5 True Crime Podcasts Worth Listening To

#1

Back To The Wall

Camille Bianchi7/10

Back To The Wall is an investigative podcast series from Podshape, hosted by Camille Bianchi. It returns to Kings Cross in Sydney to examine questions about Ivan Milat, told through the eyes of the streetkids who lined the Wall. I thought I knew the Ivan Milat story, and this series made me realise how little I knew about the place around it. Milat was convicted in 1996 of the murders of seven backpackers in Belanglo State Forest, and he died in prison in 2019. Back To The Wall doesn't retell that. It goes back to Kings Cross in Sydney and, in the show's words, tells the story "through the eyes of the streetkids" who lined the Wall there. The host is Camille Bianchi, whose earlier work, according to the show, includes The Nurse, Inside the Tribe and Rotten Apple. The series asks why, in its words, there are "still so many unanswered questions" about Milat's movements before his arrest. It also asks: "Could his crimes have been covered-up for decades?" I want to be clear that a cover-up is the show's theory and question, not an established fact. The show links these questions to a New South Wales parliamentary inquiry into unsolved murders and missing persons, which the ABC reported in June 2026. Episode 1, Brown Paper Bags, is set in 1960s Kings Cross. Episode 2, Taking Names, moves to Milat in the early 1970s and, according to the show, how he avoided long jail time on two major charges. It's slow and heavy, and it stays with you because it gives a voice to people who were rarely heard at the time. I'd suggest it to listeners who like patient Australian investigative series. Format: Investigative series · listen in order · Episodes 1 and 2 free (about 53 and 52 min) · Episodes 3 and 4 for Apple subscribers only for now · marked explicit on Apple Content warnings: Child sexual exploitation themes; serial murder; threats; violence. Episode 1 describes a child being drawn into danger, so please take care. Legal note: Milat's case is closed; he was convicted in 1996 and died in 2019. Any suggestion of a cover-up, or of involvement by police, lawyers or influential people, is the series' theory or allegation. We don't name anyone as involved, and we don't say a cover-up happened. Start here: Episode 1, Brown Paper Bags (free since Sunday 11 October, about 53 min). Listen: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/back-to-the-wall/id6816863602 · Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1YNXY729C7bV8CCYSoPSiU · RSS: https://www.omnycontent.com/d/playlist/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/fa8056f7-e40f-4cf0-9c67-b4d3003fd67c/cc8f7531-1d20-47d3-898b-b4d3003fda91/podcast.rss LTC review: None yet

#2

Heart

Karen Kilgariff8/10

Heart is an eight-part Apple Original podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff, made by Plan B and Blanchard House. It tells the story of heart-transplant recipient Sonny Graham, who fell in love with his donor's widow. I approached this one carefully, and I want to explain why it's here. Heart is an eight-part Apple Original hosted by Karen Kilgariff, whom many of you will know from My Favorite Murder. It's made by Plan B and by Blanchard House, the UK studio behind Extrasensory, The Pirate of Prague and Adrift, and the makers say it's built on three years of reporting, court filings, public records and personal accounts. The story is about Sonny Graham, a heart-transplant recipient from Hilton Head Island, who fell in love with his donor's widow. Sonny later died, and the official conclusion was suicide, as it was for his donor, Terry Cottle. The series looks at the idea that a transplanted heart might carry something of its donor's trauma. That's a theory, and the show itself says mainstream science and the families dismiss it. What I respect is that it tests the idea rather than selling it. What stays with me is the grief on both sides, and how people search for meaning when a loss doesn't make sense. Episode 1, The Lion, is only about half an hour. I'd suggest it to listeners who like character-led, quietly unsettling stories and a short weekly series. Format: Eight-part series · listen in order · episodes about 30 min to just over an hour · Episodes 1 to 3 free now, then one a week until the finale on Monday 23 November · all eight available now to Apple TV subscribers Content warning, please read first: This series is about two men who died, and the official conclusion was suicide. It also covers organ donation, life support, affairs and family breakdown. Please decide whether it's right for you before pressing play. If you're struggling, Samaritans are available day or night on 116 123 (free) or at samaritans.org: https://www.samaritans.org/. Legal note: The official conclusion in both deaths is suicide. Sonny's family disputes that in the series, and that is the family's view, not an established fact. The heart-memory idea is a theory the series examines, and the show says science dismisses it. We don't suggest that anyone, including the widow, did anything wrong. Start here: Episode 1, The Lion (out Monday 19 October, about 30 min). Listen: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/heart/id6805984512 · https://apple.co/Heart LTC review: None yet. Karen Kilgariff's other show: My Favorite Murder: https://www.listentruecrime.com/podcasts/my-favorite-murder

#3

Bear Brook (Season 3: A Private Matter)

Jason Moon8/10

Bear Brook is NHPR's investigative podcast hosted by Jason Moon. Season 3, A Private Matter, is a five-part season about a Christmas tree farmer with dementia who disappears from a small New Hampshire town. Bear Brook is one of the podcasts I recommend most, so I was glad to see it's back. The first season followed the case of four bodies found in barrels in Bear Brook State Park in New Hampshire. The second followed Jason Carroll, who was convicted of murder and says he didn't commit it. Both were careful, patient public-radio reporting from New Hampshire Public Radio and the host, Jason Moon. Season 3, A Private Matter, is a five-part series, and its first two episodes arrived together on Wednesday 21 October. According to the official page, a Christmas tree farmer with dementia disappears from a small New Hampshire town, and his wife never reports him missing. The show describes it as a story of "family estrangement and the growing dementia crisis" that led to "a criminal investigation and a supernatural search for answers". Episode 1 includes the police interview. I'm drawn to the dementia side of this, because it's something so many families live with. I'd rather be straight that my 8 comes from the care this team took over the first two seasons, so it isn't yet a verdict on this one. Format: Five-part season · listen in order · Episodes 1 and 2 out now (about 26 and 43 min) · release dates for the rest not confirmed Content warnings: Dementia; a missing person; family estrangement. Legal note: The series and its official page name the people at the centre of the story. We don't repeat the names here, and we describe the case only as the series presents it. Nothing here suggests the farmer's wife did anything wrong. The status of the criminal investigation the show mentions isn't known to us. Start here: Season 3, Episode 1. Or listen to the three-minute trailer first. Listen: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/bear-brook/id1423306695 · NPR: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/655841151/bear-brook · Season 3 page: https://www.bearbrookpodcast.com/season-three LTC review: Bear Brook: https://www.listentruecrime.com/podcasts/bear-brook (our review covers Season 1)

#4

Uncover: Sea of Lies

Sam Mullins8/10

Sea of Lies is a complete series from CBC's Uncover, hosted by Sam Mullins and made by What's the Story Sounds, now on BBC Sounds. It tells the story of Albert Johnson Walker, convicted at Exeter in 1998 of murdering Ronald Platt. If you want something to finish this weekend, this is the one. Sea of Lies came out on CBC in 2025, is part of CBC's Uncover, and won Best True Crime Podcast at the 2026 Ambies. It's now on BBC Sounds as a full box set, with all seven episodes added on 14 October. It's made by What's the Story Sounds for CBC and hosted by Sam Mullins, whose earlier work includes Chameleon: Dr. Dante and Wild Boys. It tells the story of Albert Johnson Walker, a Canadian who fled Canada in 1990 with his daughter. Police said he had defrauded about 70 clients of roughly CA$3.2 million. He went on to live in England under a false identity, then took on the identity of Ronald Platt. Walker was convicted of murdering Platt on a boat trip off the Devon coast in July 1996. Platt's body was found in the English Channel, and it was traced through the serial number and service records of a Rolex. Walker pleaded not guilty and was convicted of murder at Exeter in 1998. What stays with me is how ordinary the lies sounded to the people around him. I'd suggest it to UK listeners in particular, since so much of it happens here. Format: Complete series · seven episodes plus an intro · listen in order · episodes about 37–50 min · now on BBC Sounds Content warnings: Murder; fraud; themes of child abuse and coercive control. Legal note: A closed case. Albert Walker was convicted of murder at Exeter in 1998 and received a life sentence. The fraud figures are police allegations as reported by CBC News. We stick to the court record and don't speculate about his family. Start here: Episode 1, Luck, Or Something Like It (about 47 min). Listen: BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0pf1pyw · Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/sea-of-lies/id1818646689 · CBC Listen: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/2031-sea-of-lies LTC review: Uncover: https://www.listentruecrime.com/podcasts/uncover

#5

Killers, Cults and Queens

Cheryl Hole and Nikki Druce7/10

Killers, Cults and Queens is a UK podcast hosted by Cheryl Hole and Nikki Druce, mixing true crime and dark history in a chatty, banter-led style. After four documentaries, I wanted to end the week with something lighter. Killers, Cults and Queens is a UK show hosted by Cheryl Hole and Nikki Druce, mixing true crime with dark history. It's chatty and full of banter, so if you prefer straight narration, this one isn't for you. If you like hosts who make you laugh between the grim parts, it might be. There are more than 200 episodes in the feed, and it's in the middle of a Halloween run. My pick is the two-parter on Borley Rectory, once called the most haunted house in England, with Robin Ince as guest. Part 1 came out on Monday 12 October and Part 2 on Thursday 15 October, each about 34 minutes. The haunting stories are folklore and theory, of course, and that's half the fun. Recent episodes also include a 1920s story, The Twisted Love Triangle That Ended in Murder: Dolly & Otto, and a three-part series on the Titanic. If you're near Brighton, the show's notes list a live show on Wednesday 28 October, with tickets via cheerfulearful.co.uk. Please check availability there, as I can't say whether tickets are still on sale. Format: Chat-led true crime and dark history · any order · new episodes usually on Mondays and Thursdays, plus bonus episodes · Borley Rectory episodes about 34 min each Content warnings: Varies by episode. The Borley Rectory episodes deal with ghost stories and folklore rather than violent crime. Please check each episode's description. Legal note: We're recommending the historic and paranormal episodes. We haven't checked every episode in the feed, so please don't take this as a recommendation for any episode about a recent case. Start here: Borley Rectory: The Most Haunted House in England? Part 1 (Monday 12 October, 34 min). Listen: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/killers-cults-and-queens/id1641463028 · RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6894ea9cf9482328d0bc4e8e · Live show: https://cheerfulearful.co.uk LTC review: None yet