Our sister Liz, the history professor, joins us from the Pacific Northwest with another tale of of (possible) murder from that dark corner of the country. The Martin family — Mom, Dad, and three daughters — left their Portland, Oregon, home for a drive up the Columbia River gorge December 7, 1958. They never came home. Was it a tragic accident, or was there more involved? As Liz was preparing her presentation, there was a big break in the case. But maybe not big enough?

We also do an NNW review of the Netflix documentary Con Mum, and Liz also has some recommendations.

What does the Karen Read case have to do with Brian Walshe (Episode 136) and Ingolf Tuerk (Episode 85)? Our update explains it all.

We also bring back fan favorite Am I the Asshole?

To cap it off, Maureen does an NNW review of the movie “American Fiction.”

If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the just-released Dying for News, click here.

Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

Emma Cline should’ve been thrilled — at 25, she’d achieved every writer’s dream. But her $2 million book deal for her bestselling debut novel “The Girls” was too much for her ex, who slut-shamed her, threw false plagiarism and cyber-spying charges at her, and dragged in friends in a years-long campaign to bring her down.

The media focus was on the plagiarism and the sex stuff, but the real issue was coercive control and male privilege, and how he was allowed to get away with it for years.

Rebecca also reviews the Sly Stone documentary “Sly Live.”

The state of Maine recorded 35 homicides in 2024, a pretty high number, though the rate has been steadily going up in recent years. Ages of victims ranged from 22 months to 90 years. We’ll take a look at some of their stories.

Rebecca gives NNW treatment to the classic movie 12 Angry Men.

A decade after he was acquitted — twice — of charges related to Jon Pownall’s murder, Truman Dongo finds himself at the wrong end of a gun. Dongo disappeared from his apartment in Falmouth, Maine, on Sept. 21, 1983. His body was found nearly a month later, in the woods of Stowe, Maine, nearly 60 miles away, dead from multiple gunshots.

The twisted tale of bizarre criminality that began with the fatal shooting of film director Pownall in Portland in 1973, comes to an end in this third and final episode. Rebecca tells the story.

Maureen also gives NNW treatment to the documentary “What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?”

If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the just-released Dying for News, click here.

Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

Like the Little Drummer Boy, we bring to you what we can — a holiday gift that includes a JonBenet mea culpa, some very special holiday Am I the Asshole discussions, some recommendations, some gripes, and lots of fun!

Happy Holidays and here’s to a great 2025!

If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the just-released Dying for News, click here.

Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

The Jon Pownall murder case didn’t end with the trial of Herb Schwartz and Truman Dongo. There was so much more… particularly with the prosecution’s star witness, who couldn’t stay out of trouble after he moved back to his native New Jersey. Rebecca continues to report.

Maureen gives the NNW treatment to the Netflix doc series Manhattan Alien Abduction.

If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, including the just-released Dying for News, click here.

Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

All Jon Pownall wanted was to make his own movies after two decades of filming marketing spots and commercials. It looked like it was all coming together, too, as production began on his film “The Salem Six.” It all ended, though, on August 30, 1973, when he was found shot to death in the Portland, Maine, office of his film company. Rebecca presents.

Also, Maureen gives the NNW treatment to Peacock documentary “Banished: Prince Andrew”

If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, click here.

Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

We take a look at the official report on the Lewiston, Maine, Oct. 24, 2023, shooting, that killed 18 people, and injured many more. The report, released on Aug. 20 by a governor’s commission set up to look at the shooting spent nine months investigating, and it goes step by step through the months that led up to the tragedy, and the many missed opportunities for law enforcement and the U.S. Army Reserve to possibility stop it from happening.

Rebecca gives NNW treatment to the Netflix series LA Homicide.

Back by popular demand! Am I the asshole? Asks the guy who’s pissed because his wife wrote a “secret book” that netted a book deal. The woman who yelled at her boyfriend because he thought that it was emasculating to him that she talks to her cat. The guy who’s divorcing his wife because her psychic friend told her that he was having an affair, which he wasn’t, but she believed the psychic. And more!

You can’t make this up (or maybe you can) — we take a look at the questions people have no shame about going online and asking.

Also, Rebecca does an NNW review of Dirty Pop, the Netflix doc about Backstreet Boys and NSYNC creator Lou Pearlman.

Enjoy!

Looking for a cool Crime & Stuff T-Shirt, or another cool shirt designed by Rebecca? Check out her Bonfire shirt site, by clicking here.

If you’re interested in checking out Maureen’s Maine-based Bernadette “Bernie” O’Dea mystery novels, click here.