Podcast tip: the poison dead. The true crime podcast that you want to binge-listen to

December 2020. Chris Grinwis, living in Halsteren Noord-Brabant, dies suddenly. The circumstances? Very suspicious. The substance that comes into play? A suicide drug that you don't accidentally stir into someone's dessert. And Yvon? She had just been with her new love for a few months. And, small detail, Yvon had just been appointed as the sole heir a month before. Maybe you already know the podcast. Or are you, like me, a podcast late bloomer. The Poisoned Dead is a podcast that you want to binge-listen to in one go.

Everything must give way, because you want to keep listening. Too much drama for one season? That's right. But that's exactly the starting point of The Poisoned Dead (by podcast maker Renée van Heteren and crime reporters Hessel de Ree and René van der Lee) The kind of podcast where you think within five minutes: oh, this is such a gold digger-murders-rich-man story.And then, three minutes later: …oh, or maybe not? Oh, or maybe yes again. The podcast makers follow Yvon K., the woman suspected by the Public Prosecution Service of poisoning her fresh lover Chris Grinwis. The mega-popular supermarket entrepreneur, the man with money, connections, and, oh yes, a will that he completely changed shortly (a month) before his death. With Yvon as the sole heir. Strange, because before that Chris had been with Mia for over 40 years. I know. The appearance has not settled against her, but has nestled full-time in her lap.

But Yvon herself? She denies everything. According to her lawyer, the evidence is flimsy. There would be a witch hunt, tunnel vision, the kind of conviction that starts before someone can call a lawyer. And exactly there, Renée, Hessel, and René dive in. With microphones, files, and a kind of persistence that every ex could have learned from. Because this case... it's not what it seems. Not at all. Behind every fact, there seems to be another fact, the motive that initially sounded logical suddenly changes into a completely different story and you are meanwhile pressing pause on the train because you need to process it for a moment.

Did she do it?

It all seems very clear, but this is one of those cases where you continuously see a different light shining on the matter. Nothing is really black and white and all the main characters have their own perspective. It's a dark case that keeps you engaged until the very last moment.

A podcast with real dead people

If you have listened to, for example,. The Habbo Mystery you know how nice it is when a podcast lets you think just long enough that you understand it, only to then dump you into a completely new narrative. The Poisoned Dead has that too.

But it's grimmer. More serious. It’s about money, power, relationships, appearances, reputation, and a woman who may be a victim of her own image. You hear the doubt in the voices of the creators in every episode. That's delightful. Because if they don't know anymore... who does?

The main characters that you can't let go

Yvon K.
The woman who some say is a master manipulator and others say is a woman who stepped into the wrong life at the wrong time.

Chris Grinwis
The entrepreneur, the lover, the man with a will that suddenly raises a lot of questions.

Renée, Hessel & René
The three detectives who not only unravel the case but also their own assumptions. And yes, that might be the most exciting part of all.

Why you should listen now

The question of who is the perpetrator or victim is still uncomfortable and hangs somewhere in the air.

Because true crime is fun, but true crime that is so close to reality is even more addictive.
And because this podcast does one thing very well: it makes you doubt everything you thought you knew.

I am so curious what you think of it.