This could be a great podcast if it didn’t include Sonny Hostin wasn’t a part of it

Sunny ruins this.

Interesting podcast. Great Hosts. Ms. Hostin’s voice is very pleasant. I’m sure most people had never heard of him in media. Why is that? Hire Edward Snowden or another well-known hacker to find him? Computers may be key. Make Snowden a deal. 😕 Banks were scammed and all it took was bad acting. One brief word on the Banks: FinCen Leak.

Underwhelming

The story is so interesting. It’s so nice to come across a real mystery that doesn’t follow the unsolved murder script in the sea of true crime podcasts out there. I’m just on episode 4 now, and I cringed hard at the reporter turning up in NC to look for this guy. Aren’t you compromising the investigation at this point? And seriously - to the other reviewers- he didn’t just rip off banks, he ripped off his wife, her parents and his. He’s scum and he deserves to be pursued and caught. 4 stars for this podcast because while it’s an interesting story, it moves a little slow and the narration is dull and hard to listen to at times. I find myself tuning out and having to backtrack.

You’re telling me he ripped off a bunch of sleazy banks who wanted to get in bed with Philip Morris? And that you want us to turn him in for doing that? Okay I’ll be sure to let the marshals know if I see him, lol.

Great listen!

Really interesting and if this isn’t a movie, it should be. The story is told where the listener can follow a complex story with ease as we go on the journey with the podcast.

The case is interesting and they told it greatly

I love this podcast. I think they do a great job and it’s just interesting. Ready for more!

Can’t wait to hear more.

The storyline is interesting but the voice over/narrator needs some speech lessons if he’s going to tell a story. When they play audio clips and he interviews conversationally it’s ok. But then it has an irritating voice over that makes you shut the pod off. Also, why didn’t you ask why the marshals are still after this guy? What makes a non violent criminal interesting enough to pursue for 23 years? How much money has been spent on the investigation? Some deeper questions would be nice. Also the chronology is confusing. Please consider this constructive, not trying to bash your work, clearly a lot of time was put into this story.

At the first minute of listening got me interested very misterious and captivating got me hooked very well told.

Well written and presented. Keeps your attention. I highly recommend it.

This is the first podcast I’ve listened to. Love the content, writing, with short recordings of various people. I’m losing interest waiting, waiting & waiting. Don’t know if all podcasts are like this since I’m new at this. When should I expect the next one to drop? Is there some kind of schedule posted somewhere?

Listened to three episodes and thought three things: 1. Poorly told story. It could be way more compelling, 2. The host speaks with a typical news person cadence, which I hate, 3. The woman hosting sounds like Candace Bergen 20 years deep into a chain smoking habit. Then I looked it up and the host is a man. What a grating and horrible voice for a podcast—male or female. Blech. I’m out.

Where is the next episode? It’s been like 3 weeks!

Good story, but it could’ve been told in three episodes not six.

Never heard of this guy or the case. Enjoyed the podcast

Love Sunny Hostin and I am enjoying this podcast very much!!

This story is uninteresting and tedious to listen to in podcast format. The host is clearly used to writing dull TV specials rather than gripping true crime podcasts. The pacing is slow and repetitive. The tip hotline at the end of each episode is gives away that John is still missing despite the host’s amateur efforts to track him down. I feel terrible for John’s wife and her family but this story is better suited for an article.

The second season was even better than the first, and that is saying a lot. I could not wait for Wednesday mornings to listen to the next podcast. The characters are larger than life and stranger than fiction. I can't stop thinking about Linda and how she still holds on to knowing why John Ruffo did what he did. I was almost as excited as Matt Mosk was when he heard Linda had the tapes!

I’m enjoying the content and it’s been a great podcast. My only annoyance is the inconsistency of when episodes drop. I thought it was Wednesdays but it’s seems like it just gets updated randomly. That’s been a turn off.

Great story telling!! I can’t wait to hear more and more about this compelling story!

For Linda to blame Ed for dragging John into a life of crime is completely ridiculous. He cheated and stole because he was a criminal not because someone made him into one. However I do like the series. I could do without her little girl voice but I guess she can’t help that regardless of how old she is by now. Also she seems to be pining over him all these years later no mention of how happy she is in her life now no mention how happy she is that she has a daughter. How was she able to adopt a baby considering her connection to one of the FBI’s 15 most wanted criminals

I had to stop listening after three episodes, as the narrator fails to engage listeners with a resonant, charismatic vocal range. It’s monotone, flat, and frankly robotic. It’s unfortunate, really, because the production is elaborate and the content and detective work is grade A.

The concept is exciting. Unfortunately , the ABC host has the voice of Georg Costanza. The accent is grating. Cannot take it seriously. Oddly, the protagonist is a shorter, Staten Island version of George Costanza. Hard tohate. Voice of his wife is that of Mother Costanza. Gross. This podcast makes me want to PROTECT John Russo from bad production should I ever encounter him.

I love true crime, but this is refreshing because so far, nobody dies!

I find my self counting the days to the next episode… Love it!

I tried, but the wife’s little-girl voice is just too annoying

Love this Podcast-so interesting! Both seasons, shame on the inept prison systems.

I work at a place where I am treated poorly. I am older with several disabilities, but listening to this show helps me have a great day. I love crime shows and this series is fantastic!! When is the next episode?

The wife is annoying. She’s so hung up on that short, unattractive guy and even admits he was a liar. And then she hooks up with some co-worker she barely knows. This story is a mess!

Can’t wait for the next episode!

I don’t get why people like this. It is astonishingly boring. It wasn’t interesting at all. There’s literally nothing in the story that grabs you or that they added to it. The icing on the cake for me is how they found a way to bring skin color into it in order to make a black/white thing... even though he’s black!! They never once referenced his skin color. Not once. In the entire story... But they complained that the reason the cops didn’t go looking for him as much is bc the victim was black. So do you see what they did there? They tried to make it a race issue even though he’s black. Gotta find some way to blame white people. Such nauseating hypocrisy.

I have enjoyed the storytelling. Instead of stupid back and forth banter between hosts, you get first person accounts and good narrating. I agree with the Hawks’ son, the prison system should not be rewarding convicted murderers, and tax payers should not be paying for their sex changes. That was a heartbreaking story.

From the first episode it’s clear this season will have a “catch me if you can” feel. Mosk however keeps it grounded by showing early how crime hurts innocents. Like last season, law enforcement officers emerge early as sympathetic characters which is deserved.

Love Matt Mosk’s reporting here.

A+

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Prayers for the family. I cannot imagine the anguish of not knowing where the monster who killed the precious child. Shame on Lester’s family for withholding information. Shame on his dad! Do not uphold your children when they do wrong! How can he go from death row to a program where he can go shopping. I believe his family paid some guards or the warden to allow him freedom to escape. His family had to plan this out!

I appreciate that they don’t drag each episode out no matter the outcome of each lead but just give us the facts not making this a chit chat about how people feel about the progress or how terrible the case is or whatever two friends drinking wine picking apart the case like vultures. Thank you for giving it the respect that the families deserve! I pray that this podcast opens hearts, minds, & doors to finding him! You just know he’s most likely assaulted someone else & being so calm & controlled now makes him even scarier I think! The victim wouldn’t see it coming! I wonder if his wanted info & pictures is given to mortuary personnel at funeral homes because if he’s dead then of course they’d be the most likely to know.

And compelling. The subject matter is upsetting but the story is very well told

Love this and looking for more

It was good but was kind of boring, hard to keep my attention.

Love the way this story was done! Super addicting!

One day he was on death row. The next day he was driven to a mall to Christmas shop. Good Lord what were they thinking.

Love it 👻☠️💀😵😈😱👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Gets right into stuff, interesting even though you know the ending from the start and no really good details on the things you’d want to know. I’m at episode 5, so I’m almost fone, seems like there’s have to have been more interview material to add but I believe in the editors as I was one for decades.

I listened to the entire series in a day. I found myself constantly looking forward to the next episode. I couldn’t imagine someone getting so many lucky breaks. I would really love any follow up episodes as the story of Lester progresses.