S21 Ep71: Staged: Conspiracies, Cold Cases & Cold, Hard Cash with Journalist/Author Caitlin Rother
Darkness Radio
Darkness Radio
4.7 • 3.2K Ratings
🗓️ 16 June 2026
⏱️ 170 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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Summary
True Crime Tuesday presents: Staged: Conspiracies, Cold Cases & Cold, Hard Cash with Journalist/Author Caitlin Rother!
In this thrilling sequel to Hooked, the secret leaders of a deadly cabal prove to be a veritable match for the determined reporter and the insightful surfing detective who double down to expose them.
Investigative reporter Katrina Chopin is back home in San Diego on a mission (or two). The first is personal: reheating the cold case of her parents’ murder and investigating her brother’s reported suicide. The second involves a new spate of deaths with alleged causes that just don’t smell right. She and Detective Ken Goode need each other’s help for both. But she has to keep the sexy surfer at arm’s length because dating him is off limits. For now.
Teaming up, they make coordinated progress down each path. Digging deeper into La Jolla’s corrupt network of elites, they uncover a pattern of lies, depravity, and greed. And with every new discovery, Katrina is pulled closer to danger…and to Goode.
Sharing sexy phone calls and sunset drinks isn’t exactly following the rules, but fully crossing that line could jeopardize the case. As they start to connect the dots, they realize they must risk everything to bring down the shadowy cabal that kills to keep its secrets.
On today's TCT, Caitlin Rother returns to discuss how she blends her real-life experiences in newsrooms and as a reporter with her fictional character, Katrina Chopin. Caitlin also addresses setting things ahead in the future, from when she was in the business, and the challenge of getting certain things right for this intriguing edge-of-your-seat thriller! We also delve into her opinions on the state of the media these days and more!
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Get your copy of "Staged: A Thriller..." here:Â https://bit.ly/4edo8vA
Check out Caitlin Rother here:Â https://www.caitlinrother.com/
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and check out Jess on TikTok:Â https://www.tiktok.com/@jessicafreeburgwrites
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome into the best in true crime podcasting. |
| 0:25.0 | This is True Crime Tuesday. |
| 0:26.0 | I'm your host Tim Dennis. |
| 0:26.9 | Excited for today's show. |
| 0:28.0 | We have one of the best out there as far as crime fiction goes. |
| 0:33.1 | We have Caitlin Ruther back with us today. |
| 0:35.2 | And we've got one of the best as far as a stunning |
| 0:39.6 | stunning work that she's come up with here her latest staged thriller which is out to |
| 0:45.9 | date um folks I got the privilege of being able to read this a little bit early and I'll tell |
| 0:51.6 | you I've got goosebumps now as I'm talking about it I want to bring her in here and talk a little bit about. And I'll tell you, I've got goosebumps now as I'm talking about it. I want to bring |
| 0:56.4 | her in here and talk a little bit about it. Let me properly introduce her first as we get to this. |
| 1:02.8 | And we'll settle in and talk a little bit about, talk a little bit about Caitlin and Good uh, Caitlin and Good are our characters, which I've |
| 1:13.6 | begun to fall more and more deeply in love with, uh, these, these two characters. I'm sorry, |
| 1:20.1 | I'm not Caitlin, Caitlin is my guest, uh, talking about Katrina, Katrina and Good. See, I'm getting |
| 1:26.4 | the two mixed up. I'm thinking Caitlin is actually in my book that I'm reading in front of me. |
| 1:31.1 | Well, a lot of people wonder that. |
| 1:32.7 | I know, right? |
| 1:33.6 | I'm beginning to think that maybe the two of them are together here and they're not. |
| 1:37.8 | But Katrina and Good, which the two of them, again, I think, are absolutely wonderful characters. |
| 1:45.2 | My guest, Caitlin Rother, which I'm confusing here, written 16 books ranging from crime novels |
| 1:50.7 | to narrative nonfiction and memoir, including Down to the Bone, Death on Ocean Boulevard, |
| 1:55.3 | and Body Parts. She's, of course, an award-winning investigative reporter for 19 years. |
... |
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