Murder Shelf Book Club Podcast

Part 1: In Australia, four guests gathered for a quiet family lunch. Only one would survive—and the woman who served the meal seemed untouched. What began as an apparent tragedy soon unraveled into a mystery that captivated the world. As investigators examined conflicting stories, puzzling choices, and a trail of unsettling clues, one question grew impossible to ignore: Was this a devastating accident, or had something far darker been planned? In this gripping episode, step inside a case where every answer opens the door to another mystery—and an ordinary meal becomes the center of an extraordinary murder investigation.

Subscribe so you do not miss Parts 2, 3, and 4-the exclusive interview with author Cheryl Warren! Coming Soon!

Buy Fatal Lunch: The Death Cap Mushroom Murders by Cheryl Warren on AMAZON or Google Books.

Thinking about going to Crimecon 2027? Use Jill's code murdershelf and save 10% on your badge!

Jill's Merch shop is open! https://www.jusaskjan.com/murder-shelf-book-club

Join Jill on PATREON for $2- $4 and help pick our next book and enjoy Jill's SERIAL KILLER Case Studies! www.patreon.com/murdershelfbookclub

Sources, photographs, maps, and other information can be found on Jill's Blog- October 2026

What happens when a city isn't hunting one serial predator—but several at once? In this riveting conversation, former Detroit Police commander Gerry Cliff takes us inside the extraordinary investigations behind Serial City: Detroit and the Hunt for Multiple Predators, revealing how detectives searched for patterns while dangerous offenders moved through overlapping neighborhoods and a city already under relentless pressure.

Cliff offers a rare, firsthand look at the instincts, teamwork, and hard-won insight behind the hunt—without losing sight of the people at the heart of every case. How do investigators separate one predator's trail from another, and what happens when the next clue suggests the danger is even greater than anyone realized? True crime listeners won't want to miss this fascinating journey into the hidden machinery of a real-life manhunt. And they also discuss how AI could transform law enforcement by spotting hidden patterns in minutes—giving detectives more time to follow the clues that technology alone cannot.

Buy Serial City: Detriot and the Hunt for Multiple Serial Predators by GH Cliff on AMAZON and Barnes and Noble

Thinking about going to Crimecon 2027? Use Jill's code murdershelf and save 10% on your badge!

Jill's Merch shop is open! https://www.jusaskjan.com/murder-shelf-book-club

Join Jill on PATREON for $2- $4 and help pick our next book and enjoy Jill's SERIAL KILLER Case Studies! www.patreon.com/murdershelfbookclub

Sources, photographs, maps, and other information can be found on Jill's Blog- October 2026

Part 4: Jill welcomes author and former prosecutor C.J. Williams for a deeply personal conversation about his book, A Monster in Mount Pleasant: The Stories of Murder and Justice. Williams revisits the 1978 murders that shattered his quiet Iowa hometown when he was just 16 years old—crimes that took the lives of Karol and Clementine Beavers and Susan Wheelock, and altered the course of his own life, inspiring his career in law.

This conversation goes far beyond the facts of the case. Williams brings listeners inside the fear that gripped Mount Pleasant, the rumors that lingered for decades, the legal missteps that complicated the search for justice, and the remarkable discoveries that emerged after the book's publication. With compassion for the victims and clarity about the justice system, he explains how search warrants, confessions, trials, and appeals shaped the story—and why remembering the victims by name still matters.

If you listened to the three-part series on A Monster in Mount Pleasant, this follow-up conversation offers new insight, unexpected revelations, and a moving reminder of why these stories deserve to be told.

Buy A Monster in Mount Pleasant by CJ Williams on AMAZON and Barnes & Noble.

Thinking about going to Crimecon 2027? Use Jill's code murdershelf and save 10% on your badge!

Jill's Merch shop is open! https://www.jusaskjan.com/murder-shelf-book-club

Join Jill on PATREON for $2- $4 and help pick our next book and enjoy Jill's SERIAL KILLER Case Studies! www.patreon.com/murdershelfbookclub

Sources, photographs, maps, and other information can be found on Jill's Blog- September 2026

https://www.murdershelfbookclub.com/2026/09/

Jill chats with retired Chicago detective and author Michele Wood for a conversation that is as gripping as it is unexpectedly heartfelt. Drawing from Michele's book, Model Detective: A True Story of Heels, Handcuffs, and Homicides, the discussion moves beyond true crime headlines and into the lived reality of a woman who spent 25 years investigating homicides, sex crimes, domestic violence, and the kinds of cases that never really leave you.

Jill and Michele dig into the dark humor that helps investigators survive the unthinkable, the ethics of true crime in an age of internet sleuthing, and the haunting details of the Yolanda and Curtis case—a story that challenges first impressions and reveals how complicated justice can be. Along the way, Michele shares hard-earned wisdom about interviewing suspects, honoring victims, mentoring young women in law enforcement, and carrying the weight of a career built around other people's worst days.

Honest, sharp, funny, and deeply human, this episode offers listeners a rare look behind the badge—and into the mind of someone who has seen the darkest corners of humanity yet still leads with curiosity, compassion, and grit. If you have ever wondered what real detective work feels like beyond the television version, this conversation will stay with you long after it ends.

Buy Model Detective: A True Story of Heels, Handcuffs and Homicides by Michele Wood on AMAZON and Barnes & Noble.

Thinking about going to Crimecon 2027? Use Jill's code murdershelf and save 10% on your badge!

Jill's Merch shop is open! https://www.jusaskjan.com/murder-shelf-book-club

Join Jill on PATREON for $2- $4 and help pick our next book and enjoy Jill's SERIAL KILLER Case Studies! www.patreon.com/murdershelfbookclub

Sources, photographs, maps, and other information can be found on Jill's Blog- October 2026

https://www.murdershelfbookclub.com/2026/10/

Special Bonus Mini-Cast Event! Playing Games with Gary Ridgway!

What if the friendly coworker who lingered after his shift to play Pokémon with you was one of America's most notorious serial killers? In this unforgettable mini episode, private investigator Shane Moreland reveals how an ordinary workplace friendship took a chilling turn when he recognized his former coworker on the news: Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer. Shane revisits the conversations, the warning signs that never appeared, and the unsettling truth that a killer can hide in plain sight. He also shares his remarkable childhood connection to true-crime legend Ann Rule—and the eerie parallel between her experience with Ted Bundy and his own. It's an intimate, stranger-than-fiction story that will leave you wondering: How well do we really know the people around us?

AND explore the upcoming October 10, 2026 WINE, DINE AND DEATH Event in Walla Walla, Washington, that benefits the Little Theater of Walla Walla!

BID on Jill's Merch Bag! Contents:

Build a true-crime reading nook with a basket assembled by the Murder Shelf Book Club. It includes six books: autographed copies of Swans Don't Swim in a Sewer by Sheryl "Mac" McCollum and Dog O' War by Aphrodite Jones; and, The Tylenol Murders: A Father's Confession to His Son by Joseph Cibelli; Fatal Lunch: The Death Cap Mushroom Murders by Cheryl Warren; Killer in the House: Ten Days of Terror in a Pennsylvania Suburb by Kathryn Canavan; and The Serial Killer Cookbook by Ashley Lecker. Two Library Lantern mini bookshelf lamps, a 12-ounce insulated travel wine tumbler, a Murder Shelf Book Club tote bag, a bookmark, and drink coasters complete the basket.

Estimated fair market value: $175.00 Includes shipping to a US address. Allow 7 to 10 days for delivery.

Thinking about going to Crimecon 2027? Use Jill's code murdershelf and save 10% on your badge!

Jill's Merch shop is open! https://www.jusaskjan.com/murder-shelf-book-club

Join Jill on PATREON for $2- $4 and help pick our next book and enjoy Jill's SERIAL KILLER Case Studies! www.patreon.com/murdershelfbookclub

Sources, photographs, maps, and other information can be found on Jill's Blog- October 2026

Part 3: This conclusion of A Monster in Mount Pleasant continues the gripping legal thriller, filled with surprising twists and turns, devastating setbacks, and a justice system forced to balance outrage, evidence, and constitutional rights as it prosecutes a brutal killer.

Over the decades, evidence is questioned, convictions are challenged, and long-awaited justice remains painfully uncertain. Courtroom strategies and emotional reckoning collide. At its heart, this episode is about memory, persistence, and the victims whose names should never be forgotten: Karol, Clementine, and Susan. For true crime listeners who want more than headlines, this episode delivers legal complexity, emotional depth, and an unforgettable finale.

Listen to Ep 181 and 183, Parts 1 and 2, before this episode! It will make much more sense!

Coming in two weeks, Jill chats with the author of A Monster in Mount Pleasant and former prosecutor CJ Williams!

Buy A Monster in Mount Pleasant: A Story of Murders and Justice by CJ Williams on AMAZON or ABE BOOKS.

Thinking about going to Crimecon 2027? Use Jill's code murdershelf and save 10% on your badge!

Jill's Merch shop is open! https://www.jusaskjan.com/murder-shelf-book-club

Join Jill on PATREON for $2- $4 and help pick our next book and enjoy Jill's SERIAL KILLER Case Studies! www.patreon.com/murdershelfbookclub

Sources, photographs, maps, and other information can be found on Jill's Blog- September 2026

https://www.murdershelfbookclub.com/2026/09/

In this special episode, Jill ventures into one of humanity's oldest and most unsettling taboos through Nathalie von Zelowitz's extraordinary true-crime work, I Ate His Heart: Interviews with a Cannibal. Drawing on her decade-long therapeutic relationship with a man identified as 'Bernard', Nathalie von Zelowitz takes listeners far beyond shock value, into the complicated psychology of trauma, identity, compulsion, and the desperate human need to be seen and understood.

Jill and the von Zelowitzs explore what it means to confront the unthinkable without sensationalizing it, balancing clinical insight with compassion, accountability, and respect for the victim. Just as compelling is the discussion of Bernard's possible release and the careful work of preparing him for his future outside of Château-Thierry prison in France, and his daunting transition back into a world that has changed dramatically during his decade in prison.

This episode invites true-crime readers and psychologically curious listeners to look past the headline horror and ask deeper questions: how does a person become trapped inside such an extreme identity, what role can therapy play in transformation, and what happens when someone long defined by a monstrous act begins to imagine himself as something more?

Though Bernard's case is widely known in France, it remains far less familiar to many listeners in the United States, making this conversation a rare introduction to a disturbing and psychologically complex story.

Buy I Ate His Heart: Conversations with a Cannibal by Nathalie von Zelowitz, translated by Jon von Zelowitz, published by Feral House, on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Thinking about going to Crimecon 2027? Use Jill's code murdershelf and save 10% on your badge!

Jill's Merch shop is open! https://www.jusaskjan.com/murder-shelf-book-club

Join Jill on PATREON for $2- $4 and help pick our next book and enjoy Jill's SERIAL KILLER Case Studies! www.patreon.com/murdershelfbookclub

Sources, photographs, maps, and other information can be found on Jill's Blog- September 2026

https://www.murdershelfbookclub.com/2026/09/

Part 2: After the murders of Karol and Clementine Beavers, fear settled over Mt. Pleasant as investigators searched for a killer hiding in plain sight. Among the young men questioned was Monte Seager, a troubled teen who had crossed paths with Karol at Mount Pleasant High School. His alibi raised no immediate suspicion, and the investigation began to drift, leaving the Mount Pleasant community forever changed—more cautious, more fearful, and still with the truth just out of reach.

Then, months later, another violent attack shook the same community—this time at the Iris Restaurant, where bartender Susan Wheelock was attacked, succumbing to her injuries. The clues in this homicide investigation raised eyebrows, as law enforcement began focusing on Monte Seager. As more evidence began to surface, old suspicions stirred again, pulling the Beavers case back from the shadows. What had once seemed like a trail gone cold now suggested something far more unsettling—a pattern that would take years, forensic persistence, and a series of unexpected turns to bring into focus.

Listen to Ep 181- Part 1 on A Monster in Mount Pleasant first!

Buy A Monster in Mount Pleasant: A Story of Murders and Justice by CJ Williams on AMAZON or ABE BOOKS.

Thinking about going to Crimecon 2027? Use Jill's code murdershelf and save 10% on your badge!

Jill's Merch shop is open! https://www.jusaskjan.com/murder-shelf-book-club

Join Jill on PATREON for $2- $4 and help pick our next book and enjoy Jill's SERIAL KILLER Case Studies! www.patreon.com/murdershelfbookclub

Sources, photographs, maps, and other information can be found on Jill's Blog- September 2026

https://www.murdershelfbookclub.com/2026/09/

In this powerful special episode, Jill continues an urgent conversation sparked by EP 180, Carlos Rodriguez's The Ugly Underneath, by sitting down with Jenny Dutton, executive director of Raven. A former Florida prosecutor with decades of experience in special victims, homicide, sex crimes, and technology-facilitated child exploitation, Dutton pulls back the curtain on the fight to protect children in a rapidly changing digital world. Together, Jill and Jenny explain how Raven is working on Capitol Hill to secure funding, modernize laws, and support Internet Crimes Against Children task forces that often operate with far fewer resources than the crisis demands.

This episode is a wake-up call about the realities of online child exploitation, the rise of AI-generated abuse material, and the gaps in current legislation that make law enforcement's job even harder. But it is also a call to action: Jenny makes clear that ordinary people are not powerless, and that constituents' voices truly matter when it comes to pushing lawmakers to act. If you care about child safety, accountability for tech platforms, and giving investigators the tools they need to rescue and protect vulnerable children, this is an episode you will not want to miss.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Thorn: Defend Children from Sexual Abuse

Sources, photographs, and information can be found on Jill's Blog- September 2026

Thinking about going to Crimecon 2027? Use Jill's code murdershelf and save 10% on your badge!

Jill's Merch shop is open! https://www.jusaskjan.com/murder-shelf-book-club

Join Jill on PATREON for $2- $4 and help pick our next book and talk true crime with other the Murder Bookies! www.patreon.com/murdershelfbookclub

Part 1: Author and Mount Pleasant native CJ Williams transports listeners to the seemingly safe and close-knit town of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, in 1978. This was a place known for its unlocked doors, high school sports, family businesses, church gatherings, and neighbors who knew each other by name. However, that sense of security is shattered when the brutal murders of Karol Beavers and her mother, Clementine, upend the entire community. Through Williams's perspective as Karol's classmate, this episode explores not only the details of the crime but also how such violence can permanently change a town's heart. This episode offers much more than a simple recounting of a crime; it is a deeply human story about victims, memory, motive, justice, and the lasting impact one act of violence can have. If you are drawn to victim-centered true crime, personal narratives, and stories that grapple with difficult questions about why people commit violence, this episode is one you won't want to miss.

Buy A Monster in Mount Pleasant: A Story of Murders and Justice by CJ Williams on AMAZON or ABE BOOKS.

Thinking about going to Crimecon 2027? Use Jill's code murdershelf and save 10% on your badge!

Jill's Merch shop is open! https://www.jusaskjan.com/murder-shelf-book-club

Join Jill on PATREON for $2- $4 and help pick our next book and enjoy Jill's SERIAL KILLER Case Studies! www.patreon.com/murdershelfbookclub

Sources, photographs, maps, and other information can be found on Jill's Blog- September 2026

https://www.murdershelfbookclub.com/2026/09/