Best True-Crime Podcasts of 2019 - Blood, Sweat and Fear: The Story of Inspector Vance (Q&A)30/6/2019  Nominated BEST TRUE-CRIME PODCAST at British Podcast Awards 2018 and iTunes Top 50. Subscribe via iTunes, Spotify, Acast, Stitcher and all podcast platform.  Hey avid true-crime podcast listeners! If you're dribbling and drooling insatiably for the very latest true-crime podcast to get your chops into, you're in luck. On this blog, every week, I will be posting a Q&A by some of the best true-crime podcasters out-there. This week, it's the turn of the fabulous Eve Lazarus, reporter, best-selling author and independent podcaster of the amazing Blood, Sweat, and Fear: The Story of Inspector Vance.
Michael's thoughts: If you're a true-crime fan and a history nut, I highly recommend Blood, Sweat & Fear: The Story of Inspector Vance, written and presented by reporter and best-selling author writer of Murder by Milkshake, Eve Lazarus. Not only is it insightful, well-conceived and beautifully produced, but if you love story-telling and true-crime history, then this is a must. Anyone who knows me knows I'm slightly obsessed with Sir Bernard Spilsbury, the father of forensic science, but this opened my eyes to a new world as this is the true story of Inspector Vance, a pioneer of forensic science in Canada. Eve's podcast is written, researched and presented with a lot of love and care, so I strongly recommend you give it a listen. Mx Q & A with Eve from Blood, Sweat and Fear: The Story of Inspector Vance How did you get into true-crime podcasting?. It seemed like a natural extension of my true crime/history book Blood, Sweat, and Fear: The story of Inspector Vance, Vancouver’s first forensic investigator It was a way to keep the story going and to reach a different audience. Now I’m totally obsessed with creating and listening to podcasts. What podcasts (true-crime or not) inspire you? I love long-form true crime podcasts like Dirty John and Teacher’s Pet that do great reporting while telling a compelling story. My latest book Murder by Milkshake: an astonishing true story of adultery, arsenic and a charismatic killer, has been optioned for movie/television and documentary, and I’d eventually like to turn it into a long form podcast. What was your first episode and why was it an important story to tell? My first episode was The Mysterious Disappearance of Clara Millard: and takes place in 1914. Jack Kong was a 16-year-old Chinese house boy who worked for the Millards’ in Vancouver’s West End. One morning, Jack got up, made porridge for Clara Millard, killed her, hacked up her body, and burned it in the furnace. It was the first time my Inspector Vance worked for police when he was brought in to examine the blood found at the crime scene. And, while the story was incredible, it was fascinating for me to research because it put racism into a historical context and takes us through early Chinatown, a “third degree” police inquisition, and the eventual trial. What’s the most obscure true-crime fact you know? That the BC Coroner’s office currently has 181 cases of unidentified remains dating back to 1947. Which piece of research are you most pleased with? The hero of Blood, Sweat, and Fear is Inspector Vance, one of the first forensic scientists in North America, certainly the first to be attached to a police department. He retired in 1949 and died in 1965, and there was little information available about him. I tracked down his grandchildren, begged them to look for anything they may have kept of his, and eventually turned up seven cardboard boxes full of case notes, crime scene photographs, autopsy results, trial transcripts, his diary, and even forensic samples—hair and gravel that was found at a crime scene. These boxes hadn’t been opened for over half-a-century. It was an incredible find and really added to the richness of the stories. Which case has been the biggest joy or headache to cover and why? The murder of Jennie Eldon Conroy in 1944. Jennie was a war worker who was beaten to death and dumped outside a cemetery. After her death, the police leaked to the media that she was an unwed mother and the press brutalized her, basically blaming her for her own murder. She was an amazing woman, and it was wonderful to set the record straight. During the course of my research, I found Jennie’s niece in Vancouver and her daughter in New Zealand, who was then 71. Mary and Debbie helped me write the story, and show the impact of a murder on the family even after several decades. Now the story is about Jennie, and not just her murder. If you had a time-machine, which murder would you love to witness simply so you could say “oh, that’s what happened?” The murder of the two brothers whose skeletons were found in Stanley Park in 1953. It has always been thought that their mother was responsible. I’d like to find out if that was true, but more importantly, I’d like to give them back their names. They are just known as “The Babes in the Woods,” they have never been identified. Why should new listeners give your podcast a try? I’m a reporter, and I take a deep dive into the story behind every podcast, and wherever possible, double source everything. As well as newspaper morgues and archives, I get the inquests, vital statistics, and talk to everyone involved in the case. That could be police detectives, lawyers, forensic psychologists, coroner, doctors and toxicologists, but more importantly I talk to the families, friends and former colleagues of the victims. My focus is always on the victim, and as much as possible, I try to give them back their voice. What’s next? Blood, Sweat, and Fear is a 12-episode podcast. I’m now in the planning stages of creating a podcast based on my book Cold Case Vancouver: The City’s most baffling unsolved murders . A big thank you to Eve for taking part in this True-Crime Podcaster Q & A. Don't forget to check out her podcast and website. To explore this fine true-crime podcast further, click on the links. . Stay safe my friends Michael.x Michael J Buchanan-Dunne is a writer, crime historian, podcaster and tour-guide who runs Murder Mile Walks, a guided tor of Soho’s most notorious murder cases, hailed as “one of the top ten curious, quirky, unusual and different things to do in London”, nominated "one of the best true-crime podcasts at the British podcast Awards 2018", and featuring 12 murderers, including 3 serial killers, across 15 locations, totaling 75 deaths, over just a one mile walk
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Murder Mile True-Crime Podcast #64: Ben & Freya Pedersen - the Last Victims of the Hyde Park bombing26/6/2019 
Nominated BEST TRUE-CRIME PODCAST at British Podcast Awards 2018 and iTunes Top 50. Subscribe via iTunes, Spotify, Acast, Stitcher and all podcast platform.
South Carriage Drive, the location of the Hyde Park bombing
Welcome to the Murder Mile true-crime podcast and audio guided walk of London's most infamous and often forgotten murder cases, set within one square mile of the West End.
EPISODE SIXTY-FOUR
On Tuesday 20th July 1982, an IRA bomb exploded in Hyde Park. Ben and Freya Pedersen were the last two victims of the Hyde Park bombing, and yet their faces don’t appear in any photos and their names aren’t etched on the memorial plaque, and although they died thirty years after this terrorist attack, their deaths are no less tragic.
THE LOCATION
As many photos of the case are copyright protected by greedy news organisations (and I don't want to be billed £300 for copyright infringement again), to view them, take a peek at my entirely legal social media accounts - Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
The location of the Hyde Park bombing on South Carriage Drive is marked with a red ! at the bottom. To use the map, simply click it. If you want to see the other murder maps, such as King's Cross and Soho, you access them by clicking here.
I've also posted some photos to aid your "enjoyment" of the episode. These photos were taken by myself (copyright Murder Mile) or granted under Government License 3.0, where applicable.
L to R; South Carriage Drive where the Hyde Park bombing took place, a press photo of the scene, and the memorial to the dead
Credits: The Murder Mile true-crime podcast was researched, written and recorded by Michael J Buchanan-Dunne, with the sounds recorded on location (where possible), and the music written and performed by Erik Stein & Jon Boux of Cult With No Name. Additional music was written and performed as used under the Creative Common Agreement 4.0.
The music featured in this episode include:
SOUNDS
Sadly, most of the original sources at the National Archives are unobtainable so I've researched this story using as many firsthand accounts as I could get, as well as news articles.
Michael J Buchanan-Dunne is a writer, crime historian, podcaster and tour-guide who runs Murder Mile Walks, a guided tor of Soho’s most notorious murder cases, hailed as “one of the top ten curious, quirky, unusual and different things to do in London”, nominated "one of the best true-crime podcasts at the British podcast Awards 2018", and featuring 12 murderers, including 3 serial killers, across 15 locations, totaling 75 deaths, over just a one mile walk
 Nominated BEST TRUE-CRIME PODCAST at British Podcast Awards 2018 and iTunes Top 50. Subscribe via iTunes, Spotify, Acast, Stitcher and all podcast platform.  Hey avid true-crime podcast listeners! If you're always slathering at the chops for the newest, freshest and best true-crime podcasts, you're in luck. On this blog, every week, I will be posting a fabulous Q&A by some of the best true-crime podcasters. This week, shamefully, it's my turn, as I discuss my very own British Podcast Award-winning Murder Mile True-Crime Podcast.
Michael's thoughts: I highly recommend Murder Mile True-Crime Podcast. Well, I would, as it's mine, but if you've never heard it before, I try to make it as different and original as possible, it's researched using the original declassified police investigation files, first hand accounts and as many authentic sources as possible, it's told from the victim's perspective and is presented like an audio drama, the idea being that "you'll feel like you're actually there". It's written, researched and presented with a lot of care and love, so if this sounds right up your street, give it a go. Mx Q & A with Michael from Murder Mile True-Crime Podcast Q - How did you get into true-crime podcasting? A - By accident, I had created Murder Mile Walks (featuring 12 murderers across 15 locations in 1 square mile) and realised there was so many more fascinating true-crime stories to tell and only able to give five to ten minutes per story on the tour, I realised by turning these other new stories into a podcast, I could give each victim enough time to tell their story properly. Q - What was your first episode and why was it an important story to tell? A - The Denmark Place Fire was one of Britain's worst mass-murders and yet is it almost entirely unknown, as having occurred during the the final year of the Yorkshire Ripper's killing spree, the press weren't interested, and as the inferno contained many people (who it was incorrectly claimed were illegally in the country) the press weren't interested. It took me almost a year to research the Denmark Place Fire by talking to locals who were there, knew the victims or the club. Q - What’s the biggest mistake you find that murderers make? A - Arrogance. Believing that they are above the law and that they are smarter than the Police. A prime example being The Blackout Ripper (who slaughtered four women and attempted to kill two others in four day) and yet, knowing he was about to be arrested, instead of running, he lay on his bunk bed smoking a cigarette. Check out the first of the eight part Blackout Ripper series here. Q - What’s the most obscure true-crime fact you know? A - John Reginald Halliday Christie was well-hung and wasn't circumcised. Q - Which piece of research are you most pleased with? A - I work hard on every episode I write, researching using as many official sources as possible, as newspapers are often inaccurate, biased and misleading, but I'm most proud of my in-depth investigation into the suicide (not murder) of boxer/actor Freddie Mills. His family have always stated he was murdered, tabloid myths have always suggested he was secretly a sadistic maniac called Jack the Stripper (utter tabloid tosh) but by carefully interrogating the facts using the original police files, I was able to prove his death was an "accidental suicide". You can listen to this two-part special here. Q - What have you learned about yourself whilst making your podcast? A - I've learned that I'm quite an emotional person, I never thought I was, but by delving so deeply into victim's personal lives, I've become quite close to them, I've learned to see their world from their eyes, and in some cases, like with lovable prostitute Ginger Rae I learned to love them. Q - If you had a time-machine, which murder would you love to witness simply so you could say “oh, that’s what happened?” A - It would have to be Jack the Ripper. Not so I could find out who Jack the Ripper was, but so I could prove to all of these "Ripperologists" that there is nothing unique about these murders and that they were committed by different people, and not a single maniac called Jack the Ripper. Q - Have you ever been contacted by the victim/killer’s family and why? A - Often. Almost all of the time, they get in touch to thank me for the sensitive way I have portrayed their loved-one, their life and death, as in most books the victim is simply relegated to being just a "name, an age and a collection of injuries". Sometime they're fascinated to learn the truth about a relative's hidden past (I did a private tour for the family of Ginger Rae and they loved it) but sometimes families do get in touch upset that I've dragged up details they would rather have forgotten (or - more often - didn't know the truth about, as families rarely do), and that's why I write it in a very clear, truthful and sensitive way, out of respect for the living and the dead. Q - Given their often tragic backgrounds, should we see murderers as victims too? A - I feel they should. No baby is born bad, just as no adult makes the conscious decision to become a killer, there's always an incident or series of events which turn a good child into a bad adult, so it's important not to use this as a way to excuse their actions, but to understand why they do what they do. Q - Do you have a message for your loyal listeners? A - Yes, it's a simple one, and it's "thank you". Without my listeners my podcast would be nothing, it would have died a long time ago, but by having such amazing listeners, they've help me through the difficult times and shaped the podcast for the better. So thank you. Mx A big thank you to me for taking part in this True-Crime Podcaster Q & A. Don't forget to check out my podcast. To explore this fine true-crime podcast further, click on the links. . Stay safe my friends Michael.x Michael J Buchanan-Dunne is a writer, crime historian, podcaster and tour-guide who runs Murder Mile Walks, a guided tor of Soho’s most notorious murder cases, hailed as “one of the top ten curious, quirky, unusual and different things to do in London”, nominated "one of the best true-crime podcasts at the British podcast Awards 2018", and featuring 12 murderers, including 3 serial killers, across 15 locations, totaling 75 deaths, over just a one mile walk
Murder Mile True-Crime Podcast #63 - Louis Voisin: the Love-Rat, his Ladies and the Bloody Belgian19/6/2019 
Nominated BEST TRUE-CRIME PODCAST at British Podcast Awards 2018 and iTunes Top 50. Subscribe via iTunes, Spotify, Acast, Stitcher and all podcast platform.
101 Charlotte Street (in 2019 and 1917)
Welcome to the Murder Mile true-crime podcast and audio guided walk of London's most infamous and often forgotten murder cases, set within one square mile of the West End.
EPISODE SIXTY-THREE
On Wednesday 31st October 1917, Emilienne Gerard went missing from her home at 50 Munster Square, the perfect suspect was her lover - Louis Voisin, an experienced butcher who could kill a cow with a single blow, a conniving love-rat who carefully juggled his two secret mistresses and a romantic soul who would do anything for the woman he loved - but did he kill her?
THE LOCATION
As many photos of the case are copyright protected by greedy news organisations (and I don't want to be billed £300 for copyright infringement again), to view them, take a peek at my entirely legal social media accounts - Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
I've added the location of 101 Charlotte Street where Louis Voisin lived and where Emilienne was murdered with marked with a red !. to the left and the red ! to the right is Regent Square where her body parts were found. To use the map, simply click it. If you want to see the other murder maps, such as King's Cross and Paddington, you access them by clicking here
For your enjoyment, here's two short videos showing you 101 Charlotte Street where Louis lived and Emilienne was murdered, and Regent Square where the body parts were found. These videos are only one minute long and is a link to youtube, so it won't eat up your data.
Here is a photo for Charlotte Street as seen today (101 in brown to the right, 99 in white) and a layout a created by the Police of what the location looked like
This is a photo of Regent Square, WC2, where the body parts of Emilienne Gerard were found, the railings are still there but the central gate had been removed
I've also posted some photos to aid your "enjoyment" of the episode. These photos were taken by myself (copyright Murder Mile) or granted under Government License 3.0, where applicable.
Credits: The Murder Mile true-crime podcast was researched, written and recorded by Michael J Buchanan-Dunne, with the sounds recorded on location (where possible), and the music written and performed by Erik Stein & Jon Boux of Cult With No Name. Additional music was written and performed as used under the Creative Common Agreement 4.0.
The music featured in this episode include:
SOUNDS Cannon Fire - https://freesound.org/people/gim-audio/sounds/28645/ Engine Noise - https://freesound.org/people/Nexotron/sounds/371282/ Police Whistle - https://freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/sounds/242537/ Zeppelin Motor - https://freesound.org/people/Johnnyfarmer/sounds/209770/
Michael J Buchanan-Dunne is a writer, crime historian, podcaster and tour-guide who runs Murder Mile Walks, a guided tor of Soho’s most notorious murder cases, hailed as “one of the top ten curious, quirky, unusual and different things to do in London”, nominated "one of the best true-crime podcasts at the British podcast Awards 2018", and featuring 12 murderers, including 3 serial killers, across 15 locations, totaling 50 deaths, over just a one mile walk
 Nominated BEST TRUE-CRIME PODCAST at British Podcast Awards 2018 and iTunes Top 50. Subscribe via iTunes, Spotify, Acast, Stitcher and all podcast platform.  Hey avid true-crime podcast listeners! If you're always hungry for the latest, the best and the most brilliant true-crime podcasts imaginable, but you're always stuck for exciting new shows to devour and don't know where to peruse them? On this blog, every week, I will be posting a fabulous Q&A by some of the best true-crime podcasters. This week, it's the amazing Ben & Rosie Fitton of awe-inspiring, hugely successful and British Podcast Award-winning They Walk Among Us.
Michael's thoughts: I highly recommend They Walk Among Us, it truly was the first true-crime podcast I ever listened to and it's one of the few I still regularly listen to today, as it's researched with a fine-tooth comb, written with bags full of heart, presented with an incredibly amount of care and each episode is told with warmth and compassion. It's always thrilling and upsetting, exciting and engaging. I love it. Mx Q & A with Ben & Rosie from They Walk Among Us Q - What have you learned about yourself whilst making your podcast? A - As a married couple we have figured out we love working together too. We have different strengths and weaknesses and different roles in the podcast. It took a while to find our places. Q - Has any case proved so tragic/sad you’ve had to take a break from the research? A - I think we get invested in and affected by each case. We have the privilege of having to move on to create the next episode. It's luxury people that are actually involved in these cases don’t have. That personally makes me sad the people left behind to deal with it. There was a specific incident where we did pack up for the day. We were researching the John Straffen case at the National Archives and I unintentionally saw a crime scene photograph of a little girl. She looked peaceful like she was sleeping but it stirred me. Such a waste of life that little girl should be older than my mother now. Q - If you had a time machine, which murder would you love to witness simply so you could say “oh, that’s what happened?” A - I think one we have coming up season 4 episode 4 the case of Rikki Neave is one of many that bothers me. I think he deserved more in life he should at least get justice in death. Q - Which case do you feel is over-exposed / under-exposed and why? A - I don't think there is such a thing of overexposure if a crime isn't solved. Currently, there is a nineteen-year-old Leah Croucher who has gone missing under suspicious circumstances from Milton Keynes a few months ago. I would like to see more national media press on her disappearance. To read more, click this link. Q - Which murderer (if any) do you feel is misunderstood? A - Maybe Robert Mawdsley (Usually incorrectly spelt Maudsley). He became a very damaged young man partly as a result of his distressing childhood. Some news outlets falsely reported he ate some of one of his victim's brains with a spoon. I think he’s an easy target to make into a bigger monster. Q - Where do you see your podcast going over the next few years? A - As always we have new possibilities on the horizon this year it was a book the next few years we aren't sure yet. (Michael's note: you can buy the fabulous They Walk Among Us book on Amazon and all good physical book-shops, here's a link). Q - Do you have a message for your loyal listeners? A - Send snacks! (MIchael's note: "I totally agree") A big thank you to Ben & Rosie for taking part in this True-Crime Podcaster Q & A. Don't forget to check out their podcast, website and new book (also available in audio form). To explore this fine true-crime podcast further, click on the links. . Stay safe my friends Michael.x Michael J Buchanan-Dunne is a writer, crime historian, podcaster and tour-guide who runs Murder Mile Walks, a guided tor of Soho’s most notorious murder cases, hailed as “one of the top ten curious, quirky, unusual and different things to do in London”, nominated "one of the best true-crime podcasts at the British podcast Awards 2018", and featuring 12 murderers, including 3 serial killers, across 15 locations, totaling 75 deaths, over just a one mile walk
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AuthorMichael J Buchanan-Dunne is a crime writer, podcaster & tour guide of Murder Mile Walks, hailed as one of the best "quirky curious & unusual things to do in London". 
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Note: This blog contains only licence-free images or photos shot by myself in compliance with UK & EU copyright laws. If any image breaches these laws, blame Google Images.
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