In the early seventeenth century, Atto Melani gained international renown as a castrato singer, used his stature to spy on French courtiers, and even played a role in electing a new pope. Today, we're tjoined by Dr. Roger Freitas to talk about this remarkable figure. For show notes and full transcripts, visit www.artofcrimepodcast.com . If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast ....
Jan 14, 2026•1 hr 8 min•Season 6Ep. 9
Having scored a trove of top-secret intelligence, Eppler and company desperately try to radio their findings to the German military. Unfortunately, their efforts explode in their face, to spectacular effect. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com . If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast.com ....
Dec 17, 2025•49 min•Season 6Ep. 8
Having made it to Cairo and forged an alliance with megastar belly dancer Hekmet Fahmy, Nazi spy Johannes Eppler began snooping around for intelligence that could be of use to the Germans. Thanks to Hekmet, Eppler got his first major breakthrough in the case. For show notes and full transcripts, visit www.artofcrimepodcast.com If you'd like to support the show, please consider beocming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast ....
Dec 10, 2025•27 min•Season 6Ep. 7
From an early age, Johannes Eppler yearned for adventure. It was for that reason more than any other that he agreed to spy for the Nazis. In 1942, he embarked on a dangerous mission to enter Egypt by way of the Western Desert, hoping to gather intelligence for the German military. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com . If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast ....
Dec 03, 2025•33 min•Season 6Ep. 6
In the 1930s, singer and actress Asmahan became one of the most beloved performers in the Arabic-speaking world. After the outbreak of World War II, she embarked on a secret mission to Syria to aid in the fight against Hitler. For show notes and full transcripts, visit www.artofcrimepodcast.com . If you'd like to suppor the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast ....
Nov 19, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Season 6Ep. 5
Today, we're joined by Michelle Young, author of a the brand-new nonfiction book, The Art Spy. It tells the amazing true story of Rose Valland, a museum professional who spied on the Nazis as they looted priceless artworks. To learn more about The Art Spy and the rest of Michelle's work, visit www.michelleyoungwriter.com . If you'd like to supprt the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast ....
Nov 05, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 6Ep. 4
After the Nazis invaded France in 1940, Josephine Baker joined the French Resistance as a spy. That year, she planned and took part in a top-secret mission to Lisbon, Portugal, in an effort to thwart Hitler. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com . If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast ....
Oct 22, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 6Ep. 3
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Josephine Baker grew up in severe poverty. In 1925, she traveled to Paris, where she sang, danced, and acted, becoming an overnight sensation and winning riches she had never dreamed of. On the eve of World War II, French intelligence agents recruited her as a volunteer spy in the fight against Hitler. For show notes and full transcripts, visit www.artofcrimepodcast.com . If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcri...
Oct 08, 2025•54 min•Season 6Ep. 2
Introducing season 6 . . .
Oct 01, 2025•2 min•Season 6Ep. 1
Today, I'm sharing an episode of History Daily, where they do history, daily. Every weekday, host Lindsay Graham (American Scandal, American History Tellers) takes you back in time to explore a momentous event that happened 'on this day' in history. In this episode:At the height of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union conduct a spy exchange. If you like what you hear, make sure to follow History Daily wherever you get your podcasts.
Sep 24, 2025•19 min•Season 5Ep. 12
Today, I'm releasing part one of a three-part miniseries that was previously available exclusively to patrons of The Art of Crime. It's all about the fatal shooting of a British hunter at a Scottish manor house and the authorities' efforts to determine whether the vicitm died by accident or by design. If you'd like to hear how it all ends, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast .
Sep 17, 2025•31 min•Season 5Ep. 11
Today, we're joined by a very special guest to remember the life of Elliott Speer. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast .
Sep 03, 2025•43 min•Season 5Ep. 10
Today, we look at how the conventions of detective fiction informed--and misinformed--the investigation into the murder of Elliott Speer. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com . If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast .
Aug 20, 2025•36 min•Season 5Ep. 8
In 1937, former Mount Hermon employee S. Allan Norton was ambushed at home by a trespasser with a shotgun. Norton identified his attacker as Thomas Elder, prime suspect in the unsolved murder of Elliott Speer. Members of the community held their breath as Elder went to trial for the attempted murder of Norton, hoping that proceedings would shed light on the shooting of Headmaster Speer. For show notes and full transcripts, visit www.artofcrimepodcast.com . If you'd like to support the show, plea...
Aug 06, 2025•46 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Within a week or two of the shooting of Elliott Speer, Dean Thomas Elder, second-in-command at Mount Hermon School for Boys, became the prime suspect in the crime. After amassing as much evidence as possible agains Elder, District Attorney Joseph Bartlett called an inquest that would determine whether Elder would stand trial for the homicide. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com . If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreo...
Jul 23, 2025•52 min•Season 5Ep. 4
In 1934, police were initially baffled by the murder of Elliott Speer. Then, one day, while an investigator was combing over the bookshelves in Speer's study, he happened upon a murder mystery that blew the case wide open. Show notes and full transcripts are available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com . If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast ....
Jul 09, 2025•36 min•Season 5Ep. 3
The son of an internationally renowned Presbyterian preacher, Elliott Speer became headmaster of the Mount Hermon School for Boys, a religiously oriented boarding school, in 1932. On the night of September 14, 1934, a trespasser murdered Speer in his own home, devastating his family, his colleagues, and the rest of the community. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com. If you'd like to support the show, please consider beocming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcri...
Jun 25, 2025•44 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Introducing season 5 . . . Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com . If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast . You can also sign up for an Apple subscription for bonus content, early access, and ad-free listening.
Jun 11, 2025•3 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Thanks to everyone who submitted questions and comments! As promised, here's a link to Netherlandish Proverbs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlandish_Proverbs . If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast .
May 28, 2025•44 min•Season 4Ep. 19
In 1990, two men entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and stole something like $500 million worth of art, in what became the most infamous art heist in U.S. history. Today, we're joined by retired museum professional Frederick J. Fisher, who thinks that the Gardner affair may have been a sequel to an earlier effort to rob a different institution, the Hyde Collection, located in Glens Falls, New York. Fisher explores the theory in a new book titled The Practice Run, which is out ...
May 14, 2025•43 min•Season 4Ep. 18
Today, we're joined by acclaimed author and filmmaker Barry Avrich to talk about one of the most colossal art fraud cases in New York history. It all started when a woman named Glafira Rosales walked into the storied Knoedler Gallery with a painting she claimed to have been created by Mark Rothko. The ensuing fiasco ended in catastrophe for the gallery. The Devil Wears Rothko by Barry Avrich is out June 24, 2025, and you can pre-order a copy today. If you'd like to support The Art of Crime, plea...
Apr 30, 2025•38 min•Season 4Ep. 17
This week, I'm re-releasing one of my all-time favorite episodes of The Art of Crime, "Shooting Andy Warhol: Valerie Solanas." It originally aired ac ouple years back, during seasons 2 of the podcast, Assassins. It looks at how playwright, writer, and all-around hellraiser Valerie Solanas shot and nearly killed Andy Warhol in 1968. For show notes and full transcripts, visit www.artofcrimepodcast.com . If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcr...
Apr 16, 2025•57 min•Season 4Ep. 16
Today, we're joined by the fabulous Amanda Matta, host of the Art of History podcast, to talk about theft and New York's Metropolitan Museum. On the one hand, the Met has acquired a good chunk of its collection by dubious means, including the purchase of looted objects. On the other hand, the museum itself has become the target of thieves, leading to some of New York's most astounding art heists. Make sure to check out Art of History and follow Amanda on social media. If you're interested in roy...
Apr 02, 2025•55 min•Season 4Ep. 15
One Monday morning in 1958, Nina Lawson, Mistress of Wigs at the Metropolitan Opera, came into work to discover that someone had stolen thirty thousand dollars' worth of wigs from the Met. The theft made national headlines, and the FBI joined the hunt for the culprits. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com . If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast ....
Mar 19, 2025•37 min•Season 4Ep. 14
Today, I'm thrilled to share an episode of a wonderful podcast, ArtMuse. This is part one of a two-part episode about Audrey Munson, sometimes referred to as "America's first supermodel." She inspired more than a dozen prominent statues throughout New York. After reaching the height of her fame, she got roped into one of the early twentieth century's most sensational homicide trials, right up there with the trial of Harry Thaw for the murder of Stanford White. You can learn more about ArtMuse he...
Mar 12, 2025•51 min•Season 4Ep. 13
In 1931, a trio of thieves stole a rare book by Edgar Allan Poe worth more than half a million dollars from the New York Public Library. To bring them to justice, the library called in G. William Bergquist, an investigator who specialized in recovering stolen books.
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 12
In 1927, blond-haired bombshell and future movie star Mae West performed the lead role in a play about a prostitute titled SEX . The risqué production launched her to stardom on Broadway. There was just one problem--it also launched her straight into a jail cell. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast ....
Feb 19, 2025•59 min•Season 4Ep. 11
In the Roaring Twenties, Arthur Barry stole millions of dollars' worth of jewels from some of New York's wealthiest residents. Today, we talk about the cat burglar's audacious capers with best-selling author Dean Jobb, whose new biography of Barry is titled A Gentleman and a Thief. For more about Jobb's writing, visit his website at https://www.deanjobb.com/ . If you'd like to support the show, please consider beocming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast ....
Feb 05, 2025•51 min•Season 4Ep. 10
In 1901, Broadway chorus girl Evelyn Nesbit met Stanford White, the fabulously wealthy and influential architect who designed Madison Square Garden. They formed a relationship that ended in murder six years later, right in the middle of a crowded performance at Madison Square Garden. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast . For show notes and full transcripts, visit www.artofcrimepodcast.com ....
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 4Ep. 9
In the 1860s and '70s, hundreds--maybe thousands--of Italian children migrated to New York to make money as street musicians. They worked for bosses known as padroni, living in squalor and suffering abuse at the hands of their employers. In 1873, the plight of these little street performers unleashed outrage in New York and neighboring states, which prompted the federal government to take action. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepo...
Jan 08, 2025•48 min•Season 4Ep. 8
