Can't get enough true crime? If if not, the podcast Sword and Scale will give you plenty to satisfy your addiction.  True crime buffs might have first encountered these kinds of podcasts after gorging on Serial, the investigative series that spent its first season examining the case of convicted murderer Adnan Syed.  Less well known but equally captivating, Sword and Scale is one of the longest-running podcasts in the true crime genre. First released in January 2014 by creator and host Mike Boudet, it describes itself as an “immersive audio experience,” exploring some of the most bizarre and brutal crimes and conspiracies, mostly set in America and Canada.  And unlike Serial, Sword and Scale — which draws its name from the American symbol of Lady Justice — isn't a "whodunnit" series. Instead, Boudet almost exclusively investigates solved and often unfathomable cases.  Mike Boudet, creator of Sword and Scale: the true crime podcast with a twist  Many episodes are based around original tapes — interviews, trial snippets, 911 calls — with Boudet interjecting to shape the narrative with facts and questions, or to underline key points. Some installments include criminal experts, authors or people related to the case.  The result is an often fascinating exploration into extraordinary events that have irreversibly altered the lives of ordinary people, offering insight into heinous acts committed in everyday life.  “It’s a storytelling podcast where I’m actually walking you through, in a visceral way, the actual events that occurred. I’d rather have audio tell the story than have me narrate it… I’m not trying to comment on the case,” says Boudet.  True crime obsessives may be disheartened to find that there are only a few relevant results for the term on iTunes, and no landing page for this genre of podcast. As Boudet explains, that's a hangover from a category list that has barely changed since Apple launched its podcasting service in 2005.  That said, several notable podcasts have emerged in the non-fiction true crime genre in the years since: Generation Why, True Murder, Criminal and, of course, Serial, which Boudet credits with sparking more interest in podcasting in general — not to mention a boom in subscribers for his show. That number has grown from a few hundred to 130,000 to 150,000 listeners per episode.  “Most of my fans are female. 70% of my fans are female between the ages of 25-45. Why is that?  Why are women so interested in murder stories? I don’t really know," he says.  Boudet produces the show single-handedly while holding down a day job as an online marketer -– quite the feat when you consider that it takes upwards of 30 hours a week to research and produce each episode, which often includes hours of listening to court transcripts or reading published books on a case.  The process leaves him with little free time, but it’s a project he is clearly passionate about. He honed his production skills while running a recording studio with musicians in South Florida straight out of high school before pursuing his day job in graphic design and online marketing. Boudet's podcast combines two of his passions: talk radio and true crime, a combination he calls a “perfect fit” for his interests.  There’s no standardized Sword and Scale format per se -– Boudet plays around with the structure based on the subject he's tackling each week. A quick look at some of the most popular episodes shows the latitude of subjects covered by his show: A two-parter, Episodes 11 and 12, covers the bizarre case of Morgan Ingram, which starts with accusations of stalking and ends with a harrowing story of online trolling, as well as a dive into the sometimes-terrifying world of online true crime communities.  Episodes 5 and 6, meanwhile, explore disturbing accusations that the government covered up an alleged child sex ring involving U.S. politicians.  And Episode 15 asks why anyone would record themselves committing a crime. Using original audio, this episode explores the case of a man who spent eight years plotting to kill his family and another who planned the murder of some teenage trespassers.  Reporting on true crime can have its downsides. “The first time I had to take a step back was the Jessica Ridgeway episode [Episode 4]," Boudet remembers. "The 911 tape of his mother whose heart is broken, shattered that her son has committed murder to this little girl not to mention the 911 call from [Jessica’s] mother… I had to step away for a couple days.  “It’s horrifying, scary, surprising to learn that there’s that much evil in the world. And it’s all around you, and there’s nothing you can do about it. That’s the fascination with Sword and Scale. We tell these really crazy stories that are real and have happened to people like you and me, and no one saw them coming — but one day you’re there, and the next day somebody’s chopping your head off on a public bus.”  New episodes of Sword and Scale premiere every other Monday. Oh, and if you’re interested in that public bus case — which, yes, actually happened — you can find it on Episode 31.
If you're obsessed with 'Making a Murderer' or 'The People vs. O.J. Simpson,' 'Sword and Scale' should be next on your list.