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Hi! My Name is Natalie, and I am a True Crime Junkie.

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July 23, 2018
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If you follow me on Goodreads or social media, you already know that I’m a lover of everything related to true crime. I love mysteries, and I love a good murder story. If you’re not into murder, you probably think I’m a weirdo; if you’re into murder, you’re nodding your head in agreement because you are a fellow Murderino who understands what I’m saying.

Murder is awful. I do not wish it upon anyone. However, sadly it happens every day, and I want to know how and why it happened. I’m not sure what exactly draws me into these stories, but I think it started at a young age.

When I was younger, I absolutely devoured all of the Nancy Drew books I could find. I actually read all 56 of them! I enjoyed Nancy’s adventures and the tight little bow that wrapped up each investigation into that particular book’s mystery. Once I outgrew the formulaic structure and sophomoric storylines of those books, I graduated to R.L. Stine.

I’m sure I read all of the Goosebumps books, but at the ripe old age of 9, those were much too immature for me. I was drawn to Fear Street. My library had a wonderful wall of Fear Street books, and it called to me.

I spent that entire summer reading every single Fear Street book in the collection. Then I graduated to the Super Chillers and Cheerleader series. I could not get enough of them! Sure, these were fictitious books, but I think this is where my fascination with mysteries and true crime began. I loved losing myself in the story while trying to figure out who the culprit was and what makes him/her tick. I could not get enough of them.

Now that I’m an adult with my own mini-library, the majority of my collection is now of the mystery or true crime genres. I still enjoy losing myself in the puzzle of the story, following the twists and turns the author throws at you. Discovering its pieces throughout the book absolutely feeds my inquisitive, problem solving nature; that’s probably why I love these types of stories so much.

While reading about murder is still my favorite pastime, I’ve also added podcasts to the mix. If you are also into true crime or murder like I am and haven’t checked out My Favorite Murder yet, you should. Georgia Hardstark and Karen Gilgariff do a great job of sharing new murders with you in an entertaining (yet not disrespectful) way. They are true crime junkies, just like us, and they’re not afraid of wearing it on their sleeves.

P.S. You can read Jess’s review of Up and Vanished. Her blog got me hooked on it immediately.

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Stop What You’re Doing and Listen to this Podcast

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August 13, 2017
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My very first introduction to podcasts was the now-famous Serial. I listened to a bunch of episodes on a long car ride with my husband until we caught up and were listening to the last few as they aired live. It was thrilling. I imagine that experience to have been something akin to crowding around a radio back in the 30s, hanging on every word of the latest show.

Since Serial, I’ve dabbled here and there with a few different podcasts on cooking/eating, parenting, budgeting/finance, and murder (an eclectic mix, I know). I tried really hard to stay committed to Crimetown, but after listening to almost 20 episodes, I feel like quitting. (I haven’t given it up for good yet, though.) People rave about My Favorite Murder, but the first episode lost me when they started talking a bit too much about child victims. Nope nope nope nope nope. Can’t do it.

On a scroll through Instagram, I saw someone mention how much they were enjoying Up and Vanished, the story of a Georgia woman who truly up and vanished in 2005 without leaving behind much physical evidence or many clues as to her whereabouts. She was a former beauty queen, a local teacher, and the stereotypical girl next door. What the heck happened, and how has her case remained unsolved for 12 years?

The first few episodes are a bit amateurish. Host Payne Lindsey admits to hunting around for a podcast topic after having been inspired by Serial’s first season. He’s new to this, but at least he’s upfront about it. There’s a hokey voice over that is jarring at first, but kudos to Lindsey for hanging on to it. He uses it better as the series progresses.

He’s missing the deep thought work that Sarah Koenig gives us in Serial. Frankly, most of the podcasts I listen to are missing that. But there’s something really charming about his newness to the medium, to this case, and the way that he owns it.

Lindsey is doing the research in real time as he records the podcast, so it lacks the polish of a story that has been researched ten times over and over-produced. I like that about it. It keeps it exciting. As listeners, we’re right there next to Lindsey as he gets tips, digs around in a creepy crawlspace looking for clues, and gets spooky phone calls from locals. By episode 4 I was so hooked, I was looking around the house for more to clean or dishes to wash so that I had an excuse to listen.

Serial may not be the end all be all of podcasts, and I get that. But it is mine. I can definitively say that I haven’t been hooked on a podcast since Serial the way that I’m hooked on Up and Vanished. Definitely give it a shot.

Warning: looking at the website for the podcast contains lots of spoilers, so read at your own risk!