The Art of Crime

Today, in the season finale of Beach Reads, we're joined by medical historian Lindsey Fitzharris to talk about her new book, Sleuth-Hound. It's a biography of Joseph Bell, the real Scottish physician who inspired the fictional character of Sherlock Holmes. As Lindsey reveals, Bell, like Arthur Conan Doyle's creation, acted as a consulting detective for police while they investigated murders. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast. For show notes and full transcripts, visit www.artofcrimepodcast.com.

Today, we're joined by author Jack El-Hai to talk about his new book, The Case of the Autographed Corpse. It's all about Erle Stanley Gardner, inventor of the beloved fictional criminal defense attorney Perry Mason, and how Gardner took action to help exonerate wrongfully convicted prisoners in real life. One such prison inmate was Silas John Edwards, an Apache medicine man convicted of murder. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast. For show notes and full transcripts, please visit www.artofcrimepodcast.com.

Today, we're joined by cultural historian Isaac Butler, author of The Perfect Moment, an eye-opening new chronicle of the birth of America's culture wars in the 1980s. We talk about some of the most influential--and controversial--art about sex and religion of the period. And, as Isaac reveals, culture-war disputes could lead to violence and criminal charges. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast. For show notes and full transcripts, visit www.artofcrimepodcast.com.

Today, we're joined by Vanity Fair journalist Joe Pompeo to talk about the unsolved 1922 murders of Edward Hall and Eleanor Mills. In his book, Blood & Ink, Joe tells the riveting story of how this double homicide captured the national imagination and supercharged tabloid journalism. Joe is also working on a limited-series podcast that covers this case, so keep an eye out for that! If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast.

Today, I'm re-releasing my interview with Michelle Young, author of The Art Spy, a riveting account of the life and heroics of Rose Valland, a museum curator who spied on the Nazis during their occupation of France in World War II. The paperback edition of The Art Spy just came out, so pick up a copy if you haven't already. For show notes and full transcripts, visit www.artofcrimepodcast.com. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast.