Podcast Review: The Case, Episode 7: Dottie & Yvette

May 18, 2021 Jon Rouillard 0 Comments

The Case, Episode 6: Dottie & Yvette

After the exploration into Kevin’s relationships in episode six of The Case, Kirk and Steve spend the majority of this episode focusing on Jennifer Fay. The episode opens on a hopeful note from September 2005. Two of the private investigators focused on Jennifer’s case have received a tip that someone matching the description of Jennifer Fay in Corpus Christi, Texas. As Jennifer’s mother walks up the driveway to confirm the identity, we as listeners are left hanging on a thread. Will this be the closure Jennifer’s family deserves after 16 years of searching for answers?

For background, Kirk interviews Charlie Castro and Michelle Littlefield, two private investigators that have worked the case for over 10 years. Charlie was on site in Corpus Christi to set the table for Jennifer’s mother to identify this mystery woman. As Jennifer’s mother made her way up the driveway to identify the woman, the tension was palpable. Unfortunately, this woman was not Jennifer Fay. Jennifer’s mother and family were crushed. But what is more interesting is the stories that the mystery woman and Jennifer’s mother share. These are two people who have certain elements of their lives conjoined in this moment.

The focus of this episode is not only Jennifer’s family, but the challenges that they have faced over the course of the last three decades. Kirk shares stories of people who have claimed to know Jennifer, or seen Jennifer, even people who have claimed that they know who killed Jennifer. It’s a sad story of events. But not as sad as the investigation of Jennifer’s whereabouts by the Brockton Police.Just a few weeks before Jennifer went missing, the Chief of the Brockton Police Department was forced to resign after it was uncovered that he was stealing cocaine from the evidence room. There is no direct correlation that this event hampered Jennifer’s investigation, but this makes you wonder if this department had their priorities aligned to investigate effectively. Kirk lets his opinion be known in this episode. Law enforcement in Brockton had dropped the ball on this case.

As Kirk circles back on the prime suspect, Kevin, he interviews one of Kevin’s cousins who lived with him for some time. Kimberly, Kevin’s cousin, claims that she overheard Kevin say that he had murdered Jennifer Fay. In seven episodes, this is the closest we get to any kind of direct claim of Kevin’s involvement in Jennifer’s case. It’s an absolutely wild interview.

With one episode left of The Case, I can’t wait to see how this wraps up. It is apparent in just 7 episodes of this podcast, Kirk and Steve have made more headway on the case than any of the local law enforcement authorities. As we turn the corner towards episode 8, there seems to be one piece of the puzzle missing, and Kirk is dedicated to finding this piece. Don’t miss The Case podcast, one of the best new podcasts of 2021!

Podcast Review: The Case, Episode Six: The Widower

May 13, 2021 Jon Rouillard 0 Comments

The Case, Episode Six: The Widower

The Sixth Episode of The Case is 37 minutes long. As I worked my way through this intense episode, it became apparent at about the 15 minute mark that Kirk has made more headway on the disappearance of Jennifer Fay and Faith Roach than any of the previous investigations. After the bizarre interrogation of Kevin Maler, in which he states that he is a protector of women and those around him, Kirk explores how fraudulent these statements are.

Episode Six of The Case, titled “Widower” focuses on four different women that had relationships with Kevin Maler. This is easily one of the most stark episodes of the case so far. Kevin was involved in two relationships in the years surrounding the disappearance of Jennifer Fay, both of these women were underraged at the time. One of the women agreed to speak with Kirk and detailed that she had a relationship with Kevin at 15 years old. She fully admits that she was manipulated in this relationship and suffered physical and mental abuse during her time with Kevin, even after having two children with him.

Later on in the episode Kirk speaks with Kevin’s oldest son, who quickly dispels any notion that Kevin was a good father. He admitted that he had not seen him for decades and that life under Kevin after his mother passed was miserable. I will spare you the details. Ultimately, Episode Six is an exploration into Kevin’s character, or lack thereof. Kirk even captures stories from Kevin’s own cousins who have memories of the abuse that women suffered while in a relationship with Kevin.

As I mentioned earlier, within the first moments of this episode, Kirk was able to uncover real details of what it is like to be in a relationship with Kevin. Statutory rape, physical and mental abuse, and a complete lack of compassion are characteristics that Kirk has uncovered. It makes you wonder why local authorities didn’t ask more questions…

With two episodes left, we couldn’t be more interested to see how Season One of The Case wraps. Don’t forget to check out our other episode recaps of one of the best new podcasts of 2021.

Podfluence Podcast Reviews: Our Approach

May 4, 2021 Jon Rouillard 0 Comments

A Podfluence Podcast Review

It’s not lost on us that creating a podcast is an immense amount of work. Podfluence itself was an idea that was born out of a failed podcast. Podcasters labor for hours to create great content for listeners across the globe. We understand the effort and work that goes into creating a podcast, even before hitting the record button. That’s why we created Podfluence. To help listeners find their next favorite true-crime podcast through our curated content and reviews.

With all of the hard work that goes into creating a podcast, we don’t feel that it’s beneficial for podcasters to receive one-star reviews on the iTunes reviews just because someone was having a bad day. In short, there is too much negativity in the comments section of podcast reviews and we want to make a change.

That’s why we select podcasts that we enjoy and provide positive reviews. Don’t get us wrong, we listen to plenty of podcasts that we are not exactly “vibing,” but being negative doesn’t benefit anyone. We try to bring a positive outlook to each of our reviews. You may think that we view podcasts through rose-colored glasses, but we are okay with that. Podcasters work too hard to put content together and we believe that effort should be highlighted, even if the podcast may not be for everyone.

Over the course of the past year, as podcasting popularity has grown, so have the negative comments in the charts and review sections of podcasts. When you begin to scroll through negative comments, you can see that people are leaving bad reviews simply because they may not agree with something that was said on the podcast, or don’t like a particular approach to a certain episode. In our opinion, those aren’t valid reasons to leave a negative comment.

At Podfluence we believe in highlighting the hard work of podcasters through our reviews and podcaster features. Even though we may be critical at points, our ultimate goal is to promote podcasts with a positive attitude and ultimately let the listener decide if they want to subscribe to the podcast.

Check out our Discover True Crime Podcasts page and find your next favorite true crime podcast today!

Podcast Review: The Case, Episode Four: April & Kevin

April 29, 2021 Jon Rouillard 0 Comments

The Case, Episode Four: April & Kevin

With the release of episode four of The Case, we have reached the halfway point of this series, and Kirk and Steve are in the thick of it. Although the first season of The Case is focused on the disappearance of Jennifer Fay, that’s not the only case that Kirk is exploring. What’s become apparent throughout the first half of this season is that the Jennifer Fay case is merely a starting point that is leading us down a dark path of the underbelly of our society.

Episode Four of the Case brings us back to Walhalla, South Carolina, where Kirk and Steve explore the mysterious deaths of April Norton Jones and Kevin Kyle Craig. At first sight, it seems that both deaths were drug related. But as Kirk mentions early in episode four, anyone with a brain could have looked at the coroner’s report for April to see that this was more than just a simple drug overdose.

To this point, The Case has done a tremendous job in providing the listener with the appropriate background in all the players. Kirk paints the picture of what life looks like in these drug riddled communities and how it affects the actions of the members of those communities. The majority of the episode is spent examining the lives of April and Kevin, and interviewing their family members and friends for their view on what may have led to their passing. Interestingly enough, both parties seem to lead back to one person…but we’ll leave that for Kirk and Steve to share.

Let us know what you think of The Case so far and stay tuned for our weekly reviews!

Podcast Review: Stay Away From Matthew MaGill

April 27, 2021 Jon Rouillard 2 Comments

Stay Away From Matthew MaGill

Every once in a while you come across someone in your world that seems larger than life. Whether it’s someone you’ve passed on the train, or in a bar, or simply just out walking your dog. These are people that seem so unbelievable or enigmatic that you almost have to question everything that they tell you. This is exactly how the people of a small town located on the Florida-Georgia line felt when a man by the name of Matthew MaGill arrived in their town

Stay Away From Matthew MaGill is a new investigative true crime podcast brought to you from the team at Pineapple Street Media. You may be familiar with Pineapple Street Media through some of their outstanding podcasts like Missing Richard Simmons, Heaven’s Gate, The Catch and Kill Podcast, and a variety of others. Pineapple Street has mad a name for themselves as a podcasting powerhouse with twelve of their shows reaching #1 on the Apple podcast charts. With Stay Away From Matthew MaGill potentially making it thirteen podcasts reaching #1.

Now you are probably asking yourself who is this Matthew MaGill character and why should I care. We’ll get to Mathew in a moment, but to better understand this story we have to know about the person that led us to this story, host Eric Mennel. Eric is an award winning journalist and podcast producer, whose work has appeared on This American Life, NPR, and tons of other shows. Around five years ago one of Eric’s friends told him about this mysterious old man who had passed away alone and in the woods. The rumors surrounding Matthew were wild – was he an F1 driver? A male model? Or was he just hiding from something?

Eric does a fantastic job in Stay Away from Matthew MaGill of exploring every angle of this mystery by simply asking questions to those who knew Matthew. But there is a moment in the first episode of this podcast when everything changes. Eric is presented a box of Matthew MaGill’s belongings that represent the life of a man that no one knew well. The box was filled with artifacts from a man who lived an incredible life: from Broadway in the 1970’s, to a 747 hijacking, to a culture of drugs and fancy cars during the 1980’s.

Stay Away from Matthew MaGill is one of the best true crime podcasts released so far this year. Episodes range from 30-35 minutes making this a perfectly binge worthy podcast. As Eric delves deep into the life of the mysterious Matthew MaGill, he finds that his own life and Matthew’s life become intertwined. Check out Stay Away From Matthew MaGill on your favorite podcast platform or listen on the Audacy app!

Podcast Review: Looking for the Todt Family

April 19, 2021 Jon Rouillard 0 Comments

Looking for the Todt Family

I remember the moment vividly. It was just after New Years’ in 2020, maybe the second week of January. I was on my daily commute which includes a Twitter scroll on public transportation so I don’t have to make eye contact with anyone first thing in the morning. That morning my feed was filled with stories about a Connecticut family that now lived in Florida who were unresponsive to their entire family. It seemed bizarre at first glance. A family with 3 small children and a dog were not responding to messages from their extended family in the Northeast, with seemingly no answers. Until a few days later, when the father, Tony Todt, was seen being taken out of their Florida home in cuffs.

Given my high level of interest in this case, I was excited and nervous as I pushed play on Looking for the Todt Family, a weekly true-crime podcast investigating the Todt family murders. Looking for the Todt Family is produced by The Day newspaper, a local newspaper based out of New London, Connecticut. This is primarily an investigative true-crime podcast that digs for answers beyond the national headlines that carried this story. It will become clear to listeners early on that some of the facts in this case just don’t add up and will constantly leave you asking “why?”

Looking for the Todt Family is a masterclass in investigative true crime podcasting, and it starts with its fantastic hosts. This is because listeners are being led through this investigation by true professionals. This podcast is hosted by Taylor Hartz and Sten Spinella who are both reporters at The Day. Taylor is a breaking news reporter and Sten covers government and politics for The Day. With their combination of experience and interest in the case, episodes are spent exploring case materials and interviewing family and friends associated with the Todt family, which allows the listener to understand all aspects of the case. As you can imagine, this is not easy information to deliver and both Taylor and Sten approach all facets of the case with the upmost respect. One of the most fascinating interviews over the course of the podcast is with Tony Todt’s father, Robert Todt, who has his own story that relates to this case in an interesting way.

In a year that has been flush with awesome new true-crime podcasts, Looking for the Todt Family easily stands out. Not only is the investigation and exploration from Taylor and Sten on point, but the narration and production value are also stand out aspects of this podcast. With episodes clocking in at around 45 minutes, this is one of the most binge-able podcasts of the new year. Looking for the Todt Family hits all aspects of a great investigative true-crime podcast and is quickly becoming one of the best podcasts of the new year.

Check out Looking for the Todt Family on Instagram and don’t forget to listen on your favorite podcasting platform.

Podcast Review: The Case

April 5, 2021 Jon Rouillard 1 Comment

The Case Season One: Boston

If you aren’t familiar with Kirk Minihane, a quick Google search will present you with a variety of search results highlighting his career in podcasting. I can summarize those search results quickly for you. Kirk Minihane is a podcasting and radio legend, who is well known for his raw, uncensored commentary on everything from sports to politics and pop culture. Although this is Kirk’s first true-crime podcast, it is not his first piece of investigative journalism. In 2018, Kirk unearthed a groundbreaking story about how Kevin Cullen of the Boston Globe falsely claimed to be at the site of the Boston Marathon Bombings. Since that article was published, it was only a matter of time until Kirk put his investigative skills to work again.

Kirk lets us know his intentions for The Case within minutes of the first episode: “This is not a true-crime podcast, this is an investigation.” He’s clearly someone that has familiarized himself with true-crime podcasts and identified what works well and what doesn’t work for listeners. The Case is jam-packed with interview snippets from journalists who covered the case, and friends and family members related to the subject of the case.

Kirk mentions early in the first episode that he had a desire to start a true-crime podcast, and outlines some of the criteria for the case he selected. He wanted to keep it local to Massachusetts, a state that he grew up in and has lived for most of his life. After exploring several cases he finally landed on a cold case that he had never heard of before. In Season 1 of The Case, Kirk and his producer Steve, explore the story of a missing teenage girl, Jennifer Fay. Jennifer Fay went missing on the night of November 14th, 1989 in Brockton, Massachusetts. Jennifer was your typical, playful, 80’s teenage girl that was the life of everywhere she went. For years police considered Jennifer a runaway, but Kirk quickly flips that theory on its head minutes into The Case’s first episode.

The first season of The Case is an eight-part investigative true-crime podcast that will explore and investigate the case of Jennifer Fay. The first episode clocks in just under 45 minutes and sets the precedent for The Case to become one of the best new true-crime podcasts. In just hours after the launch of The Case, it climbed to a top 10 spot across all podcast genres. The Case is poised to be one of the best podcasts of 2021. The combination of Kirk’s tenacity and dedication to the truth of the Jennifer Fay case make this a podcast you do not want to miss.

Check out the case on Barstool Sports, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Podcast Review: Mysterious Circumstances Podcast

March 28, 2021 Jon Rouillard 0 Comments

Mysterious Circumstances

I’ve noticed that there is a running theme in the podcasts I have been listening to recently. After months of limited human interaction during the lockdown, I’ve come to appreciate podcasts that bring a sense of humor and personality to each episode. This week’s feature, Mysterious Circumstances, is no different and has steadily become one of the best true-crime podcasts available.

Mysterious Circumstance is a bi-weekly podcast that explores unsolved events that span true crime cases, the paranormal, and anything mysterious in between. As a frequent true-crime podcast listener, what I have found so refreshing is that Mysterious Circumstances is a bit unpolished, and that is a compliment. Which is exactly the approach that host Justin takes to this great true-crime podcast. Mysterious Circumstances is described as taking a “pirate radio” style approach. Pirate radio or a pirate radio station is a radio station that operates without a valid license, allowing the station to broadcast whatever they would, which can be lawless at times. And let me tell you, with the cases and approach Justin takes, Mysterious Circumstances is unquestionably a lawless podcast.

Since its launch in 2017, Mysterious Circumstances has grown its following over the last few years with good old grit and determination, and volume. Since 2017, Justin has released over 165 episodes of Mysterious Circumstances. And given the types of cases that are discussed, there is definitely plenty of content to support that type of volume. Justin’s approach is clearly that of a passionate podcaster and fan of the mysterious. Listeners will have fun listening to cases ranging from the mysterious death of rockstar Bobby Fuller, the life of Marlyn Monroe, the life and death of Wyatt Earp, and quite a few focused on UFOs and the paranormal. Mysterious Circumstances also offers a wide variety of interviews with true crime and paranormal authors.

Justin’s approach might not be for everyone, especially those who listen to their podcasts with kids in the car. But that’s what makes Mysterious Circumstances one of the best true crime podcasts of 2021. Justin doesn’t hold back in his approach and comments during case discussions, keeping the podcast extremely entertaining. Episodes can range from 30 minutes to over an hour based on the type of case being covered. Mysterious Circumstances has moved its way into my weekly rotation and will continue to be one of my favorite podcasts of 2021.

Check out Mysterious Circumstances on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Let us know what you think in the comments!

Podcast Review: Those Murder Girls

March 23, 2021 Jon Rouillard 1 Comment

Those Murder Girls

We know that tons of people took the time in 2020 to focus on themselves and their passions. Luckily, a lot of people seem to be extremely passionate about podcasting. Which is great news for podcast fans. So far in 2021, Podfluence has reviewed a variety of great new podcasts that have launched over the past year. One podcast, in particular, has brightened up my Fridays with their weekly releases. Those Murder Girls has quickly become one of the best new podcasts of the last year and we couldn’t be more excited to share our thoughts.

Launching in July of 2020, Those Murder Girls is a narrative-based true-crime podcast that combines deep factual research with lighthearted commentary. Listeners will also be excited to learn about new cases that they may not be as familiar with. Those Murder Girls is hosted and written by co-creators Reyna and Marie. Reyna and Marie create an easy listening experience for true-crime podcast fans as they have undeniable chemistry and fantastic tonality on the microphone. Aside from having great hosts, Those Murder Girls is driven by great production.

It’s clear that this is a true-crime podcast that was created by some serious true crime enthusiasts. Each week Reyna and Marie will walk listeners through some of the countries most mysterious cases, cold case files, and unsolved murder cases. Each case is approached with deep research and often times with help from the families in hopes to shed light and bring justice to some lesser-known cases.

Since their launch in 2020, Those Murder Girls have released over 30 episodes, with new episodes dropping each Friday. Listeners will expect to hear cases like that of Tina Faelz, a young girl whose life was cut short in a tragic manner; Arlis Perry, whose body was discovered at Stanford University; and a story of a Russian serial killer known as the “Granny Ripper.” As you can tell, there are a wide variety of cases for listeners to check out.

Those Murder Girls is quickly becoming one of the best podcasts of 2021. I look forward to their new episode every Friday. It also makes for the perfect Friday/Weekend podcast as episodes typically run anywhere from 20-30 minutes, making this the perfect podcast to binge while running errands or doing some chores around the house. Check out Those Murder Girls as their website, Instagram, and Facebook!

Podfluence True Crime Tuesday: 90s Crime Time

March 15, 2021 Jon Rouillard 0 Comments

90s Crime Time

As a product of the ’90s, it’s easily my favorite decade. I mean who couldn’t love a decade that had Space Jam, Pokemon, Titanic, and MTV’s TRL, among a billion other awesome things. That’s why it’s no surprise that one of the best podcasts of 2021 is the 90s Crime Time podcast.

What started out as a simple Instagram page has blown up to be one of the fastest-growing podcasts in the last year. 90s Crime Time is a narrative-style true-crime podcast that covers cases that have taken place during the 1990s. Specifically, 1990-1999. But what’s particularly fantastic about 90s True Crime is its host, Simone.

Simone had started 90s Crime Time as in Instagram page posting about cases in October 2019. As she gained followers and people became more interested in the content, they kept asking for a podcast. So Simone blessed all of her followers in February of 2019 with her first episode. And let me tell you, 90s fans have flocked to 90s Crime Time. What fans will love about 90s Crime Time is that Simone will explore a wide variety of cases: from theft to kidnapping and murder to name a few. Listeners will likely hear about cases they are both familiar and unfamiliar with. Some of the more popular cases that Simone will cover are cases like the Stardust Casino casino robbery, the murder of Diane Nash, and the murder of journalist Jill Dando.

Simone is a fantastic host who is a dedicated true crime fan that focuses on the facts of each case and discusses the societal impact at the time. It’s clear why 90s Crime Time has become one of the best new podcasts. Not only is Simone a die-hard fan of the 90s, but her passion shines through in each episode. Episodes typically range anywhere from 30-40 minutes making this the perfect podcast to binge on the weekend for new fans. 90s Crime Time has grown so quickly that it has even been featured by Cosmopolitan and Newsweek!

Check out 90s Crime Time on Instagram, Facebook, and the podcast homepage. Don’t miss one of the fastest-growing true crime podcasts and one of our early picks as our best new podcast of 2021.