One of the most popular types of podcasts on the planet is one in which the narrators introduce an incident and then spend the remainder of the episodes trying to piece together the clues and shine fresh light on previously disregarded evidence. This type of podcast was generated by the first viral podcast in the history of the world. The level of excitement it provides is unparalleled in the world of auditory entertainment. There are a great number of investigative podcasts available, but the following five are an excellent way to get started with this category.
1:Blood Territory
The Northern Territory of Australia is an unusually shaped chunk of territory. Less than a quarter of a million people make their home in this vast wilderness, which is bigger than South Africa, Pakistan, or Colombia combined. Mark Whittaker’s podcast, Blood Territory, is set in this thinly inhabited region and investigates the strange murder of Jimmy O’Connell, 24, in 2006.
The word “brutally” may be too mild. Not far from the charred remains of his car, O’Connell’s mummified and disfigured body was discovered. Patrick Mather, his best fishing buddy and best man, was found guilty of his murder and admitted to it, but he claimed he just took a manslaughter plea to escape the murder trial and a life in prison. Mather was 33 years old. What’s the catch? O’Connell’s mum and dad are Mather fans. This 10-part Audible Original is about people trying to find peace in a dangerous world. It’s about a murder that has gone unsolved, about friendship in an unusual setting, and about the strength of hope.
2:West Cork
Many true crime and investigative podcasts feature homicides that were only reported on in local publications, bringing them into the national spotlight. This is not the case with West Cork, an Audible Original that boldly investigates a crime that changed a country forever.
Sophie Toscan du Plantier, a French filmmaker, spent the Christmas holidays alone in a quaint home in rural West Cork in 1996. On the 23rd of December, her beaten body was discovered outside the house. The killer has not been found. Although there have been some arrests made throughout the years, it often feels that for every one, there is a setback. Ireland has been plagued by the case ever since. The subsequent probe was a chaotic conveyor line of excess that allowed the disaster to reframe a previously cherished spot for tranquilly. This 13-part podcast is more relatable and engaging than your average investigative show.
3:No Gangsters in Paradise
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “Sydney”? The Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House? The white sand and crowds of attractive people? Lebanese gang warfare in the new millennium? The latter is what drives Mahmood Fazal’s audio recounting of the vicious gang conflicts that ravaged West Sydney around the turn of the millennium.
The murder of 14-year-old Edward Lee during an altercation on Telopea Street serves as the impetus for the podcast. The murderers were dubbed the Telopea Street Boys, and the 800-meter-long street became ground zero for Sydney’s most pressing issue: bridging a cultural divide that had become even wider in the post-9/11 world. Mahmood Fazal, a former gang member turned journalist who isn’t afraid to ask questions that could get him into hot water in the name of transparency and understanding, is a fascinating conduit throughout it all. While crime on Telopea Street has decreased significantly over the past few decades, the street’s notoriously violent past has left a lasting impression on Sydney.
4:My Lost Family
Danny Ben-Moshe returns to the remarkable story of his most peculiar family in a film that serves as a sort of sequel to his 2017 documentary My Mother’s Lost Children. His mother’s husband and their two children mysteriously disappeared in 1955 and reappeared in silence four decades later. That sort of thing doesn’t happen by chance, does it?
In every way, My Lost Family exceeds its forerunner. This story of family trauma, secrets, misinterpretations, and cultural politics is engrossing and unexpectedly humorous. Few works have the skill and personality of this one in moving from sadness to hope. It’s a first-person account from the eye of the storm, and it’s the narrative of every mother’s worst nightmare. This one has it all: lies, facts, and speculation.
5:Evil Has a Name
Evil Has a Name, considered by some to be the gold standard of true crime podcasts, exemplifies the adage that the trip, not the final goal, is what matters most. It is suspected that between 1974 and 1986, the Golden State Killer perpetrated at least 13 murders and more than 50 rapes across California, making him the state’s greatest criminal nightmare. He wasn’t captured until this year (2018).
This remarkable story is given by the investigator and a former FBI profiler and prosecutor who were both intimately involved in the high-profile case. Changes in California’s criminal justice system were made in response to the Golden State Killer case. Joseph James DeAngelo, a former police sergeant, is the subject of this novel, which has much of character and takes the reader or listener on a roller coaster ride from despair to resolution.
6:The Last Days of August
Jon Ronson, a journalist from Wales, is used to dealing with unusual topics like cyberbullying and the complexity of the adult entertainment industry. So, it’s hard to imagine a better person to investigate August Ames’s death by suicide in 2017.
Ames, who was only 23 when she passed away, was a respected Hollywood star who had been in more than 290 films, but she was the victim of relentless internet abuse after she posted an anti-gay tweet. Her suicide tweet was sent, and a few days later she was dead.
But these seven episodes are about so much more than the rise and fall of a pornstar. Ronson has been careful to distinguish this podcast from the true crime genre in interviews, and it’s easy to see why: the title invites the listener into the soul of a widely misunderstood sector, where friendship and mental health problems seem to coexist in equal measure. The Last Days of August isn’t the most relaxing podcast, but then again, groundbreaking works rarely are.
7:The Dark Web
You probably shouldn’t listen to this episode if you’re already worried about your personal information being compromised on the internet. In this terrifying series, tech reporter Geoff White goes undercover to investigate the seediest parts of the internet. Just how awful is it? In fact, it’s far worse.
Although the Dark Web is often discussed in the media today, few laypeople actually understand what it is. Through interviews and hidden recordings, White and co-host Bernard Achampong try to expose the disturbing truth about a world of corporate hacking, drug trading, weapon sales, international fraud, and much more. Along the process, they argue over matters such as ethics and privacy. Curiosity about the “other” has contributed to the meteoric rise of true crime and investigative podcasts, as regular people learn of extraordinary happenings in far-flung communities. What the Dark Web is interested in is something we can all see. Worrying information.
Conclusion
If you’re a fan of true crime podcasts, then Audible’s is a captivating series that will keep you on the edge of your seat. With seven incredible investigations to choose from, each one delves into shocking stories that will have you hooked from start to finish. From the Australian outback with “Blood Territory” to the unsolved murder case in “West Cork,” and the dark world of “The Dark Web,” all the way to the gripping story of “My Lost Family.” These podcasts offer a unique perspective on various cases, exposing facts and details that you would never hear anywhere else. So, if you’re in the mood for a thrilling, heart-pumping experience, tune into “Uncover the Truth” and let the investigations begin!