Live in the Noir – Best Crime Podcasts Around

There are certain genres that appear to be more addictive than others. If you look at the fan-base of true-crime podcasts you will find an assortment of people who are drooling for gory-details. They want to know the ins and outs of what causes heinous things to happen, and there is a large portion of them that want to help in solving mysteries.

It tickles the part of our brain that would fire-up in childhood; where you are both compelled and terrified to knock on the door of the local ‘witch’s house’. It’s the same with true crime.

If you’re yet to dive in to this particular genre here are a few to get you started:

Serial – Season 1

This podcast, hosted by Sarah Koenig, blew up in 2014. It seemed that wherever you went you overheard people debating whether Adnan Syed was innocent. This is a classic, and a perfect introduction to true crime genre conventions.

Most Notorious

This show details historical crimes that have often scared entire generations. The host Erik Rivenes invites guests and experts to have in-depth discussions about the world’s most infamous crimes and criminals. Very good if you want to nerd-out.

My Favourite Murder

If you need a bit of a giggle with your gore, this one is for you. Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark are too close friends that catch-up once a week. They talk about their lives and the latest happenings, and then they go on to discuss a murder each. With constant interjections that are both hilarious and insightful, this is a way to digest true crime in a fun way.

Escaping NXIVM

Produced by CBC and hosted by Josh Bloch, explores the self-help group come sex cult NXIVM (pronounced nexium). This is a wild tail, told from the perspective of former member and friend of the host, Sarah Edmondson. It follows her journey from advocate, to recruiter, to a victim of ceremonial branding. It is fascinating.

S-Town

This is not regular true crime podcast. It begins like many of them do; someone asking to investigate a crime in their town contacts the host. So Brian Reed headed down to Alabama, listening to tales of hidden treasure and betrayal. It is a deeply intriguing look at one man’s life.