Peacock's Dr. Death and No Place Like Home

In 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 Originals’ adaptation of “Dr. Death” is the medical-procedural soap-opera buddy-movie think-piece courtroom-drama of the summer. 

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "DR. DEATH" GO TO MINUTE 1:06:20

In Crime of the Week: pissed off.

Heist and Chameleon: High Rollers

In 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 stylized re-creations and interviews with the amateur perpetrators, it explores the thrill, the dangers, and the fun behind each caper. 

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "HEIST" GO TO MINUTE 72.

In Crime of the Week: hell on wheels. 

Murder in Illinois and Murder By the Coast

Christopher 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 rock two nations. 

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "MURDER BY THE COAST" GO TO MINUTE 58:00

In crime of the week: dog fight.

Un(re)solved and Sophie: A Murder in West Cork

It 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 investigation. Netflix’s three-part series “Sophie: A Murder in West Cork” revisits Ireland’s most infamous homicide.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "WEST CORK" GO TO MINUTE 1

In crime of the week: nacho average customer.

Alligator Candy and Day X

When 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. The New York Times podcast “Day X” looks at the rise of German extremists, the political figures they were targeting, and their crimes hidden in plain sight.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "DAY X" GO TO MINUTE 1:04:00

In Crime of the Week: Do not pass Go. 

Do You Know Mordechai? And Lupin (season 2)

A 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 trickery, and pure brawn to get his revenge on the man who framed his father.

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

In Crime of the Week: how the cookie crumbles. 

The Vaping Fix and The Trials of Frank Carson

Defense 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 30:00

Two Stanford students proposed a safer way to give smokers their hit of nicotine without the harmful carcinogens of cigarettes: a product that would eventually be called “Juul.” But a series of design flaws, marketing missteps, and a failure to anticipate unintended consequences only made the problem worse.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE VAPING FIX" GO TO 1:07:00

In crime of the week: and I've been working like a dog.

Searching for Sheela and The Woman in the Window

After 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 medicated imagination. Amy Adams and Gary Oldman star in the thriller "The Woman in the Window."

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW" GO TO THE 1:03:00 MINUTE MARK.

In Crime of the Week: moooving violation. 

Exit Scam and Nail Bomber: Manhunt

The 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? We’ll talk about Netflix’s “Nail Bomber: Manhunt.”

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "NAIL BOMBER: MANHUNT" GO TO 1:08:00

In crime of the week: I want my mullet back.

Philly D.A. and The Lazarus Heist

A 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 justice reform. The PBS series "Philly D.A." provides an inside look at a man struggling to fix the system from the inside and those resistant to that change.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "PHILLY D.A." GO TO 1:11:00

In Crime of the Week: what's the buzz?

Mare of Easttown and Camp Hell: Anneewakee

It 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 upend her tiny community - and destroy her career and personal life. Starring Kate Winslet, HBO’s “Mare of Easttown” explores the dark side of a close community and examines how family and past tragedies can define our present.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "MARE OF EASTTOWN" GO TO 1:06:09

In Crime of the Week: 2 - 1 = 0.

In God We Lust and Pray Obey Kill

Wondery’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 crime.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "PRAY OBEY KILL" GO TO 1:01

In Crime of the Week: hard knocks.

Sasquatch and John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise

A 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-FREE REVIEW OF "JOHN WAYNE GACY: DEVIL IN DISGUISE" GO TO 56:30

In Crime of the Week: turtle waxed!

The Line and The Improvement Association

His 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...even when there is none. Host Zoe Chace shows it doesn’t take lies about nationwide misconduct to destabilize the institution - that simple mistrust of a neighbor can do the same thing.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION" GO TO 1:06:30

In Crime of the Week: I do, I do, I do, I do.

This Is A Robbery and West Cork

In 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 27:25

A woman is murdered in the west of Ireland and a local man flaunts his role as the lead suspect. Audible has finally released its 2018 true crime classic "West Cork" from behind the paywall, making it available on major podcast platforms for the first time. 

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "WEST CORK" GO TO 1:02:00

In Crime of the Week: rabbit's afoot. 

The Serpent and MANslaughter

A 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 SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "MANslaughter" GO TO 1:05:30

In Crime of the Week: love canal.

The Apology Line and The Followers: House of Prayer

In 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 tells the story of "Mother Anna" Young accused of abuse, neglect, and death nearly four decades ago.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE FOLLOWERS: HOUSE OF PRAYER" GO TO 1:02:00

In crime of the week: his goose is cooked. 

Lost Hills and Operation Varsity Blues

Authorities 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 not get into the elite school of their choice turned to Rick Singer. For the right price, he could get them admitted as fake collegiate athletes to low-profile sports programs at high-prestige universities. Netflix's “Operation Varsity Blues” is part-true crime documentary/part-dramatic re-creation, shining a light on the college admissions scandal.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "OPERATION VARSITY BLUES" GO TO 1:10:00

Murder Among the Mormons and Suave

In 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 the challenges of being on parole while the journalist must confront her own objectivity when her subject becomes her close friend.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SUAVE" GO TO 1:03:00

In Crime of the Week: fishy alias. 

Allen v. Farrow and Evil by Design

Wealthy 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 37:15

Despite Mia Farrow's claims Woody Allen molested their adopted daughter, the filmmaker spun a narrative about false accusations that preserved his career. HBO's "Allen v. Farrow" provides in-depth interviews, court documents, and other uncovered evidence to refute that narrative and generate a re-examination of this celebrity scandal. 

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "ALLEN V FARROW" GO TO 1:19:00

In Crime of the Week: hard feelings.

Note: we'll be discussing two stories about sexual abuse, but we will not be describing the assaults.