Stolen and Through the Cracks

Jermain 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 located the child. In WAMU’s “Through the Cracks,” host Jonquilyn Hill explores how the system let the family down every step of the way.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THROUGH THE CRACKS" GO TO 1:03:00

In Crime of the Week: caught orange handed.

Mommy Doomsday and The Investigation

In 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 homemade submarine. When the sub is scuttled and the man says he buried her at sea after an accident, police take on the impossible task of scouring the ocean to disprove the alibi. The six-part Danish-language series “The Investigation,” now on HBO, is a dramatic take on one of Scandinavia’s most bizarre crimes.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE INVESTIGATION" GO TO 56:00

In Crime of the Week: free flow of commerce. 

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel & the finale of I'm Not a Monster

When 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 source of wild speculation among online crime fans. Netflix's "Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel" explores the dark history of this Skid Row tourist trap.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "CRIME SCENE: THE VANISHING AT THE CECIL HOTEL," GO TO 1:11:30

In Crime of the Week: ☹.

A portion of this episode was recorded as part of a podcast-a-thon fundraiser for The Charley Project. Click here to donate to the cause.

Welcome to Your Fantasy & The Lady and The Dale

They 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 34:30

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 HBO documentary “The Lady and The Dale.”

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE LADY AND THE DALE" GO TO 1:08:00

In Crime of the Week: no bones about it.

Norco 80 and The Little Things

In 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 and marriage? That’s when a peculiar repairman with an unusual fascination with local crime captures their attention.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE LITTLE THINGS" GO TO 1:03:00

In crime of the week: dolled up.

Chicano Squad and Netflix's Crack

Rebecca 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 economy and its unchecked violence, to the societal backlash and a political movement whose legislation disproportionately affected communities of color.

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

In crime of the week: half a roof is better than none.

Night Stalker and Lupin

After 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 Netflix’s surprise French-language hit “Lupin” we follow a gentleman thief, seeking revenge, who styles himself after a famous book character.

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

In crime of the week: here's Johnny!

Heaven's Gate and Room 2806

The 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 series “Room 2806: The Accusation” looks at what happens when one of the world’s most powerful men must defend himself from a working-class woman of color.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "ROOM 2806: THE ACCUSATION" GO TO 58:00

In crime of the week: walk the walk.

I'm Not a Monster and HBO's Baby God

A 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 really are.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "BABY GOD" GO TO 1:06:00

In crime of the week: track meat.

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!

WATCH THIS EPISODE AS A VIDEOCAST ON FACEBOOK WATCH!

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!