The Art of Crime

 In 1921, a priest named Father Patrick Heslin was abducted from his home in small-town California. The next day, the kidnapper--or kidnappers--sent a ransom note, demanding thousands of dollars for the safe return of the priest. Forensic investigator Oscar Heinrich, known as the American Sherlock Holmes, took one look at the ransom note and deduced that a master baker had written it. Heinrich's conclusion initially baffled police, but it ultimately led to the culprit. If you'd like to support the show, please considering becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast. For show notes and full transcripts, visit www.artofcrimepodcast.com. This episode was researched and written by Ken Symphonies.  

Today, in the season finale of Beach Reads, we're joined by medical historian Lindsey Fitzharris to talk about her new book, Sleuth-Hound. It's a biography of Joseph Bell, the real Scottish physician who inspired the fictional character of Sherlock Holmes. As Lindsey reveals, Bell, like Arthur Conan Doyle's creation, acted as a consulting detective for police while they investigated murders. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast.  For show notes and full transcripts, visit www.artofcrimepodcast.com. 

Today, we're joined by author Jack El-Hai to talk about his new book, The Case of the Autographed Corpse. It's all about Erle Stanley Gardner, inventor of the beloved fictional criminal defense attorney Perry Mason, and how Gardner took action to help exonerate wrongfully convicted prisoners in real life. One such prison inmate was Silas John Edwards, an Apache medicine man convicted of murder. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast.  For show notes and full transcripts, please visit www.artofcrimepodcast.com. 

Today, we're joined by cultural historian Isaac Butler, author of The Perfect Moment, an eye-opening new chronicle of the birth of America's culture wars in the 1980s. We talk about some of the most influential--and controversial--art about sex and religion of the period. And, as Isaac reveals, culture-war disputes could lead to violence and criminal charges. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast. For show notes and full transcripts, visit www.artofcrimepodcast.com. 

Today, we're joined by Vanity Fair journalist Joe Pompeo to talk about the unsolved 1922 murders of Edward Hall and Eleanor Mills. In his book, Blood & Ink, Joe tells the riveting story of how this double homicide captured the national imagination and supercharged tabloid journalism. Joe is also working on a limited-series podcast that covers this case, so keep an eye out for that!   If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast.