Crime Writers On...True Crime Review
547 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago - ★★★★ - 3.1K ratingsThe original true crime review podcast that looks at other podcasts, TV, and pop culture. True crime authors and real-life couple Rebecca Lavoie and Kevin Flynn hold a pop-culture round table with noir novelist Toby Ball and journalist-turned-investigator Lara Bricker. The panel chats about other podcasts (including 'Serial') as well as journalism, storytelling, TV shows and films, and the special segment, 'Crime of the Week.' Show website: crimewriterson.com. Follow the show on X @crimewriterson. Find us on Facebook facebook.com/crimewritersonpodcast. Email the show at [email protected].
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Episodes
CWO Classic: Accused
August 16, 2021 08:00 - 39 minutes - 36.9 MBWith the crime writers taking some more summer R&R, enjoy this classic rewind. Every once in a while, other podcast comes along and seems like the heir to "Serial." Few live up to the anticipation. Is it possible that the Cincinnati Enquirer's "Accused" podcast has replicated the secret sauce: a truly compelling murder mystery and the transparent, obsessive reporting which goes into the story? It sure is. Click here to get the Crime Writers On After Show, plus more exclusive content, on Pa...
Peacock's Dr. Death and No Place Like Home
August 09, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 68.4 MBIn Oz, everyone wanted to get their hands on the ruby slippers. In Grand Rapids, someone did! The C13 Originals podcast “No Place Like Home” looks at the 2005 movie memorabilia heist and the hunt for the thieves. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "NO PLACE LIKE HOME" GO TO MINUTE 27:15 A pair of Dallas surgeons are alarmed by their new colleague. Dr. Christopher Duntsch leaves a trail of maimed, paralyzed, and dead patients - while hospital administrators look the other way. The Peacock Orig...
CWO Classic: Dr. Death ☠
August 02, 2021 08:00 - 25 minutes - 23.4 MBWith the crime writers taking another week off, enjoy this rewind of a classic podcast review. From September 2018, the panel digs into the hit "Dr. Death" from Wondery. Billed as the successor to "Dirty John," reporter Laura Beil recalls the case of a doctor who performed a string of botched surgeries while the system was unable - or unwilling - to stop him. TO JUMP TO OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF DR. DEATH, FAST-FORWARD TO THE 25th MINUTE. Click here to get the Crime Writers On After Sho...
Heist & Chameleon: High Rollers
July 26, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 69 MBIn season two of Campside Media’s “Chameleon: High Rollers,” host Trevor Aaronson takes listeners inside the FBI’s ill-fated Operation Botox. The podcast promises a tale of love triangles, gun runners, exotic dancers, wrongful prosecutions, and a pair of agents having too much fun undercover in Sin City. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "CHAMELEON: HIGH ROLLERS" GO TO MINUTE 32. The Netflix series “Heist” looks at three colorful crimes perpetrated by somewhat ordinary people. Employing styl...
CWO Classic: Finding Cleo
July 19, 2021 08:00 - 38 minutes - 35.8 MBAs the team moves to its biweekly summer schedule, enjoy this rewind of a classic CWO review. In season two of CBC’s Missing and Murdered: Finding Cleo, Connie Walker searches for a Cree girl who vanished after being adopted into an American family. Will she skillfully tie the tale to the heartbreaking story of Canada's "Sixties Scoop"? What did the crime writers think of it? TO SKIP TO OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF FINDING CLEO, JUMP TO THE 34th MINUTE. Click here to get the Crime Writers ...
Murder in Illinois and Murder By the Coast
July 12, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 63.7 MBChristopher Vaughn was convicted for the 2007 killings of his wife and children in the family minivan. The iHeart podcast "Murder in Illinois" looks into whether someone else was responsible and an innocent man is in prison. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "MURDER IN ILLINOIS" GO TO MINUTE 29:00 The killing of a teen in a Spanish seaside village and the prosecution of a family friend for the slaying gripped the country. Netflix's "Murder By the Coast" describes how a subsequent crime would...
Un(re)solved and Sophie: A Murder in West Cork
July 05, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 68.1 MBIt took an act of Congress to compel the FBI to reinvestigate more than 100 civil rights-era murders. From FRONTLINE PBS comes the podcast “Un(re)solved,” a look at the attempt to close open cases of racially-motivated killings from five decades ago. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "UN(RE)SOLVED" GO TO MINUTE 28:00 In 1996, a French tourist was murdered outside her Irish vacation home. Suspicion in the death of Sophie Toscan du Plantier turned to a man already publicly involved in the inves...
Alligator Candy and Day X
June 28, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 63.7 MBWhen journalist David Kushner was four-years-old, his older brother biked off to buy him his favorite gum. In "Alligator Candy" from UCP Audio, Kushner struggles to come to terms with the loss and the thought that his request led to tragedy. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "ALLIGATOR CANDY" GO TO MINUTE 28:15 The discovery of a handgun at an airport led authorities to a German soldier posing as a Syrian refugee and the possibility right-wing extremists had infiltrated the nation’s military....
Do You Know Mordechai? And Lupin (season 2)
June 21, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 57.5 MBA stranger knocks on a woman's door and asks if she knows her ex-boyfriend, whom she learns was not who he said he was. In “Do You Know Mordechai” from UCP Audio and Antica Productions, host Kathleen Goldhar works on behalf of the bamboozled and brokenhearted to find a romantic con artist. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "DO YOU KNOW MORDECHAI" GO TO MINUTE 27:00 France’s favorite gentleman burglar is back in season two of Netflix's “Lupin.” Assane Diop employs disguises, high tech tricker...
The Vaping Fix and The Trials of Frank Carson
June 14, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 69.1 MBDefense attorney Frank Carson was a rough courtroom brawler, unafraid to accuse police and prosecutors of corruption to win cases. But the disappearance of a small-time thief led investigators to focus on Carson. Was the criminal attorney as violent as his clients...or was it a vendetta by cops and lawyers to bring down their pugnacious foe? FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE TRIALS OF FRANK CARSON" GO TO 30:00MINUTE. Two Stanford students proposed a safer way to give smokers their hit o...
Searching for Sheela and The Woman in the Window
June 07, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 60.1 MBAfter her reclaimed fame in "Wild Wild Country," former cult leader Ma Anand Sheela went on a book tour of India. Netflix's follow-up "Searching for Sheela" shows her greeted by fans and reporters, projecting an image of a woman both enlightened by her experience and unrepentant of her past. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "SEARCHING FOR SHEELA" GO TO THE 27:00 MINUTE MARK. An agoraphobic woman witnesses a crime across the street, but investigators believe the attack was a product of her me...
Exit Scam and Nail Bomber: Manhunt
May 31, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 69.8 MBThe sudden death of Gerald Cotten left Bitcoin owners in the lurch, because no one else had the password that controlled the hundreds of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency. In the “Exit Scam,” host Aaron Lammer asks did this missing Crypto-King take a fortune to his grave...or take it on the run? FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "EXIT SCAM" GO TO 35:30 A series of 1999 bombings rocked London’s Black and gay neighborhoods. Can a regular chap-turned-spy find the neo-Nazi behind the attacks?...
Philly D.A. and The Lazarus Heist
May 24, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 71.8 MBA North Korean cyber group made headlines when it hacked Sony Pictures, then stole a billion dollars from a Bangkok bank. The BBC World Service podcast “The Lazarus Heist” explains how the communist regime unleashed a gang of cybercriminals on the world. Are they in it for the thrill, for the politics, or for the money? FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE LAZARUS HEIST" GO TO 30:00 In 2017, Larry Krasner was swept into the Philadelphia DA’s Office on a platform of systemic criminal justic...
Mare of Easttown and Camp Hell: Anneewakee
May 17, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 65.7 MBIt was founded on a curriculum of hard work, discipline, and emotional counseling for out-of-control adolescents. The iHeartRadio podcast “Camp Hell: Anneewakee” explores the sordid history of the Anneewakee Treatment Center, sold to parents as a solution for their children's problems, but was actually a breeding ground for sexual abuse. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "CAMP HELL: ANNEEWAKEE" GO TO 34:51 When a young mother is murdered, a small town detective's investigation threatens to up...
In God We Lust and Pray Obey Kill
May 10, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 62.2 MBWondery’s new series, “In God We Lust,” looks at the origins of the Jerry Falwell Jr pool boy scandal. It’s a tale of a famous Evangelical couple who preached against the sins of the flesh while all along indulging in them. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "IN GOD WE LUST" GO TO 29:20 A Swedish woman says she murdered her lover's wife after getting divine text messages. HBO's "Pray Obey Kill" looks at this religion/sex/murder case as a pair of journalists search for new evidence in the crim...
Strange Arrivals season 2
May 09, 2021 19:42 - 3 minutes - 4.7 MBIn "Strange Arrivals," host Toby Ball explores the folklore and culture surrounding UFO encounters by going deep into the source material and examining the key stories at the center. Season 2 explores the Rendlesham Forest Incident—one of the most famous UFO sightings in history, sometimes described as Britain's Roswell—and features interviews from all three main witnesses, as well as retired US Military Intelligence officer Richard Doty, and X-Files creator Chris Carter. "Strange Arrivals"...
Sasquatch and John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise
May 03, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 58.5 MBA journalist investigates a 1993 murder in California’s marijuana country. Did it actually happen...and was Bigfoot the killer? We’ll talk about the Hulu true crime series “Sasquatch.” FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "SASQUATCH" GO TO 21:00 He murdered nearly three dozen teens and buried most in the crawlspace beneath his house. In “John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise” from Peacock, we hear from the killer himself, as well as those who think there's still more to the story. FOR OUR SPOILER-...
The Line and The Improvement Association
April 26, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 70.5 MBHis follow SEALS said while in Mosul, Eddie Gallagher stabbed to death a wounded, teenage ISIS prisoner, then posed with his corpse. In "The Line" host Dan Taberski brings his unique voice to a controversial tale of how the lines between duty and dishonor are blurred in Iraq’s Forever War. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE LINE" GO TO 31:35 “The Improvement Association,” from Serial Productions and The New York Times, looks into the effects of voter fraud allegations on a small community...
This Is A Robbery and West Cork
April 19, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 62.5 MBIn March 1990, two men dressed as Boston police officers entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, bound the guards, and made off with millions in fine art. Netflix’s “This Is A Robbery” takes an in-depth look at how the heist went down, the many colorful characters who could have pulled it off, and the likelihood these masterpieces will ever be recovered. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THIS IS A ROBBERY" GO TO 28:25 A woman is murdered in the west of Ireland and a local man flaunts h...
The Serpent and MANslaughter
April 12, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 69.4 MBA charming jeweler and party host traveled through Southeast Asia in the 1970s trading gems and killing tourists. Can a lone Dutch diplomat capture him? We’ll talk about the docudrama “The Serpent” from Netflix and BBC One. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE SERPENT" GO TO 29:30 In 1970, a Wisconsin lawman was shot to death in his bedroom. In Wondery's "MANslaughter," his niece explores whether the confessed shooter really pulled the trigger and whether there were other victims. FOR OUR...
The Apology Line and The Followers
April 05, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 62.5 MBIn 1980, Allan Bridge created a phone line for New Yorkers to leave messages to friends or strangers apologizing for the wrongs they’ve done. Wondery's "The Apology Line" looks at the confessional forum for both the contrite and the criminal - and its effects on its creator. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE APOLOGY LINE" GO TO 29:00 A Florida woman contacts a cold case detective with information about the cult-like church she grew up in. “The Followers: House of Prayer” from UCP Audio ...
Lost Hills and Operation Varsity Blues
March 29, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 72.4 MBAuthorities in Malibu arrest a drifter for a campsite murder and a spree of sniper shootings, but right away questions emerge whether the evidence actually points to Anthony Rauda. The podcast "Lost Hills" offers investigators, families, as well as some of Malibu’s colorful locals in an attempt to pull back the curtain on the embattled L.A. County Sheriff’s Department and the city’s sunshine façade. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "LOST CITY" GO TO 38:00 Wealthy parents whose kids could no...
Murder Among the Mormons and Suave
March 22, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 66.6 MBIn Netflix's "Murder Among the Mormons," a pair of deadly bombs in Salt Lake City appear connected to unearthed historical documents that could rock the Mormon church and make collectors rich...but only if they're authentic. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "MURDER AMONG THE MORMONS" GO TO 28:10. An NPR reporter finds a source in a prisoner serving a life sentence. Their 20+ year relationship changes when he's unexpectedly released. In "Suave" from Futuro Media, the ex-con must navigate th...
Allen v. Farrow and Evil by Design
March 15, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 80.4 MBWealthy Canadian fashion designer Peter Nygard threw lavish parties in the Bahamas that were just a pretext to lure and rape women. The CBC spent years trying to land the story of his decades of sexual assaults and intimidation in four countries. The podcast "Evil by Design" tells the stories of victims, advocates, and journalists in the Nygard case. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "EVIL BY DESIGN" GO TO 37:30 Despite Mia Farrow's claims Woody Allen molested their adopted daughter, the fi...
Stolen: The Search for Jermain and Through the Cracks
March 08, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 63.1 MBJermain Charlo left a Missoula, Montana bar, walked down an alleyway, and vanished. In Gimlet’s new podcast “Stolen: The Search for Jermain,” host Connie Walker continues her work documenting crimes against Indigenous women. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "STOLEN: THE SEARCH FOR JERMAIN" GO TO 29:00 Eight-year-old Relisha Rudd had been missing from a Washington DC family shelter more than two weeks before anyone noticed. Police would find the shelter’s janitor and his wife dead, but never...
Mommy Doomsday and The Investigation
March 01, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 57.9 MB00In Dateline NBC’s newest podcast “Mommy Doomsday,” Keith Morrison picks up where he left off with “The Thing About Pam,” applying his unique reporting style to a true crime mystery. Where are Lori Vallow’s missing children? Why have so many people around her suddenly died? And does her religious cult focused on the apocalypse have anything to do with it? FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "MOMMY DOOMSDAY" GO TO 27:00 In 2017, a Swedish journalist was last scene departing with a man in his ...
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel and the finale of I'm Not a Monster
February 22, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 73.9 MBWhen we left off with “I’m Not a Monster” from BBC Panorama and PBS Frontline, Samantha Elhassani was wanted by the FBI. In the final episodes, Josh Baker returns to Syria to fact-check her claims she was an ISIS prisoner, not an ISIS soldier. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF THE FINALE OF "I'M NOT A MONSTER" GO TO 37:30. When a Canadian tourist disappeared from her downtown LA hotel, video of her on an elevator seem to show her hiding from someone. It was a critical clue for police and a s...
Welcome to Your Fantasy & The Lady and The Dale
February 15, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 68.9 MBThey were the famous male exotic dancers that made the ladies scream. But behind the scenes the story of Chippendales is filled with drugs, backstabbing, and even murder. We'll preview the new podcast "Welcome to Your Fantasy." FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "WELCOME TO YOUR FANTASY" GO TO 34:40 In 1974 a new three-wheeled car promised to change the automotive industry. But both the car - and the high-profile businesswoman running the company - were not what they seemed. We’ll review the ...
Norco 80 and The Little Things
February 08, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 65.1 MBIn 1980, California cops found themselves outgunned at a deadly bank robbery firefight. “Norco 80” from LAist Studios revisits the heist and chase which set law enforcement down the path to the modern militarized police force. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "NORCO 80" GO TO 30:00 In the new film "The Little Things," Deputy Sheriff John Deacon returns to his old homicide squad during a string of high-profile killings. Is their case related to the unsolved murders which derailed his career a...
Chicano Squad and Netflix's Crack
February 01, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 63.2 MBRebecca returns to the host's chair in time to talk about “Chicano Squad” from Frequency Machine and the Vox Media Podcast Network. To deal with a crime spree in a Latino community that no longer trusts them, Houston police create a special unit of Spanish-speaking officers to solve its toughest cases. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "CHICANO SQUAD" GO TO 34:00 Then, the Netflix documentary “Crack: Cocaine, Corruption, and Conspiracy” shows the falling dominos from a burgeoning drug econ...
Night Stalker and Lupin
January 25, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 56.4 MBAfter Rebecca calls in sick at the last minute, Kevin is pressed into hosting duties. He, Lara, and Toby talk about Netflix's new documentary, "Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer." The series largely removes the killer from the frame, focusing instead on the crimes and those affected by the case. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "NIGHT STALKER" GO TO 28:00 A lowly janitor at the Louvre concocts a plan to steal Marie Antoinette’s necklace, but this janitor is more than he seems. In ...
Heaven's Gate and Room 2806
January 18, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 60.1 MBThe HBO Max documentary “Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults” traces the group’s founding in the 1970s through the Internet age to explain the origins of the largest mass suicide in US history. The four-part series takes a serious look at a religious group dismissed as space cadets. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "HEAVEN'S GATE: CULT OF CULTS" GO TO 30:00 When New York City police arrested Dominique Straus-Kahn for raping her in his hotel room, the story shook two continents. The Netflix seri...
I'm Not a Monster and Baby God
January 11, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 67.5 MBA foreign correspondent is pulled into the story of a Westerner whose account of joining ISIS is suspect. No, it’s not "Caliphate" - we’ll discuss “I'm Not a Monster” from BBC Panorama and Frontline PBS. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "I'M NOT A MONSTER" GO TO 37:00 Their father was a fertility doctor who used his own sperm for insemination. “Baby God” from HBO Documentaries follows some of his offspring as they come to terms with the truth of their conception and contemplate who they real...
The Ripper & Bed of Lies
January 04, 2021 09:00 - 1 hour - 65.3 MBIn this episode, Kevin begins with a thank you to the listeners. THANK YOU. We love you a lot. In 1975, West Yorkshire police discovered the body of a woman who’d been brutally murdered, the first in a series of killings that rocked Northern England. The British press could not resist the similarities between this criminal and London’s most famous killer. Netflix’s “The Ripper” explores the killing spree of Peter Sutcliff, dubbed “The Yorkshire Ripper.” FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE ...
CWO Classic: Making a Murderer
December 28, 2020 09:00 - 1 hour - 66.1 MBWhile the team enjoys the holiday vacation, here's a classic rewind of their original discussion from January 2016 of "Making a Murderer." Lara loses her mind over the ethics of Dassey's defense, Toby is skeptical but sympathetic, Rebecca goes out on a limb, and Kevin gives his wife a terrible anniversary card. Plus, the Crime of the Week! Click here to get the Crime Writers On After Show, plus more exclusive content, on Patreon.: https://patreon.com/partnersincrimemedia For exclusive po...
Forgotten: Women of Juárez and Alabama Snake
December 21, 2020 09:00 - 1 hour - 69.5 MBA string of femicides in a Mexican border town dating back to the 1990s has claimed the lives of hundreds of women. Were the women snatched by a serial killer...or by a network of people who knew they could get away with it? We review the podcast, “Forgotten: Women of Juárez.” FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "FORGOTTEN: WOMEN OF JUÁREZ," GO TO 32:00 In 1991, a woman claimed her jealous husband tried to kill her with the rattlesnakes he used in his Pentecostal church services. In the HBO M...
The Nobody Zone, The Flight Attendant, & Murder on Middle Beach's Finale
December 14, 2020 09:00 - 1 hour - 62.2 MBWith such a fantastic finale, the crime writers dig into episode four of "Murder on Middle Beach." Taken as a whole, this documentary exceeded expectations...by a lot! After being arrested in 1983 for a petty theft in London, a homeless Irishman killed his cellmate for snoring too much. When grilled by detectives, Kieran Patrick Kelly unexpectedly confessed to a series of unsolved murders. The RTÉ podcast "The Nobody Zone" separates fact from fiction. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE NO...
Murder on Middle Beach and The Undoing
December 07, 2020 09:00 - 1 hour - 66.4 MBIn 2010, Barbara Beach Hamburg was bludgeoned to death outside her Connecticut home. In HBO’s four-part “Murder on Middle Beach,” Madison Hamburg offers an intimate look at his mother's killing, his troubled family, and his own painful search for answers. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "MURDER ON MIDDLE BEACH," GO TO 36:00 Grace Fraser’s life is upended when the mother of a student at her son’s Manhattan private school is brutally murdered. Is it possible the man she married is a cold-bloo...
CWO Classic: The Jinx & The Staircase
November 30, 2020 09:00 - 47 minutes - 43.9 MBThough we took last week off for Thanksgiving, we didn't feel right about not putting anything in the feed this week. So we're offering up this classic rewind of our 2015 discussion of "The Jinx" and "The Staircase." We'll be back next week with a regular episode. Click here to get the Crime Writers On After Show, plus more exclusive content, on Patreon.: https://patreon.com/partnersincrimemedia For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewri...
Trial 4 and The Queen's Gambit - UPDATED!
November 23, 2020 12:41 - 1 hour - 107 MBAs Lara gets closer to her pet detective graduation, the panel's got some great things from Netflix to talk about. Sean Ellis won a new trial decades after being convicted of murdering a Boston policeman. What he didn’t know then was Detective John Mulligan was a dirty cop and his partners steered the investigation away from their own illegal activity. In “Trial 4,” Ellis prepares to go back to court and prove he was railroaded to close a case that would expose police corruption. FOR OUR S...
Trial 4 and The Queen's Gambit
November 23, 2020 12:41 - 1 hour - 72.1 MBAs Lara gets closer to her pet detective graduation, the panel's got some great things from Netflix to talk about. Sean Ellis won a new trial decades after being convicted of murdering a Boston policeman. What he didn’t know then was Detective John Mulligan was a dirty cop and his partners steered the investigation away from their own illegal activity. In “Trial 4,” Ellis prepares to go back to court and prove he was railroaded to close a case that would expose police corruption. FOR OUR ...
Trail 4 and The Queen's Gambit
November 23, 2020 09:00 - 1 hour - 107 MBAs Lara gets closer to her pet detective graduation, the panel's got some great things from Netflix to talk about. Sean Ellis won a new trial decades after being convicted of murdering a Boston policeman. What he didn’t know then was Detective John Mulligan was a dirty cop and his partners steered the investigation away from their own illegal activity. In “Trial 4,” Ellis prepares to go back to court and prove he was railroaded to close a case that would expose police corruption. FOR OUR S...
Dr. Death S2 and Crazy, Not Insane
November 16, 2020 09:00 - 1 hour - 64.1 MBDoctor Farid Fata was Michigan’s go-to oncologist, but clinicians who got a closer look at the medicines he was administering became suspicious. Wondery's out with season two of the hit podcast "Dr. Death." FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "DR. DEATH" GO TO 22:00 Then, from famed documentarian Alex Gibney comes “Crazy Not Insane,” a look at Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis’s career and the controversy around violent offenders with dissociative identity disorders. Is it a breakthrough or junk science?...
The Edge: Houston Astros & The Trial of the Chicago 7
November 09, 2020 09:00 - 1 hour - 65.8 MBWHAT A WEEK! Can you believe we had time to listen or watch anything? It was considered a crime against the game. When the Houston Astros went from worst-to-first, the baseball world loved the story. Then it came out they’d been stealing the other team’s pitching signs. What does it all mean? We review the new podcast, "The Edge." FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE EDGE," GO TO 32:00 In 1969 the government charged some anti-war activists with inciting a riot outside the Democratic conve...
Fiasco: Bush v. Gore and Rebecca (the Netflix movie!)
November 02, 2020 09:00 - 1 hour - 65.4 MBGuys! Lara is getting close to being a certified pet detective now that she's learned cat forensics. Can't get enough of the election? Luminary has re-released for free “Fiasco: Bush v Gore.” Leon Neyfakh brings his signature style to butterfly ballots, hanging chads, and the Brooks Brothers Riot. Was the 2000 Florida recount a political anomaly or a blueprint for future electoral triumph? FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "FIASCO" GO TO 39:00 A lady’s companion falls in love with rich wido...
Canary and The Murders at White House Farm
October 26, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 59.7 MBThe newspaper story of a woman who crusaded against her attacker's light sentence unveiled a secret about a different person in the courtroom. In “Canary” from the Washington Post, we follow a three-year effort to flesh out the long-ago accusation and its effect on those directly and indirectly involved. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "CANARY" GO TO 34:00 An English village was rocked in 1985 when a woman murdered her parents and twin sons before turning the gun on herself. Authorities are...
Tom Brown's Body and Criminal:UK
October 19, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 59.3 MBStop, what's that sound? CWO reveals its new theme music (listen for the typewriter). The 2016 disappearance of the senior class president divided a small Texas town. And when he turned up dead two years later it only added to the mystery. In the Texas Monthly podcast “Tom Brown’s Body” award winning journalist Skip Hollandsworth explores this unsolved case featuring a defensive sheriff, an offensive private eye, and a Panhandle town pointing fingers in every direction. FOR OUR SPOILER-FR...
American Murder: The Family Next Door & Chameleon
October 12, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 58.4 MBIt was a scam that tricked film crew members to fly halfway around the world for a fake movie. But what was this con job really about? We’ll talk about the new podcast, "Chameleon: The Hollywood Con Queen." FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "CHAMELEON" GO TO 24:00 Netflix’s new documentary “American Murder: The Family Next Door” is told exclusively through texts, Facebook posts, police body cams and surveillance video. What results is an inside look at Shanann Watts family’s slow roll to trag...
Two Minutes Past Nine & Motive Season 3
October 05, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 61.4 MBIt's the feel bad episode of the season! First, the Oklahoma City bombing opened America’s eyes to anti-government groups. In “Two Minutes Past Nine” from BBC Sounds, host Leah Sottile ("Bundyville") provides a primer on American extremism and draws a straight line between Timothy McVeigh and today's extremists. FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "TWO MINUTES PAST NINE," GO TO 26:00 Then, in season 3 of “Motive” from WBEZ, host Odette Yousef explores how the White Supremacist movement recru...
Who Killed CJ Davis? and Bunga Bunga
September 28, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 57.8 MBHe was a troubled teen who fell into a gang before being gunned down in an East London park. Was CJ the actual target? Are his killers taunting his family in rap videos? We’ll review “Who Killed CJ Davis?” FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "WHO KILLED CJ DAVIS?" GO TO 33:00 It's the story of a womanizing real estate developer whose unconventional political movement propelled him to the highest elected office - in Italy! We’ll talk about Wondery’s Silvio Berlusconi podcast, “Bunga Bunga.” FOR...