Norman J. Zierold (1927–2018)

Norman Zierold is also the author of Little Charley Ross, the story of what is in my opinion one of the most fascinating kidnapping cases in American history, a case for which my own website was named. It is Zierold's authorship as much as the actual story that caused me to pick up Three Sisters in Black.

I find this book has much the same sort of writing as the other: straightforward and comprehensive journalistic reporting. The Snead murder case is infinitely more complicated than Charley Ross's abduction, but Zierold, a historian, does a good job of sorting through all the media hullaballoo and conflicting testimonies and points of view. If you want to learn all about this fascinating murder, you can't go wrong with Zierold's book.

I only wish that (A) Zierold had provided footnotes, endnotes or at least a bibliography of sources and (B) he would have dared to do some of his own speculating. The case is a century old now and was sixty years old when this book was published; he could not have done any harm by voicing a few of his own opinions. Zierold probably knows more about that case than anyone living: what, in his opinion, really happened to Ocey Snead? Were her aunts crazy, crazy like a fox or something in between? I know what you know, Mr. Zierold, but what do you THINK?… (plus d'informations)

I ran into this book entirely by chance in the musty stacks of used bookstore and naturally became very excited, as my missing persons website is named after Charley. As far as I know it's the only book-length account of Charley's abduction, excepting Christian Ross's memoirs. [Update: not anymore.]

While the historian in me would have liked Zierold to footnote his sources, Little Charley Ross seems to be an accurate and unbiased book, with many details I had not previously known and a centerfold of pictures. My only wish is that Zierold could have included his own theory as to Charley's fate in the afterword. However, this is a minor quibble and the book is well worth reading without it.… (plus d'informations)