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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
I'm a Minnesota transplant who was unfamiliar with this story, until recently watching All The President's Men which mentions the kidnapping. A bit of googling brought me to this book, which my library happened to have.
Frustrating the case was never solved.
Frustrating the case was never solved.
This is a retelling of the true story of Virginia Piper's kidnapping in 1972. She was taken from her house in Orono, and she was found alive in Jay Cooke State Park a couple days later, after her husband paid a million dollar ransom. The kidnapping and her recovery were the most compelling bits of the book. The trial was interesting, but what the book really lacked was more detail in regard to the aftermath. There were little bits of how their life was afterward, but I had wanted a bit more info. It was an interesting and engaging story, but I had wanted the latter part to move along a bit faster.
medium-paced
This was quite a page-turner! The original events were before my time, so I didn't know how the story would end. I was surprised by how interesting the investigation and trials were, even after the kidnapping situation was over. It's amazing to think of all the ways that this story would be different now, 40 years later, with modern technology. Actually, it's kind of shocking that any crimes got solved back then at all, without GPS trackers and tiny microphones and DNA analysis.
I might have liked a little more context and investigation from the author into the FBI's case, since it seemed like there were some irregularities, especially with the fingerprint analysis. I'd be interested to know how much pressure there is on law enforcement to arrest SOMEBODY as the statute of limitations approaches, and how or whether that pressure has changed since then.
So, 5 stars for story and readability, minus one star because I was wishing for a deeper analytical dive on context. Overall a very good book.
I might have liked a little more context and investigation from the author into the FBI's case, since it seemed like there were some irregularities, especially with the fingerprint analysis. I'd be interested to know how much pressure there is on law enforcement to arrest SOMEBODY as the statute of limitations approaches, and how or whether that pressure has changed since then.
So, 5 stars for story and readability, minus one star because I was wishing for a deeper analytical dive on context. Overall a very good book.
This is the journalistic, well-researched account of the kidnapping of Virginia Piper (of the Minneapolis Piper Jaffrey firm clan) in 1972 and the long efforts (unrealized) to bring the kidnappers to justice. Sometimes it feels like a bit too much detail but I liked how it included looking at the individual people involved and how they were affected. Lots of Minneapolis and Twin Cities trivia and also weaves in details of the period, like the Patty Hearst kidnapping. The crime is not horrific although it was certainly a bad thing. The lack of horror makes it an easier read. The million dollars might still be out there.
I came across this book from reading one of the Clark Rockefeller books, the author was friends with Harry Piper who is Virginia's daughter. Harry planned to write a book like this but his goal was to solve the crime. When he realized he wasn't going to solve the crime he decided he wasn't interested in telling the story and left it to others but he shared his research with the author of this book.
I came across this book from reading one of the Clark Rockefeller books, the author was friends with Harry Piper who is Virginia's daughter. Harry planned to write a book like this but his goal was to solve the crime. When he realized he wasn't going to solve the crime he decided he wasn't interested in telling the story and left it to others but he shared his research with the author of this book.
This is the true story of the kidnapping of Virginia Piper. Mrs. Piper, the wife of the head of the Minneapolis MN Piper Jaffray Hopwood investment firm was kidnapped from their home on Lake Minnetonka in the summer of 1972. The kidnappers demanded a one million dollar ransom, which was a US record at the time. 1972 was the year I graduated from the University of Minnesota (in Minneapolis), which added a great deal of interest for me. The abduction was nationwide news and of course got a great deal of press coverage in Minnesota. I am familiar with Lake Minnetonka, a popular lake midst wealthy suburbs, and I recognized many of the roads and towns mentioned during the description of the kidnappers flight with Mrs. Piper as well as the convoluted trip the kidnappers set her husband on to deliver the ransom money. William Swanson's description of the abduction and the ensuing events does a great job recreating the tense couple of days that Virginia Piper endured after she was abducted to a northern Minnesota state park, held in the woods chained to a tree waiting for rescue.
The actual abduction and release of Virginia Piper is only the beginning of the story. The book does a great job describing the hunt for the kidnappers, the ultimate arrest of two suspects a number of years later, and the judicial process that followed. And it also does a great describing the lasting emotional toll the abduction had on Virginia and her family.
This book will appeal to fans of true crime stories, but I think even crime fiction fans will like it.
The actual abduction and release of Virginia Piper is only the beginning of the story. The book does a great job describing the hunt for the kidnappers, the ultimate arrest of two suspects a number of years later, and the judicial process that followed. And it also does a great describing the lasting emotional toll the abduction had on Virginia and her family.
This book will appeal to fans of true crime stories, but I think even crime fiction fans will like it.