7. True Crimes of the Heart

Prison escapes, death row visits, and how to handle (and not handle) homicide. No it’s not an episode of one of those murder-as-snack podcasts, it’s Sarah and Nancy discussing serial killers, lovelorn prison guards, manipulative prisoners, and why people who make it their business to cover murder might do it with a little more delicacy. Plus the surgery Sarah cannot talk about, a wee bit of we-told-you-so over Amber Heard being revealed to have not written the 2018 domestic violence op-ed for which ex-husband Johnny Depp is now demanding $50 million in defamation dough, and Sarah plans a trip to see it all firsthand.Por favor: In preparation for a bonus show, the Smoke ‘Em journalistsas invite you to send questions, mash notes, secret messages to [email protected] As promised, a baker’s dozen of true crime books we love:* Shot in the Heart, by Mikal Gilmore* Lost Girls, by Robert Kolker* Blood Will Out, by Walter Kirn* The Adversary, by Emmanuel Carrere* Columbine, by Dave Cullen* Down City, by Leah Carroll* I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara (which, full disclosure, I listened to on audio. Was great - NR)* Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, by Patrick Radden Keefe (ditto)* The Journalist and the Murderer, by Janet Malcom* Helter Skelter, by Vincent Bugliosi* In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote* Crossed Over, by Beverly Lowry* Under the Banner of Heaven, by Jon KrakaeurEpisode notes:Warrant issued for missing Alabama corrections officer, escaped convictCoconut cream (not coconut milk)Escape from Dannemora, starring Patricia Arquette, Paul Dano, Benecio del Toro“Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes”“Destination Gacy, A Cross-Country Journey to Shake the Devil’s Hand,” by Nancy Rommelmann (Kindle) Nancy reads “Destination Gacy” (come on, it’s free!)“Hit on the Head,” Sarah’s essay about New Orleans stick up“Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hill”To the Bridge: A True Story of Motherhood and Murder, by Nancy RommelmannSkip Hollandsworth’s most recent Texas Monthly masterpiece, “The Notorious Mrs. Mossler”“Sword and Scale” podcast that scared the crap out of SarahOutro song: “I’m Alive” by Electric Light Orchestra Nancy and Gacy penpal Rick Gaez, 1994 Detective Nick and Sarah, 2019 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit smokeempodcast.substack.com/subscribe