Motive for Murder - Podcast Rankings and reviews

Definitely an under-appreciated podcast with an incredible story that deserves far more attention. I read the reviews beforehand, which honestly made me apprehensive to even listen, but it immediately took me in from the first episode and I binged the whole season in one evening. The compassion the reporter showed towards the victims and their loved ones in this podcast, has gone above and beyond any other true crime podcast I’ve listened to (and I’ve listened to well over 100…). The narrative was expertly done.

The host’s statements about grief, and sharing his experience as a veteran reporter whose spent decades interviewing bereaved parents during the worst moment in their lives, brought me in tears. As someone whose been dealing with complex grief and loss of two of the most important people in my life (only several years ago, and the other the beginning of this year), and got into true crime after the first death as, when done properly, helps me process or “share” my grief in some odd way — it really touched me how much compassion around grief and loss remained central to this case.

The central motivator of this podcast was not “entertainment,” or inserting twists & turns into a story that’s already been solved (like it is with so many popular true crime podcasts); but to simply share this story with the respect it deserves in service of the victims and the truth. Thank you for making this, and sharing such an otherwise dark and confusing story with such focus and clarity. It really forces the listener to empathize with the victims in such a gentle way.

I listened to this podcast on the way home from our trip to Ohio. I recently started listening to podcasts in the car and this story kept me on the edge of my seat! I was intrigued by all the twists and turns this story took, that the time flew by and before I knew it- we were home. I love that podcasts give you the whole story - not the 1-2 hour t.v. show that we’re used to watching. They are great for listening to in the car, or the gym , or while cleaning the house.

This is a great series done with the professionalism you expect. I was drawn in by the title & reporter, I can listen to Josh anytime but it was the story that kept me there. I felt like an old friend was sharing news about his family but we only had a few minutes to talk.
The quickness of the shows is what I need on my drive to & from work. I was never let down, only left wanting to hear more.
Great show Dateline!

This story grabs you from the beginning but I feel it would not have the same impact if it was not for Josh Mankiewicz’s story telling. His sidebar remarks and slightly snarky comments add to a compelling story! Great job Mr Mankiewicz!!!