Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast
A historical true-crime interview show where the host talks to authors about specific, deeply-researched cases from their books.
Effectively a book club for historical true crime, this podcast uses an author's new work as the roadmap for each episode. Host Erik Rivenes serves as a prepared guide, interviewing the expert who wrote the book on a given historical crime, disaster, or tragedy. The format allows for a deep dive into the specifics of each case, focusing on the narrative and historical context provided by the guest author rather than on host speculation.
“Unlike many narrative true-crime podcasts, Most Notorious goes directly to the source, interviewing the primary researcher—the author—of each case. Its historical breadth is also a key feature, comfortably moving from a 19th-century shipwreck one week to murders in WWII London the next, unified by its consistent, book-centric format.”
Who hosts this show
Erik Rivenes is the creator and host of Most Notorious!, a weekly podcast that explores true tales of crime and disaster from history. Each episode is an interview with an author or historian who has spent years studying their subject, offering detailed and accurate accounts of events ranging from Victorian-era murders to Old West gangsters. Rivenes is also an author himself, focusing on historical crime in his home state of Minnesota.
Credentials & credits
- Creator and Host of Most Notorious! Podcast
- Author of "The Big Mitt"
- Author of "Ill-Fame"
- Author of "Dirty Doc Ames and the Scandal That Shook Minneapolis"
Other ventures
- Blue Ewe Media (Provider/Creator)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01Murder in Blackout London w/ Amy Helen BellJun 15, 2026 · 54 min
- 02Arizona's Murdered Madams w/ Merry GordonJun 10, 2026 · 1h 11m
- 03The Wreck of the Mentor w/ Eric Jay DolinJun 7, 2026 · 1h 02m
- 04The Murders of Virginia Brooks, Louise Teuber & Hazel Bradshaw w/ Richard L. CarricoMay 31, 2026 · 1h 04m
- 05The Murder of Zoya Fyodorova w/ Chris PouyMay 24, 2026 · 1h 21m
- 06Conversations With Serial Killers w/ Jeffrey SmalldonMay 11, 2026 · 1h 18m
Notable episodes
- 01Murder in Blackout London w/ Amy Helen Bell
Reveals the surprising fact that three separate serial killers, including the 'Blackout Killer', were active in London during the turmoil of World War II.
- 02Arizona's Murdered Madams w/ Merry Gordon
Explores the dangerous lives of women in the Old West through the stories of two murdered madams, with the author's inspiration uniquely stemming from an 8-bit video game.
- 03The Wreck of the Mentor w/ Eric Jay Dolin
Showcases the podcast's range by moving beyond murder to a historical tale of shipwreck, survival, and a US naval rescue mission ordered by President Andrew Jackson.
What you'll be asked on this show
The podcast is a straightforward, one-on-one interview with a consistent structure and a signature piano theme. Host Erik Rivenes is a skilled and gentle interviewer who has read the guest's book and guides them through the story's main points. His style is calm and inquisitive, letting the author and their research take center stage.
Questions the host keeps coming back to
- “What was the inspiration for writing this book?”
- “Could you provide some historical background on that time and place?”
- “Can you walk us through the events leading up to the crime?”
- “Was the case a big story at the time?”
- “Is there a particular part of this story that has stuck with you personally?”
- “Where can people find you or your work online?”
Signature segments
- · Host sign-off: "...and have a safe tomorrow."
- · Interviewing authors about their true crime books
- · Distinctive piano theme music
- · Full sign-off: "...broadcasting to every dark and cobwebbed corner of the world."
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are almost exclusively authors and historians who have recently published a book on a specific historical crime, tragedy, or figure. Occasionally, a guest may be a descendant with a deeply researched family story.
- Amy Helen Bellon Murder in Blackout London w/ Amy Helen Bell
- Merry Gordonon Arizona's Murdered Madams w/ Merry Gordon
- Eric Jay Dolinon The Wreck of the Mentor w/ Eric Jay Dolin
- Richard L. Carricoon The Murders of Virginia Brooks, Louise Teuber & Hazel Bradshaw w/ Richard L. Carrico
- Chris Pouyon The Murder of Zoya Fyodorova w/ Chris Pouy
- Jeffrey Smalldonon Conversations With Serial Killers w/ Jeffrey Smalldon
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The show is supported by listeners via Patreon. Given its focus on history and literature, estimated ideal sponsors would include publishers like Arcadia Publishing, audiobook services such as Audible, and genealogy platforms.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- Who is the host of Most Notorious!?
- The creator and host is Erik Rivenes, who is also an author of historical crime books.
- What is the format of the podcast?
- It is a weekly interview show where host Erik Rivenes speaks with an author or historian about their book on a specific historical crime or disaster.
- Is the podcast still active?
- Yes, it releases new episodes on a weekly basis.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The podcast is available on its official website, mostnotorious.com, and on all major podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
- How can I support the show?
- Listeners can support the podcast through its Patreon page.
- What kind of topics does the show cover?
- The show covers a wide range of historical true crime, including serial killers, gangsters, gunslingers, and Victorian-era murders, as well as historical tragedies and disasters.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Official Websitemostnotorious.com
- [02]About Page - Most Notorious!mostnotorious.com
- [03]Erik's Books - Most Notorious!mostnotorious.com
- [04]Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast on Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
- [05]Erik Rivenes's Podcast Credits - Podchaserpodchaser.com
- [06]Most Notorious: A True Crime History Podcast by Erik Rivenes - LearnOutLoud.comlearnoutloud.com
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