Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast

Serial killers. Gangsters. Gunslingers. Victorian-era murderers. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Each week, the Most Notorious podcast features true-life tales of crime, criminals, tragedies and disasters throughout history. This is an interview show, spotlighting authors and historians who have studied their subjects for years, and whose stories are offered with unique insight, detail, and historical accuracy. Somehow Jane Toppan managed to skirt through the first half of her life murdering people at will, before finally being caught and committed to an insane asylum in 1901. Her nursing background made her an expert with drugs, and she used that expertise to kill over thirty people, often torturing them by purposely prolonging their suffering.

My guest is Mary Kay McBrayer, and she shares some stories about Jane’s nefarious activities from her book: “America’s First Serial Killer: Jane Toppan and the Making of a Monster.”

You can find more information about Mary Kay, her book, and the podcast she hosts, called “Everything Trying to Kill You”, at https://www.marykaymcbrayer.com .