These Are Probably The Best Murder Mystery Podcasts Out There

• Type in the phrase best murder mystery podcasts on Google and you’ll get hundreds of suggestions. Some are good, others, well let’s just say I’ve seen better High School plays.

So with that said, what makes a murder mystery podcast?

Well for me, it has to be one that I either pause from time to time because it makes me hear weird noises coming from the kitchen, or those that immediately makes you hit the play button of the next episode.

In short, what makes a great crime podcast is completely dependent on our taste and preference and life experiences. As someone who’s in his early twenties, of course my experiences and fears greatly differs from that of a seasoned Marine veteran.

But then again, and if you strip down everything to the bare minimum, it all has to do with having a great plot and awesome storytelling – plus of course those spine tingling background music some crime podcast series use.

So with all things said, shall we begin our dive into the world of murder and the unexplainable?

Our Best Murder Mystery Podcasts List

Before I go through the list though, let me say that each of the mystery and murder story podcasts that are listed below are by no means connected, or in any way endorsed by Podblade. I (as well as the majority of the Podblade team) like them and just want to share it with all of you.

Also, keep in mind that there are literally hundreds of podcasts popping up each month. And with the COVID-19 pandemic not going away any time soon, I’m sure that stuck at home creative storytellers will have more than enough time to come up with new good crime podcasts to keep us entertained.

So if you know of any other good mystery podcast series that you think we should listen to, feel free to add them later in the comment section.

Anyway, enough blabbering from me.

First on my top murder mystery podcast list is…

Serial

We cannot talk about what the best murder mystery podcasts are without including Serial in it. Personally, “I was late to the party” as the expression goes, as I only discovered the series a couple of years back – and boy was I instantly hooked.

Serial follows the life of Sarah Koenig, a seasoned journalist that has devoted a year of her life researching a gruesome murder that happened in Baltimore back in 1999. The murder victim, Hae Min Lee, was a young woman who suddenly vanished without a trace, only to be found dead a few weeks later in Leakin Park.

Coroner report stated that the victim was strangled to death, with her former boyfriend Adnan Syed as the main suspect. Syed was found guilty of murdering Hae Min Lee and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Syed has continuously pleaded his innocence.

Serial was first released in 2014, and is now in its 6th year.

Tanis

What made me love – and hate – Tanis was that it reminded me of the first time I played Silent Hill when I was a bit younger. My mind was constantly teasing me, but at the same time it made me curious, and to a certain extent obsessed with the idea of “what’s next?”

It’s eerie background music, a narration that is both soothing and devilishly malicious – and the radio static that always gets the hair at the back of my head resonate in a sadistic, pleasurable manner.

Terry Miles, the creator of the podcast series, plays the role of Nic Silver, an investigative journalist who befriends a character who he only knows by her online handle, MK or Meerkatnip.

MK is somewhat of an online sleuth and goes into the dark corners of the deep web to retrieve vital information for Silver, pertaining to the conundrum that is Tanis.

Is Tanis a place, a secretive organization, a global plot, an entity? Well that you have to find out for yourself.

I personally consider this as one of the best mystery podcasts currently out there.

Root Of Evil

The podcast revolves around the character of George Hodel, the prime suspect in the 1947 unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short a.k.a The Black Dahlia.

The backstory goes that on the morning of the 15th of January 1947, a body was discovered in a Los Angeles neighborhood. Said body was completely naked and was that of a young woman. The body was cut in half at the waist.

What the investigators found intriguing was that even with the extreme mutilation, there was not a drop of blood at the crime scene – which means that the victim must have been killed somewhere else.

Now what really got me interested in this podcast was that – all of this actually happened.

In fact, here’s a link to the FBI Black Dahlia murder case.

As far as I’m concerned, I consider this as part of my top 5 best murder mystery podcast list.

Bowraville

As far as top true crime podcasts go, this one scores high on that list.

Bowraville is hosted by crime reporter Dan Box, and highlights the investigation into the disappearance of 16 year old Colleen Walker-Craig back in September 13, 1990 – as well as the disappearances of Colleen’s four year old cousin and another 16 year old Clinton Speedy-Duroux.

All these disappearances happened in a span of four months, within the area called “The Mission” on Cemetery Road, Bowraville.

Though I initially dismissed this as just another well produced crime podcast series, I later understood that there were underlying issues associated with wealth inequality and racism – through the stories of three Aboriginal families.

Personally, I think it’s one of the top crime podcasts out there.

Death in Ice Valley

The format behind Death in Ice Valley is somewhat refreshing, as it allows its listeners to pitch in their opinions about how the story develops.

Death in Ice Valley is produced by the BBC World Service and NRK. It tackles the investigation around the discovery of a burnt woman in Norway back in the 70’s.

With the Cold War as its backdrop, the podcast has a Facebook page where listeners can throw in their own conspiracy theories; as to who the woman was and why she was gruesomely killed.

With its great storytelling and interactive feature, you can easily find yourself lost in the world the podcast created. If this was a book, it would be one that you won’t be able to put down.

The Black Tapes

Coming from the same people behind Tanis, The Black Tapes is a docudrama that follows the exploits of host Alex Reagan and paranormal expert Dr. Richard Strand, as they lift the veil off the world surrounded by demon worship, witchcraft and ghost sightings.

In true X-Files fashion, “The Black Tapes” starts with the discovery of several black VHF tapes. All of which happened after the mysterious disappearance of Stand’s wife.

The story line sometimes intertwines with that of Tanis, as the “Meerkatnip” sometimes makes an appearance.

If you’re an X-Files fan like me, then this is something that you will undoubtedly enjoy.

“The truth is out there.”

The Last Podcast on the Left

Ok, I admit that this one is not at par with let’s say the edge of your seat horror you get from watching The Shining. In fact, it is somewhat comedic – and that’s why I like it.

For me, The Last Podcast on the Left is like having a fine glass of wine after a dinner meeting. It’s still alcohol, but it won’t get you wasted – if you get what I’m trying to say.

First released back in 2011, The Last Podcast on the Left is the brainchild of comedians Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks and Henry Zebrowski.

I just enjoy how the trio talks about their take on the horrors of real and fictional stories like ghosts and UFO sightings, conspiracy theories and even fan submitted stories – with a generous sprinkling of their brand of dark comedy.

The Last Podcast on the Left uploads its main episodes every Friday. They also release a side story during the middle of the week.

Other Murder Mystery Podcast Series

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Unsolved Murders

Talks about real life, unsolved murder cases.

S-Town

Revolves around the possibility of a killer lurking in Alabama.

Someone Knows Something

A glimpse into the lives of people touched by murders and disappearances.

Criminal

Podcasts that focus on dissecting the criminal mind.

Casefile

Podcasts that feature real cases from Australia.

Atlanta Monster

Revolves around the story of missing children in Atlanta during 1979

Dr. Death

Revolves around the story of Christopher Duntsch – a neurosurgeon with questionable actions.

Over My Dead Body

A story about a couple – both of them attorneys – and one of them suddenly got murdered.

To Live and Die in LA

Hollywood murder mystery

Up and Vanished

Revolves around the disappearance of a high school teacher in Georgia.

Jensen & Holes: The Murder Squad

Revolves around the story of William Bradford; who was convicted of killing a couple of women.

Conclusion

When I was younger, I have always been fascinated with murder mystery books. So it’s no surprise as to why I am drawn to this podcast category.

Also, the amount of talented storytellers out there is immense. Proof is the amount of new podcast series uploaded on streaming platforms each week.

If you always wanted to create a podcast, but don’t know how and where to start; we at Podblade would like to help you.

As podcasters ourselves, we are more than happy to help others get their content seen – and heard.

We have helped countless podcasters streamline their post processing and syndication, and we are always happy to help out more. Who knows, your podcast idea might make it to our future best best murder mystery podcasts list.

Get in touch with us now and get a taste of how we do things.