STACK with Jake and Ella

True Crime: Getting Your Books Wet, ACOTAR Updates and Writing Murder Respectfully

STACK with Jake and Ella

Show Notes

Jake and Ella are reading outside of their type, looking at the true crime genre: the morals, the scandal and the real-life drama of it all. They - allegedly - cover the Kennedys, recent high-profile non-fiction and how to write about a murderer properly. It’s still a fun episode, they promise–just wait until Ella’s anecdote.

And Jake’s okay after what he talks about in the intro, we promise.

The books featured in this week’s STACK:

London Falling - Patrick Radden Keefe

Bright Young Women - Jessica Knoll

Plain Bad Heroines - Emily M. Danforth

A Hymn to Life - Gisèle Pelicot

Notes On An Execution - Danya Kukafka

Ask Not - Maureen Callahan

STACK with Jake and Ella is the books podcast helping you fall in love - and stay in love - with reading. Each fortnight, we’ll be sharing curated lists on a theme of the books that are worth your time.

Don’t forget to follow us on your podcast player or subscribe on YouTube so that you never miss an episode, and please leave us a review wherever you’re listening. It’s the best way to support the show so that we can keep making it.

We are @stackpodcast on socials.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stackpodcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stackpodcast

Please get in touch if you read any of the books from this week’s episode, or have a bookish problem for our Shelf Help section.

STACK with Jake and Ella is an independent podcast production.

It is produced by Jake Williams and Ella Horne.

Our theme music was created by Thomas Clarke. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More from STACK with Jake and Ella

Oct 21, 2026

It’s STACK with Jake and… Lucy! In this special Halloween episode, Jake is joined by Lucy Rose, bestselling author of The Lamb, to discuss her writing and a stack of her very own.

Oct 7, 2026

Ella and Jake introduce STACK’s fairytale-themed episode, full of classic tales, retellings and modern fables, starting with a discussion of the Booker Prize shortlist and a particularly annoying clip of Mary Beard criticising the phrase ‘a love of reading’.

Sep 9, 2026

It’s freshers week for Jake and Ella as they share their favourite campus-set novels. Whether you’re talking Uni or College, consider these books your set texts for September - educational, fun and full of mistakes.

Aug 26, 2026

Why are we so obsessed with weddings in fiction? This week Jake and Ella discuss their favourite books about nuptials. From love triangles and in-laws to hen-dos and croquembouches, these six books are guaranteed to bring the drama.

Aug 12, 2026

It’s payback time! Join Jake and Ella as they discuss their favourite books about revenge. Plus, Jake has a harrowing story about punctuation and Ella is seeking information on a Sheffield motorist. She just wants to talk.

See all episodes →