred) is preparing to host the US centennial celebration. The men in charge - powerful, rich, connected - are concerned that the Ross case will hurt their fundraising efforts and impact attendance, and exert pressure on the mayor to either get the case wrapped up or buried as quickly as possible.

If this set-up sounds kind of familiar, it's because it follows the Devil in the White City template that Erik Larson set up so successfully. Even better, the two story lines in this case are actually related, avoiding the problem that some post-Devil books had in tying the two story lines together.

The result, for me at least, was kind of uneven. I felt that the centennial planners never quite came to the fore enough. I suppose that's fitting, as their exercise of power was mostly in the background, but more detail about these men, even if not related to the actual events in the book, would have helped flesh that group out. I also tended to think that the transition of the story from Philadelphia to New York was muddled, as it was less clear to me what characters knew what information at that point.

I don't know if I necessarily enjoyed the book, but I did find it an engaging look at the period and location, and of how ill-suited law enforcement was at the time to deal with anything like this, even when the crime was committed by men who were not exactly masterminds. Worth a read, certainly.