Millions of us have had our identities stolen—the thief can be a stranger, or someone very close to you. Author Axton Betz-Hamilton grew up in fear in rural Indiana because her family was being targeted. Her father even had to sell his family’s farm. As an adult, Axton became an expert in identity theft. And then she found out who had almost destroyed their lives. She tells me the story from her book The Less People Know About Us. Join my Patreon! patreon.com/kateandpaul Support this podcast by ...
Jun 15, 2026•58 min•Ep. 97
In 1998, FBI agent Robert Hilland was at a dead end with a cold case, until he got a huge break… from a famous psychic, John Edward. Hilland was a skeptic, but not anymore. He spent twenty-five years solving crimes with Edward. Robert Hilland tells me the story at the center of his book, Chasing Evil: Shocking Crimes, Supernatural Forces, and an FBI Agent’s Search for Hope and Justice. Join my Patreon! patreon.com/kateandpaul Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotio...
Jun 08, 2026•56 min•Ep. 96
For decades, scores of Indigenous women and girls have vanished from an isolated stretch of highway in northwestern British Columbia called The Highway of Tears. Journalist Jessica McDiarmid is from that area, and she decided to investigate why so many cases were either ignored or dismissed. She interviewed family members and friends of some of the victims for answers. She tells me about her book: Highway of Tears: A True Story of Racism, Indifference, and the Pursuit of Justice for Missing and ...
Jun 01, 2026•53 min•Ep. 95
We’re back talking to filmmaker Liam Le Guillou about his documentary An Unknown Compelling Force: The Dyatlov Pass Incident. We learn more about the victims, and we hear about many conspiracy theories. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewicked (Instagram) See omnystudio.com/listen...
May 18, 2026•51 min•Ep. 94
Filmmaker Liam Le Guillou was fascinated with the mystery surrounding the deaths of nine experienced Russian hikers in the Ural Mountains in 1959. Paul Holes and I talked about this case on Buried Bones, but Liam really, really dug into the mystery. He has his own opinion and he shares it in his documentary, An Unknown Compelling Force: The Dyatlov Pass Incident. We rarely do this, but we had to make this interview a two-parter. Join my Patreon: patreon.com/kateandpaul Support this podcast by sh...
May 11, 2026•44 min•Ep. 93
Throughout history, women have been convicted of crime, sometimes violent crimes, we know that. But most were not sent to the gallows. Historian Naomi Clifford decided to tell the story of the time period in England, 40 years beginning in the late 1700s, and the women who were given the death penalty. She tells me about their crimes, their defense…and their lives before their deaths. Her book is called: Women and the Gallows. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotio...
May 04, 2026•46 min•Ep. 92
Author Diane Fanning is known for covering high profile cases like Casey Anthony and JonBenet Ramsey. But not with this book. In the summer of 2011, Laura Jean Ackerson left to pick up her two sons from her ex-husband’s home. And she was never seen alive again. Diane digs into this case, which leads us from North Carolina to Texas. Her book is called, Bitter Remains: A Custody Battle, A Gruesome Crime, and the Mother Who Paid the Ultimate Price. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponso...
Apr 27, 2026•55 min•Ep. 91
In 2019, surveillance cameras at the headquarters of Britain’s spy agency in London recorded video of a 19-year-old man. He was pacing back and forth on a high balcony of a luxury tower along the bank of the river. A two in the morning, he jumped into the water. Soon, his family discovered that he had lived a secret life that might have led to his death. From the bestselling author Patrick Radden Keefe tells me about his book, London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Se...
Apr 20, 2026•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 90
One type of crime we don’t talk about much is Munchausen by proxy. It’s a mental health condition and a form of child abuse. It's where a caregiver exaggerates, makes up, or induces physical or psychological symptoms in a child to make them seem sick. Or it could be another person under their care. Author Andrea Dunlop writes about Munchausen by Proxy in her book, The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy. She and a Texas detective review his past cases and try to make s...
Apr 13, 2026•1 hr•Ep. 89
Author Susan Orlean wrote a best-selling book years ago that you’ve probably heard of: The Orchid Thief . It was made into a movie called Adaptation. Susan has now written another book—this one about an unexpected crime that might not have been a crime at all. A fire in the LA Public Library destroyed more than 400,000 books in 1986. Did they find out what caused it? Or who? Susan tells me the story in her book, The Library Book. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and prom...
Apr 06, 2026•1 hr•Ep. 88
One of the most enduring mysteries in crime history is the horrible murder of Elizabeth Short. The Black Dhalia case has been told over and over again, including by Paul Holes and me on Buried Bones. But author William J. Mann has taken a different angle…and I really like it. He’s written a deeply researched, victim-forward book about Elizabeth: her life, her struggles and her death. But his focus is right where it’s supposed to be: on her. William tells me about his new book, Black Dahlia: Murd...
Mar 30, 2026•57 min•Ep. 87
This is our second ESPN story about the intersection between sports and murder. ESPN was asked by the Miami-Dade Police to look into the 2006 murder of a star football player at the University of Miami. What reporter Paula Lavigne found was a complicated victim, a questionable suspect, and a police department that likely regrets calling ESPN to begin with. She tells me about the story at the center of her podcast: “Murder at the U." Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and p...
Mar 23, 2026•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 86
I’ve never interviewed someone about wildlife trafficking, but journalist Rachel Nuwer’s story for The Economist was so compelling that I wanted to explore it. It’s about an orphanage in Africa where kids are used as foot soldiers in an illegal animal and ivory smuggling operation. Rachel's article is called: The School for Wildlife Traffickers. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewink...
Mar 16, 2026•51 min•Ep. 85
Randy Barnett is a law professor at Georgetown University. But decades ago, he was a young prosecutor in Cook County’s State’s Attorney’s office. In Chicago, Randy dealt with gritty crime, of course, but some of his biggest challenges were battling police corruption, crooked co-workers, and judges on the take. Randy tells me about his book: Felony Review: Tales of True Crime and Corruption in Chicago. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://...
Mar 09, 2026•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 84
We’re taking you back to 1980s West Texas. When a Catholic priest was found murdered in a seedy hotel in Odessa, investigators focused on a gay Apache man who had made an accusation against the victim. Director Deborah Esquenazi tells the story in her film with Texas Monthly: Night in West Texas. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (T...
Mar 02, 2026•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 83
FBI agent Seamus McElearney had dreamed of investigating the mafia in New York when he first joined the bureau. But of course, no one would flip on the families. No one had ever flipped on the families. Until McElearney did some research, offered a made-man some orange juice…and made history. He tells me about his book: Flipping Capo: How the FBI Dismantled the Real Sopranos. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more in...
Feb 23, 2026•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 82
We’re talking about a very famous case this week. In 1984, Bernie Goetz shot four Black teenagers on a subway in Manhattan. He was hailed as a hero in the press, a man who stopped would-be robbers. But as the public learned more about the evidence, and about Goetz himself, the story seemed to shift. Elliot Williams is a CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor. And he wrote a book about the case called "Five Bullets: The Story of Bernie Goetz, New York's Explosive '80s, and the Subway Vig...
Feb 16, 2026•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 81
In 1976, 26 kids were riding on a school bus in Chowchilla, California when they were kidnapped along with their driver by three men. The men buried them all underground in the middle of nowhere. The kids were terrified as they struggled to stay alive, and then a 14-year-old boy took control. It’s an incredible story of survival. Paul Solet tells me about the story at the center of his film Chowchilla Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://...
Feb 09, 2026•50 min•Ep. 80
I’m really thrilled to have my buddy Skip Hollandsworth on the show this week. He wrote a book called "She Kills.” And it’s a collection of updated stories from Texas Monthly focusing on fascinating and often shocking female murderers—and some of these are cases that I’ve never heard of. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) /...
Feb 02, 2026•41 min•Ep. 79
An assistant college football coach never thought they’d find his mother because Dolores Wulff had been missing for more than 40 years. Paul Wulff, along with most everyone else, believed that his father, Carl, had murdered her. So, what would happen to this case…if they found her? ESPN reporters Adam Rittenberg & Kyle Bonagura tell me about their investigation from their podcast "Finding Dolores Wulff." Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: h...
Jan 26, 2026•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 78
In 1971, James Tappen Hall was gunned down in Maryland as the deputy sheriff patrolled the grounds of a country club. The police searched for suspects, which included a gang of teens known for breaking into Coca-Cola machines. But the case went cold for half a century until it finally broke. But did they catch the real killer? Author Michael Weisberg tells me the story from his book, A Second Shot: The Pursuit of Justice in Maryland’s Oldest Cold Case Murder. Support this podcast by shopping our...
Jan 19, 2026•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 77
Meg Gardiner is a thriller writer, a really great one. She has several series, but the one I’m most interested in started with a book called UNSUB about a serial killer. And it’s based on two real serial killers, one of whom she lived close to. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewi...
Jan 12, 2026•52 min•Ep. 76
Harry Houdini, the world’s greatest magician, wowed audiences around the world in the 1920s. He must have felt invincible, but then an evil spirit cursed him during a seance. And soon, Houdini would wage war against Spiritualism. He set out to debunk fraudulent mediums, and expose charlatans for lying to people in mourning. Author Brad Ricca tells us about Houdini’s crusade from his book: Lincoln's Ghost: Houdini's War on Spiritualism and the Dark Conspiracy Against the American Presidency. Supp...
Jan 05, 2026•57 min•Ep. 75
The brutal murder of a 3-year-old shocked Victorian England not only because of how it happened, but because of who the police suspected. Could one of Britain’s most famous detectives solve the case? Author Kate Summerscale tells us the story at the center of her book, The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore...
Dec 29, 2025•41 min
One of the most incredible stories in true crime is the tale of Arthur Conan Doyle and how he helped free a man…who was innocent of murder. Author Margalit Fox offers us a deep dive into the characters in her book, Conan Doyle for the Defense. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wickedwordspod (Facebook) / @tenfoldmorewic...
Dec 22, 2025•47 min
When Rachel McCarthy James and her father wrote their best-selling book The Man from the Train , Rachel became fascinated with axes. Were they good weapons during murders? What kind of killer used them? She wrote the story of the axe in her book Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twitter) / @wicke...
Dec 15, 2025•54 min•Ep. 74
Dick Harpootlian might be a name you recognize. He’s from South Carolina, and he’s one of Alex Murdaugh’s defense attorneys. He’s also been a prosecutor. And one of his most disturbing defendants was serial killer Donald “Pee Wee” Gaskins. Dick tells me the story from his book: Dig Me a Grave. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on social: @tenfoldmore (Twit...
Dec 08, 2025•48 min•Ep. 73
The popular former president of Ghana was once accused of hiding gold from the West African country’s government. But it turns out that he was targeted by an audacious con artist who pulled off one of the 20th century's longest running and most spectacular frauds. Author Yepoka Yeebo tells me the story in her book: Anansi's Gold. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Fo...
Dec 01, 2025•45 min•Ep. 72
For more than a decade, a serial killer stalked teenage boys in Michigan. Ronald Lloyd Bailey was eventually caught. But the story becomes more complicated because of Bailey’s experience at one of the state’s most respected psychiatric hospitals. Author Rod Sadler tells me the story in his book: Depraved Obsession. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my books: katewinklerdawson.com Follow me on soci...
Nov 24, 2025•56 min•Ep. 71
Almost 40 years ago, a brutal murder on Valentine’s Day shook the country of Wales. When a 20-year-old is murdered in a dark corner of Cardiff’s infamous Tiger Bay area, the police launch an investigation. But did they arrest the wrong people because they were desperate to close the case? Author Ceri Jackson tells me the story from her book: The Boy from Tiger Bay. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information o...
Nov 17, 2025•59 min•Ep. 70
