Last updated 21st August, 2018
True crime podcasts have exploded across the internet in recent years with the release of Serial by investigative journalist Sarah Koeing in 2014 being the catalyst. The options available for the eager listener for dramatic and terrifying true crime tales are just clicks away with most being free to access.
There is certainly no shortage of podcasts focused on true crime available, but Hoda’s podcast is different. It features an experienced criminal investigator interviewing other investigators, a fact that allows for in-depth discussions and entertaining narratives on the fascinating topic of crime investigation. There is no gore and no horror details of crime to frighten and appall you here, that is not the point of this impressive weekly production.
“The podcast gives me a genuine voice for my tribe. I really enjoy my guests telling me how they got started as an investigator, who their mentors were and what a good investigation looks like. That is important to me as it is part of the legacy that I want to leave with aspiring investigators.”
John Hoda is a former police officer and insurance fraud investigator and he has been a licensed private investigator for the last 21 years, running his own successful private investigations business.
He is keen to pass on his knowledge and experience to help new investigators in their own careers. Hoda is also acutely aware of the value of experience, using his podcast with a new episode released every Monday as a platform to provide that insight and real knowledge not often found elsewhere.
In each episode, John Hoda speaks directly with a wide range of crime investigators and those involved in criminal investigations, from police detectives to private and forensic investigators. For example, Cold Case Detective Kenneth Mains featured in Episode 1 and Dr. Katherine Ramsland, a forensic psychologist and successful author featured in Episode 12. Both very successful individuals within their professions able to speak with authority and here they do so in an easy-going comfortable manner making this a podcast that is attractive to listen to.
In Episode 9, Hoda interviews James Trainum, former Director of the Violent Crimes Case Review Project at the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. who specializes in the topic of false confessions and interrogation techniques. This episode is riveting listening with some fascinating insights and discussion between Hoda and Trainum. A refreshing listening experience when the host can interact and exchange discourse this well with experts in the field due to their own training and experience.
Another regular guest on the podcast is Pat McGaha, a former homicide detective from Shreveport, LA with a knack for telling his experiences and stories, something he has also been doing on his own blog, True Crime Stories of a Homicide Detective. Pat McGaha has so far featured in two of the podcasts available and is expected to be a frequent guest in future episodes.
When asked why he created his podcast and Truth Be Told monthly blog, John Hoda said:
“I gave serious thought to what I wanted my encore career to look like. All Things Investigative at johnhoda.com was created to inspire, inform and entertain readers, viewers, and listeners with great stories, whether it is with my podcast with a cold case investigator or a little video snippet of a police dog giving CPR.”
The aim for John Hoda is to ensure his knowledge and connections with other investigators can be passed on both through his podcast and interviews, blog and YouTube Channel, and through is writing and publishing as an author:
“The non-fiction writing is centered around the Professional Private Investigator niche. I have been a licensed PI for over 21 years and wanted to share my experience of being an investigator first and having to learn the business of being a PI. The How2 series titles are: How to Launch Your Private Investigation Business: 90 Days to Lift-off, How to Market Your Private Investigation Business: Less than 5 hours a week. Really! And How to Boost Your Private Investigation business into Orbit: Make $1,000 Every Working Day.
I wrote them with this question in mind. What would be the book or books I wish I had when I first started out? I tell my story, but also I created two totally separate and distinct characters to follow on their journey as well. I didn’t want the series to be a cookie-cutter of how my unique path to success was forged. I want them to serve as my business card for online PI Business Coaching.”
My Favorite Detective Stories as a podcast is a successful mix of easy listening and intellectual discussion embracing the topic of crime investigation and the complex areas which surround it. “Hey people, listen up.” John Hoda says “These guys and gals are the real deal and you can learn something from them. Role-modeling is a lost art and I want to do my part to bring it back.” Hoda has a mission to inform and entertain through his podcast series, and so far I think he is achieving his goal. “The stories they tell my listeners are spell-binding and you won’t hear them in the ivy-covered walls of Academia.”
