Best Cassidy And Charlie Podcasts (2025)

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240 – John Connolly & Detective Gothic: The Charlie Parker Deep Dive 1:33:28

2d ago1:33:28

1:33:28

John Connolly is, in my opinion, the greatest living writer working in the overlap of crime and horror. His long-running series of novels—focused on the Strange cases of his haunted detective, Charlie Parker—is now over twenty books strong. The latest, The Children of Eve is a pivotal instalment, so this seemed a good time to get John on the show, …

1
240-Robert 1:11:59

3d ago1:11:59

1:11:59

240-Robert is a lot like "CHiPs" except it is along the coast and deals with water and cliff based emergencies. You have two guys who are buds and help people, but you also have a helicopter and a pilot to add to the mix. It was surprising to us this show didn't make it. Check it out!By Mike Frighetto and Mike Sullivan

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239 – Sarah Pinborough & What Are Ghosts But Lies Persevering? 1:14:51

10d ago1:14:51

1:14:51

It’s a week of sadness and hilarity on Talking Scared. The happy stuff comes courtesy of Sarah Pinborough, author of Weird domestic gothics, like Behind Her Eyes and the brand new ghost story (or is it?) We Live Here Now. We talk about confounding expectations, about the rules of the psychological thriller, about the British horror scene then and n…

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238 – The Frozen Frontier: Ally Wilkes and Michelle Paver, Live at the Oxford Literary Festival 1:05:13

17d ago1:05:13

1:05:13

Talking Scared goes live! In April I was invited to chair a conversation between Michelle Paver and Ally Wilkes at the Oxford Literary Festival. I duly leapt on a train and bundled my way there – to ask the two survival horror queens about their stories of haunting and isolation in the coldest parts of the world. We talk about handling the Victoria…

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Off Book #9 – Eli Craig & Clown in a Cornfield 50:08

21d ago50:08

50:08

Send in the clowns! In this Off Book episode I talk to Eli Craig, director of cult-classic Tucker and Dale vs Evil, and the man who put Clown in a Cornfield up on the big screen. After crowbarring my way into his press day, I asked him what drew him to the project, what else there is to ‘do’ with scary clowns and slashers in cinema, and what this m…

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237 – Joe Abercrombie & The International Brotherhood of the Blade 1:13:51

24d ago1:13:51

1:13:51

Let’s get grim and dark with Lord Grimdark! Perhaps the greatest benefit of having a book podcast like mine is the opportunity to speak to my very favourite authors. I’ve been reading Joe Abercrombie’s violent, world-weary dark fantasy for TWENTY years! And now he’s on the show. Consider me excited. His new book may be called The Devils, and it may…

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CHiPs -- Wheeling 1:02:00

29d ago1:02:00

1:02:00

Ponch and Jon have some run-ins with, what we like to call, a wheelchair gang. They are driving recklessly, antagonizing people and a street fair, and almost rolling into the street with a girl. Turns out the dudes are okay guys since they help out a rehab center. Also, some guy's kid gets hit by a car and the wheelchair gang ends up finding the gu…

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236 – Brian Keene & Living in the Splatter 1:19:17

1M ago1:19:17

1:19:17

Brian Keene has written so many damn books! …and I had never read any of them. This absolute horror faux-pas (and my embarrassment) is the reason that it’s taken so long to get Brian on the show. But I set a week aside and read as many Keene books as I could and here we are… on a leisurely stroll through Brian’s life and career,both of which he has…

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235 – Nat Cassidy & Emotional Doomsday Prepping 1:34:12

1M ago1:34:12

1:34:12

I’ve been looking forward to releasing this one… Nat Cassidy comes to Talk Scared about When the Wolf Comes Home, his new novel that I –and people like me – are already calling out as one of the Best Books of the Year™. It’s a shaggy, undisciplined, sprinting beast of a book that obeys no rules. You may think it’s a werewolf novel, and you may be r…

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Off Book #8 – Kyle McConaghy & Dead Mail 56:28

1M ago56:28

56:28

Back to the 80s this week for one of the most singular horror movies of the year – now streaming on Shudder. Dead Mail is an ode to the era, but there are no neon fonts or leg warmers (or Olivia Newton Johns) here. Instead we’re in the drear of the decade, for a story about a synth-obsessed man who keeps his business partner captive in his flock-wa…

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234 – Katherine Arden & The Devil’s Train Timetable 1:19:54

1M ago1:19:54

1:19:54

In the week that the world changed, we’re talking about the last time things got this crazy. Katherine Arden is the author of The Warm Hands of Ghosts — a novel set in the trenches of the First World War and on the borderline between horror and fantasy. It’s a Faustian pact made in No-Man’s Land, where our memories are the price we pay for keeping …

1
David Cassidy - Man Undercover 1:03:55

2M ago1:03:55

1:03:55

David Cassidy is Dan Shay a young police officer who goes undercover as a young hill racer to infiltrate a small gang that is stealing from grocery stores. Yes, grocery stores. He makes his way easily into the car club where the thieves also hang and also easily gets taken on a job quickly. This is basically a prelude to 21 Jump Street, but with mo…

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233 – Tariq Ashkanani & Bloodstained Hands Across the Ocean 1:15:20

2M ago1:15:20

1:15:20

This week we go from Edinburgh, Scotland to Nashville, Tennessee, in the company of crime author Tariq Ashkanani. Tariq’s The Midnight King is a tricky, quasi-metafictional murder mystery about cursed manuscripts, familial secrets and the most heinous murders. It’s also a love letter to the kind of occult-tinged American crime epics that both he an…

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232 – Punk Goes Horror, with William Sterling, Wendy Dalrymple & Brian McAauley 1:05:26

2M ago1:05:26

1:05:26

Time to throw ourselves around. We’re covering Punk Goes Horror. The anthology of stories inspired by punk and alternative rock songs came out just a few weeks back. It brings together a mosh-pit full of authors, both new and established, to transmute their favourite songs into nasty little stories. I invited the anthology editor, William Sterling,…

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Let Us Palaver #2 — The Drawing of the Three Debrief 31:41

2M ago31:41

31:41

The second Let Us Palaver minisode – in which Nat Cassidy dig into the things we couldn't say about The Drawing of the Three, and give MAJOR SPOILERS about whole Dark Tower series. We're really start to wonder if Chris is punking us. Support Talking Scared on Patreon Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch Come talk books on Bluesky …

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The Dark Tower Deep Dive #2 – The Drawing of the Three 2:15:10

2M ago2:15:10

2:15:10

The Ka-tet picks up exactly where we left off: on the beaches of Midworld, with Roland Deschain. (If none of that makes any sense to you, go listen to episode one of the Dark Tower Deep Dive immediately) Nat Cassidy, Chris Panatier and I gather for a long, philosophical, expletive-littered conversation about Book 2: The Drawing of the Three. We get…

1
Hart to Hart - Hart of Darkness 59:26

2M ago59:26

59:26

In an Emmy worth performance, Jonathan Hart is blinded by chemicals put in his pool but a man seeking revenge for his sister. Turns out she was infatuated with Mr. Hart and she died of cancer without telling him how she felt and her brother thinks it's Jonathan's fault or something? Will his sight come back? Will he become a superhero like Daredevi…

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231 – Stephen Graham Jones & Rewilding the Vampire 1:16:11

2M ago1:16:11

1:16:11

It’s always great when Stephen Graham Jones comes to Talk Scared with us – but for once we aren’t talking about slashers! No, this time, we’re talking vampires! Or are we? Stephen’s new novel, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, is his best yet. Or at least the one that I love the most. It’s an epic and brutal saga of American history and shame, told throug…

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230 – Alex Grecian & Weirdos in the West 1:09:40

3M ago1:09:40

1:09:40

Saddle up for a weird west week on Talking Scared. The start of a loose trilogy of sorts. This first instalment features Alex Grecian, talking about his fantastical vision of the Old West (and East) in 2023’s Red Rabbit and the brand-new follow-up, Rose of Jericho. We cover western inspirations, the melancholia of ghosts, Kansas legends and surpris…

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229 – Agustina Bazterrica & The Wicked Nuns of Oz 1:11:56

3M ago1:11:56

1:11:56

No one is doing dystopia right now like Agustina Bazterrica. After Tender is the Flesh made us all consider vegetarianism, now she’s back for a long hard look at patriarchy, religion and populism in The Unworthy. It’s a quiet end of the world, set almost entirely in the confines of a strange convent, and the cult who will do anything to maintain th…

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The Greatest American Hero - The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea 51:19

3M ago51:19

51:19

Ralph and Pam are on vacation in St. Croix, as well as his high school students, when Ralph rescues a woman from the ocean. She tells Ralph their boat was attacked by a sea monster, so Ralph calls Bill to help investigate. Bill thinks it is a wild goose chase, but something is definitely up out there. Listen to find out what happens!…

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Off Book #7 – Scott Derrickson 1:27:40

3M ago1:27:40

1:27:40

The latest Off Book episode has me facing my demons. My guest is Scott Derrickson, one of the best horror movie makers to ever do it. He scared us with Sinister, moved us with The Black Phone, marvelled us with Doctor Strange, and ruined my life with The Exorcism of Emily Rose. He’s back with The Gorge, a mad genre mashup, starring Anya-Taylor Joy …

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228 – Sophie White & An Island of Formless Dread 1:29:43

3M ago1:29:43

1:29:43

Ready to hear a conversation about some devastatingly dark things? Sophie White and I have got you covered! In this expansive chat, we talk about her calculatingly distressing novel, Where I End – in which an isolated island community plays host to the worst, cruellest kind of loneliness. And that books is a springboard for others things, psychosis…

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227 – Kirsty Logan & Queer as in F**K You 1:17:32

3M ago1:17:32

1:17:32

The title speaks volumes this week. It’s a mission statement. Kirsty Logan is the master of certain kind of edgy, on-the-margins fiction, Queer in every meaning of the word. She can be witchy and folkloric, or contemporary and cutting edge – and all of that range is showcased in her new collection, No & Other Love Stories. We talk about female desi…

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226 – Virginia Feito & A Good Old-Fashioned Bad Girl 1:19:14

4M ago1:19:14

1:19:14

Time to misbehave. Virginia Feito’s new novel, Victorian Psycho, is all about good behaviour, positive standards and polite conduct…and what happens when you flout all that, by – I dunno – slaughtering a houseload of people. It’s a much buzzed about book that takes the psychopathy of American Psycho back to the straightlaced, be-corseted world of t…

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225 – Lucy Rose & The Cumbrian Chainsaw Massacre 1:18:28

4M ago1:18:28

1:18:28

Are you hungry? Depending on your…erm… tastes, the next hour of conversation will do strange things to your appetite. Our guest is Lucy Rose, whose debut novel, The Lamb renders muscle and fat and sorrow down into a rich stew of cannibalism and rural Gothic. We talk about how rooted this book is in the landscape, history and folklore of Northern En…

1
Let Us Palaver #1 – The Gunslinger Debrief 25:41

4M ago25:41

25:41

Here is the first Let Us Palaver minisode – in which Nat Cassidy and I kick Chris off the call, and get to grips with the inner workings of The Dark Tower, without spoiling anything for him, or any of you on your first trip through these books. If you still listen after this spoiler warning and the two I give in the first few minutes of the episode…

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The Dark Tower Deep Dive #1 – The Gunslinger 2:13:08

4M ago2:13:08

2:13:08

“The man in black fled across the desert, and the podcaster followed…” Welcome to the start of what is sure to be an epic journey. Step by step, over more than a dozen episodes, Talking Scared will be following the beam all the way to the Dark Tower – that mad edifice at the heart of Stephen King’s opus. Maybe it’s the heart of every story ever tol…

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MacGyver - Countdown 1:05:18

4M ago1:05:18

1:05:18

Mac teams up with his old buddy Charlie to defuse some bombs that have been put on a passenger ship. One has already gone off and they only have a short amount of time to get to the middle of the Pacific to defuse the rest. Will they make it in time? Listen to find out!By Mike Frighetto and Mike Sullivan

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Off Book #6 – Dutch Marich & Horror in the High Desert 1:10:20

4M ago1:10:20

1:10:20

The latest Off Book episode takes you out to the American desert and leaves you there, cold, alone and confused. We’re speaking with Dutch Marich, the surprisingly lovely mind behind the most terrifying found footage I’ve seen in years – The Horror in the High Desert series. These films are full of a particular kind of fear. Never obscure, but alwa…

1
Episode 197 - Israel Duran - Leaders On Leadership 33:21

4M ago33:21

33:21

Ready to step up your leadership game? Join Dr. Tracey Jones and business growth strategist Israel Duran as they delve into the core principles of leadership, emphasizing self-discovery, consistent personal growth, and compassionate service. Israel shares his powerful "4 Questions of Purpose" framework, inspired by Jesus Christ's ministry, to help …

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224 – Susan Barker & The Denial of Death 1:08:38

4M ago1:08:38

1:08:38

Tyranny is the key this week on Talking Scared this week. How fitting. Susan Barker’s Old Soul is a globe-trotting, decade-spanning supernatural tour of autocracies, from behind the Iron Curtain to contemporary China. If that isn’t frightening enough, it also features an ageless woman who curses anyone she meets, a grand cosmic entity, and the exhi…

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223 – Kate van der Borgh & A Different Class of Magic 1:20:32

5M ago1:20:32

1:20:32

It’s a collegial week on Talking Scared. ‘Cos I’m talking dark, occult academia with someone very local to me. Kate van der Borgh’s debut, And He Shall Appear is basically a sinister version of my own life. It’s about a young working class lad, like me, who goes to a prestigious university, like me… but there ours paths diverge, as he meets a fello…

1
Crime Story (1986) 1:19:49

5M ago1:19:49

1:19:49

Mike Torello is a lieutenant in the Major Crimes division of the Chicago police back in the 60s. He takes his job seriously, and maybe a bit personal. He's a tough as nails cop and he and his crew are ready to take down organized crime by any means necessary. Check it out.By Mike Frighetto and Mike Sullivan

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222 – Clay McLeod Chapman & Oh My God, What Have I Done? 1:21:30

5M ago1:21:30

1:21:30

Welcome back and Happy New Year. 2025 looms ahead. Frightening. Uncertain. Crazy!! Our first guest of the year has written the book that best captures this mad future we’re living in. Clay McLeod Chapman returns to Talking Scared, to talk about Wake Up And Open Your Eyes – his new novel of mass demonic possession, transmitted through poisonous medi…

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221 – The Best Scary Books of 2024 1:09:24

5M ago1:09:24

1:09:24

Send us a text How else to end 2024 than with an entirely subjective list of the best things I’ve read over the year? How many of you will guess the number one spot? I bet none of you will guess the number two? Let me know your thoughts – what you loved, and what you think I missed Enjoy! Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter…

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Episode 196 - Bob Dixon - Leaders On Leadership 40:23

5M ago40:23

40:23

Leadership is a multifaceted quality that requires continuous growth and a deep understanding of oneself and others. In this episode, Dr. Tracey Jones is joined by leadership coach and combat veteran Bob Dixon, who shares key lessons on how self-awareness, in-depth team connection, and outstanding well-being can drive peak performance and success. …

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220 – Grief and Monsters: The From a Buick 8 Deep Dive 2:03:21

5M ago2:03:21

2:03:21

Send us a text It’s that time of year again. When I celebrate the winter solstice by getting some horror authors to come and talk in deep, emotional detail about a scary book that we like. This time the Christmas Special Deep Dive kicks the tires and looks under the hood of Stephen King’s most underrated novel: From a Buick 8. My friends on this we…

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A Very Brady Christmas - 1988 1:35:12

5M ago1:35:12

1:35:12

Carol and Mike are empty-nesters now. All six kids are out doing their own things and Christmas is coming up. Turns out Mike and Carol each have similar ideas to surprise each other with a trip. They each tell the kids their own idea and then when it all falls apart they decide it is best to spend their money to have all the kids come home. Turns o…

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219 – State of the Horror Nation 2024, with Emily Hughes, Stephanie Gagnon & Anna Dupre 2:22:21

5M ago2:22:21

2:22:21

Send us a text … and we’re back! Just in time for this seasonal tradition. The State of the Horror Nation 2024 – our expert-led review of the best that the year had to offer in terms of horror writing and pen-and-ink nightmares. I’m joined, as ever by my stalwart co-host for this gig, Emily Hughes, author of Horror For Weenies (go check her mammoth…

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[From the Vault] Catriona Ward & The All-Consuming Spoiler Warning 54:09

6M ago54:09

54:09

Send us a text This is the last way-back episode before the show returns with a scream next week. But this is an episode worth remembering – my first ever conversation with Catriona Ward, about her game-changing The Last House on Needless Street too! This was a big ask for a novice interviewer. How the hell do you talk about a book that hinges on s…

1
Charlie's Angels - Angel Come Home 1:03:07

6M ago1:03:07

1:03:07

Jill makes a surprise visit to her old pals to announce her engagement, let us all know she is a race car driver, and in response to a suspicious telegram. While back in town she gets recruited to drive a car in a race for a former pal and gets a surprise visit from her fiancé. But, something is strange in town. Someone is trying to blow up her fri…

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Episode 195 - Lane R. Johnson - Leaders On Leadership 34:48

6M ago34:48

34:48

Ever felt the weight of leadership and wondered if you are truly making a difference? Join Dr. Tracey Jones on Leaders on Leadership as she sits down with Lane R. Johnson, author, entrepreneur, and seasoned leader in the construction and insurance industries. Lane shares his raw and authentic journey of leadership, revealing how his faith has guide…

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[From the Vault] Zakiya Dalila Harris & The Fear of Not Being Black Enough 57:49

6M ago57:49

57:49

Send us a text A chance to revisit one of my favourite books and favourite ever conversations this week. Zakiya Dalila Harris’s The Other Black Girl came out in early 2021, and for once I was ahead of the curve! Right from the start, I adored this novel of workplace micro-aggression and satirical horror in the publishing industry – and I’m glad to …

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Episode 194 - Jerry Wiles - Leaders On Leadership 36:15

6M ago36:15

36:15

Every leadership journey is an experience of personal growth and service, as demonstrated by Jerry Wiles in this inspiring conversation with Dr. Tracey Jones. Jerry, President Emeritus of Living Water International and Ambassador-at-Large of the International Orality Network, shares his remarkable leadership journey marked by a passion for holistic…

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[From the Vault] Laura Purcell & The Art of Darkness 49:38

6M ago49:38

49:38

Send us a text I’m feeling Gothic this week. Must be the weather. In lieu of a new episode, I searched the vault and found this cracker from January 2021, in which Laura Purcell — doyenne of the contemporary British Gothic — talked me through her Victorian spookshow of mesmerism and haunted silhouettes, The Shape of Darkness. We also get into the s…

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[From the Vault] Gemma Amor & The Start of a Horrific Friendship AKA The Mental Health in Horror Episode 1:52:50

6M ago1:52:50

1:52:50

Send us a text This From the Vault episode is not quite so dusty. Gemma and I recorded this in 2022, but it’s more pertinent than ever. One because Gemma’s great uncanny novella The Folly is being reissued this week, and two, because the world is a mad place right now, and we all need to take care of our minds. This conversation is all about that. …

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Terror at London Bridge - 1985 1:35:14

6M ago1:35:14

1:35:14

Also know as, Bridge Across Time, is a TV movie about Jack the Ripper somehow traveling through time to 1985 Arizona. Specifically, to the London Bridge that was moved from London to Arizona. See, it all makes perfect sense. This movie stars David Hasselhoff, Stepfanie Kramer, Randolph Mantooth and Adrienne Barbeau, so a very big named cast. The Ho…

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[From the Vault] T. Kingfisher & A Bit of Laughter in the Dark 55:21

7M ago55:21

55:21

Send us a text Still on a break – still releasing episodes “From the Vault.” But this week’s was carefully chosen. In a time of darkness and doom-laden days, laughter is the best thing I can lace your horror with. And thankfully T. Kingfisher exists in the world. The funniest horror writer I know. We spoke WAAAAY back in October 2020, in episode 9,…

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Top of the Hill - 1989 1:11:31

7M ago1:11:31

1:11:31

Happy Election Day to our US listeners! Today we look at an appropriately themed show called Top of the Hill. William Katt place a newly elected congressman who wants to make a difference, and may get more than he bargained for. Check it out!By Mike Frighetto and Mike Sullivan

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Cassidy And Charlie Podcasts

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