Diksha Sundriyal
A good story keeps you engaged. It keeps your alert, makes you question what you are seeing or hearing, keeps you on your toes about twists and turns that are in store. A good story never allows your attention to waver. Such stories often fall into the category of mystery. It can begin with something dark and gruesome, or with a simple act that is exceptionally impossible to explain. “What the hell happened there?”, you wonder. If you love mysteries, then there are some great podcasts out there for you. With impeccable narration and sound effects that ebb and flow with the story, these podcasts will not allow you to do anything else while listening to them. You will have to concentrate if you don’t want to be left behind. So, here’s the list of top suspense thriller podcasts. You can listen to several of these best suspense thriller podcasts on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or even YouTube for free.
18. Thin Air Podcast (2015- present)
Does it happen with you that after you lose something, no matter how trivial it might be, you wonder what could have happened to it? Have you ever found something while cleaning your attic, something you had lost a long time ago? When things go missing, we tend to make our peace and replace them with another. But what happens when people go missing and are never found? How can you move forward knowing that your loved one is out there somewhere, god knows where in what condition? ‘Thin Air Podcast’ introduces to you to such real cases: the cases where people went missing, and still are. You can listen to ‘Thin Air Podcast’ here.
17. Wine and Crime (2017- present)
You love true crime but you have to admit, it gets pretty dark. The unbelievable things that happen in this world, deaths going unresolved, lives destroyed over secrets that will never come to life, the sinking feeling that you’ll never get to know the truth behind a crime — all of this is pretty heavy stuff. You don’t want it to affect you too much, but you love those stories because what could be more mysterious than the real thing. In that case, we have just the thing for you. ‘Wine and Crime’ has all the mind-bending cases for you, the only difference is that they are accompanied by humour to make easily digestible. With the stories they’ve got, you’ll need those laughs, pal. You can listen to the podcast here.
16. Phoebe’s Fall (2016- present)
24-year-old Phoebe Handsjuk was found at the bottom of the waste disposal shaft of her apartment building. She had fallen in feet first, and because no similar case had been witnessed before, there was nothing to draw comparisons with. Police investigation led it to be considered a suicide; however, there were a few things that never quite added up. Was it really murder then? ‘Phoebe’s Fall’ delves into this mystery. In order to understand that, we’ll need to open some dark chapters of her life. You can listen to the podcast here.
15. TANIS (2015- present)
If you love a bit of sci-fi in your mystery, then ‘TANIS’ is what you should listen to next. It is a docudrama hosted by Nic Silver and follows his quest to find out what a TANIS is, how it came to be and what it can do to the humankind. His exploration might seem a bit fantastic in the beginning. But as the story progresses, he finds the root for his arguments in real things and soon, you start wondering if this story if fiction or fact. Prepare yourself to be baffled by this tale. You can listen to all episodes of this podcast here.
14. Limetown (2015- present)
If one person disappears, it might not seem like a big deal. (Except for the family, of course.) But what if hundreds of people disappear at once. Limetown housed a scientific facility and the faculty and staff had on-site residential services. But one day, everyone disappeared. Like, the whole facility was wiped clean. There was barely a trace, not even a sign that would tell you that those people actually existed. Three hundred people disappeared into thin air. A journalist arrives in town to figure out what happened there but is faced with life-threatening warnings. What is the mystery of ‘Limetown’? Listen to the podcast here.
13. Dark Histories (20117- present)
You have read about kingdoms and wars and civilizations and you think you know history now. Actually, you have missed out on the best part. The mysteries. What is the true reason behind Charles Bravo’s death? What actually happened in Whitechapel? How true is the myth of vampires? Who was the mad butcher of Kingsbury Run? There are many unsolved cases in the past, many obscurities that need to be cleared. This one is highly recommended.
12. GONE (2013- present)
Ancient people might have been able to save some things that have found their way to us, but there are other things that have been tagged as lost. Humans lose things all the time, and this is one thing that presents a stark similarity between us and our ancestors. But just because it was lost once doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to find it again. In ‘GONE’, the hosts focus on things like stolen treasures and missing aeroplanes, and other stuff that have vanished from the face of the earth without a trace. Where could they have gone? Find out in the podcast, here.
11. Partners in Crime (2018- present)
Whenever you read a well-written crime story, do you stop and wonder how the writer would have come up with it? Do you re-read it to see where the breadcrumbs started and what the small things meant, the ones you had so easily neglected the first time around? Writing crime is an art and if you want in on it, you should listen to ‘Partners in Crime’. The podcast offers a lot to learn as writers, actors and directors of popular crime series (novels and TV shows) come here to share their experiences. You can listen to all the episodes of this podcast here.
10. The Last Podcast on the Left (2015- present)
What constitutes a mystery for you? An unsolved murder? A true crime? An unexplainable turn of events that have a bit of horror in them? A serial killer on his usual spree or a cult that is slowly gaining more followers to bring about something extremely terrible? Whatever your definition of mystery is, this podcast caters to every single one of them. The topics of discussion here have a wide variety and every episode brings you something new. Some of it are facts, some fiction. ‘The Last Podcast on the Left’ has great stories for you. Listen to all its episodes here.
9. Unexplained (2016- present)
No matter how much knowledge you possess, there’ll always be something that you just can’t explain. There are many mysteries in history that have evaded logical answers for so long that they have turned into legends and myths. ‘Unexplained’ touches upon such tales, trying to find a sense in the incredibly unbelievable things that have happened in the world. It might seem like an exciting venture, but I must warn you: some mysteries are better left untouched. It might get unsettling and scary very soon. You can listen to all episodes of this podcast here.
8. SPINES (2016- present)
Wren wakes up in a strange place — an attic. She is drenched in blood and the whole place smells like something horrible has happened there. The things around her indicate that some sort of cult ritual has taken place here. ‘What happened?’, wonders Wren. She tries to remember, thinking hard about the events of the previous day, but nothing crosses her mind. Her memory is a big black void; no matter how hard you look, you won’t find anything. Time passes, the mystery remains. And then one day, she meets someone who had been there too. To find out what happens next, listen to ‘SPINES’. You can catch all its episodes here.
7. A Stab in the Dark (2018- present)
Mystery has many faces now. All the genres are blended in different proportions to serve the audience with a never before heard tale. But nothing can beat the charm of a good old murder mystery. A sleuth in search of a smart killer, what could be better than that? In ‘A Stab in the Dark’, you are taken back to that setting. Several crime writers make an appearance on the show and talk about how they come up with perfect crimes for their stories. You can listen to all the episodes of the podcast here.
6. They Walk Among Us (2016- present)
This British podcast features some disturbing tales straight from the files of the police. Reality is stranger than fiction and you never know what turns a story might take. Be ready for some big twists in every story. The perpetrator might be far from what you have come to expect. ‘They Walk Among Us’ not only satiates your hunger for mystery but also leaves you with a surreal feeling after every episode. You can listen to all its episodes here.
5. Crime Time (2015- present)
The hosts of this podcast are obsessed with all things crime. In each episode, they cover a couple of topics, which often include a good old detective story. They also discuss the works of some famous writers and prod each other to try new things. It all gets pretty interesting, especially when they get heavy on the story. It is fun and you will have a great time listening to it. You can catch all the episodes of ‘Crime Time’ here.
4. Crime Friction (2017- present)
Do you know who kills people for a living but is not called a murderer? A crime writer. How dark should your thought-process be to write such bleak stories? What does a normal day in the life of a crime writer feel like? If you too have “chat with the favourite writer over coffee” in your bucket list, then ‘Crime Friction’ is the podcast you should listen to. It is not like the real thing you want but brings you close enough to what it feels like to talk with a writer and find out their opinions on other works. You can listen to all episodes of ‘Crime Friction’ here.
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3. Casefile (2016- present)
This podcast brings some baffling cases from around the world to you. In every episode, the listener finds themselves in a new setting, a new mystery. You have to keep your ears open for this one. Who knows you might just solve something that even the police haven’t been able to crack! But be ready to visit some dark places. The search for truth is never an easy task. ‘Casefile’ is the collection of some of the most disturbing, unsolved cases in the world. You can listen to all its episodes here.
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2. Euphomet (2018- present)
We believe what we can explain. But what about the stuff that has no rational explanation? What about the events that happen in front of our eyes but seem too unrealistic to belong to this world? How do you define an experience that has happened to you but still feels like it is someone else’s story to tell? ‘Euphomet’ is a collection of such stories from people all over the world. Jim Perry recounts these tales and demands you to seek the truth behind them. You can listen to all the episodes of this podcast here.
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1. Alice Isn’t Dead (2016- present)
‘Alice Isn’t Dead’ is a popular podcast that is being adapted into a TV series now. If you are interested in exploring an alternate version of the story, you can also opt for the novel that follows the same premise but takes a very different turn as compared to the podcast. What happens in it? A woman drives across the country in search of her wife, Alice. Alice was dead, until the narrator saw her in a news report, standing in the background. And it wasn’t just one news report. She was all over the country. What was Alice doing and where was she? The plot gets thicker with every episode, and there is some teeth grinding gruesomeness in this story. It walks the fine line between horror and mystery and that’s what makes it so awesome. You can listen to the podcast here.
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