Podcast ripped from the headlines

With the success of the first season of Serial, interest in true crime podcasts exploded. I myself am a huge fan of the genre, and never miss an episode of True Crime All the Time, My Favorite Murder, Casefile or Murder Mile (among many others).  I was interested to read The Night Swim, because the main character, Rachel Krall is a true crime podcaster.  Her podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty, has gained a cult following and made her a star, although she guards her identity and no one really knows what she looks like.  That's why, when she goes to the town of Neapolis, North Carolina, to cover a court case for her the new season of her show, she is unnerved when notes begin appearing on her car begging her to investigate a suspicious death from long ago.

The current case that Rachel is covering involves a rape trial.  In a case based loosely on a recent well-known event, a star athlete from a well-connected local family has been charged with assaulting a local high school girl.  He denies the charges, and the town is split among those who support the young man, and those who believe the young woman.  Rachel is attending the trial and then summarizing it daily on her podcast.  Her usual sidekick Pete (the Steven! of the set-up, if you will) has been hospitalized after an accident, so she is working alone.

After the success of her podcast, many people have reached out to Rachel to ask for help in investigating murders and disappearances of their loved ones.  The requests have become so overwhelming that form letters are sent out to those who write in, offering sympathy but little else.  So when notes begin appearing for Rachel, on her car and at her hotel, she is unnerved . . . but also intrigued.  The writer asks Rachel to investigate the death of her sister some 25 years ago in the same town where Rachel finds herself for the trial.  The story moves between the current rape trial and the story of the dead girl from the past.  Hannah, the younger sister of the dead girl, tells her own story in alternating chapters:  how her sister Jenny died, how Jenny’s death devastated her family, and how she’s never stopped trying to get justice for her dead sister.

The events, mirrored on similar incidents that have been in the news recently, helped to give the book a real sense of timeliness.  It is uncomfortable reading about the abuse of some of the young women in the story, but the attitudes and divisions in the small town mirror what goes on all too often in situations where the misdeeds of some are covered up or excused by those with the power to do so. 

I received an Advance Readers’ Edition of The Night Swim from the publisher in exchange for this review.

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Podcastapalooza!

At my house it is suddenly raining iPods. After years of unsuccessfully entering sweepstakes to win an iPod, in the past month I've had 2 of them show up. Since I am slightly (ahem) past the demographic that uses iPods for music, I have become addicted to podcasts. I was already a huge fan of the Ray Peacock and This Week in London podcasts, but recently I've discovered even more informative and entertaining podcasts. Here, then, are some of my favorites (all available for free download and/or subscription from iTunes):

Stephen Fry's Podgrams The actor Stephen Fry has apparently jumped on the whole web 2.0 bandwagon with both feet. He has a wonderful website with a blog, videos, podcasts and other assorted information. As he is also continuing to act, write books and appear in documentaries, I wonder how in the world he finds the time. He never exactly struck me as a whirling dervish of activity, but apparently I was wrong. In my favorite section on one of his podcasts, he goes into a hilarious rant against the compliance department, who have the final say on what can and cannot be broadcast on British TV. Just why is it, Fry wonders, that it would negatively influence children to see someone riding in a car without a seat belt, or using a cell phone while driving, but no one thinks twice about letting the kiddies see people being shot in the face? He certainly has a point, and his passion about the topic makes his indignation all the more amusing.

The News Quiz from BBC Radio 4 This program is the same format as the U.S. public radio show Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. The British version is hosted by the delightfully funny Sandi Toksvig, and features a panel of guests amassing points as they attempt to answer questions about news stories of the week. Of course, there are many references to people I'm unfamiliar with, but there is enough common ground to make the program enjoyable over here in the U.S. Unlike the U.S. version, no one seems to win Carl's voice on their answering machine, but I guess you can't have everything.

Russell Brand's Podcast I don't know how I managed it, but the very first Russell Brand podcast I downloaded happened to be his last. I actually only listened to a little bit of it, because I despise Jonathan Ross, and Brand was being rather . . . loud. Then, the news exploded that this very show was going to cause the downfall of civilization as we know it. I went back and listened, and (as I might have known) Ross was the one who actually said the offending words that have caused all the uproar. Then again, there was plenty more objectionable material throughout the podcast, but apparently that sort of language was acceptable and par for the course. At least no one seems to be protesting over anything else that went on during that broadcast. It's a shame (in a way) that Brand, who has made a career out of outrageous behavior, has resigned while Ross will probably keep his absurdly paid position. Jonathan Ross is just annoying on so many levels . . . the main one being that his speech problem makes for very hard going for the listener. During the podcast, even before the furor erupted, at one point he said to Brand, "Wussel, I feew vewy, vewy sowwy fow you." Cringe!!! Please, please, BBC bosses, use this opportunity to get this annoying person off the air for good!

Jon Richardson from BBC 6 Music The podcast contains the highlights of a Sunday morning radio show, with the music cut out. The host has some funny friends who stop by, and the humor is clean and fun.

The Contest Queen Carolyn Wilman is Canada's Contest Queen. She has written a book about all aspects of entering and winning contests and promotions, and she has the enthusiasm to make the subject really interesting. During her twice monthly podcast she interviews newsletter editors, motivational speakers, computer experts, promotion directors and other people who are involved in the world of sweepstaking. Very inspiring and educational for the sweepstakes enthusiast!

Rippercast At the recent Jack the Ripper Convention that I attended, I learned there is a podcast devoted to all things JTR. So far, there have been 30 episodes, so that gives me plenty of information to mull over. There are several experts on various aspects of the case who discuss a specific topic on each podcast.

Well, that's all I've discovered so far. Several of the podcasts have archives available for download, but the ones from the BBC only seem to let you download the latest episode. If anyone has any recommendations for other great podcasts, do please share!

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