The murders of Liberty German and Abigail Williams in Delphi, Indiana shook the country. But the impact of the attention, the speculation and the fear is still felt in the community. Now podcasters Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee have written a book about the case, but it feels different from other investigations. Their book does focus on the case, but also how the families were impacted because Cain and Greenlee worked closely with the girls’ families. They tell me the story from their book: Shadow of the Bridge: The Delphi Murders and the Dark Side of the American Heartland. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) 2025 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The disappearance in 2019 of Jennifer Dulos is one of the most chilling stories I’ve ever read about. When the mother of five vanished from her wealthy Connecticut suburb, her estranged husband became the prime suspect. But when Fotis Dulos ended his own life, the mystery deepened. Author Rich Cohen has the inside story in his book, Murder in the Dollhouse. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) 2025 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What is the origin story of cults? Author Jane Borden says it goes all the way back to the Puritans and their doomsday beliefs. She says that from the beginning, we’ve been a nation of easy marks for con artists and manipulators. She tells me about her book, Cults Like Us. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) 2025 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When you write a biography about a man dubbed “Coroner to the Stars,” it’s bound to be a compelling story. Who doesn’t want to read about the coroner who performed the autopsies on Marilyn Monroe, RFK, and Natalie Wood, among others? Author Anne Soon Choi tells me about her book, “L.A. Coroner.” Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) 2025 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
I’ve interviewed quite a few authors who are inspired by real people or real crimes. And then they write these fantastic novels. Patricia Cornwell’s iconic character, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, has a legion of fans because of how clever she is as a medical examiner, how she solves a mystery. Cornwell was working with Virginia’s first female chief ME Dr. Marcella Fierro, and was an invaluable source to a young writer. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) 2025 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A gang in a mountain barrio in Honduras terrorized the people there for years. The police claimed that their hands were tied because witnesses refused to testify. An American sociologist and a Honduran schoolteacher devised a plan to protect their neighbors by taking matters into their own hands. Author Ross Halperin tells me the story in his book: Bear Witness: The Pursuit of Justice in a Violent Land. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) 2025 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Most of us have heard about Sherri Papini. She’s the woman who faked her own kidnapping in 2016, which terrified her husband and soon sparked outrage in her Northern California community. Michael Beach Nichols is the director and producer of the Hulu series, “Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini.” He tells US about his experience spending time with Sherri’s husband, Keith, for the documentary series. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) 2025 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We’ve heard from my buddy Bryan Burrough before for one of his Audible books based on a true crime story. His new book is very different. It’s called The Gunfighters: How Texas Made the West Wild. Enough said. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) 2025 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Our story this week is set in the 1920s in Westchester County, New York…it’s a Jazz Age mystery. A young ex-sailor is found dead on a desolate road. A suspect from a wealthy family admits to the murder, but he claims that he was trying to protect a dangerous secret. Author James Polchin’s book, Shadow Men unravels a mystery more than a century old. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) 2025 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
New York in the early 1900s was filled with people trying to make their lives better. But for many, the rise of organized crime kept them in constant fear. On the Lower East Side, Jewish criminals from Eastern Europe formed crime syndicates. There were gangs of horse poisoners, casino owners, thieves and thugs. But then a group of Jewish uptowners stepped in and created a vice squad that worked in secrecy. Author Dan Slater tells us the story from his book: The Incorruptibles.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
If you’ve ever dug deep into your family history, you know that there are sometimes surprises. Author Tanya Talaga discovered that the life of her great-great grandmother Annie Carpenter was mostly unknown because she was Indigenous. It’s a struggle that many Indigenous people in Canada have: how do you learn about your family’s past without crucial records? Talaga’s incredible book, The Knowing lays out Annie’s story and Tanya’s journey to find the truth. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) 2025 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week on Wicked Words on Exactly Right: in 1999, a woman named Betty Ketani went missing in Johannesburg, South Africa. She just vanished from the restaurant where she was working. Then a letter found 13 years later changed everything. Author Alex Eliseev tells me about his book Cold Case Confession—a real Agatha Christie story. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) 2025 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
New York Times’ best-selling author Megan Abbott often uses true crime stories as a jumping off point for her wildly popular novels. Now she has a new book out called El Dorado Drive. It’s about three sisters who become entangled in a pyramid scheme that turns very dark. The real story behind the novel is so strange, it’s hard to know what really happened. And luckily, Megan has done a huge amount of research. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) 2025 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week’s author grew up in the Pacific Northwest with the memories of notorious serial killers like Ted Bundy and the Green River Killer, who also lived there. But the region wasn’t just home to those two murderers: there were many more. Was there a connection between the Pacific Northwest’s most infamous killers…and its incredible amounts of pollution? Caroline Fraser thinks so and she explains why in her book: Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) 2025 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In 1990, a UCLA student was found murdered in a tunnel in LA. Detective Rick Jackson and his partner were assigned to the complicated case. Who had a motive to stab Ronald Baker? Was the pentagram pendant around his neck a clue? Author Matthew McGough and Detective Rick Jackson tell the story in their book, Black Tunnel White Magic: A Murder, a Detective’s Obsession, and ’90s Los Angeles at the Brink. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) 2025 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We’ve had journalist Elon Green on before to talk about his fantastic book Last Call. His new book is about an inspiring young Black artist in 1980s New York. Michael Stewart ended up dead after encountering a Transit Authority police officer at a 14th Street subway station late one night. Witnesses say that police beat him to death, and it made national headlines. Green tells me about his book, The Man Nobody Killed: Life, Death, and Art in Michael Stewart's New York. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) 2025 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When an 8-year-old disappeared from a homeless shelter in Washington, D.C. in 2014, nobody noticed for 18 days, even her family. Seven years later, Relisha Rudd has never been found. The Through the Cracks podcast investigates gaps in our society and the people who fall through them. Host Jonquilyn Hill asks what could have been done to find Relisha? Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) 2025 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week on Wicked Words we’re traveling back to 1923 Harlem and its seedy world of gambling and racketeering. Author Mary Kay McBrayer tells me about Stephanie St. Clair. She was one of the only female crime bosses in the city. Madame Queen was also a Black, self-made businesswoman. And a legend. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) 2025 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Kuper Island is a remarkable podcast, an investigation into one of Canada’s most notorious so called Indian residential schools. Journalist Duncan McCue explores the unsolved death of a student, a tragedy that sheds light on rampant abuse and exposes the trauma of three survivors. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) 2025 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
I love a good spy story. We’ve talked about spies embedded with the American government. We’ve discussed librarians and academics researching in the basement of the Library of Congress during World War II. And now we’re talking with Thomas Maier about a very unlikely spy, a former football player turned spy for Churchill. It’s all in his book, The Invisible Spy. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) 2025 All Rights Reserved See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Terriann Tomlin
A way to understand how someone could murder babies is to remember the days, not so long ago, when doctors delivering babies and child experts believe that babies didn't feel the same way adults do. This allowed them to do procedures on them in a manner that we now understand to be quite traumatizing and that explains some of the issues adults have. This is speaking to a cultural norm in understanding of the era.
Cindy Snelson
I agree with Claire on the length of Dateline shows. I can't say enough about how good the show is and I used to watch every single episode. I quit watching it when it went to 2 hours. Too long. It feels like they put one hour's worth of true crime into a 2 hour slot. and spread it out. They repeat information that they covered before the commercial breaks.We didn't forget what you just said 5 minutes ago.
Juliane Schneider
Every show on here lately gets about 2/3 of the way through, then repeats five to ten minutes of the recording, and then cuts off before the end because time runs out. This is happening across different podcasts. This app is broken.
Anne Kastanis
Well this was absolutely fascinating!
Anne Kastanis
I don't think murder, if that's what it was, is ever justified. but I do think Rebecca was playing with fire by putting her son in what was pretty much an unbearable situation. The entire family, plus servants, living in the loft while she, Rebecca, had the large room to herself seems pretty awful.