Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast

Growing up in Memphis, George Kelly Barnes starts dabbling in crime from a young age. First he blackmails his father, then he grows a successful bootlegging business for himself. But how did this small-time crook earn one of the most famous names in criminal history? And why don't we talk about his most famous crime?

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Told and retold in many languages, the legend of the Blood Countess has consumed cultural imaginations around the world. But despite claims that Elizabeth Báthory tortured and killed as many as 650 girls, some have wondered if the Countess was herself a victim- of one of the most successful disinformation campaigns known to history. So, was Elizabeth Báthory a monster, a victim, or a bit of both?

My guest is Shelley Puhak, author of the new book "The Blood Countess: Murder, Betrayal, and the Making of a Monster". She helps us separate fact from fiction as she reexamines the life of Elizabeth Báthory, long labeled one of history’s most notorious killers, and unpacks a complex story of power, politics, and how it all led to the making of a "monster".

The author's website: https://shelleypuhak.com/

The author's publisher page: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/blood-countess-9781639732159/

Become a Most Notorious patron here: https://www.patreon.com/c/mostnotorious

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On a beautiful fall day in September 1916, 68-year-old Hannah Spielman went on a picnic with her new husband, 71-year-old James Allen, in the woods outside Grand Rapids, Michigan. She had met him through a newspaper advertisement, and the two were married just two days earlier - only hours after stepping off a train and meeting him face-to-face for the first time.

But James Allen was not the man he claimed to be. His real name was Henry Scott Mausell, and his intentions were anything but honorable. Eleven days later, Hannah’s decomposed body was discovered and the murder investigation began.

So who was Henry Scott Mausell? A man with a deeply troubled past—and Hannah was likely not his first victim, but the last in a long line of murdered women. In "Bloodstained: Exploring Michigan’s Darkest Murders Forgotten by Time", author Allie Seibert sheds light on this largely forgotten, and very likely, serial killer.

The author's Household History website: https://www.householdhistory.com/

Allie in the Archives Podcast links: ⁠https://www.pod.link/1819388236

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allie.in.the.archives/

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My guest, William J. Mann, has spent years writing about Hollywood, and in his new book "Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood", he takes a fresh look at Los Angeles's most notorious crime - the 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short. Mann shares his impressions of Elizabeth herself, unpacks the sprawling investigation, revisits some of the most infamous suspects, and explains who he believes most likely killed her.

His new book was recently released on January 27th.

The author's website: https://williamjmann.com/

The author's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/williamjmann/

Our previous interview about William Desmond Taylor's murder: https://www.mostnotorious.com/2023/02/07/the-murder-of-william-desmond-taylor-w-william-j-mann/

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On this episode of Most Notorious, I speak with author Jack El-Hai about his book "The Nazi and the Psychiatrist: Hermann Göring, Dr. Douglas M. Kelley, and a Fatal Meeting of Minds at the End of WWII". He talks about the fascinating relationship between Dr. Douglas Kelly, who was assigned to evaluate senior Nazi leaders awaiting trial at Nuremberg, and Herman Göring, charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. His book was adapted into the film Nuremberg, which came out in November of 2025.

The author's website: https://www.el-hai.com/

My 2019 interview with the author about the 1951 disappearance of the Klein brothers: https://www.mostnotorious.com/2023/02/01/the-mysterious-1951-minneapolis-disappearance-of-the-klein-brothers-w-jack-el-hai/

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