True-Crime Podcast Update: Crooks Everywhere Debuts: Up And Vanished Podcast In Alaska

 Podcast networks that carpet bomb the podcasting space have unsurprisingly uneven results. Sometimes they miss their target, such as the snarky, sanctimonious, smartass Ben Shapiro Show. At other times, iHeart hits the bullseye with the two podcasts I'll discuss in this article.

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 Crooks Everywhere podcast reveals crime endemic in Malta

iHeartPodcasts, Topic Studios, and Vespucci have announced Crooks Everywhere, a new true-crime podcast that delves into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, a Maltese journalist who spent her life fighting for truth, justice and decency in a country overrun by corruption.

A ten-part series, Crooks Everywhere was released on Wednesday, September 25th. The show is hosted by John Sweeney and Manuel Delia, and executive produced by Johnny Galvin and Daniel Turcan at Vespucci; Christy Gressman at Topic Studios; Katrina Norvell and Nikki Ettore at iHeartPodcasts; and Sienna Miller.

Here's the summary of the show:

"During her lifetime, Daphne fought for democracy and the rule of law through her blog, Running Commentary, which was read not only on her home island but around the world. In Crooks Everywhere, this blog is used as a through line and commentary to provide insight into Daphne’s life and the corruption occurring all around her."

“Daphne was a brilliant journalist whose writing was at times shocking, moving, and hilarious,” said Sienna Miller, who voices Daphne on Crooks Everywhere. “But while she was a prolific writer, she sadly left behind few audio or video interviews. This is why I am honored to bring her story to life through her sensational writing and proud to be part of a show that amplifies a voice that so many in power wanted to be silenced.”

While Crooks Everywhere is a crime podcast at its core, in true investigative journalist fashion, the show goes much deeper than solving a murder. Co-hosts Sweeney and Delia also expose the dangerous intermingling of politics, dark money, and organized crime in Malta.

“When a proper journalist like Daphne is rubbed out, the killers are betting that everyone will be too afraid to do something about it.” said Sweeney, an award-winning former BBC journalist, host of the podcast Hunting Ghislaine, and author of 14 books.

Delia, a former political operative turned writer and civil society activist who won the 2019 Prize for Courage in Journalism, said, “Daphne’s killing was a loss of innocence for my country. We now live and work in a place where a journalist has been killed for doing her job. You don’t have to be a journalist to be worried by that. I want to tell Daphne’s story because that’s the only way I can fight back. Crooks never rest. Neither should we.”

The project began several weeks after Daphne’s death in the fall of 2017 when Vespucci commissioned a book from Sweeney, Delia, and Carlo Bonini that would become Murder on the Malta Express: Who killed Daphne Caruana Galizia? (2019). The book was subsequently optioned by Topic Studios.

“We are thrilled to partner with Topic Studios and Vespucci to bring ‘Crooks Everywhere’ to life,” said Will Pearson, President, iHeartPodcasts. “This new captivating true-crime series will dive deep into the complexities of corruption and injustice, engaging our listeners like never before.”

Topic Studios presents itself as an award-winning entertainment studio that develops, finances, and produces critically-acclaimed films, television series, and podcasts for demanding audiences.
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Up And Vanished fourth season in Alaska

Payne Lindsay is a pivotal figure in podcasting as a host, creator, entrepreneur, and true-crime investigator. Lindsay has been investigating an Alaska Airlines passenger data privacy breach that figures into a double murder investigation in Nome, Alaska.

In brief: Payne Lindsey has been investigating a pair of suspicious and intersecting disappearances in Nome, Alaska. They are featured on the currently airing fourth season of Up And Vanished.

The only way to fly commercially to Nome is from Anchorage on Alaska Airlines.

Payne Lindsay recently booked a flight to Nome and then decided not to fly due to an unforeseen schedule change. When social media started bubbling with “Payne is in Nome” alerts, and he got a bunch of “Are you in Nome?” texts from local contacts involved in the case, he knew something strange was going on. Why would anyone think he was there if he wasn’t, and he didn’t tell anyone he was coming?
Upon investigation, Lindsay concluded that his flight plans had been accessed by someone and then communicated to others involved in the case including persons very close to the disappearances, which is a clear violation of FAA regulations and Alaska Airlines privacy rules, and an affront to Lindsay’s sense of personal safety and security.


Payne Lindsay has

shared this info on his social media and is expecting the cooperation of Alaska Airlines in investigating the leak, and making arrangements to ensure his and other passengers' privacy and personal safety. Alaska Air customer service has reached out via DM on IG, but taken no action to date.

Nome is a small town, and there are people involved in the case who work at Alaska Airlines. 

Check out season four of Up And Vanished. It's a true-crime podcast that hits close to home for all of us.