This is an intriguing story but it needs better editing. The repetition and rambling really slows down the momentum. Also, I would prefer not to hear the gentlemen’s opinion about the Church or his interpretation of Catholicism. Stick to the facts please.

As an individual who worked for a large Diocese, I can say with certainty nothing surprises me. There are countless stories behind the scenes. With over one billion Catholics around the world, the church hierarchy will do whatever it takes to protect secrets and hold power. Anyone who challenges the status quo can face unthinkable consequences. Unfortunately, it happened to Fr. Joe. A man with heart and soul worthy of wearing the clothe. The people involved must be exposed and held accountable. Thank you for all the hard work!

Early in the latest episode, the interviewer refers to someone as being “intregal” to the story. Just like “nucular” is not a word, neither is “intregal”. The word is “integral”, meaning necessary, essential, fundamental. Details matter when you seek to establish credibility.

This is such an important topic but this podcast is in desperate need of a clear and concise narrative line. It is difficult to understand what is going on, and I think the principal woman’s penchant for changing topics and ideas mid-sentence is reflective of the disorganized nature of this podcast. Also, better analysis is needed; a statement of “who does that” does not qualify as analysis. I feel their commitment to Father Joe and the story, but if it is not reported in a direct and intellectually rigorous manner, the story is lost. Unfortunately, Father Joe’s story is irretrievably lost.

This podcast feels like a lesson in futility. The new ‘evidence’ in the last episode was debunked in the second. It is an embarrassing collection of coincidences. There appears to be no ‘there’ there and if I were you I’d abandon this train wreck now. I realize there is a lot of problems in the Catholic Church but your podcast sounds like a half baked, ridiculous conspiracy theory. May God bless you and guide your heart and mind.

Last season , this podcast was intriguing. Now , it’s just a waste of time. The reporting is all over the place. Too deep in the weeds with IP addresses etc The podcast lacks journalistic integrity. There are so many unanswered questions that they just leave without further review. It’s unfortunate because this is a mystery worth investigating. Needs a more professional seasoned team of journalists and qualified detectives.

I’m listening to season one again to reacquaint myself with the case before season two comes out. I listened to the first season as it came out and fell in love with Father Joes story. You guys tell the story so well that I wish I knew him. My grandfather was in the seminary from a young age but didn’t go on to priesthood because he wanted a family. I introduced him to this podcast because I thought he could understand it and relate to it better than I could. Unfortunately he passed before we could all find out what happened to Father Joe. I read through some of the negative reviews on here and was shocked at what some people said. You guys are doing an amazing job and incredible work. Keep it up!

I have no love for the Catholic Church but Father Joe seems like a great guy and the extensive coverup of his murder needs to be exposed. Someone should clean up law enforcement and the church in Buffalo for the good of everyone living there.

More than once, I thought I had accidentally slowed the playback to 0.75x because the hosts speak painfully slowly, with an awkward rhythms, unusual inflections, and pauses that made it difficult to stay engaged.

I was quite shocked to hear that the leading female podcaster is an experienced podcaster. The recordings were very raw and sometimes hard to decipher what was being discussed. Some of the folks interviewed rambled on and on instead of getting straight to the point. I must say that I understand the husband inserting some drama effect or background information on the tempo of the travel. However, I didn’t care for it after all the podcast was not tapped live.

This show was so good! Amazing commentary and the sound design was so spooky, I would get chills. I do want to warn everyone that they will be releasing season 2 on Patreon, which feels a little money grubby and I can’t support that. Patreon is for Bonus Content, not all of the content, and I feel a little misled that they aren’t putting season 2 on here. I was genuinely so excited to see that Season 2 was coming out, but I don’t think they should have made the show inaccessible. Giving 3 Stars because I feel misled and I’m not going to listen to this creators other content anymore.

Every episode has a portion with no sound. Really? Fix it. What’s the point in listening? Very dissatisfied. I’m out. You just lost a fan. Bye

I want the male host to just let the guests talk and process things (esp. with elana and the other morgue tech, mainly, but also ash because she’s studied A LOT of true crime). I follow morbid. Elana and Ash do their homework. Also I want the host/narrator to be less sensational/voice actor-y. It is almost distracting bc the facts/recordings are a lot of information to take in, to the show’s credit. But the content is quite remarkable as it is. The editing, research, and score for this podcast are excellent. If they took a note from ear hustle (or morbid!) for a good balance of hosts letting the content shine without being stuffy, though I recognize that this is somewhat subjective. It is the difference between a panel and a discussion. GO LISTEN. IT’S STILL SO GOOD. Decide for yourself. A lot of excellent interview/use of archival recordings. Maybe the writing for the narrator could be just a little less redundant. It’s not an all the time thing. But there is quite a bit of the two narrators repeating each other or things mentioned several times already by others. Overall, especially for a (first?) podcast this is excellent. Thoughtfully assembled.

Yall did an amazing job honoring Father Rob. He seemed like a good person and that episode brought a smile and tears to my eye.

Very interested in this story and the cases ( Father Joe and Amanda W) discussed. Being familiar with both first hand, the cases and the concerns are valid but unfortunately this podcast did a sloppy job presenting the info. Details that should have been easy to get right, they couldn’t bother to correct. Was there any fact checking? Local news covered both these cases better and I hope there continues to be a push for justice. This podcast left more questions than answers, and not in the way a good investigative podcast should.

Podcasters, Rachel and Greg make this interesting story completely unbearable. The podcasters are redundant, at times hard to hear, and insert too much of themselves into the story. Their sarcasm and personal injections are in poor taste and makes the podcast 10x longer than necessary. Waste of time.

So interesting and and sad!!

I’m finding more often that true crime podcasters insert more information about themselves into a podcast than the actual story. This seemed more about the two hosts than the actual victim, his family, his community or the crime.

What a story! But, because these two jump around so much and repeat everything multiple times, not to mention the over abundance of Gregorian chants, I barely made it through episode 3. I ended up Googling the rest because I couldn’t stand to listen to them anymore. The absolute only redeeming qualities of this podcast are the story, the tremendous injustice, and the amazing character and resilience of Fr Joe’s family. I just can’t get over how much this meanders all over the place. What a mess of storytelling. I really wanted to love it, but can’t.

This is not a story presented or investigated by journalists or individuals who have any motivation beyond self aggrandizing. The story itself is interesting but there is no actual investigating beyond reporting hearsay. It is rather infuriating to listen to as the podcasters don’t uphold any ethical standards. Look up the case yourself, don’t bother listening.

I never write a review unless I love the podcast, but this is the exception. I stopped listening when the autopsy photos were analyzed. I cannot believe how they discussed the photos, these are photos of a deceased person, but the banter between the individuals was so completely unprofessional. Not only that but callous, and cavalier. I couldn't finish the episode , if they were photos of my loved ones brain I would probably sue the podcasters for committing grievous emotional harm. I actually cannot believe the sister of the poor dead priest would ever speak to the podcasters again after hearing how they spoke so cavalierly about her brother's photos. I cannot believe this episode especially was not edited by someone who had an ounce of sense. I barely got through the first episodes , bc of the truly unprofessional storylines of the podcasters. But after partially listening to the autopsy, I'm out . It is very sad that the death of this poor priest could not be brought to the public by better journalists. This is a story that needs to be told , but definitely by people that are far more qualified than these people!!

Adding my voice to the distracting monastic chorus of people saying this is an incredible story that was presented absolutely horribly. I can’t believe that with all these compelling facts and people involved I had to listen to a whole episode of this man slow talking about a supposed prophesy that wasn’t even slightly related. The smoke of Satan has not somehow entered the Church recently. Please read literally any book on the Middle Ages or the Renaissance and realize how ingrained this corruption is before you just say whatever you feel like to fill air space. The criticisms in these reviews probably sound harsh and will be brushed aside to preserve egos, but it’s about more than poor sound quality. People are disappointed that such an important case that deserves attention was handled so poorly. It’s irresponsible.

The narrator drones on and on about the most unrelated boring time consuming trash. We don’t need to hear her tell her name when she checks into hotel, separately for her last.. and then first name That’s just a tiny tip of the iceberg. Do not even start this podcast. In the entire first episode you get maybe five minutes of information. And then they rehash it all again at the beginning of the second, as well as go through her telling her name to the desk clerk and other uselessly boring irrelevant details that appear to be included only to try and fill up the length of podcast.

I was raised in a Catholic family and I resisted from an early age. My instincts told me it was ALL WRONG. This well done podcast sadly illuminates the fact that it is still all wrong. Three priests from our parish were accused of child sexual abuse, 5 of my brothers were alter boys, three were molested by priests. This abuse sent fingers of continued abuse throughout our family. Not an understatement to say it ruined my childhood. Thank you for shining a light into the darkness of corruption hidden in the shadows of “religion”. Every member of the clergy that participated in actual abuse or cover up deserves to go to jail. Period! Jenn. PS signed petition and shared💫

The audio quality across the show is all over the place. And at times physically difficult to listen to. Episode 6 was especially bad for me. No one wants to listen to people interrupting each other over speaker phone. The story is interesting but gets lost in the inconsistent production.

As a catholic I am very pleased that this podcast has been put out there for all to understand the disgusting things that the Buffalo diocese is hiding as ways the obvious link between the authorities and hiding the truth- hopefully this will bring justice to so many who have been harmed in so many ways by the diocese of Buffalo

The story is interesting but the storytelling is poor. The redundancies, mispronunciations, and host opinions are endless. I kept waiting for it to get better because Wondery was typically the gold standard. I’m genuinely confused as to how this came from Wondery.

Ignore the negative reviews, you guys are doing the work and the work might sometimes be hard or choppy but you’re doing what most wouldn’t and I’m proud of you! This is a must listen podcast!

The story is really important, and amongst the incredibly odd conspiracy stories passed off as testimony, they try to bring attention to the very real abuses perpetrated by the Catholic Church. However, they talk about really disturbing topics and don’t provide triggers, allow for a lot of homophobia, and take part in that (especially the cohost), and it’s disturbing to listen to for all the wrong reasons.

There is just so much irritating talk about the hosts and their goings about that I just couldn’t bear it any longer. Please stick to the story!!

Could not even finish episode 1. Too slow, too boring--narrator's style thoroughly uninteresting and bland.

Big flop… Also, this Frank truth episode was all conspiracy theory. I couldn’t hardly get through it. This story has such potential.

Wow how can people make an interesting story this boring? They managed to do that. Interviews pointlessly drone on. The woman host talk about themselves and the sound quality is torture. They seriously need an editor. This is an amateur podcast. They also sound too excited about the situation and how they were endangering their lives. Ugghh! I won’t be making it past episode 2.

Important and interesting case however the male host’s obnoxiously slow and overly dramatic narration is really challenging to listen to. The audio overall could use some work, lots of background noises and odd translations. Then joes vocals were always so much quieter. Did you guys forget to mic him up??

There isn’t a lot of real investigative reporting which takes time to research and interview so many different people and organizations in a single story. Fantastic job. Looking fwd to more!

This true story as told in this podcast is gripping. Each episode has left me on the edge of my seat….anxious to hear the next. Born & raised in Buffalo NY, I knew of Father Joe through local media, friends and family who attended churches he served in. He was the man described in this podcast, a blessed servant of God. I was awestruck to learn, through this investigation the depth of evil that exists within the Buffalo Catholic Diocese, Police Department and DA’s offices. I will be praying for the Mareno family that podcast leads to the truth so that Father Joe May finally rest in peace.

The female host interrupts every person she speaks to… makes me dread listening her talk to guests. And I think they focus on weird aspects, 90 seconds of her describing her hotel room? It’s pretty annoying, especially when they’re covering something so important. She never skips an opportunity to make stuff about herself. Sorta insufferable.

but, it’s just awful. Believe the review that called the hosts “influencers” trying to do journalism. Believe the reviewer who said this could have been GOLD! It’s so over-wrought and condescending. And to agree with yet another review: Such a shame that other far better podcasters didn’t get to this story first. Don’t waste your time.

You lost me at the “Frank Truth” episode. Throughout the series, the story is propelled by interviews in which guests share opinions and suppositions that are not independently fact checked, yet allowed to stand in the record. Very “my 2 cents” reporting. However, the “Frank Truth” episode featured an interview with an anonymous seminarian that started in the realm of hearsay and ended far left field into conspiracy theory. This is to no way discount the egregious corruption and abuse that has plagued the Catholic Church. But this guest made comments that were homophobic, politically biased, conspiratorial, and just outright tinfoil hat … all of which were allowed to stand with out challenge, context, or fact checking. I get that this podcast is ear candy and not journalism, but there has to be some bare minimum of responsible interviewing.

Story needs to be told and heard but the overly dramatic hosts and seminarian guests make it less effective.

Just listened to the first episode… well produced. I can’t wait to get to the next one.

Good job guys! You have successfully created the most boring and drawn out podcast I’ve ever heard! You win the boring trophy.

Really gave it my all to make it through this podcast but the choir music is played out and annoying and the reporting is S L O W and amateur. Mediocre show at best.

The hosts make themselves central to every episode despite this story being so incredibly interesting and sad. It is impossible to listen to them, their narration and focus on themselves is so distracting.

Even the priests that are against the abuse, including the priest that passed all had knowledge of abuse and didn’t report it. Even your “heroes” in the podcast are villains…they’re all complicit

i *think* this is a compelling story and would love to hear actual journalists cover it, but this podcast sounds like two influencers trying to show their depth and compassion while they consistently prove they have neither. the husband reads his corny narration interludes between clips of the wife making every interview about herself. it’s a mess, poor father joe’s friends and family deserve better than this.

As a cradle Catholic, I really am appalled by this horrendous expose. It’s sad that this is rampant and I appreciate your shedding light on these kinds of “buried” secrets. My only negative comments about the podcast is that the background music is way too loud and distracting. —RCC

The hosts of this podcast were clearly outclassed by the other players in the story. They often presented themselves as the central characters, interrupted guests, conjectured, and rambled. And oh my god, the PAUSES, and the MUMBLING, and the mispronunciations. It’s “pastor,” not “pasture.” The husband thinks he’s William Shatner and the wife has marbles in her mouth. And your personal hand injury has NOTHING to do with Father Joe’s! Why would anyone think it was relevant and worth repeatedly bringing up? That anonymous letter was written in a cursive that apparently “only a woman could write.” Says who? And why should I take your word that a priest has a sinister, smarmy aura? There are tons of examples of their biased tone that completely turned me off from the hosts and wanting to hear their voices and thoughts. Each episode was sprinkled with amateurish b.s. that completely undermined their credibility. This podcast, maybe despite intentions, is not about Father Joe. It is about the married couple’s search for answers in the case. And honestly, I don’t find the two of them interesting or engaging or endearing in the same way I was drawn to Father Joe’s personification by those who knew him, or the other experts and witnesses to the various aspects. They don’t seem like intelligent people and I don’t think I’d enjoy listening to them speak if we were together in person. I would have enjoyed this story so much more if the hosts hadn’t inserted themselves into it. This podcast could have been much more successful if the hosts had gathered the recorded interviews and then handed the material off to someone more qualified. Maybe this is the type of podcast that would have benefitted from a celebrity host. What’s wild is that a much better version of this podcast exists within its current state. With some clever editing, namely cutting out the majority of the hosts’ dialogue and extending some interviews as well as removing a lot of the repetition, this would be a much more valuable product. The story is engaging and the interview subjects are fascinating and thoughtful and well-spoken, which did not pair well at all with the self-important, anxious-yet-overconfident bravado of the hosts. And by the way, when I say “hosts,” I’m heavily referring to the host who did more of the talking in each episode. I didn’t think it would be a good look to only rag on one of them. Apparently this is the faux-journalism you get when you take energetic yet unqualified normal people and let them tell someone else’s story. I sincerely hope the producers of this podcast don’t advertisement this as journalism, because if that’s what this is supposed to be, it’s a poor example. I would not recommend this podcast, not because I wasn’t engaged in the story of Father Joe’s murder, but because of the poor execution of the storytelling. Father Joe deserves better. I’ve never written a podcast review but felt compelled because of the clear disparity in the potential of the podcast vs the reality of it.

Listening to first episode and when the podcaster starts getting emotional at the description of the opening of the casket felt like bad acting and doesn’t have a place in reporting. Then she goes on to talk about her experience with the smell of decomp - what? Aren’t you supposed to stay out of the story you are telling in journalism?

If I could give this podcast 10 stars I would! Everyone should listen to this! Especially if you live in Erie county. It's clear that we need a new DA.