Need a breather from the blood and guts? After a few incredibly heavy weeks, Homocidal Tendency is taking a detour from our usual grisly crime scenes to dive into a completely different kind of underworld.
This week, we travel back to the gritty, neon-lit streets of early 90s New York City to explore the desperate, brilliant, and entirely analog crimes of Lee Israel.
Once a New York Times best-selling biographer, Lee found herself blacklisted, broke, and backed into a corner with a sick cat and no way to pay the bills.
Her solution? A vintage typewriter, stolen archival paper, and one of the most prolific literary cons in modern history.
Grab a drink, lock your doors, and join Matt for a bizarre tale of pure, unapologetic deception.
In This Episode We Cover:
- A Palate Cleanser: Shifting gears after the heavy darkness of the Hog Trail Murders.
- The Making of a Misanthrope: Lee Israel’s early days navigating mid-century New York.
- Best Sellers and Bitter Ends: The Estée Lauder disaster and Lee's total fall from grace.
- The Mechanics of the Hustle: How a broken TV, tracing paper, and vintage typewriters built a black-market empire.
- Hubris and the Tell-Tale Typewriter: The fatal mistake of punching up Noël Coward's private life.
- Enter Jack Hock: Archival heists, dive bars, and fencing stolen history.
- The Sting & The Aftermath: The FBI closes in, and the ultimate, twisted irony of Can You Ever Forgive Me?
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About the Host:
When Matt isn't deep diving into the dark underbelly of historical true crime, you can usually find him exploring abandoned buildings or behind the lens. Check out his urban exploration and visual work over at Matthew David Photography.
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