If you’re the kind of person who finds yourself going down late-night rabbit holes trying to piece together clues, or who can’t resist a story that keeps you guessing until the very last moment, then murder mystery podcasts might just become your new addiction. There’s something uniquely gripping about a well-told mystery, the tension, the twists, the sense that the truth is always just out of reach, and the podcasting world has produced some truly outstanding shows in this space. From cold cases that have stumped investigators for decades to fictional whodunits crafted with the precision of a seasoned novelist, the genre has something for every kind of armchair detective. Here are just a few of the best murder mystery podcasts out there right now to help you find your next podcast addiction.
Cold Case Files
Some of the hardest homicides to crack have left investigators baffled for years, occasionally sitting unsolved for decades at a time. Currently, roughly one out of every three killings across the United States remains unresolved. However, through the relentless determination of dedicated detectives and advancements in forensic science, certain cases manage to break through and join the rare one percent of cold cases that ever reach a resolution. Marisa Pinson lends her voice as narrator to Cold Case Files.
Cold Tapes
During Antarctica’s six-month Winter Over, a small team of international scientists and crew at the remote Bowers Wilson research base find themselves cut off from the world in total darkness. When 33-year-old behavioural scientist Andrew Fairfield turns up dead, suspicion falls on the sixteen remaining residents, one of whom must be the killer. With the base already rife with tension, hidden secrets, and strange conspiracies, DCI Tessa McCallister races to solve the murder from over 9,000 miles away in the UK.
Up and Vanished Weekly
From the team behind Up and Vanished comes a new weekly podcast tackling some of crime’s most baffling mysteries, from missing persons and unsolved murders to wrongful convictions. Creator Payne Lindsey and host Maggie Freleng dig deep to show why these cases are never quite what they appear. From TenderfootTV, this is Up and Vanished Weekly.
The Devil’s Margarita
Every second Friday, Allie and Amanda come together to explore murder, mystery, and all things macabre, just two tipsy ladies getting spooked!
Solve This Murder
Each episode, Bill gathers clues and questions suspects as he works to crack original whodunit murder mysteries.
Firecracker: The Murder of Carol Ryan
For 27 years, the brutal murder of Carol Ryan has haunted Central New York. Her body was found dumped at a suburban compost site, yet despite hundreds of interviews, investigators have never been able to make a case stick, even as three cops remain convinced they know who did it. In this six-part podcast from syracuse.com, reporter Katrina Tulloch spent over a year interviewing 25 people to explore Carol’s life, the botched crime scene, and whether DNA technology might finally deliver justice.
Someone Knows Something
Someone Knows Something is an investigative true crime series helmed by award-winning documentarian David Ridgen, with each season diving into a different unsolved case in search of answers and closure for the families left behind.
Unsolved Murders: True Crime Stories
Unsolved Murders: True Crime Stories is a Spotify Original podcast drama bringing cold cases to life through an ensemble cast and an old-time radio format. New episodes drop every Tuesday, start from the beginning of each case to catch every twist.
Unraveled
Hosted by journalist Alexis Linkletter, Unraveled takes a deep dive each season into a compelling case or issue. Season 1 turns its focus to the Long Island Serial Killer.
In the Shadows
In 1991, the discovery of a young woman’s body in the desert near Bakersfield, California sparked one of Kern County’s most controversial cases, thrusting her star-athlete boyfriend into the spotlight and dividing the community for years. The killer was never brought to justice. Now, 32 years later, In The Shadows uncovers shocking new information that investigators and the public have never heard before.
Hitched 2 Homicide
Southern suspense author Kris Calvert joins forces with her husband, Emmy®-nominated composer Rob Pottorf, to explore true crime stories from around the world. She brings her signature southern flair, while he delivers witty commentary and original background music to set the mood, for better or worse, til death do us part.
Where Murder Meets Mystery
Where Murder Meets Mystery is a true crime, paranormal, and comedy podcast where Grace and Trevor dig into crime, cryptids, conspiracies, and everything else that goes bump in the night. Tune in weekly for your fix of the strange and sinister.
Kill List
When tech journalist Carl Miller stumbles upon a secret “kill list” on a dark net murder-for-hire site, he finds himself in a frantic race to warn hundreds of unknowing targets before it’s too late. From Wondery and Novel, this shocking true story explores obsession, control, and what a human life is worth.
Murder, Mystery and History
This podcast ventures into the world’s greatest mysteries, from famous and unsolved murders to
Sword and Scale
Since its debut on January 1st, 2014, Sword and Scale has pulled no punches in its weekly exploration of crime’s darkest corners. Through raw, unfiltered audio, from 911 calls to courtroom testimony and interviews with victims and perpetrators alike, the podcast exposes the full, ugly truth of human nature. Because the real monsters aren’t fictional.
Paper Ghosts: The Texas Teen Murders
In 1983, two teenagers were killed execution-style on a quiet Texas hill, and the case went nowhere for over four decades. Now, veteran investigative journalist M. William Phelps reopens the file, uncovering new witnesses, buried evidence, and a web of deaths that may all be linked. After 42 years, Paper Ghosts: The Texas Teen Murders wants to know who has been hiding the truth.
Something About Cari
Keith Morrison travels to America’s heartland, where single mother Cari Farver vanishes just weeks after beginning a new relationship. What unfolds is a deeply unsettling series of events, taunting texts, threatening emails, stalking, arson, and murder targeting her boyfriend and his ex. But nothing could have prepared those closest to the case for the staggering twist that lay ahead.
Do you know of another Murder Mystery podcast that you think should be on this list? Let me know
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