Stuck in traffic on your daily commute? Heading north for the long weekend? True crime podcasts can offer grown-up (and sometimes grisly) thrills and chills. Here's our pick of the best crime podcasts available now:
'Dirty John'
If this six-part podcast were a book, it would be a page-turner. A divorcee looks for love online and meets a creepy charmer with a suspicious past. Her adult children (and listeners) are gripped by a sense of dread that eludes the love-blind woman, propelling a noirish plot that surprises to its brutal finish.
'In the Dark' (Season 2)
Produced by St. Paul-based APM Reports, it examines a 1996 quadruple murder in small-town Mississippi. Listeners accompany reporter Madeleine Baran and her team as they revisit evidence that led to the conviction of Curtis Flowers, an African-American who maintains his innocence.
'In the Dark' (Season 1)
The deep dive into the Jacob Wetterling case won the prestigious Peabody Award in 2016. Even news junkies who tracked every twist in the long, sad story of the missing Minnesota boy will be startled by the insightful narrative.
'Criminal'
Thorough and thoughtful, this twice-monthly podcast uses fresh interviews to shed new light on old cases or examine new crime-fighting and forensic techniques. Host Phoebe Judge's sweetly modulated voice serves as a calm foil to the blood-soaked stories.
'Charles Manson's Hollywood'
In this 12-part series, host Karina Longworth takes listeners through the cult leader's past as a sociopathic showbiz wannabe, spotlighting his connection to his victim, starlet Sharon Tate, plus his brushes with the Beach Boys, Dennis Hopper and Doris Day on his way to the murders carried out by his family of followers.
'Disgraceland'
Follow this podcast down some nasty rock 'n' roll rabbit holes, as each episode pieces together a lurid story about a scandal, violence or unexplained death involving a popular musician, including a few who may have used their fame to get away with their crimes.
'My Favorite Murder'
Two L.A. gal pals share their true crime fascination. Blessed with big personalities and plenty of snark, citizen sleuths Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark banter about homicides and the anxiety many women feel living in a world where they may be endangered.
'Swindled'
This continuing series about brash white-collar criminals details bribes, financial conspiracies, scams and embezzlement schemes and the con men (and women) who didn't get away with their greedy grifts.
'Empty Frames'
This podcast tries to crack a cold case: the largest unsolved art heist of all time. Two thieves dressed as cops entered a Boston museum in 1990, stripping 13 paintings from their frames. The priceless works by Vermeer, Degas and Rembrandt are still missing.
'A Very Fatal Murder'
The true crime format is so omnipresent that it now boasts a six-part parody podcast that uses a fake murder to spoof every trope (Dead prom queen! Sleepy small town! Boyfriend with "great hair and eyes you could get lost in" as suspect!). It's interspersed with spot-on fake ads. Exactly what you would expect from producer OPR (Onion Public Radio).
