Episodes

  • 350: Mafia Spies w/ Thomas Maier - A True Crime History Podcast

    350: Mafia Spies w/ Thomas Maier - A True Crime History Podcast
    Jul 2 2024
    In the early 1960s, two top gangsters, Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana, were hired by the CIA to kill Cuba’s Communist leader, Fidel Castro, only to wind up murdered themselves amidst Congressional hearings and a national debate about the JFK assassination. My guest, journalist Thomas Maier, is the author of "Mafia Spies: The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters, JFK, and Castro, " which will debut as a Paramount Plus docuseries on July 16. In this interview he talks about the plot to kill Castro, the moment when J Edgar Hoover learns about the assassination attempts, his thoughts on President Kennedy's assassination, the murders of Giancana and Roselli, and much more. The author's website: http://www.thomasmaierbooks.com/ Buy the book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Mafia-Spies-Inside-Gangsters-Castro/dp/151077890X Watch the Mafia Spies docuseries trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c3AgTFSNkk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • MoNo Encore: The Mysterious Disappearance of Joan Risch w/ Stephen Ahern

    MoNo Encore: The Mysterious Disappearance of Joan Risch w/ Stephen Ahern
    Jun 29 2024
    In this month's MoNo Encore episode, we revisit one of the strangest cases ever covered on this show, in my humble opinion. On October 24th, 1961, one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in Massachusetts history began when housewife and mother Joan Risch vanished from her home. Investigators were perplexed by a kitchen floor smeared with blood, a telephone receiver ripped from the wall and placed gently on the edge of a trash basket, and a bloodhound who traced her scent to the middle of her driveway. Later, drivers would report seeing someone resembling Joan stumbling along local highways, apparently dazed and injured. My guest, Stephen Ahern, is author of "A Kitchen Painted in Blood: The Unsolved Disappearance of Joan Risch". He teamed up with a retired FBI profiler and a cold case detective to try and piece together a possible explanation of what happened to Joan that fateful day. More about the author and his book here: https://expositbooks.com/product/a-kitchen-painted-in-blood/ Buy it through Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Painted-Blood-Unsolved-Disappearance/dp/1476681848/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    2 hrs and 8 mins
  • 349: Gentleman Jewel Thief Arthur Barry w/ Dean Jobb - A True Crime History Podcast

    349: Gentleman Jewel Thief Arthur Barry w/ Dean Jobb - A True Crime History Podcast
    Jun 26 2024
    My guest this week is award-winning author Dean Jobb. He joins me to talk about one of the most colorful criminals of the Jazz Age, Arthur Barry. Barry, who has been called "the greatest jewel thief who ever lived", was a master burglar who specialized in robbing New York's wealthiest citizens. Barry would have encounters with a wide array of interesting figures from the 20s and 30s, ranging from the Prince of Wales to investigators working on the Lindbergh Baby kidnapping case. Dean Jobb's book, out on June 25, is called "A Gentleman and a Thief: The Daring Jewel Heists of a Jazz Age Rogue." The author's website: https://www.deanjobb.com/ Dean Jobb on Twitter/X: https://x.com/DeanJobb Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • 348: Martha Needle: "The Richmond Poisoner" w/ Samantha Battams

    348: Martha Needle: "The Richmond Poisoner" w/ Samantha Battams
    Jun 21 2024
    On this episode of Most Notorious, I'm joined by Dr. Samantha Battams, who documents the life and times of serial killer Martha Needle in her book "The Secret Art of Poisoning: The True Crimes of Martha Needle, The Richmond Poisoner." Martha Needle was accused of poisoning her three children, husband and future brother-in-law in late 19th century Australia. The author's website: https://www.samanthabattams.com/ The book is available on Amazon in the United States here: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Art-Poisoning-Richmond-Poisoner-ebook/dp/B07NPQRMXC For my Australian listeners, you can get the book at Amazon.com.au here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Secret-Art-Poisoning-Richmond-Poisoner-ebook/dp/B07NPQRMXC/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • 347: The Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire w/ Stephanie Schorow

    347: The Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire w/ Stephanie Schorow
    Jun 13 2024
    On November 28, 1942, fire roared through Boston's famed Cocoanut Grove nightclub during what was supposed to be a high-spirited Saturday night. By midnight, more than five hundred people were dead, dying, or maimed for life. My guest, Boston historian and author Stephanie Schorow, walks us through the history of the nightclub, the possible causes of the tragic fire, the devastation it caused, and the aftermath. Her book is called "The Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire: A Boston Tragedy". More about the author at her website: https://www.stephanieschorow.com/ Buy the book (and help independent bookstores) here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-cocoanut-grove-nightclub-fire-a-boston-tragedy-stephanie-schorow/18576557?ean=9781467152877 More about the fire here: https://www.cocoanutgrove.org https://bostonfirehistory.org/the-story-of-the-cocoanut-grove-fire/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • 346: The Massie Affair w/ Mike Farris - A True Crime History Podcast

    346: The Massie Affair w/ Mike Farris - A True Crime History Podcast
    Jun 10 2024
    In September of 1931, Thalia Massie, a young naval lieutenant’s wife, claims to have been raped by five Hawaiian men in Honolulu. Following a hung jury in the rape trial, Thalia’s mother, socialite Grace Fortescue, and husband, along with two sailors, kidnap one of the accused in an attempt to coerce a confession. When they are caught after killing him and trying to dump his body in the ocean, Mrs. Fortescue’s society friends raise enough money to hire seventy-four-year-old Clarence Darrow out of retirement to defend the vigilante killers. The result is an epic courtroom battle between Darrow and the Territory of Hawaii’s top prosecutor, John C. Kelley, in a case that threatens to touch off a race war in Hawaii and results in one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in American history. My guest is attorney and professor Mike Farris, author of "A Death in the Islands: The Unwritten Law and the Last Trial of Clarence Darrow". He shares details from this riveting story with us on this most recent episode of Most Notorious. The author's Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mike-Farris/author/B00BDU8BNY The author on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mike.farris.756859 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • 345: The Folsom Prison Bloody 13 Escape w/ Josh Morgan

    345: The Folsom Prison Bloody 13 Escape w/ Josh Morgan
    May 30 2024
    On July 27th, 1903, thirteen convicts at California's Folsom Prison, led by Richard "Red" Gordon, attacked prison guards, took hostages, emptied the armory and made a dash for freedom. Some would be captured and punished for the murders they committed along the way, some would be killed themselves, and others would forever elude authorities. My guest is Josh Morgan, author of "The Folsom Prison Bloody 13: The Big Escape of 1903". He joins me to share details of this epic escape and it's aftermath. The book is officially out on June 3rd. Pre-order the book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Folsom-Prison-Bloody-13-Escape/dp/1467155934 More about the author and his book here: https://www.joshmorganauthor.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • MoNo Encore: Chicago's SS Eastland Disaster w/ Michael McCarthy

    MoNo Encore: Chicago's SS Eastland Disaster w/ Michael McCarthy
    May 26 2024
    Today we revisit another one of my favorite episodes, the sinking of the Eastland. On July 15th, 1915, a steamship with a checkered past called the SS Eastland docked at a wharf on the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, ready to transport 2500 Western Electric employees and their families across Lake Michigan to a company picnic. Once boarding completed, however, terrible tragedy struck when the ship tilted over and into the river, killing over 800 people -mostly women and children- in a horrific, chaotic scene. My guest is Michael McCarthy, author of the New York Times Bestseller "Ashes Under Water: The SS Eastland and the Shipwreck That Shook America". He offers a fascinating glimpse into the history of the ill-fated SS Eastland and recounts the story of the tragic sinking and its aftermath, including famed attorney Clarence Darrow's involvement in the trial that followed. The author's website: https://ashesunderwater.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 9 mins