The 20 best true crime podcasts to get addicted to

Murder most foul, unspeakable crime, unfathomable mysteries are all usually the stuff of fiction. The thing is, often true life is so much more engaging than the best that crime writers can offer in plots drawn from their imaginations. We know how much you love true crime so we’ve put together a list of the top 20 true crime podcasts on the internet today.  Careful, some of these are very addictive. Do you have others we should add to the list?  Put them in the comments.

1. Unravel True Crime: Juanita

Format: Podcast

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The fetid world of crime whispered through the backstreets of Sydney’s Kings Cross in the 1970s. That’s the setting for the latest from ABC true-crime podcast Unravel. Unravel: Juanita is a seven-part series that delves into the mysterious disappearance of Juanita Nielsen – a journalist and activist. It dives into the murky underworld that was Kings Cross almost five decades after Juanita’s sudden disappearance.

2. My Favourite Murder

Format: Podcast

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If you are looking for a true-crime podcast that rates amongst the best of them, the award-winning podcast, My Favourite Murder will fire up your inner Sam Spade providing a combination of gruesome murder cases with comedic banter, that somehow works. It is a sort of guilty pleasure about which you’ll speak in whispered tones.

3. Something Was Wrong

Format: Podcast

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For those looking for somewhat of an immersive true-crime experience Something Was Wrong is something right. In the latest episode, Ava shares her story. Ava met Eddie in what should have been just a romantic adventure only to find out that everything she thought was true about Eddie was not all it seemed. This is the latest in a podcast series that exposes stories of abusive relationships and real-life discoveries.

4. The Dating Game Killer

Format: Podcast

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Sometimes there’s nothing better than settling in for an all-consuming binge and The Dating Game Killer is bingeworthy.  This podcast follows the 1978 killing spree of Rodney Alcala. Winner of a popular TV show, The Dating Game, Alcala went on a cross-country murder spree that takes listeners on a hard to switch off journey through a murderer’s secret life.

5. Death of a Starlet

Format: Podcast

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The only thing more rewarding than a quality true-crime podcast is a free podcast of unforgettable quality. Death Of A Starlet is just that, fee and quality. It rewards the listener with a story about the mysterious death of Playboy playmate Dorothy Stratten – dead at 20. Eccentric Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner is at the centre of this mystery with two other prime suspects. One of them is guilty of the model’s murder, the series looks to discover who is guilty of murdering a young woman at the height of her career.

6. To Catch and Kill with Ronan Farrow 

Format: Podcast

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If the world of film and television is your thing then check out this podcast as it delves into the Harvey Weinstein story. And what makes it so riveting is that the people who were actually involved with Weinstein tell the story.

7. True Crime & Cocktails 

Format: Podcast

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Lovers of a vodka martini shaken, not stirred might like to stop by True Crime & Cocktails. This is the delicious mix of pop culture and crime.

8. Dr Death 

Format: Podcast

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Among the most trusted amongst us, pillars of society Doctors heal our ills and apply balm to our wounds. Trouble is, some of them like Dr Christopher Duntsch put lives in danger – deliberately. You’ll want to sit in on this one.

9. RedHanded 

Format: Podcast

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From hauntings to unsettling mysteries, RedHanded takes a wide lens to true crime. This one is for those that want to step away from the usual true crime formula and the cut and dry mystery.

10. Australian True Crime 

Format: Podcast

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Go beyond the news headlines to uncover the gruesome details that underpin them. In this series who’ll get an insight into murder and the motives of the killers as well..

11. Crime Junkie 

Format: Podcast

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Considering that Crime Junkie has around 200 episodes in the can, it must be doing something right. And so, it is. Offering yarns of serial killers and bizarre but terrifying tales, this offers true crime devotees an amazing portfolio of crime that you’ll not easily leave alone.

12. Anatomy Of Murder

Format: Podcast

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Peel back the layers of murder and you discover the scoliotic anatomy of murder. This series dissects murder like few others providing insider commentary from victims, family members, prosecutors, and police. If your crime buzz comes from behind-the-scenes insight and detail, then tune in and listen to Anatomy of Murder.

13. Sword & Scale 

Format: Podcast

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It’s often said live by the sword, die by the sword. Anyone following that recipe is sure to find themselves facing the scales of justice. Sword & Scale looks at the nitty-gritty, the tell-tale details of true crime that would have the would-be Edger Allen Poe smiling with sinister intent. This is truly immersive – a proverbial baptism of mayhem that is a worthwhile listening experience that confirms monsters are real and maybe living amongst us.

14. Casefile True Crime

Format: Podcast

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Every week the Casefile audience is swept away into a world of either solved or cold criminal cases. Often, they’re related to well-known murders and serial crimes.

15. Life and Crimes with Andrew Rule

Format: Podcast

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Producer Jonty Burton has put together a superb podcast with leading Australian Journalist Andrew Rule. Life and Crimes holds a torch to some of the darkest, seediest stories of true crime and illuminates the biggest mysteries to be found in the annals of Australian criminal life.

16. Bloody Murder – a true-crime podcast

Format: Podcast

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Barney Black and Tara Sariban manage to turn true crime into comedy as they discuss the dark and lesser-known true crime stories. Be warned – this quirky and somewhat unsettling series may well become your guilty secret.

17. NSW Police State Crime Command Investigations

Format: Podcast

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In some ways, this is among the most unusual of true crime podcasts as the NSW Police Force reaches out to the public to try to resolve long-standing cold cases. This is a true crime with a purpose beyond the usual tale-telling nature of the usual crime podcast.

18. I Catch Killers with Gary Jubelin

Format: Podcast

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With over two decades under his belt as a homicide detective, Gary Jubelin talks to the detectives, criminologists and forensic experts that inspire him to shed a light on the darkest crimes – previously untold but true.

19.  Narelle Fraser Interviews

Format: Podcast

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For almost 30 years Narelle Fraser was a Victorian Police officer. It’s that experience that she brings to this podcast the human side of the impact of crime. It’s a journey born out of her own PTSD.

20. Loose Units: The Podcast

Format: Podcast

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This podcast is in fact a wonderful addendum to a book of the same name. Sometimes surreal, sometimes contentious, it is always worth your time.