The Ripper and Bed of Lies

In this episode, Kevin begins with a thank you to the listeners.

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 RIPPER" GO TO 33:00

Several female advocates for left-wing British causes find love among the men who’ve come to protest beside them. At the same time their relationships deepen, their groups’ political actions are increasingly foiled. “Bed of Lies” explores how far the government will go to keep tabs on political protesters.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "BED OF LIES" GO TO 1:04:00

In Crime of the Week: bird dog.

Forgotten: Women of Juárez and Alabama Snake

A string of femicides in a Mexican border town dating back to the 1990s which has the lives of hundreds of women. Were the women snatched by a serial killer...or 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 Max documentary “Alabama Snake,” we see Glenn Summerford’s hard-knock, hard-drinking life leading up to him fashioning the serpents as weapons.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "ALABAMA SNAKE," GO TO 1:07:00

In Crime of the Week: license to ill.

The Nobody Zone, The Flight Attendant, & the Murder On Middle Beach finale

With 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 NOBODY ZONE," GO TO 35:30.

In "The Flight Attendant," hard partying Cassie Bowden wakes up next to a dead body and no memory of what happened. Can this hot-mess-turned-sleuth solve the case, elude the Feds, take down a mysterious cabal, and get her life under control? 

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT," GO TO 1:01:00

In Crime of the Week: golden ticket?

Murder on Middle Beach and The Undoing

In 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-blooded killer? We'll review HBO's six-part thriller, "The Undoing."

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE UNDOING," GO TO 1:07:00

In crime of the week: get the f*** out of here.

PLUS - Lara reveals a new podcast episode with a special cat-famous celebrity. Kevin explains how listeners can get a personal phone call from one of the crime writers.

Trial 4 and The Queen's Gambit

As 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 SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "TRIAL 4," GO TO 39:00

In "The Queen's Gambit," an orphan learns chess from the custodian and quickly climbs the ranks in a sport dominated by men. Beth Harmon focuses on beating the Cold War Soviet grandmasters, but the cocktail of pills and alcohol that fuel her strategic vision threaten to take over her life.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT," GO TO 1:12:00

In crime of the week: lakeside getaway. 

Dr Death S2 and Crazy, Not Insane

Doctor 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 23:00

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?

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "CRAZY, NOT INSANE" GO TO 1:01

In Crime of the Week: Crap Full of Nuts.

The Edge: Houston Astros & The Trial of the Chicago 7

WHAT 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 convention. Some of the so-called Chicago 7 sought to use the trial to make a statement about Vietnam, but only one appreciated their roles in the riots and the legal jeopardy they face. We discuss the movie "The Trial of the Chicago 7" from Netflix.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7," GO TO 1:03:00

In Crime of the Week: excuse note.

Fiasco: Bush v. Gore and Rebecca (the Netflix movie!)

Guys! 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 widower Max de Winter. The new bride is whisked to his country estate, but the specter of her husband’s late wife covers all. We'll give our review of the Netflix remake of "Rebecca."

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "REBECCA" GO TO 1:05:00

In Crime of the Week: got a sinking feeling.

Canary and The Murders at White House Farm

The 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 eager to close the case as a murder-suicide, but something about the findings inside the isolated farm house doesn’t sit right. We'll discuss "The Murders at White House Farm" from HBO Max and ITV.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE MURDERS AT WHITE HOUSE FARM" GO TO 1:00:00

In Crime of the Week: milk shake.

Tom Brown's Body and Criminal:UK

Stop, 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-FREE REVIEW OF "TOM BROWN'S BODY" GO TO 35:00

Netflix’s “Criminal:UK” returns for a second season. Scotland Yard detectives conduct interrogations while their colleagues watch from a high-tech room on the other side of a two-way-mirror. This season's theme is misuse of the law, from investigators skirting a suspect’s rights, to a misguided vigilante, and an accusation made against a smarmy businessman played by Kit Harrington.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "CRIMINAL: UK" GO TO 57:30

In Crime of the Week: Big Bang!

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American Murder: The Family Next Door & Chameleon

It 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 tragedy that is compelling, voyeuristic, and indisputably unique. 

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "AMERICAN MURDER" GO TO 56:00

In Crime of the Week: shark bit.

VIEW THIS PODCAST EPISODE ON FACEBOOK WATCH! 

Two Minutes Past Nine & Motive Season 3

It'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 recruited a new generation of followers by co-opting the style of the punk rock subculture known as “skinheads.”

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "MOTIVE," GO TO 1:01:00

In Crime of the Week: sugar loaf. 

Who Killed CJ Davis? and Bunga Bunga

He 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 OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "BUNGA BUNGA" GO TO 56:00

In Crime of the Week: pass(word) interference. 

IT'S TRUE CRIME WEEK ON STITCHER. CHECK OUT THEIR COLLECTION OF THE BEST IN TRUE CRIME.

VIEW THIS PODCAST EPISODE ON FACEBOOK WATCH! 

Class Action Park & Smoke Screen: Fake Priest

His parishioners didn't learn Father Ryan Scott wasn't a priest until he'd already made off with their money. The crime writers share their thoughts on "Smoke Screen: Fake Priest."

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "SMOKE SCREEN: FAKE PRIEST," GO TO MINUTE 24:00

Then HBO Max's "Class Action Park" plays for laughs with its look back at a NJ water park with rides so ridiculously hazardous that no insurance company would cover it. Then things take a hard turn when we hear from the family one of the many guests who died there.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "CLASS ACTION PARK," GO TO MINUTE 54:30

In Crime of the Week: kids these days!

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The Vow & Unfinished: Deep South

Lara announces she's combining her love of cats and investigative skills into a new career. Who knew you could?

Was the 1954 lynching of prominent Black businessman Isadore Banks solely an act of racism, or was there also a financial motive? We're discussing "Unfinished: Deep South” from Witness Docs.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "UNFINISHED" GO TO MINUTE 29:00

Then the panel gets a real-time inside look at the multilevel marketing/sex cult NXIVM with the people who were there. We’re talking about the HBO documentary: "The Vow."

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE VOW" GOT TO MINUTE 1:03:00

In Crime of the Week: divine intervention.

VIEW THIS PODCAST ON FACEBOOK WATCH! 

BONUS: One on One with Madeleine Baran

In this bonus episode of Crime Writers On, here is Rebecca's exclusive interview with Madeleine Baran, host of "In The Dark," with her reactions to news the state has dropped charges against Curtis Flowers.

Additional resources:

APM Reports: It's Over: Charges against Curtis Flowers are dropped 

• New York Times: After 6 Murder Trials and Nearly 24 Years, Charges Dropped Against Curtis Flowers 

• Motion to Dismiss 

• SCOTUS decision 

• Transcript of SCOTUS oral arguments 

The Sneak and Morally Indefensible

Kevin kicks off the discussion with some excellent medical news.

In season two of "The Sneak: The Murders at Whiskey Creek," Jack Murphy was a champion surfer who captured headlines in 1964 as a cool jewel thief for stealing the world’s largest sapphire from a New York museum. But was the charming thief known as "Murph the Surf" more violent than his legacy portrays? 

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE SNEAK," GO TO MINUTE 33:00

The relationship between a murderer and a journalist resulted in Fatal Vision, one of the most famous true crime books. But to what lengths was the author willing to go to get the story? We’ll review “Morally Indefensible.”

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "MORALLY INDEFENSIBLE," GO TO MINUTE 1:04:00

In Crime of the Week: blocked up nose.

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Relative Unknown and Fear City

With Kevin taking a sick day, the rest of the panel gets to hear about Lara's new profession: pet detective. Plus, Toby's killer cat Little Foot is at it again.

In the podcast “Relative Unknown," host Jackee Taylor learns the man at the center of a double murder/homicide was actually her father, a former Hells Angel who took his family into Witness Protection and later disappeared from her life. 

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "RELATIVE UNKNOWN" GO TO MINUTE 23:00

In the 70s and 80s, the FBI was unable to make headway against the New York City mafia, until they used a new law to target the entire organization. Netflix's "Fear City" recounts the investigation that required bugging the city’s biggest mobsters and the case that took down the Five Families.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "FEAR CITY" GO TO MINUTE 46:00

In Crime of the Week: elephant strain.

Nice White Parents and The Orange Tree

Leading off...“The Orange Tree” revisits a crime which resonates with college students in Austin years later. What makes "The Orange Tree" different is the seven-part series is not the work of a major publishing house. It’s written and produced by students at the University of Texas.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE ORANGE TREE," GO TO 35:00

Then, from Serial Productions comes “Nice White Parents.” Host Chana Joffe-Walt looks at one Brooklyn majority-minority school where a new batch of white parents believe they are increasing opportunities for all, but are actually committing a kind of educational gentrification.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "NICE WHITE PARENTS," GO TO 1:07:00

In crime of the week: ham on the run.

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Guru and Heavy Medals

They thought they were on a vision quest retreat with a leading self-help teacher. In the end, three were killed in a make-shift sweat lodge. We learn what happened in Wondry’s new hit, “Guru.”

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "GURU" GO TO 34:00

The new 30 for 30 podcast “Heavy Medals” looks at the story of Bela and Martha Karolyi, who made champions through motivation, manipulation, and masochism. The famed coaches elevated American women’s gymnastics, then created the situation which has nearly destroyed it.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "HEAVY MEDALS" GO TO 1:06:00

In crime of the week: beware of the dark side.

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