Episode 295 is another “Review the Reviews” adventure—where AJ and Tara dive into reader reactions to Leverage in Death and discover (again) that some people leave one-star reviews like it’s an extreme sport.

We kick off with a real-world reminder that criminals can be spectacularly dumb (yes, someone basically left a calling card), then jump straight into the Pretentious Reviewer Olympics: the folks who start on Book 48, complain about the existence of coffee and profanity, and seem personally offended that a long-running series… is still itself. We also tackle the discourse around that tasteless joke (you know the one), plus the eternal debate: is the Eve/Roarke fight contrived drama or believable couple nonsense?

Along the way, we celebrate the things that actually make this book fun—character moments, Bella + Eve scenes, Whitney’s best “go home, I’ll handle it” energy, and the Oscar chatter that sends certain reviewers into orbit. Tara also confesses her weakness for terrible short-form drama clips, and yes… Tara says “hot whoopie” out loud, which is now part of the canon.

Listener mail includes an Elevator Encounters callback (the frying-pan-arrest woman is from Framed in Death) and a fantastic suggestion for a future episode: Eve’s legendary rants. Plus, AJ talks transcripts—making the show searchable on the website—because we’re building an In Death internet empire one document at a time.

We’re five episodes away from 300… and plotting accordingly.

AJ and Tara needed a topic right now, so they did what any responsible adults would do: panic-text each other, crowdsource the fandom, and then deep-dive into the most chaotic “In Death” micro-genre of all time—the Elevator Encounter.

Turns out, elevators in New York, 2061 are basically:

1. foreplay chambers

2. think tanks

3. nightmare boxes full of strangers who want to talk to you about movies
   …and Eve Dallas is spiritually allergic to all of it.

• Peabody & McNab’s elevator “we’ll arrest each other after” moment (romance trope + city ordinance violations = true love)

• Eve going feral in a public elevator… and Roarke being Roarke (and yes, the stolen sex-toy detail is still weird)

• Somerset vs. Eve: “Take the elevator.” Eve: “I would rather perish out of spite.”

• Roarke casually clearing the elevator like it’s nothing while Eve insists she enjoys having a pissing match with a machine

• Peabody & McNab fighting, making up, and getting caught mid-grope (Eve: “there goes my appetite”)

• Origin in Death: a ticking-clock escape + a screaming baby + Eve and Roarke arguing about who has to HOLD THE BABY while they’re about to die

• “You look just like Marlo Durn.” Eve, trapped in Oscar talk hell, being mistaken for… herself (but movie version)

• Dark in Death: Eve meets a tinfoil-hat conspiracy guy and immediately chooses STAIRS

• ALSO Dark in Death: the infamous flying dwarf / creepy garden gnome attack, complete with “boobies!” and the bullpen going full trauma-care mode

• Lying Liars Unite: a random elevator group therapy session about exes who lie like breathing

• Fruicki’s undercover stink strategy (“Do you bathe in piss?”) and Eve’s immediate refusal to share air with him

• Cromwell’s elevator blubber-fest: “What’s his problem?” “Love.”

• Murder Face: Eve jokes about arresting someone for “murder face,” and suddenly every cop in the elevator has a personal brand of murder-face analysis

• Jenkinson’s tie crimes in a small enclosed elevator space (Eve’s corneas may never recover)

• AJ’s Vegas story: two extremely drunk guys, a Michael Jackson show, and the wise decision to wait for the next elevator

• Tara’s elite catchphrase moment: “Words are hard.” (and they were, in fact, hard)

• Surprise sports talk, delivered with maximum confidence and minimum accuracy (“the sports are really going at it”)

• AJ reflects on turning 60 and how 59 feels real but 60 sounds like a fake age people made up as a prank

• A voicemail from Sky, who uses every second of voicemail time like it’s an Olympic sport

• Listener Sally not understanding how Earthquakes could be part of "California Casual"

• Huge thanks to Beverly for upgrading to an annual Detective-level Patreon membership (AJ is working on new trading cards!)

• Reminder: the show is no longer on TikTok (terms of service gave AJ the ick), but you can still find them elsewhere.

Did we miss a legendary elevator moment? Send it in and we’ll happily do Elevator Encounters Part 2—because the only thing more dangerous than homicide is a confined space with strangers and a conversation starter.

Contact:

• Email: show@podcastindeath.com

• Voicemail: 205-476-2753 (aka 205-4ROARKE)

• Website SpeakPipe: podcastindeath.com → Contact Us

• Socials: Instagram + BlueSky + Facebook group

In Episode 293, AJ & Tara recap (and absolutely pick apart) the case of Paul Rogan: a devoted husband and dad forced into a suicide vest at a corporate conference aimed at tech powerhouse Rosalind Pearson. From there, the pattern escalates—hostages, compromised security, and another “father-as-bomber” hit that drags Eve from sleek boardrooms into the art world (Jordan Banks, bad decisions, and a gallery situation that’s basically a neon sign screaming: FOLLOW. THE. MONEY.). We dig into the motive: stock manipulation, leverage plays, and profit built on other people’s bodies.

As the net tightens, suspicion lands on Lucius Eiler—generational wealth, a heavy military family legacy, and a brother (Terry) whose “hero story” becomes the excuse for a whole lot of murder. The endgame? A partner with training, tactics, and explosives (Oliver Silverman) and Eve doing what she does best: methodical, relentless, and utterly done with everyone’s nonsense.

And because this is an In Death book, the personal stuff hits just as hard:
• Eve’s guilt spiral + Roarke in full “I can be your Peabody” support mode
• Nadine’s The Icove Agenda gets an Oscar nomination—and Peabody & McNab are READY to go (transport + accommodations, and Roarke calling in Leonardo for wardrobe because of course he does)
• The epilogue Oscars coverage is pure delight: Peabody on the red carpet, Mavis on camera, and Nadine hauling in awards (including Best Adapted Screenplay… and then multiple wins that have Eve quietly begging the universe to make it stop)

Also in this episode:
• AJ’s “Ghostwriter Experiment,” where ChatGPT gets dragged into the fandom debate
• A real-life earthquake hits mid-recording (yes, you can literally hear us react in real time)

Spoilers ahead—come for the case, stay for the Oscars hype and the seismic interruptions.