The Girlfriends: Our Lost Sister

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In Season 1, it’s 1995 and Carole Fisher is a high-flying divorcee looking for love in Las Vegas. It’s slim pickings in the medical community she works in. But then Bob comes to town. Bob Bierenbaum is a plastic surgeon who flies planes and speaks several languages. Her mom loves that he’s Jewish - but there’s something off about him. He’s perfect on paper but he’s quick to anger and he never talks about his ex-wife. Who, it turns out, is missing and presumed dead.

After Carole and Bob break up she tells her friend Mindy all about Bob’s wife and his bizarre behavior. You see, Mindy dated Bob too, in fact a lot of women in Vegas dated Bob and they all have their own strange stories to tell. Before too long they form a club dedicated to bitching about Bob, eating noodles and figuring out what happened to his wife, Gail.

In this riveting nine part series, Carole Fisher uncovers the truth of Gail Katz’s death, the systems that failed her and all the girlfriends that brought her justice.

In Season 2, The Girlfriends are back to investigate one part of the story that’s still a mystery.

During the investigation into Gail’s case, a torso washed up on Staten Island and was misidentified as Gail. Nobody knows her name or what happened to her after she was ruled out from the case.

The amateur ladies detective club have a new mission: to uncover the identity of this woman and finally find Our Lost Sister.

The Girlfriends is produced by Novel for iHeartPodcasts. For more from Novel visit Novel.Audio

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Recent Reviews

johlej

Great Podcast Bad Music

I love this podcast. It’s so refreshing that it’s being told by the people who experienced it. I just hate the intro music and transitional music. I fast forward it every time. It would benefit from maybe some different sound effects. This was season one tho and I haven’t heard the newer seasons yet so it could have been changed 🤷🏻‍♀️
Ris.M.Thomas

Solid Podcast

I really enjoyed this podcast. Loved that it was a little raw with the primary person being new to the podcast world. Also loved that it brought attention to the pandemic of violence against women. I gave it 4 stars because the theme music was horrible. I don’t understand why podcasts need music to begin with but this one was particularly bad.
Nay nay vermin

Second time listening. Came back for the music

I enjoyed this story for as much as a sad story can be enjoyed. Listening to it the second time now- while the details of the events are a bit fuzzy, the music I remembered well! It is uplifting and haunting sometimes. When I saw the relisten of the podcast pop up, the first thing I thought was ‘that was the one with the great music’. “I goooooot you. Yes I goooooot you.’ ❤️
GradGrl36

Great show

Love this thoughtful approach to news.
mikewestside

Beautiful

A woman whose name and voice was taken away from her in an unspeakable act of violence by a man, 25 years later a group of women help her get her name back. Both seasons are absolutely incredible and I can't recommend them more
_sparklemuffin_

it’s so sad but so beautiful at the same time

i haven’t finished but these women are amazing and i’ve felt truly connected to gail and her sister in a way. i love that these women never gave up despite the stones along the way.
Crazygrenade

The music is awesome!!

Thanks to the music composer Louisa Gerstein!! (spelling?) This music reminds me of a specific horror movie but I can’t remember which one it is 😭 It makes it stand out in the crime/horror field. Kind of folklore-y. Love that affect/aesthetic. Oh! It reminds me of the series on Amazon Prime “Yellow Jackets”! The music in that is beautiful & I get the same feeling of beautiful creepiness from this show.
SissK123

Survivor focused, brilliant, well done

This podcast is a prime example of why we need to make and hear more stories about women by women. No detail left untold. The nuance, compassion, and survivor focused lens of this story was not just riveting but empowering, albeit devastating.
Kgo188

Sucked in

This entire group of women past and present are phenomenal women. I couldn’t have been more invested in this story from start to finish. It was emotional in all the best and worst ways and had you holding your breath for the families. Carole has an amazing character and clearly a drive to make sure everyone has a voice even when they themselves don’t anymore. I appreciated the efforts and details throughout all avenues we walked. Truly heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.
Erinfinkhair

Wow

Randomly was recommended this podcast and started listening to episode 1 season 1 and within the first 5 minutes I realized Dr Bob spent the Jewish holidays at our house in North Dakota in the mid-late 90s. I was a young girl and the dog hair covered, disheveled suit and untucked shirt was a spitting image of how he showed up at our house. I vividly remember him telling my dad “I’ll carve the turkey, I’m good with a knife”! 🤯 He also removed a mole on my brother and proceeded to tell him “to always treat your girlfriend good”. A few years later he finally was found guilty. Insane.
Asciguy

iheart caves

to bigots.
Dels95

Interesting and compassionate

After a friend of mine was murdered a couple years ago, I swore off any “true crime” podcast about murder or missing persons because of the way they would focus on the killer and how “smart” or “charming” they were blah blah blah, and the victim was always just a character in the story, forgetting that they were a person with family and a life and probably had a ton of fear and pain in the last moments of their life. This podcast is the exact opposite, it’s victim focused, they hilariously diss the murderer, they offer resources, and they are intelligent, kind, compassionate women telling a compelling story. I think this story was beautifully told
Plymouth Wife

S2 could have been 1 hour

S1 was good. The presenter and all the girlfriends are pleasant. In S2 everything is so drawn out. For ex S2E2 spends 10+ min describing their experience sitting in a waiting room which they admit was a dead end. The theme music is 4x as long as it needs to be, each of the 3+ commercial breaks are 2.5 min, and the lead-in and lead-out are way too long. None of this would be a problem if the content wasn’t so repetitive. Most of the content is tertiary background or the context of the detective activity (but not the detective work it’s). Could have been compressed into 1 hour.
The Third Shifter

Season 3?

I love this podcast! The ladies are fun to listen to as well as compassionate. Is there going to be a season 3 of some form?
August JoMc

What true crime should be!

This podcast what true crime should be! Victim/suvivor focused, full of care, sharply and ethically reported and, when applicable, non-judgmental of sx workers. Thank you, Carol and team, for creating such an important show. I was moved to tears at the end.
Lookin for Simplicity

Too many commercials

Wanted to listen but too many commercials. Couldn’t do it. Too bad.
AnnoyedinPhiladelphia

Entertaining

Love this podcast
Kat-Kat

Loved Season 1 & 2 but the bonus episodes…

I understand that you would want us to all subscribe to have ad free episodes but the amount of ads on the 3 bonus episodes seems to be MUCH higher than the regular episodes and so frequent that’s it’s hard to even get the information from the episode. I wish I could pay to subscribe to all of the podcasts that I want to listen to but unfortunately because of the way it’s going with so many having memberships, that isn’t an option for me. I do really like the first and second regular seasons though and how the stories were laid out and told - they were engaging and captivating.
ACTHA Tennessee

Seriously best I’ve heard in a long time

This podcast is responsible for my current lack of sleep 🤣. I started season 2 by accident, after a few minutes I stopped it and went to season 1 - binged both seasons and can’t wait to find out if you’re going to do a deep dive on another case….. please say yes!!
Jalyson28

Season 1

Just finished season 1 and it was fabulous. A very sad story but the way the women come together to find justice and a legacy that will live on was heartwarming and empowering.
KateJessie

Where is Gail? But Iheart supported Ted Cruz

This is wonderfully done. I love each of the storytellers and how they share their experience of this man. Their laughter and deep caring makes me wish I was one of their friends, one that didn’t date Bob! Justice for Gail. Have to unsubscribe due to heart supporting Ted Cruz, an American traitor.
Edifying!

Toxic

I had to quit this one in episode 2. Listening to women ignore massive red flags and force themselves to fall in like with a totally unlikable douchbag simply because he is a Jewish doctor is too toxic for me.
meljhand

Wonderful podcast!

What a fantastic podcast! Put together so nicely, flows well, relatable women/sisters!! Really one of my most favorite podcasts I’ve ever listened too. The original music, acapella singers was really beautiful and fit the podcast so well. I hope they keep churning out more seasons when they find other sisters to help. 🙌❤️
Kaates<3

Binge worthy!

Get ready for a ride, what a great podcast!
sad bravo fan

Loved it

Great investigations, journalism and production. I am hoping you continue to cover other stories!
lmbk1111

LOVE

I loved this podcast. It got me all the way home on a long road trip. I even unpacked the whole car to finish the pod! The ladies are so lovable, smart and interesting! The story is so riveting. These women, all victims of the same psychopath, somehow found each other, supported each other and got justice. That was wonderful! The only thing I wish they covered was his story and upbringing. I think that side of the story would have been interesting, but I understand that the focus was on the many victims. Great job ladies!
Buttersss_

Really enjoyed

Such an easy fun listen! Great storytelling.. totally binged it
nickz'smom

Beautiful Tribute

This podcast is a tribute and a testament to love among sisters and the friends who feel like sisters.
Eileen 🐝

Girlfriends

Both season one and season two had me totally entranced. These women are courageous, tenacious and brave. You really inspired me to go volunteer at some type of agency who helps women. Great job ladies… All of you… Every single one of you
Mamacita Flaca

Love the podcast/Dislike the transitional music

Excellent storytelling. I fastwarded the music. It was too creepy.
Radmom0914

Excellent storytelling. Bittersweet.

I fell in love with this podcast very quickly. The thought of girlfriends getting together to help people that they don’t even know gives me such hope! The love and respect given to those who have passed on, and also to those who are grieving loss is palpable. And I don’t care what anybody says, I absolutely love the music! It is beautiful and haunting at the same time. Thank you so much for sharing these stories! It was such a pleasure to listen.
Syd-ney T

Incredible storytelling!

Loved Season 1 of this podcast! The storytelling is very well done and not “strung out” to fill/add extra episodes. I liked the theme music too, it adds to the overall listening experience. Looking forward to hearing season 2.
auty home

GREAT PODCAST GREAT NARRATION

LOVE HOW THE WOMEN HAVE COME TOGETHER TO HELP AND PROVIDE SUPPORT TO ONE ANOTHER! LOVE THE CAMARADERIE !
Iamnotarobot0101001

Ad campaign is awful

Sorry but the ads are so bad it guarantees i will never listen to it
RA1280

Beautiful

What an incredible, beautiful, moving story of sisterhood. In a landscape of voyeuristic crime stories, this podcast’s poignance stands out. May both Heidi and Gail’s memories be a blessing.
fufhgvfydjfzkg

The girlfriends

I like how they can help each other and help people. Ok I love them, and I love how you guys can explain, how they work together I can’t get the words, out and I just love them.
Camobalamo

Very creative storytelling

I loved the music! I think it is probably one of the better uses of transitional and background music I’ve heard in a podcast. I am only on episode 4 of season 1, but I have enjoyed the storytelling and hearing the different voices/perspectives of the women. Oh, I also cuss like a sailor, and appreciate the realism of the delivery.
skskekwosn

So. Many. Ads.

Good podcast but SO many ads & music breaks.
Emilygatx

So touching

Touching and balanced podcast - love the breaks of humor & swearing. Thank you bringing these women’s stories to light.
YellowDistrict

Distracting Music

Engaging storyline but the music is extremely distracting and just doesn’t match the tone of the podcast. It’s jarring and used in very long clips not in brief transitions like other podcasts. I was literally jumping to press fast forward when it played. I understand it’s original to the podcast but, unfortunately, it took away from the listening experience.
Kellib2206

Thank you

Thank you for giving the lost a voice.
bricks711

Wow

I don't know how I could ever feel closer to any of you 🩷🩷🩷
sinicalgrl

Second season as compelling as the first

While heartbreaking, I am contented to know that Heidi was ultimately identified and laid to rest. May she have peace and find joy in whatever comes next. I was also happy to hear that the podcast will be back for another season but “with a new host” ??? …nooooooooo!!! Say it ain’t so! Just won’t be the f’ing same 😉
Connieanddennis

A great podcast!

Love, love these ladies and what they do! Keep it up! Hoping for season 3!
Ocean1185

I love this podcast

For having no podcasting experience, Carole does a great job! Compelling storytelling. It’s Dirty John meets Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Right up my ally. I also like the music so I am not sure what people are complaining about. Peace and love to Gail’s family. May her story be a cautionary tale to women everywhere. Domestic violence needs to be taken more seriously. Looking forward to season 2! So glad you are humanizing this missing woman who was once thought to be Gail. Update: knocked it outta the park with season 2! Rest in peace, Heidi.
Stella_lunaa

Wow

Such a tragic and beautiful and triumphant story. The ending gave me the chills and put a lump in my throat.
Riss Saki

Such Sweet Care

There is something so beautiful about a community of women. Doing what so many others have failed to do. Female friendships are always the answer.
MN0724

Another great season

Such an interesting topic and the host is great!! Looking forward to a new season but will miss this host (sounds like a new host will takeover)! Thanks for the interesting story!!
Gv1120001

Our Sister! (Or is it our girlfriend?)

A muddled self-congratulatory slog made all the more unbearable by an endless “gals drinking Chardonnay and gabbing!” undercurrent. But it was the shockingly vulgar music cues that drove me to write a review - specifically the moment in S2 E4 when they id their “sister” as Heidi and some angelic chorus drops in chanting “Heidi” in a persevere attempt to … god knows what. Narcissistic and insufferable. Shocked I made it four episodes in but this is where I stop.
Jennysem

Half of the show is advertising.

It was hard to get into the podcast with all the advertising. I wouldn't be surprised if there were more ads than content. Could have been good… but i was just annoyed.