20 best mystery podcasts that will keep you on the edge of your seat

20 best mystery podcasts that will keep you on the edge of your seat

In recent years, the field of audio entertainment has seen a spectacular comeback, with podcasts developing as a potent medium for storytelling. Mystery podcasts have risen to prominence among genres, enthralling fans with intriguing plots and dramatic tales.

Studio setup for a podcast
Mystery podcasts offer a unique and intriguing listening experience, transporting listeners to a world of mystery, intrigue, and unexpected twists. Photo: DALL.E (modified by author)
Source: UGC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

To determine the best mystery podcast, we analysed various factors, such as audience reviews, critical acclaim, and the unique storytelling techniques employed. Surveys and data from sources such as IMDb, Spotify, and other online sources played a significant role in this research.

Best mystery podcasts

Mystery podcasts provide a distinct and engaging listening experience that transports listeners to a universe of mystery, suspense, and surprising twists. These podcasts frequently explore historical events, real-life mysteries, or fictitious plots, enthralling viewers with intricate storytelling and engaging characters. Below is a list of some of the top-rated podcasts.

PodcastRating/10
The Magnus Archives9.3
Your Own Backyard9.2
Mistletoe Murders9.2
Wooden Overcoats9.2
Six Minutes9.1
Welcome to Night Vale8.9
Who, When, Wow!8.9
Bear Brook8.8
Dead Eyes8.7
Bridgewater8.7

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Best mystery podcasts on Spotify

Exploring the expansive world of mystery podcasts on Spotify will lead you to many hours of engaging narrative and exciting investigations. Here are the top mystery podcasts on Spotify.

1. Your Own Backyard

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  • Rating: 9.2/10
  • Genres: Documentary, true crime
  • Host: Chris Lambert

Your Own Backyard is a podcast about true crimes investigating the 1996 vanishing of Cal Poly learner Kristin Smart from San Luis Obispo, California. The show is hosted by singer and journalist Chris Lambert, who interviews persons involved in the matter and investigations.

2. Bear Brook

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  • IMDb rating: 8.8/10
  • Genres: True crime, documentary
  • Host: Jason Moon

Bear Brook is a true crime and investigative podcast about four deaths found in two barrels at Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, New Hampshire. Jason Moon hosts the show, which delves into the quadruple murder in the hopes of identifying the deceased and the killer.

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3. Crime Junkie

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  • IMDb rating: 8.2/10
  • Genres: True crime, talk-show
  • Hosts: Ashley Flowers, Brit Prawat

Crime Junkie is a weekly real-life crime conversational podcast that features tales about completed and unsolved killings, missing persons, wanted fugitives, and serial killers. Presenters Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat discuss a fresh crime case in a plain, casual, and instructive manner each Monday.

4. My Favourite Murder

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  • IMDb rating: 8.1/10
  • Genres: True crime, comedy
  • Hosts: Karen Kilgariff, Georgia Hardstark

My Favourite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast in which Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, two lifetime real-crime lovers, share their favourite narratives of murder and mayhem. They also listen to neighbourhood crime stories from acquaintances, followers, and others.

Best mystery podcast series

Mystery podcasts are an excellent way to immerse oneself in compelling stories, whether they are centred on actual events or fictional scenarios. They provide a distinctive listening experience that may be exciting.

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1. Mistletoe Murders

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  • IMDb rating: 9.2/10
  • Genres: Mystery
  • Host: Cobie Smulders, Raymond Ablack, Anna Cathcart

Mistletoe Murders is a podcast series about Emily Lane, a mystery enthusiast and puzzle master who owns a Christmas-themed boutique in a tourist city and investigates neighbourhood deaths.

2. Bridgewater

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  • IMDb rating: 8.7/10
  • Genres: Crime, horror, mystery, thriller
  • Host: Aaron Mahnke

According to the podcast, folklore lecturer Jeremy Bradshaw is drawn into the strange 1980 vanishing of his police officer dad, Thomas, because new information threatens to upend years of certainty.

3. Dark Air with Terry Carnation

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  • IMDb rating: 8.6/10
  • Genres: Comedy, drama, fantasy, horror, mystery, sci-fi, thriller
  • Host: Rainn Wilson

Dark Air with Terry Carnation is a fictitious, darkly comic podcast series featuring Rainn Wilson as Terry Carnation. He is the presenter of a late-night paranormal radio talk show.

4. Batman Unburied

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  • IMDb rating: 8.4/10
  • Genres: Adventure, crime, fantasy, horror, mystery, thriller
  • Host: Winston Duke, Hasan Minhaj, Gina Rodriguez, Colman Domingo

The podcast follows Bruce Wayne, a forensic pathologist entrusted with investigating the victims of Gotham City's newest serial killer, The Harvester. Wayne must confront his mental issues to protect the inhabitants of Gotham from The Harvester.

Unsolved mystery podcast

Unsolved mystery podcasts provide a distinct mix of mystery, suspense, and a sense of the unexplained. So, what is the best-unsolved mysteries podcast? These podcasts, which delve into life mysteries yet to be solved, will provide hours of entertaining listening.

1. Dead Eyes

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  • IMDb rating: 8.7/10
  • Genre: Talk-show
  • Host: Connor Ratliff

The podcast features comedian Connor Ratliff, who sets out to solve a riddle that has troubled him for many years: why Tom Hanks sacked him from a minor role in the 2001 HBO miniseries Band of Brothers.

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2. Root of Evil: The True Story of the Hodel Family and the Black Dahlia

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  • IMDb rating: 8.5/10
  • Genres: Documentary, crime, history
  • Hosts: Rasha Pecoraro, Yvette Gentile

The program is an American investigative crime podcast that focuses on the Black Dahlia killing and suspect George Hodel. It uses interviews and archive audio to convey the tale of the Hodel family. Rasha Pecoraro and Yvette Gentile, George Hodel's great-grandchildren, host the program.

3. Dr. Death

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  • IMDb rating: 8.1/10
  • Genres: True crime, drama
  • Host: Laura Beil, Robert Henderson, Kyle Kissinger

In 2013, Michigan patients considered Farid Fata to be the top doctor. However, he wasn't who he seemed to be. The podcast features a narrative of numerous patients in Michigan, one doctor, and a deadly secret.

4. The Vanished Podcast

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  • IMDb rating: 7.8/10
  • Genres: Documentary, true crime, mystery
  • Host: Marissa Jones

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The Vanished Podcast is an actual crime program investigating the stories of disappeared persons. Marissa Jones hosts the program, which goes beyond traditional news and delves into the tale of a distinct missing person every week. The show has interviews with close relatives, friends, law police, and professionals.

Fictional mystery podcast

Fiction mystery podcasts provide listeners with a one-of-a-kind and comprehensive experience, taking them into complex plots and thrilling stories.

1. The Magnus Archives

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  • IMDb rating: 9.3/10
  • Genres: Drama, horror, mystery, sci-fi, thriller
  • Host: Jonathan Sims

What is the #1 rated true crime podcast? The Magnus Archives is a weekly horror fiction collection that delves into the mysteries hidden beneath the archives of London's Magnus Institute. The institute is dedicated to documenting and exploring the unusual and strange.

2. Wooden Overcoats

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  • IMDb rating: 9.2/10
  • Genres: Comedy
  • Host: David K. Barnes

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Rudyard Funn and his similarly miserable sister Antigone manage their family's funeral home, where they ensure that the dead are placed in the casket and buried on time. However, one day, they discover everyone is having a good time at a new competitor's funeral.

3. Welcome to Night Vale

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  • IMDb rating: 8.9/10
  • Genres: Horror, comedy
  • Host: Cecil Palmer

Welcome to Night Vale is a serialised podcast portrayed as a radio broadcast about the desert town of Night Vale, located somewhere in the Midwest. It follows Cecil Palmer, the radio show's sole host, as he reports on both supernatural and regular events in town, with some eldritch horrors accompanying him.

4. Alice Isn't Dead

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  • IMDb rating: 8.6/10
  • Genres: Horror, mystery
  • Host: Jasika Nicole

Alice Isn't Dead is a fictitious horror podcast about a truck driver who travels across America looking for their wife, whom she had long assumed had died. In her search, she will come across not-quite-human serial killers, communities lost in time, and a plot that extends well beyond one missing woman.

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Mystery podcast for kids

Mystery podcast for children explores fascinating topics such as historical events, bizarre occurrences, and mysteries. The podcast blends entertaining storytelling with instructional content to make learning about history and science enjoyable and interesting.

1. Six Minutes

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  • IMDb rating: 9.1/10
  • Genres: Family
  • Host: Sophia Eleni Kekllas, Sol Marina Crespo, Robert T. Bogue

Eleven-year-old Holiday is rescued from the frigid waters of Alaska without knowing who she is or where she originated. Are her mother and father really who they claim to be? She will quickly realise she is not isolated when she develops remarkable talents.

2. Who, When, Wow!

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  • IMDb rating: 8.9/10
  • Genre: Talk-show
  • Host: Melissa van der Schyff, Mike Smith, Jerry Habibi

Who, When, Wow! is an auditory excursion into the lives of forgotten heroes, unrecognised heroines and extraordinary humans who make people say WOW!

3. The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel

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  • IMDb rating: 8.5/10
  • Genre: Drama
  • Host: Jaiya Chetram

According to the podcast, a young man searches for his missing companions and comes across a strange institution for talented students.

4. Unsolved Mysteries Podcast

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  • IMDb rating: 7.4/10
  • Genre: Documentary, true crime, mystery
  • Host: Steve French

Unsolved Mysteries Podcast is an actual crime and mystery podcast produced by the original creators of the classic television series. Steve French hosts the program, which features a new weekly mystery ranging from harrowing abductions to odd paranormal encounters, terrible killers, and mysterious deaths.

What is the most-heard podcast in the world?

The Joe Rogan Experience is the world's most popular podcast, with billions of views and millions of subscribers across multiple podcasting platforms.

Mystery podcasts have become gripping, providing listeners with various thrilling stories. From deep actual crime investigations to innovative fictional stories, these podcasts can transport listeners to new worlds while keeping them interested in complicated puzzles and exciting turns.

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Yen.com.gh published a fantastic list of the best Morbid Podcast episodes. Morbid: A True Crime Podcast has a large and dedicated audience. Each episode explores a different true crime story, both well-known and obscure.

Morbid: A True Crime Podcast has released episodes almost daily, addressing nearly every case and including stories on dark history and strange topics. With so many episodes, picking where to start could be difficult. Read the article for a detailed guide.

Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Tatiana Thiga avatar

Tatiana Thiga (Lifestyle writer) Tatiana Thiga is a content creator who joined Yen in 2022. She is an English literature graduate from Kenyatta University. She has amassed sufficient knowledge working on a variety of topics, including biographies, fashion and lifestyles, guides, and more. In 2023, Tatiana finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. You can reach her at tatianathiga@gmail.com