Podcast
Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast
Hosted by Blue Ewe Media · EN
Serial killers. Gangsters. Gunslingers. Victorian-era murderers. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Each week, the Most Notorious podcast features true-life tales of crime, criminals, tragedies and disasters throughout history. Host Erik Rivenes interviews authors and historians who have studied their subjects for years. Their stories are offered with unique insight, detail, and historical accuracy.
34episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
MoNo Encore: The Murder of Cecil Wells w/ James T. Bartlett
1w ago01:41:46Tap to summarize(Orig pub date: 6/21/22) In the early morning hours of October 17, 1953, a frightened, battered woman named Diane Wells told a horrific tale to police. She said intruders had broken into the top-floor penthouse apartment she shared with her husband Cecil, murdered him, beat her, and then made their escape. It was an especially sensational story because 31-year-old "blonde bombshell" Diane Wells was nicknamed "the most beautiful woman in Alaska", and Cecil (twenty years her senior) was a wealthy and well-known Fairbanks businessman. There were suspicions, however, that Diane was lying. It was soon learned that she was having an affair with a local musician and also being comforted by a dance instructor who worked downstairs. My guest is James T. Bartlett, author of "The Alaskan Blonde: Sex, Secrets, and the Hollywood Story that Shocked America". He shares details from his research into the almost 70 year old cold case, including an account of Diane's own tragic end. More information about the author can be found at these links: https://www.gourmetghosts.com/ https://www.facebook.com/thealaskanblonde https://www.instagram.com/thealaskanblonde https://www.twitter.com/alaskanblonde53 30% off sitewide at Batch! Go here and support the show: hellobatch.com/NOTORIOUS and use the code NOTORIOUS at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →438: The Capone's Vault Fiasco w/ William Hazelgrove
2w ago00:53:16Tap to summarizeIn 1986, The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults drew a larger audience than the Super Bowl or David Frost’s interview with Richard Nixon. The special was intended as a comeback for journalist Geraldo Rivera, built around the dramatic opening of a "vault" beneath Chicago’s Lexington Hotel, rumored to contain Al Capone’s riches. But when the vault was finally opened live the moment didn’t deliver what millions of viewers were expecting. My guest is William Hazelgrove, author of Capone’s Vault: The Real Story of the Biggest Disaster in Television History. His book traces how the idea came together, combining Rivera’s career arc with the mythology of Capone’s hidden fortune, and reconstructs the broadcast itself along with its fallout, showing how the event became a defining example of live television gone wrong. The author's website: https://www.williamhazelgrove.com/ The author on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@williamhazelgrove 30% off sitewide at Batch! Go here and support the show: hellobatch.com/NOTORIOUS and use the code NOTORIOUS at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →437: The Journalist & the Serial Killer w/ Mark Braude
3w ago01:01:51Tap to summarizeIn 1939, the crimes of German serial murderer Eugen Weidmann captivated France, culminating in a sensational trial and a public execution by guillotine, the last of its kind in the country, just weeks before the outbreak of World War II. My guest today is Mark Braude, author of The Typewriter and the Guillotine: An American Journalist, a German Murderer, and the Meeting of Two Cultures on the Eve of World War II. In our conversation he shares how Janet Flanner’s reporting brought this case to American readers and why she saw Weidmann’s story as a chilling reflection of a continent on the brink. The author's website: https://www.markbraude.com/ 30% off sitewide at Batch! Go here and support the show: hellobatch.com/NOTORIOUS and use the code NOTORIOUS at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →436: Jack the Ripper: Edward Buckley w/ Jonathan Tye
4w ago01:14:52Tap to summarizeEdward Buckley was a violent East End tough whose life unfolded in the same streets and shadows as the Whitechapel murders. Born into a rough, crime-entangled family, he grew up in a world of poverty, street gangs, and routine violence -where assaults, intimidation, and desperation were part of daily life in 1880s London. My guest is Jonathan Tye, author of "Jack the Ripper? Edward Buckley: East End Thug and Gang Member". His book revisits the Whitechapel murders of 1888 and the years around them, bringing the focus back to the neighborhoods where they happened and the kinds of men who lived there. Could Buckley, a local thug with a documented history of brutalizing women, offer a clearer way to understand the events known as the Autumn of Terror? The author's book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jack-Ripper-Edward-Buckley-Member/dp/1036115682 The author's publisher page: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Jonathan-Tye/a/6186 The author's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583065492211 30% off sitewide at Batch! Go here and support the show: hellobatch.com/NOTORIOUS and use the code NOTORIOUS at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →MoNo Encore: Anastasia: Mystery & Myth w/ Greg King and Penny Wilson
Apr 2801:30:41Tap to summarize(Orig. Release Date: 4/23/23) For decades following the horrific 1918 execution of the Romanov family, many hoped against hope that one or more of the children had escaped the bullets and bayonets of the Bolsheviks. And when a young woman came forward with an incredible story - that she was the real Grand Duchess Anastasia and had in fact survived the massacre - it sent shock waves around the world. My returning guests are Penny Wilson and Greg King, co-authors of "The Resurrection of the Romanovs: Anastasia, Anna Anderson, and the World's Greatest Royal Mystery". They present to us the evidence that proves that Anna Anderson was one of history's greatest imposters. Their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/kingandwilsonFollow them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AtlantisMagazin More about their book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-Romanovs-Anastasia-Anderson-Greatest/dp/0470444983 30% off sitewide at Batch! Go here and support the show: hellobatch.com/NOTORIOUS and use the code NOTORIOUS at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →435: Conversations With Serial Killers w/ Jeffrey Smalldon
Apr 2401:21:48Tap to summarizeMy guest this week is forensic psychologist Dr. Jeffrey Smalldon. He shares stories from decades of correspondence, prison visits and interviews with some of America’s most notorious killers, including Charles Manson, Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy. His memoir is called "That Beast Was Not Me: One Forensic Psychologist, Five Decades of Conversations with Killers". The author's website: https://jeffreysmalldon.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →434: The Murders That Inspired Lincoln's Lyceum Address w/ Saladin Ambar
Apr 1801:05:26Tap to summarizeMy guest is award-winning author Saladin Ambar, who examines a wave of racially motivated killings along the Mississippi River in the 1830s - events that left a deep impression on a young Abraham Lincoln and helped inspire his Lyceum Address. His book, Murder on the Mississippi: The Shocking Crimes That Shaped Abraham Lincoln, explores how these crimes shaped Lincoln’s early views on justice and mob rule. The author's website: https://www.diversionbooks.com/books/murder-on-the-mississippi The author on Twitter/X: https://x.com/dinambar The author on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saladin.ambar Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: https://www.quince.com/notorious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →433: Julia Bulette: Murdered by a Serial Killer? w/ Robin Flinchum
Apr 901:31:59Tap to summarizeOne chilly January night in 1867, a Virginia City prostitute was strangled to death in her bed. The murderer was caught and hanged in front of a crowd of thousands, and the citizens of the Comstock considered the matter closed. More than 150 years later, the murder of Julia Bulette has become a local legend. The man accused, John Millain, was suspected of killing before, but there would be no justice for those victims. Reduced to vague mentions in newspaper articles, little was left to tie their unsolved murders to that of Julia’s. Did John Millain leave a trail of tragedy that stretched from San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood to Julia’s untimely end in Virginia City? Joining me is journalist Robin Flinchum, author of "The Redemption of Julia Bulette: Murder, Myth & the Hunt for a Serial Killer in Early Virginia City", who revisits the case, tells Julia’s story, and explores whether her death may have been one of several connected killings. The author's website: https://rkflinchum.wixsite.com/robin-flinchum#dataItem-m2x14b5q1 On Arcadia Press: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/collections/the-history-press/products/the-redemption-of-julia-bulette-9781467171748 Pre-Order on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Redemption-Julia-Bulette-Murder-Virginia/dp/1467171743 The author's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/RedLightChronicles Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: https://www.quince.com/notorious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →432: Chicago's Apartment 131 Murders w/ Gregg Owen
Apr 301:26:56Tap to summarizeOn a chilly night in March of 1976, a father searching for his missing son made a horrifying discovery inside a Chicago apartment - in at what first appeared to be a drug deal gone bad. Inside were the bodies of Gio Messina and Delphine “Tinker” Moore, brutally stabbed to death. With no clear motive and a case that seemed ready to fall apart, it might have stayed buried if not for a series of unlikely breaks. My guest is author Gregg Owen, who, years later, found himself prosecuting that very case and was determined to see it through. His book "Convergence", co-authored with Jonathan Dixon, tells the story of how it all came together. The author's website: https://26thstreetbooks.com Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: https://www.quince.com/notorious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →MoNo Encore: The Revenge of Hannah Duston w/ Jay Atkinson
Mar 3101:15:27Tap to summarize(Orig pub date: 10/8/2017). My guest, Jay Atkinson, author of "Massacre on the Merrimack", tells the notorious and controversial story of Hannah Duston. After members of the Abenaki tribe captured her and her newborn infant in March of 1697, they killed her baby on a forced march north. Duston got her revenge by killing and scalping ten of her captors, including six children, and fleeing by canoe back to her home in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The author's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001JORXLK On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writerjayatkinson/ On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jay_atkinson/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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