I've recently discovered some new podcasts that have become my new guilty pleasures. As a thriller and mystery writer, I'm always fascinated to learn about famous (and sometimes not so famous) crimes. I've always said that the fiction that writers come up with is nothing compared to the atrocities that humans have come up with in real life. These podcasts proof that.

My Favorite Murder

I learned about the first podcast a few months ago while attending a writers conference in Lancaster, PA. I've been binge listening to My Favorite Murder ever since. It is, as the hosts call it, a true crime comedy podcast and features Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. During each full episode, these two funny ladies each select a single murder, true crime story, or survivor story to recount and discuss. The podcast is anything but scripted, with Karen and Georgia often drifting off onto tangents that can be hilarious. They also post "MFM minisodes" during the week, which consist of reading about "hometown murders" that come in from their fans, who they call "murderinos". My Favorite Murder has developed a significant following, to the degree that Karen and Georgia frequently take the show on tour, recording before sold out crowds wherever they go.

Because of the lighthearted nature of the podcast, My Favorite Murder might not be to everyone's taste. Although Karen and Georgia often make joke throughout the podcast, they do so to lighten the mood of a topic that can often be gruesome and horrifying. Some of the tales that they tell contain the most heinous acts that a human can do. Their humorous commentary makes some of the details easier to swallow.

Hollywood & Crime

The next podcast that I recently discovered is called Hollywood & Crime. The first season of this podcast focuses on the murder of women in and around Hollywood during and immediately after World War II. The overarching theme is whether or not all of these murders were connected somehow with the famous unsolved Black Dahlia murder in 1947. Hollywood & Crime is narrated by Tracy Pattin and utilizes dramatic recreation of certain events in each murder investigation, giving it a kind of "old time radio" feel.

Although Hollywood & Crime takes a more serious slant when presenting the facts about each murder, it is just as entertaining as My Favorite Murder. In the second season of Hollywood & Crime, Tracy delves into the life of Charles Mason, and the third season digs into the Wonderland Murders.

Serial Killers

Another great podcast that I've been listening to lately is Serial Killers from the Parcast network. Hosts Greg Polcyn and Vanessa Richardson delve into the minds, methods, and madness behind some of the most notorious serial killers in history. Like Hollywood & Crime, portions of this podcast are dramatized with voice actors. The podcast covers the most famous serial killers, like Jack the Ripper and Son of Sam, as well as discussing some of the more obscure names like the Video Strangler and Dr. Death. A new episode of Serial Killers is released every Monday, with plenty of past episodes available to binge on.

All three podcasts are entertaining, informative, and well worth a listen.

You can find out more about My Favorite Murder at www.myfavoritemurder.com.

You can get more information about Hollywood & Crime at www.wondery.com.

Find out more about Serial Killers at www.parcast.com.