Crime Writers On...True Crime Review

When Jeremy Scott confessed that he - and not Leo Schofield - murdered Michelle Schofield in 1987, the state of Florida refused to believe him. Journalist Gilbert King’s quest to exonerate Leo drew him closer into Jeremy’s background and the family who drifted away from him. Convinced the key to clearing Leo’s name included proving Jeremy’s involvement in a separate unsolved murder, King doubled down on his investigation, turning up new leads. But the effort brought King new understanding of the convict as he takes stock of his life and contemplates the consequences of his actions. In season two of the critically acclaimed podcast series “Bone Valley” from Lava for Good and Signal Co. 1, King focuses on the man responsible for Leo’s wrongful conviction and develops an unlikely connection. He also works as a kind of advocate for Jeremy, working to set the record straight about his many crimes and do right by the many people he’s hurt - including Leo Schofield. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BONE VALLEY" SEASON TWO BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

TV make-up artist Melissa Reed is trying to keep a family secret: her father is the infamous Happy Face Killer. But Keith Hunter Jesperson lures her back into his life with a startling confession: a man in Texas is about to be executed for a murder he committed. Melissa and a TV producer look for evidence Jesperson killed Heather Richmond to exonerate her boyfriend, Elijah. While those around the Reed family grow increasingly fascinated by their ties to a serial killer, Melissa struggles with what the crimes of her father say about her. Annaleigh Ashford and Dennis Quaid star in “Happy Face” from Showtime and Paramount +. The series is inspired by the podcast of the same name, but takes its reimagined characters into a fictional murder mystery. It also attempts to make a statement about our attraction to true crime and the lingering trauma of victims and their families. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF SHOWTIME'S "HAPPY FACE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 9 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. In Crime of the Week: I'm a sucker for you. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

When he was 14, “Gareth” began a sexual relationship with his attractive science teacher at his North London school. Students spread rumors and adults minimized the gravity of the relationship, saying Gareth had lived out every teen’s fantasy of sleeping with an older woman. After struggling with his emotions and mental health for thirty-five years, Gareth came to realize Sally-Anne Bowen wasn’t his girlfriend - she was his abuser. But his quest to get justice is hampered by those who don't view him as the victim of teen sexual abuse, but as a lucky boy. The four-part podcast “Lucky Boy” from Tortoise Media explores how the explicit encounters began, the consequences of their discovery, and Gareth’s attempts to make sense of his life. Host Chloe Hadjimatheou searches for other victims of Bowen while asking why our perception of sexual abuse is different when the perpetrator is an alluring woman and the victim is an adolescent boy. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "LUCKY BOY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL NINE MINUTES OF THE PODCAST. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

The Barnett family agrees to a hasty adoption of a seven-year-old girl from Ukraine who has dwarfism and other disabilities. But her paperwork is suspiciously incomplete, and Kristine and Michael grow worried about Natalia Grace’s menacing behavior. They come to a shocking conclusion: she’s really an adult impersonating a child. After a court “re-ages” her, the Barnett’s move Natalia into her own apartment where she seems ill-equipped to live on her own. Then a cop suspects the real scammers may be the Barnetts, who found an elaborate way to dump a special needs child they didn’t want to care for. Ellen Pompeo, Mark Duplass, and Imogen Faith Reid star in Hulu’s “Good American Family,” inspired by the story behind the documentary “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace.” The scripted series shifts from quasi-horror film to emotional drama, leaving viewers to ponder the motives of who is lying about Natalia’s true identity and the horrifying implications of that lie for the people involved. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "GOOD AMERICAN FAMILY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. In Crime of the Week: Baby, you can steal my car. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

The celebrity event of the year was the White Party, where stars would gather at the East Hampton mansion of hip hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. But when most of the crowd went home, others would stay for what Combs called the “freak-off,” a drug-fueled sex party secretly filmed for the musician’s benefit. When his longtime girlfriend, the singer Cassie, sued him for rape, Diddy quickly settled the case. But details in the filings piqued the interest of authorities, who began to investigate whether his many private parties were consensual soirees or illegal sex trafficking. From 20/20 and ABC Audio comes “Bad Rap: The Case Against Diddy.” Host Brian Buckmire recounts how Combs went from hip hop star to defendant. The six episodes is a prologue to the podcast’s plans for twice a week episodes once Combs goes on trial for sex trafficking, kidnapping, bribery, and arson. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BAD RAP" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

While living in Canada, Desirrê becomes a follower of Kat Torres, a fellow Brazilian and online life coach. The social media star says she has mystical powers and dispenses advice to her audience. But as Kat’s influence over Desirrê grows, her friend Paty notices changes in her behavior. Years later, Paty learns Desirrê is among several women who’ve left their life behind to move to the US with Kat. And as the influencer’s behavior grows more bizarre, she forces Desirrê and others around her into prostitution. Season two of the Wondery podcast “Guru: Don’t Cross Kat” recounts the rise and fall of Kat Torres, from model to life coach to international sex trafficker. Brazilian journalist Chico Felitti updates his Portuguese language podcast on the case, interviewing people on two continents to explain how one glamorous influencer could go so far to control her followers. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "DON'T CROSS KAT" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 14 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. In Crime of the Week: coming around the home stretch. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

Party boy Danny Garcia was a con artist who drained the bank accounts of his friends and lovers. Kaushal Niroula passed himself off as a member of the Nepalese royal family. Together they posed as bankers, art dealers, and real estate developers to dupe investors, each scam more outrageous than the last. When the so-called “Gay Grifters” set their sights on Palm Springs socialite Cliff Lambert, they graduated from fraud to bloodshed. They drained Lambert’s accounts and liquidated his property after killing him in his own home. “True Crime News Presents: American Hustlers” traces Niroula and Garcia’s journey from con men to killers. Hosts Kim Kanter and Julie Golden recount their increasingly audacious swindles and the one crime they couldn’t trick their way out of. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "AMERICAN HUSTLERS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

When the body of the chief usher is discovered in the living quarters of the White House during a state dinner, the responsibility of investigating the crime falls to the world’s greatest detective. Cordelia Cupp orders that neither the staff nor the prestigious guests may leave the building until she uncovers who killed A.B. Wynter. The quirky sleuth soon discovers that nothing is as it seems. Shifting clues and peculiar evidence reveal that many of the staff he supervised, as well as members of the President’s family he attended to, had reasons to want the prickly chief usher gone. Emmy winner Uzo Aduba, Randall Park, and Giancarlo Esposito star in Netflix’s comedy murder mystery “The Residence.” Filled with offbeat characters and shifting timelines, this whodunnit invites viewers to untangle a web of secrets hidden behind the scenes in the Executive Mansion. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE RESIDENCE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. In Crime of the Week: fowl mouth. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

In the war on drugs, police rely heavily on confidential informants, because citing a CI empowers them to use tactics with less oversight and fewer guardrails. But the practice is rife with abuse, allowing them to skirt civil liberties on the word of snitches who might not even exist. The problem is pronounced in the historic fishing town of New Bedford, MA. Investigative reporters have identified many instances where cops used the CI system to make dubious arrests, rip off dealers, and avoid accountability. It found that one of the biggest users of these shady tactics has long evaded culpability - and today is the city’s police chief. From The Boston Globe’s vaunted investigative unit, “Spotlight: Snitch City” uncovers the murky world of informant-based law enforcement and its history in one community. Host Dugan Arnett talks to former New Bedford officers and CIs about misuse of the system. It also uncovers evidence of questionable behavior by Paul Oliveira, who built his career using snitches and is now head of the department. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SPOTLIGHT: SNITCH CITY" IN THE FINAL NINE MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

The search for a missing sex worker in 2010 led to a grizzly discovery: the bodies of several women were unearthed in the dunes along New York’s Gilgo Beach. It led investigators to the conclusion that a serial killer was targeting women on Long Island. The high profile case remained cold for years, with books, podcasts, and movies raising awareness - all while investigators were dogged by dissention and corruption. But new technology and a fresh set of eyes spotted a likely suspect, someone identified by witnesses years earlier. “Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer” recounts the long hunt for the culprit and a look at the man police say evaded detection for more than a decade. Filmmaker Liz Garbus, who directed the 2020 motion picture “Lost Girls,” returns to the topic just as Rex Heuermann prepares for trial, accused of the Gilgo Beach murders. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "GONE GIRLS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL ELEVEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. In Crime of the Week: Kings of hearts For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

Jake Haendel was a heroin user diagnosed with a rare brain disease. He soon slipped into a vegetative state and was thought to be brain dead. But Jake was fully aware of his surroundings, unable to move or communicate. It would be 18 months before doctors realized he was awake, the only known patient to survive Locked-In Syndrome. But as he returned to the world, Jake had stories about the things said to him when no one thought he could hear them. In the podcast “Blink,” host Corrine Vein and Jake Haendel tell the story of his incredible medical journey through the lens of true crime. What was going on while Jake was trapped in his own body and what caused his condition in the first place? OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BLINK" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE PODCAST. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

Gunshots ring out at The White Lotus, just days after a new group of guests traveled to the exclusive resort in Thailand. They include Timothy Ratliff, whose entitled family is unaware the FBI has just uncovered his financial crimes. TV star Jaclyn Lemon and her two besties are enjoying a girls’ getaway, but tensions are brewing among the life-long friends. Rick Hatchett has traveled with his free-spirit girlfriend, but his interest lies with some mysterious personal business in Bangkok. Among the staff, a shy security guard pines after a beautiful co-worker, a lothario flirts with the women, and a transplant from Maui recognizes a fugitive wanted for questioning in a high-profile death in Italy. Season three of “The White Lotus” takes viewers to a new exotic location examining privilege, sex - and this time - spirituality and death. Walton Goggins, Parker Posey, and Michelle Monaghan are part of the ensemble cast meditating on what is worth living for…and what is worth dying for. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF THE FIRST SEVEN EPISODES OF "THE WHITE LOTUS" SEASON THREE BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. TO HEAR OUR TAKES ON THE SEASON FINALE, GO TO THE CWO AFTER SHOW FOR A FREE EXCERPT FROM THE EPISODE. In Crime of the Week: This is nuts! For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

Officer Mickey Fitzpatrick attempts to balance life as a single mother and a cop patrolling Philadelphia's high crime section of Kensington. She discovers a pattern of women whose murders are made to look like overdoses, but struggles to get her supervisors interested in the deaths of addicts and sex workers. Teaming up with her ex-partner, Mickey works to find the serial killer targeting women working the streets. But she’s also looking for one in particular: her drug-addicted sister who’s gone missing. Based on the bestselling novel, “Long Bright River” on Peacock stars Amanda Seyfried and Nicholas Pinnock. The crime drama follows Mickey’s hunt to unmask the killer, while also confronting her past and navigating her complicated personal life. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "LONG BRIGHT RIVER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

In the 1970s, Kenny “The Kid” Tekiela worked his way up from a teenage doorman at a brothel to a hitman for the Chicago mob. But he left the mafia to become a paramedic, get married, and have children. It was a life he kept from his family for decades, until Kenny’s drug addiction forced him to reveal his past deeds. Years later, his son asked him to finally open up about his past for a podcast. Mixed in with his grandiose tales of mob life, Kenny confessed to struggling with guilt and regret for the things he’d done. In the podcast “Crook County” from iHeartRadio and Tenderfoot TV, host Kyle Tekiela reconnects with his estranged father to learn about the life he never knew. Along the way, Kyle tries to reconcile the loving dad he remembered with the enforcer who committed violence for the Chicago Outfit and covered up crimes for dirty cops. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "CROOK COUNTY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. In Crime of the Week: family connection. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

The 1969 Manson Family killings gripped the nation for their sheer brutality and madness. But left unanswered is exactly how Charles Manson turned a group of hippies into assassins through mere persuasion. The book Helter Skelter says Manson convinced his followers of an impending race war, one they needed to be at the center of. But journalist Tom O’Neill uncovered loose connections between Manson and the head of the CIA’s secret program MK-Ultra. He says the Manson murders read less like a spree killing and more like the LSD-fueled mind control experiments the government had been perfecting. From Oscar-winner Errol Morris and Netflix comes “CHAOS: The Manson Murders.” The director of “The Thin Blue Line” and “Wormwood” returns to the subject of MK-Ultra, exploring whether it can be blamed for the famous crime spree. Was Manson really a failed musician-turned-cult leader, or did he get help from an infamous Cold War program? OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "CHAOS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

On a quiet morning, British police raid the home of Jamie Miller and arrest the 13-year-old for murder. The boy proclaims his innocence as he and his parents are put through the whirlwind of the arrest process and questioned about the crime. As investigators look for the weapon and a motive, a psychologist searches for clues into Jamie’s psyche, and what in the unassuming boy’s background might have driven him to kill. Netflix’s “Adolescence” features newcomer Owen Cooper as Jaime and veteran actor and co-writer Stephen Graham as his father. Each of the four hour-long episodes were filmed in one continuous shot, as the camera follows characters through various rooms, buildings, on car rides, and even across town through the air. The story explores large themes about growing up in the modern world, the effects of crime on the community and family members, and questions who - if anyone - is responsible for making a murderer. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "ADOLESCENCE" IN THE LAST 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. In Crime of the Week: hiss-demeanor. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

Ruby Franke earned fame and fortune on her YouTube channel highlighting an ideal family life with her husband and six children. But that world crumbled when it was discovered her parenting style was more draconian than the loving image they portrayed on screen. After she fell into the orbit of life coach Jodi Hildebrandt, Ruby became estranged from her husband and older children. But police took notice when Franke's youngest son knocked on the door of Hildebrandt’s neighbor, severely emaciated and covered in duct tape. From ABC Studios and streaming on Hulu, “Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke” explores her journey from influencer to inmate, and Hildebrandt’s sway over the entire family. It includes interviews with her husband and children, and access to 1,000 hours of raw video which foreshadow the abuse to come. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "DEVIL IN THE FAMILY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

Former tv personality Caroline D’Amore met a suave, well-connected businessman at her swanky LA apartment complex. David Bloom said he wanted to invest in her organic food startup and brokered a meeting with the CEO of Whole Foods. But after the money changed hands, D’Amore got a bad feeling about her business partner. It was just Bloom’s latest con in a lifetime of swindles. But determined to get satisfaction, D’Amore and her fellow victims tried to turn the tables on the fraudster…all while recording audio of it. From iHeartPodcasts, AYR Media and 32 Flavors comes “Once Upon a Con.” The former model/reality star/business woman tells her story of getting defrauded by a professional grifter. It also features audio D’Amore recorded in real-time of her discovering the swindle and confronting the perpetrator. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "ONCE UPON A CON" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. In Crime of the Week: dead letter. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

While breaking into the world of fashion, twenty-five year old Hannah Mossman Moore is befriended by a well-connected, middle-aged man from Hong Kong, who mentors her and shows her the high life. At the same time, Hannah begins receiving unending menacing messages online and on her phone from a stranger she can’t escape. Her rich friend denies involvement, claiming he’s also been targeted by hackers. With the police unable to make a case, Hannah turns to a journalist to help identify the anonymous intruder who has turned her life upside down. In the podcast “Stalked” from BBC Sounds and Radio 5 Live, Hannah teams with her ex-stepmother, journalist Carole Cadwalladr, to investigate in real time who is behind the elaborate campaign of harassment. They employ everything from IP address tracing to linguistic forensics to unmask the person obsessed with her. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "STALKED" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

In the mid-90s, several men vanished from Indianapolis-area gay bars. Police were piqued after a man claimed he was nearly strangled during sex with Herb Baumeister. Investigators found bones throughout the woods of his secluded horse farm, but before they could question him Baumeister died by suicide in Canada. In 2022, a local coroner renewed the effort to identify victims from the 10,000 bone fragments found on the property. But it revived an unanswered question: how did Baumeister get the bodies of his victims into the woods by himself? And what should we make of the peculiar man who claimed to have escaped being the killer’s victim? From ABC News Studios and streaming on Hulu, “The Fox Hollow Murders: Playground of a Serial Killer” looks back at the incomplete story of Herb Baumeister’s crimes. It follows those helping victims’ families find closure, while also diving into the biggest hole of the original investigation. The series builds toward a confrontation with an unreliable narrator many suspect is lying about his involvement in the mystery. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE FOX HOLLOW MURDERS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. In Crime of the Week: Why Don't We Do It In The Road Road. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.