I'm Your Venus

TV producer Benita Alexander thinks the work of a transplant surgeon will make for a great story. Dr. Paolo Macchiarini is saving lives by implanting the first artificial tracheas, and Benita soon finds herself in a secret relationship with the charismatic medical pioneer. Once they’re engaged, Benita grows suspicious of his tales of famous friends and promises of a new life in Europe. But worse, Macchiarini has been obfuscating the results of his surgeries, treating patients like human guinea pigs while the devices rot inside their bodies.Peacock is out with the second installment of their dramatic adaptation of “Dr. Death,” based on the Miracle Man season of the Wondery Podcast. Actors Mandy Moore and Edgar Ramírez recreate Macchiarini’s catfishing romance in the US, while Luke Kirby plays one of the doctors in Sweden looking to expose the surgeon’s deadly lies.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "DR. DEATH" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 9 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of Week: road script.    For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

15 Jan 202444min

As a child, Tracyrachel Bern’s father would beat her if she asked about the 1971 death of her baby brother Matthew. Her parents would later tell her what they told police: that the two-year-old girl threw the infant from his crib. After living years with the guilt, Tracyrachel came to question details of the accident and whether her abusive father, Jan Barry Sandlin, may have killed the baby and blamed it on her. She set off on a four decades long journey to learn the truth and get justice for Matthew.From Glass Podcasts comes “Burden of Guilt.” Host Nancy Glass interviews Tracyrachel about her efforts to clear her name and hold Matthew’s killer responsible. Did a toddler really dash a baby’s head or was she scapegoated to hide someone else’s fatal act of violence?OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BURDEN OF GUILT" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 9 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

11 Jan 202440min

It was a crime story that shook Boston. The survivor of a fatal carjacking said his pregnant wife was murdered by an unknown Black man - triggering an unprecedented police crackdown in Black neighborhoods still dealing with the racial legacy of bussing. The city’s spotty track record on civil rights fueled police, politicians, and the media too eager to believe a fiction wrapped in racism. But even after it was revealed to be a hoax - and that Charles Stuart staged the death of his wife - the damage to the community could not be undone.  The “Murder in Boston Podcast” by The Boston Globe is a companion to, but separately produced from, the HBO series of the same name. Hosted by editor Adrian Walker, the podcast digs into the Charles Stuart case from a local point of view, going deeper into its many threads. It takes a critical look at the city’s racial backstory, flaws in the investigation, and the indiscriminate targeting of Black men - as well as the failures of its own newspaper. It even uncovers new information about who knew ahead of time that Stuart was the culprit.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "MURDER IN BOSTON PODCAST" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: pothole committed. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

8 Jan 202445min

In 1989, Boston was stunned by a dramatic carjacking. Charles Stuart said his wife Carol was shot in the head and he was gravely wounded by a Black man who robbed them. While the media fought each other for the latest details, police launched an aggressive and prolonged manhunt in the adjacent Black neighborhoods. Within the Black community, the harassment and heavy handed arrests opened fresh wounds in a city with a checkered past on race relations. But police were so willing to believe Stuart’s account of the bizarre attack, few suspected he was behind it all along.From HBO Documentary Films in association with The Boston Globe comes “Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage & Reckoning. The three-part series retraces the investigation into who killed Carol Stuart against the backdrop of a liberal city unable to reconcile its racist history. We also hear from reporters, activists, and local residents affected by the manhunt and an unapologetic cop who helped run it.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "MURDER IN BOSTON: ROOTS, RAMPAGE & RECKONING" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 9 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

4 Jan 202452min

In 2018, Micah Holsonbake’s family said the 34-year-old banker went missing from Bakersfield, California. Two weeks later, a friend of Micah’s reported his 20-year-old girlfriend Baylee Despot also vanished. Just weeks after that, another friend, 38-year-old entrepreneur James Kulstad, was gunned down in a quiet neighborhood. Their families believed the fates of the three were more than a coincidence.The three were loosely connected in a world filled with drug addiction, sex trafficking, and illegal weapons. The mothers of the so-called Bakersfield 3 banded together to alert the public, keep pressure on investigators, and support each other, all while Baylee’s boyfriend publicly taunted her mom. But as new evidence turned up, the answer to what happened threatened to tear their alliance apart.From Casefile Presents comes the 15-part podcast “The Bakersfield Three.” Host Olivia LaVoice draws upon her years of covering the case as a TV reporter. Using her police sources, intimate relationships with the families, and her own story, LaVoice walks us through a mystery filled with shocking twists.  OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE BAKERSFIELD THREE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: gold brick.  For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

1 Jan 202448min

There was something for everyone on the TV in 2023. We saw documentaries that dug deep into issues of crime and punishment. There were several true stories told in real time by the people in the middle of them. But there were also shows that made us laugh…and sometimes sing.But which TV shows and documentaries truly stood out? The crime writers will reveal their lists for the Best TV of 2023. Lara's Top TenGreat Photo, Lovely LifeNavajo Police: Class 57Victim/ suspectRealityOnly Murders in the Building season 3NavalnyTelemarketersHow to Create a Sex ScandalJury dutyLast Call Toby's Top TenGreat Photo, Lovely LifeRealityShiny Happy PeopleTelemarketersLast CallSavior ComplexMurder in Big HornOnly Murders in the Building  season 3NavalnyThe Diplomat Kevin's Top TenJury DutyVictim/SuspectGreat Photo, Lovely LifeOnly Murders in the Building season 3BS HighScouts HonorStolen YouthBurden of ProofTelemarketersMurder in Big Horn Rebecca's Top TenGreat Photo, Lovely LifeJury DutyThe DiplomatShiny Happy PeopleOnly Murders in the Building season 3TelemarketersNetflix's Murdaugh Murders: A Southern ScandalNavalnyNavajo Police: Class 57Last Call For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

28 Dec 20231h 3min

This year brought us podcasts that examined interesting characters - from the super famous to the terribly infamous. There were the meticulously investigated stories of people caught in a system stacked against them. And it provided us with many series told by hosts with very personal connections to the crimes they covered. But which titles truly stood out? All four crime writers present their top 10 podcasts for 2023.In Crime of the Week: A lot of nerve swerve. Lara's Top TenEarwitnessSuspect: Five Shots in the DarkThe RetrievalsBlind PleaGhost StoryThe Kids of Rutherford CountyFiasco: VigilanteVerified: Full DisclosureOverlookedAdmissible Sheds of Evidence Toby's Top TenFiasco: VigilanteYou Didn’t See Nothin’Blind PleaEarwitnessI’m Not a Monster season 2Alabama AstronautWitnessed: Devil in the DitchGhost StoryChameleon: Dr. DanteThe Retrievals Kevin's Top TenYou Didn't See NothinEarwitnessI Am Not a Monster season 2Fiasco: VigilanteWitnessed: Devil in the DitchCity of Tents: Veterans RowSuspect: Five Shots in the DarkBlind PleaThe RetrievalsOverlooked Rebecca's Top TenYou Didn't See NothinEarwitnessWitnessed: Devil in the DitchThe RetrievalsThink Twice: Michael JacksonFiasco: VigilanteGhost StoryBlind PleaDear Alana,The Dream season 3  For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

25 Dec 20231h 4min

International photojournalist Amanda Mustard returns home to pursue an open family secret. As her grandfather Bill Flickinger nears the end of his life, Amanda investigates the decades of sexual abuse he inflicted on his young chiropractic patients. Mustard looks at how Flickinger avoided accountability for decades and reaches out to her grandfather’s many victims. They include her mother and sister, but the effort to find forgiveness between them threatens to tear the family apart.In the raw HBO Original “Great Photo, Lovely Life,”  Mustard chronicles her family’s story, seeks to empower survivors, and confronts the fallout that facing family trauma head-on can bring. Viewers are presented with home movies, boxes of mementos, and intimate conversations aimed at disrupting a cycle of abuse, blame, and anger.OUR-SPOILER FREE REVIEWS OF "GREAT PHOTO, LOVELY LIFE" 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.

21 Dec 202349min