Episodes

  • 430: The Thames Torso Murders Revisited w/ Suzanne Huntington

    430: The Thames Torso Murders Revisited w/ Suzanne Huntington
    Mar 20 2026
    My guest this week is Suzanne Huntington, co editor of Ripperologist Magazine and author of the recently published book "The Thames Torso Murders: Fact or Fiction?" She not only talks about the “Canonical Four” Thames Torso murders and the possible killer (or killers), but she also takes a wider look at Victorian era dismemberment cases in and around London, the challenge of separating fact from long repeated myth, and the ways these crimes have been linked (rightly or wrongly) to the Whitechapel murders and Jack the Ripper. It is a fascinating deep dive into one of the most unsettling murder series of the late 19th century. The author's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/p/The-Thames-Torso-Murders-Fact-or-Fiction-61565822546574/ The author's US Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Suzanne-Huntington/author/B0GHT5B8TK The author's UK Amazon page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Suzanne-Huntington/author/B0GHT5B8TK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 38 mins
  • 429: The Last Outlaws of the Old West w/ Tom Clavin

    429: The Last Outlaws of the Old West w/ Tom Clavin
    Mar 13 2026
    New York Times bestselling author Tom Clavin returns to the podcast to discuss his books "The Last Outlaws: The Desperate Final Days of the Dalton Gang" and "Bandit Heaven: The Hole-in-the-Wall Gangs and the Final Chapter of the Wild West". We talk about the Dalton Gang, the Wild Bunch, and the violent final years of frontier outlawry as the legendary era of the Old West drew to a close. The author's website: https://www.tomclavin.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • 428: The Shipwreck of the San José & the Quest to Find Its Treasure w/ Julian Sancton

    428: The Shipwreck of the San José & the Quest to Find Its Treasure w/ Julian Sancton
    Mar 5 2026
    In 1708, during the War of the Spanish Succession, the Spanish galleon San José sailed from South America carrying a vast cargo of gold and silver bound for Spain. Off the coast of present-day Colombia, British ships of war intercepted the galleon in a fierce naval clash. During the battle, the San José exploded and sank, taking its enormous treasure to the bottom of the Caribbean. My guest this week is Julian Sancton, author of Neptune’s Fortune: The Billion-Dollar Shipwreck and the Ghosts of the Spanish Empire. He discusses the circumstances that led to the sinking of the San José and enigmatic Cuban archaeologist Roger Dooley’s determined quest to locate the wreck deep beneath the sea. Follow Julian Sancton:Twitter/X: https://x.com/jsanctonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jsancton/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julian.sancton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • MoNo Encore: The Mysterious Death of Fritzie Mann w/ James Stewart

    MoNo Encore: The Mysterious Death of Fritzie Mann w/ James Stewart
    Feb 28 2026
    (Orig. Pub Date: 11/10/21) In January of 1923, a 20-year-old dancer named Fritzie Mann left home to meet a mysterious man for what she told her mother was a house party. When she was discovered dead on a remote beach a few miles north of San Diego, police were puzzled by the clues. Was it an accident, suicide, or murder? The fact that she was pregnant deepened the mystery even further. Soon two men – a Hollywood actor and a doctor – became the primary suspects in the case, and one would eventually be put on trial for murder. My guest is James Stewart, author of “Mystery at the Blue Sea Cottage: A True Story of Murder in San Diego’s Jazz Age”. He shares details about strange death of Fritzie Mann, considered by some to be San Diego’s very own Black Dahlia, and offers intriguing theories on what might really have happened to her. More information can be found at the author’s website here: https://www.jamesstewartauthor.com/ and at his publisher’s author page: https://wildbluepress.com/mystery-at-the-blue-sea-cottage-james-stewart-true-crime/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • 427: The 1949 Exorcism That Inspired "The Exorcist" w/ Troy Taylor

    427: The 1949 Exorcism That Inspired "The Exorcist" w/ Troy Taylor
    Feb 24 2026
    In 1949, a quiet neighborhood in St. Louis became the center of one of the most controversial religious cases in American history. A 13-year-old boy began exhibiting disturbing symptoms including violent outbursts, strange markings on his body, and other troubling episodes, leading Catholic priests to perform a series of secret exorcism rites. The case would later inspire The Exorcist, but the real story was far more complex than the film. My guest is Troy Taylor, author of The Devil Came to St. Louis: The Uncensored True Story of the 1949 Exorcism, who takes a careful look at the case, its origins, and how fact, faith, and folklore became intertwined in one of America’s most enduring mysteries. The author's website: https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/ Become a Most Notorious Patron here! https://www.patreon.com/c/mostnotorious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 16 mins
  • American Criminal: Machine Gun Kelly

    American Criminal: Machine Gun Kelly
    Feb 21 2026
    Growing up in Memphis, George Kelly Barnes starts dabbling in crime from a young age. First he blackmails his father, then he grows a successful bootlegging business for himself. But how did this small-time crook earn one of the most famous names in criminal history? And why don't we talk about his most famous crime? To listen to all four episodes of 'Machine Gun Kelly' right now and ad-free, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AmericanCriminal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    41 mins
  • 426: Elizabeth Báthory: The World's Worst Female Serial Killer? w/ Shelley Puhak

    426: Elizabeth Báthory: The World's Worst Female Serial Killer? w/ Shelley Puhak
    Feb 18 2026
    Told and retold in many languages, the legend of the Blood Countess has consumed cultural imaginations around the world. But despite claims that Elizabeth Báthory tortured and killed as many as 650 girls, some have wondered if the Countess was herself a victim- of one of the most successful disinformation campaigns known to history. So, was Elizabeth Báthory a monster, a victim, or a bit of both? My guest is Shelley Puhak, author of the new book "The Blood Countess: Murder, Betrayal, and the Making of a Monster". She helps us separate fact from fiction as she reexamines the life of Elizabeth Báthory, long labeled one of history’s most notorious killers, and unpacks a complex story of power, politics, and how it all led to the making of a "monster". The author's website: https://shelleypuhak.com/ The author's publisher page: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/blood-countess-9781639732159/ Become a Most Notorious patron here: https://www.patreon.com/c/mostnotorious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • 425: Henry Scott Mausell: Michigan's First Serial Killer? w/ Allie Seibert

    425: Henry Scott Mausell: Michigan's First Serial Killer? w/ Allie Seibert
    Feb 10 2026
    On a beautiful fall day in September 1916, 68-year-old Hannah Spielman went on a picnic with her new husband, 71-year-old James Allen, in the woods outside Grand Rapids, Michigan. She had met him through a newspaper advertisement, and the two were married just two days earlier - only hours after stepping off a train and meeting him face-to-face for the first time. But James Allen was not the man he claimed to be. His real name was Henry Scott Mausell, and his intentions were anything but honorable. Eleven days later, Hannah’s decomposed body was discovered and the murder investigation began. So who was Henry Scott Mausell? A man with a deeply troubled past—and Hannah was likely not his first victim, but the last in a long line of murdered women. In "Bloodstained: Exploring Michigan’s Darkest Murders Forgotten by Time", author Allie Seibert sheds light on this largely forgotten, and very likely, serial killer. The author's Household History website: https://www.householdhistory.com/ Allie in the Archives Podcast links: ⁠https://www.pod.link/1819388236 On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allie.in.the.archives/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 7 mins