Mystery on the Rocks

This week's episode is the story of Lori Erica Ruff, who took her own life in 2010. She was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in her car, parked on her estranged in-laws' driveway.Erratic behaviour following the separation from her husband is only the beginning as the true nature of Lori is slowly uncovered.So who was she really?______An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode with almost 25 minutes of bonus extra chat can be found over at our Patreon!Extended episodes drop over there usually 3 days early and with zero ads so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's episode is the story of Charles Budd Robinson - a botanist from Canada who went missing while on an expedition to an Indonesian island in December 1913 never to be seen again...So what happened? Does the answer lie in Kew Gardens? And would he have survived if he'd packed his phrase book?______An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode with 10 minutes of bonus extra chat can be found over at our Patreon!Extended episodes drop over there usually 3 days early and with zero ads so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coinciding with the papal conclave of 2025 as cardinals reverently decide who will be the new Pope, we dive into a pervading mystery that the Vatican once had (and possibly still has) its hands on a working time machine...A story which takes in Nobel Prize winners and Nazi scientists, let's find out the answer to the question 'does the Pope have a time machine?'______An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode with over 20 minutes of bonus extra chat can be found over at our Patreon!Extended episodes drop over there usually 3 days early and with zero ads so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the latest in our Sooz's One Hit Wonders series, we are transported to 1998 and take a look at a serious contender for song of the 90s as we learn all about what led to (and came from) the utter smash hit You Get What You Give...Dreadful solo albums, a right-place-right-time capturing of the zeitgeist plus a more surprising subsequent career than you may expect, this is the story of New Radicals!______An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode with 20 minutes of bonus extra chat (including an amazing story about Sooz's Nanna) can be found over at our Patreon!Extended episodes drop over there 3 days early so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we uncover Sooz's fear of the ocean as we discuss the bizarre phenomenon of loads of severed feet washing up at various points along the British Columbia and Washington State coast...Just why did the amount increase between 2007 and 2018?And, more importantly, why does Chris now own Conclave on physical media in 2025!? The answers lie within...______An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode with nearly 20 minutes of bonus extra chat can be found over at our Patreon!Extended episodes drop over there 3 days early so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's episode is the story of (among others) Paul Guihard, Ray Gunther and James Meredith, whose lives intersect and, in two of their cases, come to an end at the fateful Ole Miss Riot of 1962 in Mississippi.So what happened?And boy had you better not mention to Masud that you don't like tomatoes!______An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode with 20 minutes of bonus extra chat can be found over at our Patreon!Extended episodes drop over there 3 days early so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our favourite game is back this week and has some of the very best and some of the very worst guesses Chris and Masud have made.And it may also be the closes game yet PLUS Sooz goes rogue with awarding points.______An exclusive extended version of this episode with almost 20 minutes of bonus extra chat can be found over at our Patreon!Extended episodes drop over there 3 days early so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we take a look at possibly the world's first aerial murder, which is certainly what it was called in newspapers at the time. In 1923, daredevil BH DeLay was putting on an extraordinary aerial display of aviation stunts - something he had made a great living doing in the movies - when the wings of his plane snapped off and crashed into the ground, killing both him and his passenger.So was it sabotage? Or faulty workmanship? Nobody really knows to this day...______An exclusive extended version of this episode with 20 minutes of bonus extra chat can be found over at our Patreon!Extended episodes drop over there 3 days early so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While you may be forgiven for thinking that Robert Johnson is our guest for an episode about the devil at a crossroads, don't let the naming convention fool you. This is the tale of pioneering musician Robert Johnson who is simultaneously one of the most influential musicians of the 20th Century AND a complete mystery...Perhaps the first member of the 27 Club, the legend that he sold his soul to the Devil is one of the most enduring things about him but there are so many mysteries to solve when it comes to Robert Johnson...Alongside our customary 90s film chat, Jurassic Park references and gross toilet stuff.______An exclusive extended version of this episode with almost 40 minutes of bonus extra chat can be found over at our Patreon!Extended episodes drop over there 3 days early so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The next in Sooz's series of the stories behind some of the biggest one-hit wonders.This week, she walks us through Chesney Hawke's 1991 mega-hit 'The One & Only' while we of course manage to get in a Jurassic Park reference and Masud learns about the chain of shops John Menzies...______An exclusive extended version of this episode with almost 30 minutes of extra chat can be found over at our Patreon!Extended episodes drop over there 3 days early so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's episode is the twisty story of what is considered to be the greatest photo ever taken of a UFO...In August 1990, two men hiking near the Scottish hamlet of Calvine saw a strange craft hover silently in the sky, be approached by a Harrier jet and then fly away vertically. Stranger than this sighting, though, is the story of the photograph they took and why it wasn't seen for almost 30 years...Also includes a bit of extra chat about the Loch Ness Monster and, of course, Jurassic Park.______An exclusive extended version of this episode with almost 20 minutes of extra chat can be found over at our Patreon!Extended episodes drop over there 3 days early so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's episode is a relaxed chat about this year's Best Picture nominees just ahead of the Oscars ceremony. We give our opinions (with SPOILERS) on those we've seen plus Chris shares some potentially controversial opinions about Dune!________An exclusive extended version of this episode with extra chat can be found over at our Patreon! Extended episodes drop over there 3 days early so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's episode is the bizarre story of Rey Rivera, who was missing for 8 days in 2006 before turning up dead in the strangest of circumstances, circumstances which were eventually ruled a suicide.Except it would have been physically impossible for Rey to have taken his own life in this way...An exclusive extended version of this episode with almost 40 minutes of extra chat can be found over at our Patreon! Extended episodes drop over there 3 days early so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A live edition of our favourite game!And joining us in an echoey room to an intimate crowd is returning friend of the show and host of the fantastic Evil Men podcast, Michael Balazo! Who will win this round and which VHS treasure will be unearthed?An extended version of this episode, along with a huge back catalogue of exclusive bonus content such as videos, outtakes, minisodes and bonus episodes, can be found at our Patreon! Want early access to episodes THREE whole days before anyone else as well as the chance to get some exclusive Mystery on the Rocks merch? That's the place to head!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD Pompeii was devastated by an intense burst of intense heat, smoke and ash, leaving many of the thousands of people killed preserved in their final positions. Cue much sniggering when one man was discovered in the position of apparently pleasuring himself.But was that really what he was doing?If you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over to support us on Patreon where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we take a look at the 1994 murder of former marine David Cox. David had been missing for 3 months when his body was found next to a river in Massachusetts, killed execution style with 4 bullet wounds.But what possible motive could there have been? His killer has never been discovered but his past may be more well known than first appears...Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The next episode in our occasional new series called Sooz Kempner's One Hit Wonders where Sooz takes us through the story of some of the very best (and worst) one hit wonders. Where are they now? Why did their one hit hit so hard and then other songs fail to replicate the success?For this second episode, Sooz tells us the brilliant story of Billy Paul and his soul hit 'Me & Mrs Jones', as well as educating us on his follow-up single which failed to replicate its predecessor's success despite being our collective new favourite song...Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two creepy (and possibly) connected crimes this week and we take a look at the Cape Intruder, a man whose identity remains a mystery, who broke into people's houses in Cape Elizabeth, Maine in 2005 to... Watch them sleep. Upon his prey awaking, he would bolt out of the house and evade capture completely.This photofit was issued to help identify the Cape Intruder, to no avail.We then fast forward 3 years when similar reports occurred in Nova Scotia's Halifax. Could it be the same intruder? And did authorities have better luck in catching him this time?All of this as well as introducing a brand new alter-ego for Masud to add to the pantheon alongside Little Boy Masud and Topknot Masud!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy New Year!The second in our festive episodes is a brief curio - in the English town of Warminster at Christmastime in 1964, plenty of independent witnesses experienced a bizarre wave of sonic attacks, for which there remains no explanation to this day...Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house...Possibly one of the most famous Christmas verses yet itself the subject of a pervading mystery. Submitted anonymously to a New York newspaper in 1823, any potential author didn't come to light until over 20 years later. But then, an ownership contest began...Join us for the first of this year's Christmas Specials as we get merry for the festive season and Sooz introduces us to an unhinged rendition of Jingle Bells and tries to get Masud to climax to pictures of her boyfriend dressed in various costumes.Have a great Christmas and we'll be back with our second Christmas Special on 2nd January (it's still the Christmas season OK)...Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining Sooz Kempner's One Hit Wonders as another occasional new series, our favourite game returns!Discovered during the recording of our Gentleman of Heligoland episode, VHGuess sees Chris and Masud have to guess which particular VHSes are in a bundle Sooz finds at random on eBay.With new rules, structure and lifelines added, join us as we play Mystery on the Rocks panel game VHGuess!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will Duggan becomes the first ever returning guest on Mystery on the Rocks as he joins us while we go through the bizarre story of the mysterious Kaspar Hauser.Found wandering the streets of Nuremberg in 1828, Kaspar was apparently sixteen years old and had about his person two letters which offered little in the way of identification beyond his name and age. He claimed to have grown up in captivity and, as he was moved about under the guardianships of different people and endured several attempts on his life, some began to wonder if Kaspar was in fact an illegitimate royal heir who had been swept away out of sight...Ultimately, in 1833, one of the attempts on his life was successful and Kaspar was murdered, aged 21. Nobody knows who did it, or why, or even what the truth behind Kaspar himself was...Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1996, Gary Triano is murdered - a pipe bomb explodes his car.It takes a decade for justice to be served. So what on Earth took so long?Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Something a little different this week as we begin a new occasional series called Sooz Kempner's One Hit Wonders where Sooz takes us through the story of some of the very best (and worst) one hit wonders.Where are they now? Why did their one hit hit so hard and then other songs fail to replicate the success?For the first episode, Sooz tells us the story of John Parr and his almighty anthem 'St Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)'...Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we take a look at the brutal murder of Japanese businessman and high stakes gambler Akio Kashiwagi, stabbed (potentially up to 150 times) in his home in January 1992. One of the world's greatest gamblers, he rinsed several casinos enough to give them cause for concern that, for once, the house might not win...As well as delving into which enemies he may have made enough to kill him, we also ask the burning question... Why was Peter Lorre a prominent cartoon character years after he passed away?Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on X and Instagram too!Produced by Chris Stokes, Masud Milas and Sooz Kempner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We know we spent last week's catch-up episode wanking on about the US election so you may wonder why we don't mention the outcome here. Recorded before the projections trickled in, this is our first case in well over a year.And with a twist! While recording the episode The Murder of Kyllikkii Saari Chris noticed it was the second most notorious homicide case in Finland. So what was the first? Rather than research ahead of time, Chris decides to find out about this one alongside Sooz and Masud...Hilkka Saarinen vanishes in 1960 and only through dogged determination from her son does the truth of what happened to her come to light. Except as the facts unravel, it seems pretty damn obvious what happened and who did it to her. Which begs the question...Just why was this case unsolved?Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.You can follow us on X and Instagram too!Produced by Chris Stokes, Masud Milas and Sooz Kempner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back! The bar is back open and, easing back into the swing of things, we have a loose catch up and a discussion about the upcoming US election. But don't worry, it's not all serious, we're Mystery on the Rocks - there's enough pee and poop here to get the bar closed back down again for good on hygiene grounds.So join us for the usual disgusting silliness laced with an occasionally insightful good point and get ready for more mysteries and cocktails coming your way soon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Unable to record an episode this week due to sudden diarrhea, we dig into the archives and dust off one of our earliest episodes.Bookended by some new chat from Chris and Sooz, we take a relisten to when fantastic comedian Nish Kumar joined us for the crazy tale of Clairvius Narcisse, who somehow LEGIT RETURNED FROM THE DEAD._________We're doing a live show! On November 3rd at 7pm we will be at The Princess Victoria pub in London's Shepherds Bush as part of the Cheerful Earful podcast festival. If you're in or around the area we'd love to see you there, simply head to https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/events/mystery-on-the-rocks for details!PLUS get early, ad-free access to episodes as well as cocktail recipes and outtakes plus whole bonus episodes over on our Patreon! Just head to www.patreon.com/mysteryontherocks where we've got a huge back catalogue of really cool stuff which we keep adding to all the time! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's 1992 and former (and unpopular) Polish Prime Minister lives in an almost paranoid level of security - his house is fortified by an 11 foot barbed-wire-topped wall and patrolled by a vicious Rottweiler, a dog which Jaroszewicz would walk while armed with a handgun.Nevertheless, he and his second wife Alicja are found tortured and murdered in their home, the motivation for the crime unclear. The perpetrators equally unclear.Until almost 30 years later...Also in this episode Sooz makes the decision to pivot into directing porn. Hear her plans!______We're doing a live show! On November 3rd at 7pm we will be at The Princess Victoria pub in London's Shepherds Bush as part of the Cheerful Earful podcast festival. If you're in or around the area we'd love to see you there, simply head to https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/events/mystery-on-the-rocks for details!PLUS get early, ad-free access to episodes as well as cocktail recipes and outtakes plus whole bonus episodes over on our Patreon! Just head to www.patreon.com/mysteryontherocks where we've got a huge back catalogue of really cool stuff which we keep adding to all the time! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The final (fingers crossed) in our trilogy (still keep em crossed) of duo episodes as Chris and Sooz tackle a mass poisoning of a French village in 1951, which led to 250 cases and 7 deaths, including a man who thought he was a plane and jumped from a second storey window.And want to hear about the government's policies on the distribution of flour in post-war France? Sooz didn't, so decided to counter each bread fact with a fact about dressage.Will that be enough to convert Chris to the sport?________We're doing a live show! On November 3rd at 7pm we will be at The Princess Victoria pub in London's Shepherds Bush as part of the Cheerful Earful podcast festival. If you're in or around the area we'd love to see you there, simply head to https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/events/mystery-on-the-rocks for details!PLUS get early, ad-free access to episodes as well as cocktail recipes and outtakes plus whole bonus episodes over on our Patreon! Just head to www.patreon.com/mysteryontherocks where we've got a huge back catalogue of really cool stuff which we keep adding to all the time! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Needs must means the second in a trilogy of only 2 of us at the recording. This week, it's Chris and Masud who go over one of Finland's most notorious murder cases, the 17 year old Kyllikkii Saari in 1953...On her way back from a prayer meeting, Kyllikkii vanishes. Six months later, her remains are found in a bog. Three suspects quickly fall into the frame but which one did it? And what really happened?KGB spies, another well-known murder case and quite possibly the best name this podcast has ever heard all seem to be connected..._____We're doing a live show! On November 3rd at 7pm we will be at The Princess Victoria pub in London's Shepherds Bush as part of the Cheerful Earful podcast festival. If you're in or around the area we'd love to see you there, simply head to https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/events/mystery-on-the-rocks for details!PLUS get early, ad-free access to episodes as well as cocktail recipes and outtakes plus whole bonus episodes over on our Patreon! Just head to www.patreon.com/mysteryontherocks where we've got a huge back catalogue of really cool stuff which we keep adding to all the time! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here is a fairly substantial shake-up to the formula as Sooz and Masud make up their own mystery based on what Chris told them it was called as he was away on holiday and unable to join the recording as planned.How close do they get? And in an episode which involves time travel, premature burial and gluten intolerant interdimensional beings, which come from the actual mystery and which come from the minds of Sooz and Masud???_____We're doing a live show! On November 3rd at 7pm we will be at The Princess Victoria pub in London's Shepherds Bush as part of the Cheerful Earful podcast festival. If you're in or around the area we'd love to see you there, simply head to https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/events/mystery-on-the-rocks for details!PLUS get early, ad-free access to episodes as well as cocktail recipes and outtakes plus whole bonus episodes over on our Patreon! Just head to www.patreon.com/mysteryontherocks where we've got a huge back catalogue of really cool stuff which we keep adding to all the time! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1939 Barbara Newhall Follett vanishes without trace. She was 25 years old and disillusioned with her life. So what happened to her? And what about her extraordinary early life could have contributed to her being able to disappear so completely...?____________________We're doing a live show! On November 3rd at 7pm we will be at The Princess Victoria pub in London's Shepherds Bush as part of the Cheerful Earful podcast festival. If you're in or around the area we'd love to see you there, simply head to https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/events/mystery-on-the-rocks for details!PLUS get early, ad-free access to episodes as well as cocktail recipes and outtakes plus whole bonus episodes over on our Patreon! Just head to www.patreon.com/mysteryontherocks where we've got a huge back catalogue of really cool stuff which we keep adding to all the time! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The sensational story of the gruesome 1943 murder of Sir Harry Oakes - a baronet, philanthropist and incredibly wealthy owner of a gold mine who was living in the Bahamas at the time. Stabbed with a miner's pick, to disguise other wounds from an ice pick, and then doused in insecticide, set alight and covered in feathers.All of that in a story which also finds time to take in the actual King of England turning detective to try to solve the murder!Plus time for us to natter about the 1998 version of Godzilla for a bit...____________________We're doing a live show! On November 3rd at 7pm we will be at The Princess Victoria pub in London's Shepherds Bush as part of the Cheerful Earful podcast festival. If you're in or around the area we'd love to see you there, simply head to https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/events/mystery-on-the-rocks for details!PLUS get early, ad-free access to episodes as well as cocktail recipes and outtakes plus whole bonus episodes over on our Patreon! Just head to www.patreon.com/mysteryontherocks where we've got a huge back catalogue of really cool stuff which we keep adding to all the time! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In one of the most ghoulish cases we've covered, in 1932 in Sweden a sex worker by the name of Lilly Lindeström is found dead in her apartment, naked and face down on the bed. Police had to break into her apartment and she had been dead for days.There are several sick elements to this case, not least that Lily's body had been drained of blood without a drop being spilled, except for traces on a soup ladle next to her body...We're doing a live show! On November 3rd at 7pm we will be at The Princess Victoria pub in London's Shepherds Bush as part of the Cheerful Earful podcast festival. If you're in or around the area we'd love to see you there, simply head to https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/events/mystery-on-the-rocks for details!PLUS get early, ad-free access to episodes as well as cocktail recipes and outtakes plus whole bonus episodes over on our Patreon! Just head to www.patreon.com/mysteryontherocks where we've got a huge back catalogue of really cool stuff which we keep adding to all the time! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An unidentified man, beaten to death, is found floating in the sea 12 miles off a tiny archipelago, itself 43 miles off the coast of Germany. Dressed in smart clothes, he is known to this day only as The Gentleman...OK, so this week's mystery has so few clues and such little hope of ever being solved we kind of got very distracted...Distracted enough to invent a new game, play it through, have such fun doing it and end up devising a brand new panel show!Enjoy!And we're doing a live show! On November 3rd at 7pm we will be at The Princess Victoria pub in London's Shepherds Bush as part of the Cheerful Earful podcast festival. If you're in or around the area we'd love to see you there, simply head to https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/events/mystery-on-the-rocks for details!PLUS get early, ad-free access to episodes as well as cocktail recipes and outtakes plus whole bonus episodes over on our Patreon! Just head to www.patreon.com/mysteryontherocks where we've got a huge back catalogue of really cool stuff which we keep adding to all the time! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's October 1954 in Tuscany and local football rivals Fiorentina and Pistoriese are playing a derby in front of 10,000 screaming fans. But the stadium falls silent, the players stop playing and the ball rolls to a slow halt.Everyone is transfixed by cigar-like UFOs drifting up above, with strange materials trailing down far enough to be touched by the crowd and taken away to be sampled...So what on Earth was it? Hear Sooz spooked far more than she ever has been before!Get early, ad-free access to episodes as well as cocktail recipes and outtakes plus whole bonus episodes over on our Patreon! Just head to www.patreon.com/mysteryontherocks where we've got a huge back catalogue of really cool stuff which we keep adding to all the time!Video we mention - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrS0igctMi0Geological Society Blog Post we mention - https://blog.geolsoc.org.uk/2014/12/09/door-9-football-geothermal-energy-and-the-1954-wave-of-ufos/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happened to Lawrence Joseph Bader, the salesman riddled with debt who rented a fishing boat and promptly vanished in 1957?Does it have anything to do with the gregarious TV show host John Johnson who appeared elsewhere four days later?And what is pole sitting?Let's find out!Get early, ad-free access to episodes as well as cocktail recipes and outtakes plus whole bonus episodes over on our Patreon! Just head to www.patreon.com/mysteryontherocks where we've got a huge back catalogue of really cool stuff which we keep adding to all the time!PLUS our very own Sooz is touring the UK with her stand-up show Playstation RIGHT NOW. Head to www.soozkempner.co.uk/copy-of-playstation-2022 to see if the tour is coming near you and, if it is, to buy tickets! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sooz, Chris and Masud all agree that Succession is one of the greatest TV shows ever made, and that the finale is one of the greatest TV finales of all time...So here is a one-off Succession special where we get everything out of our system following the conclusion of an absolutely phenomenal show, so that further episodes of Mystery on the Rocks are not blighted (quite so much as previously) by endless Succession tangents...For newbies, we usually do a cocktail and mysteries podcast called Mystery on the Rocks but we just had to discuss Succession now that has ended to stop us from derailing future episodes of the podcast. If you think that sounds like your sort of thing then jump on in!And if you wanted to go one extra step in supporting the channel we also have a Patreon with an enormous back catalogue of bonus episodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more - including plenty more Succession chat! Find us at www.patreon.com/mysteryontherocks! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

January 1994, in a sleepy West Midlands village, a retired school caretaker makes a gruesome discovery while walking his dog.A gruesome delivery with links to arms dealing, a double shooting and Kuwaiti royalty...Get early, ad-free access to episodes as well as cocktail recipes and outtakes plus whole bonus episodes over on our Patreon. Just head to www.patreon.com/mysteryontherocks where this currently a considerable back catalogue of loads of cool stuff!And our very own Sooz is touring the UK with her stand-up show Playstation RIGHT NOW. Head to www.soozkempner.co.uk/copy-of-playstation-2022 to see if the tour is coming near you and, if it is, to buy tickets! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oslo, 1995.A Jane Doe. With a gunshot wound to the head. Holding a gun she couldn't possibly have fired. In a locked hotel room in Oslo... Mystery upon mystery upon mystery. So what really happened and who was she? The answers to these questions might never be answered but join us for a quick look through what we DO know and if it might offer a solution?Get early, ad-free access to episodes as well as cocktail recipes and outtakes plus whole bonus episodes over on our Patreon! Just head to www.patreon.com/mysteryontherocks where we've got a huge back catalogue of really cool stuff which we keep adding to all the time!PLUS our very own Sooz is touring the UK with her stand-up show Playstation RIGHT NOW. Head to www.soozkempner.co.uk/copy-of-playstation-2022 to see if the tour is coming near you and, if it is, to buy tickets! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In April 1935 a tiger shark is caught 2 miles out to sea from Sydney before being transferred to a nearby aquarium where, in front of awed spectators, it vomits out a human arm with a distinctive tattoo.This is only the beginning...We take a look at the series of coincidences and bizarre chain of events which centre around this puking shark.Get early, ad-free access to episodes as well as cocktail recipes and outtakes plus whole bonus episodes over on our Patreon. Just head to www.patreon.com/mysteryontherocks where this currently a considerable back catalogue of cool stuff!And our very own Sooz is touring the UK with her stand-up show Playstation RIGHT NOW. Head to www.soozkempner.co.uk/copy-of-playstation-2022 to see if the tour is coming near you and, if it is, to buy tickets! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back!A quick note to say that the first episode of the sixth season had a bit of a messed up audio file (Masud going away obviously jinxed us) but we have cleaned up to the best of our abilities. Going forward, all should be resolved tech wise and subsequent episodes won't have this hiccup...In February 1945, 70 year old Charles Walton is found near his Warwickshire home brutally murdered and impaled to the ground through his neck with his own pitchfork. Who did it? And, more to the point, why did so many people think witchcraft was responsible?Joining us to pick it apart is the FANTASTIC Alasdair Beckett-King - comedian, host of the brilliant podcast Loremen and now bona fide mystery writer with the publication of his awesome childrens' book 'Murder at the Museum'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season Six starts NEXT MONTH but we recorded a brand new special episode ahead of that to mark our 4th anniversary!December 2008 in Jackson, Tennessee bar owner and sheriff's deputy Euhommie Bond is tragically killed in a shootout outside his bar and grill, Spanky's. With so much gunfire concentrated in such a short space of time, finding out who killed him is no mean feat, one main reason why the police investigation stalls so dramatically...And why is the family so reluctant to support his beloved aunt when she tries to get the case looked into?For a huge backlog of exclusive bonus content, including early ad-free access to episodes, be sure to check out our Patreon at www.patreon.com/mysteryontherocks! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An extra episode to (belatedly) kick off 2023.When the Andrew Tate/Greta Thunberg thing kicked off on Twitter, we decided to do an impromptu episode to discuss it, some British political happenings of 2022 and also to do a bit of between-seasons admin we weren't able to do in the previous episode on account of being thrown out (quite, quite rightly) of the Phoenix Arts Club.Unfortunately it was so impromptu that Masud couldn't make it again but he'll be back, we promise! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So a little later than expected...By us too!Illness and Christmas and family and bollocks conspire as they always do to stymie any kind of momentum. Not that Christmas and family are in trouble for doing so but illness and bollocks can fuck off quite frankly.Anyway, our Christmas (more like New Year) Special - recorded on location backstage at the Phoenix Arts Club - is here! Sooz takes the reins and Chris sips a Negroni while Masud sits this one out as we take a look at the (quite frankly compelling) evidence that Michael Jackson composed the music for seminal 1994 videogame Sonic the Hedgehog 3... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's here! We did it! YOU did it!Made it through our longest season yet. We take stock of the topics covered and take a moment to reflect on our collective favourite episode of this season - Magnus Hirschfeld and Dora Richter. We discuss how it's a good indicator of whether or not humanity has learned from the history of the 20th Century.We don't think it has!Thanks for sticking with us this season - we're looking forward to sharing some cases of the week again with you very soon!And while we're taking a break between seasons, we're not taking a break over on our Patreon where we'll still be posting mini episodes, bonus episodes. If you can't bear the thought of waiting for Season Six why not head over to our Patreon to see if you fancy going one extra step in supporting the podcast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's (almost) the end...A mammoth trawl through geopolitics, war and espionage brings us to 2021 and an outgoing US President incites an insurrection on the house of government. What led us there, what parallels from history can be drawn and, more interestingly, where could this possibly lead us?We don't get entirely gloomy though, there's also a bit where we all thirst over Denzel Washington. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We hurtle towards the present day and the end of this mammoth season as we hit 2018 this week when the poisonings of two Russians, a father and daughter named Sergei and Yulia Skripal, in the Wiltshire town of Salisbury kick off mass panic, the death of a woman entirely unrelated to them whatsoever, a further tensing of international relations with Russia itself, calls to boycott the World Cup AND (in the generation of social media) a slew of memes.And what part could the British weather have played in the whole thing?We take a look as we disorientate ourselves a little bit with both how recent and distant this feels... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2010, Gareth Williams - a mathematician and spy - is found dead in a padlocked duffel bag in a bath tub in an en suite in a British secret service safe house in Pimlico with no fingerprints, not even Gareth's, left on the padlock, bag or bathroom. Loads of theories have come out since but, if we're honest, no real satisfactory explanation for what actually happened.Did Russia attempt to recruit him and he rebuffed them? Was he in possession of British secrets the authorities were worried about him handing over? And, if he was assassinated, why was he left in the flat in such a manner? Equally, if he killed himself, how did he get in the bag and leave no fingerprints?In what is one of our messiest recordings for a while, can we get to the bottom of this strange case and is this the drunkest Sooz has been for a while? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2006, British-based Russian author and journalist Alexander Litvinenko is suddenly taken seriously ill. His deterioration is world news, chronicled right up until his death 3 weeks later.Thing is, Litvinenko wasn't only a journalist - he was a former Russian agent. And not only was he a former Russian agent, he was a vocal critic of the Kremlin and of Vladmir Putin, having gone on record accusing Putin of unspeakable crimes.A deliberate assassination, not even disguised as an accident. Is this when the world started waking up to the idea of a new full-blown tyrant? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.