Aug 11, 2026 · 5 min listen · Last updated August 11, 2026
From storyflo. This is your daily audio brief. Here are today's top 6 true crime stories. Let's get into it. First, from CrimeReads (Literary Hub). Only Murders in the Dorm: 7 Books That Explore Academia’s Dark Sides.
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Daily True Crime Brief · August 11th
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Only Murders in the Dorm: 7 Books That Explore Academia’s Dark Sides
This year, as students prepare to return to the hallowed halls of higher education, I won’t be joining them, or at least not physically. I’ve retired after decades as a professor and will miss out on the fresh energy of motivated faculty and students that happens every fall, but there’s another side to academe I won’t miss. My first crime fiction book, Murder at University Park, explores the underbelly of the picturesque ivy towers colleges are known for. Academic fraud? Check. Snarky students? Check. Helicopter parents? Check.
Ciphers, Codes, Challenges: 8 Thrillers That Feature Puzzles
When I was a kid, my aunt Julie kept fascinating books on her coffee table. Sometimes children’s books, sometimes art books, they were always spectacular stories that drew me in like a magnet every time I visited her. One year, my aunt had the intriguing and visually gorgeous book, Masquerade by Kit Williams. Williams is a British artist whose full spread paintings are pleasingly lush, but the story was the true gem: each page was a riddle in both text and illustration, and the overall riddle lead to a real, actual treasure buried in the English countryside.
Does it make me an out and out narcissist if I say I love seeing myself reflected in fiction? If it does, so be it. I love it. I love seeing worlds I’ve inhabited. I love seeing characters I recognise so strongly I head straight to a group chat to see if a mutual friend has noticed it too. I love seeing the issues and annoyances and joys reflected back with a subtle social commentary. As an editor and author, this means that I love reading about books set in the book world.
One Trucker’s Quest to Capture the Everyday Heroes of an Oft-Forgotten Industry
There is a saying amongst truckers: If the dispatcher’s lips are moving, then they’re lying. But that’s not always the case. I have worked in the trucking industry for over a decade and I have tried to tell the truth about what I’ve seen in my novel Freight, a story about a tractor-trailer heist. The trucking industry is a huge sector of our economy that is both pervasive and invisible at the same time: most of us have little regard for those behind the wheel of big rigs, nor the freight they are hauling.
Cozy, with a Side of Carnal: Birdie Horne on Writing Spicy, Open-door Sex Scenes
Sex isn’t cozy. Wait, back up. How about this: sex isn’t typically found in cozy mysteries. And open-door sex scenes? Where you see all the juicy details? Forget it. That’s for spicy romance and romantasy, those neighboring countries whose flags sport chili pepper emojis. So when Mary Winn looked at the rough draft of our cozy murder mystery Don’t Cross Mo Ellery, shook her head and announced, “this needs sex,” Eden clutched her proverbial pearls and gasped. “Hear me out,” said Mary Winn. “How’s this for an opening—’The first Chicago fire burned the city to the ground.
Guess what? The producer of Psych is Helming a new Show for the USA Network… Called Sherlock’s Secretary
Andy Berman, writer and producer of Psych, is working on a new show for the USA Network called Sherlock's Secretary. The series follows a quirky London woman whose job is responding to letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes, and after years of answering them, she becomes the closest living thing to the detective, investigating real mysteries.
The show's concept is inspired by the real-life person who handles letters to Sherlock Holmes, a position that actually exists. One of the consultants on the show, Gug Kyriacou, previously held this position at Abbey National, a bank with a London campus on Baker Street where 221B is located.
Berman's return to the USA Network marks a potential shift back to the network's roots in lighthearted, character-driven storytelling. The USA Network had previously moved away from this style, but now seems to be pivoting back with a new slogan and renewed focus on shows like The Rainmaker.
Sherlock's Secretary is a fresh take on the Sherlock universe, with Berman and his team bringing a unique perspective to the iconic character. The show's tone and style are likely to be similar to Psych, given Berman's involvement.
The show's premise has a lot of potential for humor and mystery, and the involvement of a real-life Sherlock's secretary adds an extra layer of authenticity. With Berman at the helm, fans of Psych and Sherlock can expect a fun and engaging show that explores the intersection of reality and fiction.