Detectives Don't Sleep

A brand-new release from the Noiser Network. Join Hugh Bonneville on a thrilling journey through Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most celebrated Holmes mysteries - read in their original, masterful form. If you enjoy this taster episode, search ’Sherlock Holmes Short Stories’ in your podcast app and hit follow for more episodes. Or follow this link: https://podfollow.com/sherlock-holmes-short-stories-1 Part 2 of The Adventure of the Speckled Band is live now and waiting for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s January 1929 in Southampton, England. The body of missing businessman Vivian Messiter is found inside a locked garage. Local police call in one of Scotland Yard’s finest to take charge of the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector John Prothero. The ace detective uncovers vital clues missed by his colleagues, which lead him to the man he believes killed Messiter. But the conclusive evidence that can prove his case eludes him. Until a shaft of sunlight falls across a seemingly blank page. A Noiser production, written by Roger Morris For ad-free listening, exclusive content and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Click the Noiser+ banner to get started with a 7-day free trial. Or, if you’re on Spotify or Android, go to noiser.com/subscriptions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s December 2003, in Texas. When four gunshots ring out in the suburban city of Sugar Land, killing two members of the Whitaker family, and badly injuring two more, the news is met with disbelief in the community. Detective Marshall Slot takes the case. At first, the cops think that it’s simply a robbery gone wrong. But there are details that just don’t add up. Before long, Slot finds himself tangled up in one of the most bizarre and challenging investigations he’ll ever face. A Noiser production, written by Chris McDonald For ad-free listening, exclusive content and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Click the Noiser+ banner to get started with a 7-day free trial. Or, if you’re on Spotify or Android, go to noiser.com/subscriptions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode originally appeared on Short History Of… read by John Hopkins. If you like what you hear, search ‘Short History Of’ in your podcast app and hit follow or weekly episodes. Detectives Don’t sleep will be back next week. Retaining the title of the “Queen of Crime” to this day, Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time. Across 66 novels, 14 short-story collections, and 20 stage plays, she depicted the evil lurking in the hearts of ordinary people. But how did this homeschooled daughter of a privileged English family learn so much about poisons, psychopaths and murder? What in her personal life informed such a suspicious view of ordinary people? And how did she trigger a real-life mystery in 1926 that saw the whole country turn amateur detective? Written by Jo Furniss. With thanks to best-selling crime writer Sophie Hannah. For ad-free listening, exclusive content and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Click the Noiser+ banner to get started with a 7-day free trial. Or, if you’re on Spotify or Android, go to noiser.com/subscriptions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In February 1925, Richard Reese Whittemore breaks out of Maryland State Penitentiary, killing a prison guard in the process. So begins a year-long violent crime spree as Whittemore’s gang carry out a series of daring heists. Despite his love of violence, Whittemore’s exploits capture the public’s imagination. He’s the Candy Kid. His wife Margaret is Tiger Girl. Together they’re America’s sweethearts. But one man isn’t buying the myth. Inspector John D. Coughlin of New York’s Detective Division sees the Candy Kid for what he is - a ruthless killer. And he’s determined to catch him. A Noiser production, written by Roger Morris For ad-free listening, exclusive content and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Click the Noiser+ banner to get started with a 7-day free trial. Or, if you’re on Spotify or Android, go to noiser.com/subscriptions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In June 1986, Sue Snow, a healthy, forty-year-old woman, is found unresponsive in the bathroom of her home in Auburn, Washington. She is rushed to hospital where she dies a short time later. During the autopsy, the pathologist notices a strange smell - the smell of almonds. It’s a scent she knows well. It seems Sue Snow died from ingesting Excedrin tablets laced with cyanide. Aurora Police Detective Mike Dunbar and FBI Special Agent Jack Cusack take the case. Sue's death echoes the 1982 Tylenol poisonings in Chicago. Could they be dealing with a copycat killer? Over the course of the investigation, a pharmaceutical company will lose millions of dollars and the state of Washington will be plunged into panic at the prospect of a killer walking among them. But will one of the biggest manhunts the state has ever seen help unmask the perpetrator? Or will the killer claim more victims before their reign of terror is over? A Noiser production, written by Chris McDonald For ad-free listening, exclusive content and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Click the Noiser+ banner to get started with a 7-day free trial. Or, if you’re on Spotify or Android, go to noiser.com/subscriptions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s 1920, in Los Angeles. Two men force their way into one of the city’s most prominent department stores pretending to be private investigators from the world-renowned Nick Harris Detective Agency. But, these men aren’t detectives. They’re thieves. When Nick Harris hears about it, he resolves to find the criminals and clear his agency’s name. However, Harris, and his deputy, Carl G. Armstrong, quickly find themselves embroiled in something much bigger than a department store heist. A visit from a suspicious wife soon leads them on a trail of greed and murder. A Noiser production, written by Chris McDonald For ad-free listening, exclusive content, and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Now available for Apple and Android users. Click the Noiser+ banner on Apple or go to noiser.com/subscriptions to get started with a 7-day free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In January 1936, in New Brunswick, Canada, a generous, sociable man called Philip Lake is found dead in the doorway of his burnt-out cabin in the woods. The bodies of his common-law wife and his infant son are found frozen in the snow outside. There is no sign of the youngest child, 6-month-old Betty, though they assume she died with her father in the fire. But when the Mounties investigate, they realise that this fire was no accident — the family was brutally murdered, and Betty is missing. Can the Mounties do what they’re most famous for? Can they get their man? A Noiser production, written by Sean Coleman For ad-free listening, exclusive content, and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Now available for Apple and Android users. Click the Noiser+ banner on Apple or go to noiser.com/subscriptions to get started with a 7-day free trial. Go to hellofresh.com/50detectives and use the code 50detectives for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Detective Sergeant Frank Matthews concludes his investigation into the disappearance of police informant Jim Smith. The prime suspect is Smith’s friend, Paddy Brady, but Brady denies involvement and points the finger at two members of Sydney’s wealthy elite – Reginald Holmes and Albert Stannard. After surviving a dramatic suicide attempt, Holmes agrees to tell Matthews everything he knows. But other interested parties are determined to silence him. DS Matthews’ frustration grows as he is confronted by a community too scared to speak the truth. A Noiser production, written by Roger Morris. For ad-free listening, exclusive content, and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Now available for Apple and Android users. Click the Noiser+ banner on Apple or go to noiser.com/subscriptions to get started with a 7-day free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Legendary PI Bill Dear continues his hunt for Dean Milo’s murderer. His pursuit takes him across the country, where he comes into contact with a host of shady characters. And then, just as he’s making a breakthrough, there’s bad news. Fred and Sophie Milo assume control of the Milo Barber and Beauty Supply Corporation and fire the private investigator. However, Bill has come too far to fail. He vows to see the case through to a successful conclusion. But with a growing pool of suspects and dwindling resources, can Bill really get to the bottom of the murder of Dean Milo? A Noiser production, written by Chris McDonald For ad-free listening, exclusive content, and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Now available for Apple and Android users. Click the Noiser+ banner on Apple or go to noiser.com/subscriptions to get started with a 7-day free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In September 2010, a quiet, hardworking landman, Greg Fleniken, is found dead in his hotel room. He appears to have suffered traumatic internal injuries which have led to his death. But with no sign of a struggle, no enemies, and no witnesses to any kind of fight, the cops are quickly stumped. Who could have killed this man? And how did they do it? It’s only when the unstoppable Private Investigator, Ken Brennan joins the team that they begin to piece together the events leading up to Greg’s untimely death. What they uncover is the most unlikely, and unlucky, murder in Texan history. A Noiser Production, written by Sean Coleman For ad-free listening, exclusive content, and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Now available for Apple and Android users. Click the Noiser+ banner on Apple or go to noiser.com/subscriptions to get started with a 7-day free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In August 1922, Ivy Giberson is found tied up in her home in Lakehurst, New Jersey, while her husband William lies dead from a gunshot wound to the head. Ivy says two burglars broke in and did it. When crack detective Ellis Parker is brought in to take charge of the investigation, he reassures her that he’ll do everything he can to find her husband’s killer. And that’s just what he does, in record time. But the solution he discovers is not quite what she – or anyone else – was expecting. A Noiser production, written by Roger Morris For ad-free listening, exclusive content, and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Now available for Apple and Android users. Click the Noiser+ banner on Apple or go to noiser.com/subscriptions to get started with a 7-day free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s October 1910. An explosion destroys the Los Angeles Times Building. Twenty people are killed, and many more are badly injured. With a rise in domestic terrorism, bombs have been detonating across the United States, as war between the unions and non-unions rages on. Famed private detective William J Burns is hired to find the arsonists. The New York Times once called him “the only detective of genius whom the country has produced.” What follows is an investigation that takes him across The States, following shady characters with murder on their minds. Will Burns be able to find the bombers before they strike again, or will this be the case that finally bests the celebrated private investigator? A Noiser Production, written by Chris McDonald For ad-free listening, exclusive content, and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Now available for Apple and Android users. Click the Noiser+ banner on Apple or go to noiser.com/subscriptions to get started with a 7-day free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices