The Silver Linings Handbook

Hosted by Jayson Blair

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259

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Life has many layers. Whether it's true crime, the media spotlight, mental health, religion or any other part of a person’s journey, there are so many deeper truths underneath the surface. To truly understand them, you need to peel back those layers to find the depth, beauty, joy, suffering and struggles that become the silver linings. Join Jayson Blair each week for interesting conversations with interesting people from all walks of life. Artwork by Hannah Hill. https://www.instagram.com/serious_moonlite/?hl=en Production by Alyssa Miller. https://www.instagram.com/alyssarenee.co/?hl=en ]]>

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September 8, 20261 hr 1 min

215 .The Journalist and The Serial Killer with Maria DiLorenza, Part 1

Janet Malcolm once wrote that every journalist who truly understands their work knows its moral ambiguity. She was describing the uneasy intimacy between reporter and subject — and how that bond can fracture. But sometimes, the journalist isn’t the most manipulative person in the room. Maria DiLorenzo, one of the only journalists to interview Gary Ridgway, joins me to explore her years‑long relationship with the Green River Killer, his double life, his psychology, and the early failures that let him keep killing. Contact me at silverliningshandbookpod@gmail.com Check out the Silver Linings Handbook website at: https://silverliningshandbook.com/ Check out our Patreon to support the show at: https://www.patreon.com/thesilverliningshandboo k Join our Facebook Group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1361159947820623 Visit the Silver Linings Handbook store to support the podcast at: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-silver-linings-handbook-podcast-store Visit The True Crime Times Substack at: https://truecrimemessenger.substack.com Jayson's Substack newsletter, The Center Holds , can be found at: The Center Holds | Jayson Blair | Substack The Silver Linings Handbook podcast is a part of the ART19 network. ART19 is a subsidiary of Wondery and Amazon Music. See the Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and the California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

September 1, 202654 min

214. Speaking for the Dead with Michele Wood, Part 2

Former Chicago Homicide Detective Michele Wood returns with an unfiltered look at the cases that haunt her, the ones that cracked open years later, and the ones she’s hoping will close. She talks witness intimidation, cold‑case breakthroughs, and what justice really looks like in neighborhoods living with daily violence. Contact me at silverliningshandbookpod@gmail.com Check out the Silver Linings Handbook website at: https://silverliningshandbook.com/ Check out our Patreon to support the show at: https://www.patreon.com/thesilverliningshandboo k Join our Facebook Group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1361159947820623 Visit the Silver Linings Handbook store to support the podcast at: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-silver-linings-handbook-podcast-store Visit The True Crime Times Substack at: https://truecrimemessenger.substack.com Jayson's Substack newsletter, The Center Holds , can be found at: The Center Holds | Jayson Blair | Substack The Silver Linings Handbook podcast is a part of the ART19 network. ART19 is a subsidiary of Wondery and Amazon Music. See the Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and the California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

August 25, 202655 min

213. Speaking for the Dead with Michelle Wood, Part 1

Michele Wood is a 25-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, a longtime homicide and cold-case detective, an FBI-certified hostage negotiator, and the author of the book Model Detective . Michele traces the roots of her career back to her childhood in gang-plagued Logan Square, including the violent attack she survived at age 11 that sharpened her instincts and set her on the path toward policing. For Michele, being a homicide detective is ultimately a calling - a commitment to speak for those who can no longer speak for themselves. Contact me at silverliningshandbookpod@gmail.com Check out the Silver Linings Handbook website at: https://silverliningshandbook.com/ Check out our Patreon to support the show at: https://www.patreon.com/thesilverliningshandboo k Join our Facebook Group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1361159947820623 Visit the Silver Linings Handbook store to support the podcast at: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-silver-linings-handbook-podcast-store Visit The True Crime Times Substack at: https://truecrimemessenger.substack.com Jayson's Substack newsletter, The Center Holds , can be found at: The Center Holds | Jayson Blair | Substack The Silver Linings Handbook podcast is a part of the ART19 network. ART19 is a subsidiary of Wondery and Amazon Music. See the Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and the California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

August 18, 20261 hr 21 min

212. Girl on Fire with Jennifer Eskew, Part 2

Jennifer Eskew picks up her story at the moment her career begins to accelerate. In Part 2, she walks us through the realities of undercover work in Virginia — the operations that shaped her, the risks she learned to manage, and the emotional and ethical weight of living a double life. She talks about the cases that defined her early years, the moments that tested her resolve, and the institutional barriers she had to navigate as one of the only women doing this work at the time. We also explore how those experiences prepared her for the federal cases and national crises she would later confront, and how she learned to carry the cost of the job without letting it consume her. Contact me at silverliningshandbookpod@gmail.com Check out the Silver Linings Handbook website at: https://silverliningshandbook.com/ Check out our Patreon to support the show at: https://www.patreon.com/thesilverliningshandboo k Join our Facebook Group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1361159947820623 Visit the Silver Linings Handbook store to support the podcast at: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-silver-linings-handbook-podcast-store Visit The True Crime Times Substack at: https://truecrimemessenger.substack.com Jayson's Substack newsletter, The Center Holds , can be found at: The Center Holds | Jayson Blair | Substack The Silver Linings Handbook podcast is a part of the ART19 network. ART19 is a subsidiary of Wondery and Amazon Music. See the Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and the California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

August 11, 20261 hr 12 min

211. Girl on Fire with Jennifer Eskew, Part 1

Jennifer Eskew grew up in a small farming community in rural Virginia where violent crime was rare — until a 1968 shooting injured her mother, sister, and neighbors and set her on a lifelong path toward law enforcement. In this episode, Jennifer talks about that moment, the community that shaped her, the early barriers she faced as a woman pursuing police work, and how she eventually became a Virginia State Trooper and the state’s first full‑time female undercover officer. We also discuss her role in the Colonial Parkway murders investigation and the early undercover work that defined her career. Contact me at silverliningshandbookpod@gmail.com Check out the Silver Linings Handbook website at: https://silverliningshandbook.com/ Check out our Patreon to support the show at: https://www.patreon.com/thesilverliningshandboo k Join our Facebook Group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1361159947820623 Visit the Silver Linings Handbook store to support the podcast at: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-silver-linings-handbook-podcast-store Visit The True Crime Times Substack at: https://truecrimemessenger.substack.com The Silver Linings Handbook podcast is a part of the ART19 network. ART19 is a subsidiary of Wondery and Amazon Music. See the Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and the California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

August 4, 20261 hr 8 min

210. Inside the Forensic Mind with Paige Wilcoxson

In this episode, Dr. Paige Wilcoxson joins us to discuss what people often get wrong about forensic psychology, what it takes and costs, and what the work helps us understand about ourselves, criminal behavior, and the world around us. Paige worked as a clinical and forensic psychologist in hospitals and prisons and as a graduate intern in the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, where she contributed to a project on serial homicides while working on her dissertation on threat assessment of ideologically motivated targeted shooters. Paige has also worked as a professor in the United States and the United Kingdom. Contact me at silverliningshandbookpod@gmail.com Check out the Silver Linings Handbook website at: https://silverliningshandbook.com/ Check out our Patreon to support the show at: https://www.patreon.com/thesilverliningshandboo k Join our Facebook Group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1361159947820623 Visit the Silver Linings Handbook store to support the podcast at: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-silver-linings-handbook-podcast-store Visit The True Crime Times Substack at: https://truecrimemessenger.substack.com The Silver Linings Handbook podcast is a part of the ART19 network. ART19 is a subsidiary of Wondery and Amazon Music. See the Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and the California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

July 28, 202658 min

209. The Impossible Theory with Aaron Habel, Part 2

Aaron Habel, the host of the Generation Why podcast, joins me for our second and final conversation on his new podcast series, Framed, which explores the murder of Scott Macklem and the conviction of Fred Freeman, who changed his name to Temujin Kensu. To listen to Season 3 of Framed: True Crime Podcast Framed- Official Site – Framed: An Investigative Story Contact me at silverliningshandbookpod@gmail.com Check out the Silver Linings Handbook website at: https://silverliningshandbook.com/ Check out our Patreon to support the show at: https://www.patreon.com/thesilverliningshandboo k Join our Facebook Group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1361159947820623 Visit the Silver Linings Handbook store to support the podcast at: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-silver-linings-handbook-podcast-store Visit The True Crime Times Substack at: https://truecrimemessenger.substack.com The Silver Linings Handbook podcast is a part of the ART19 network. ART19 is a subsidiary of Wondery and Amazon Music. See the Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and the California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

July 21, 202657 min

208. The Impossible Theory with Aaron Habel, Part 1

Aaron Habel, the host of the Generation Why podcast, joins me to discuss the murder of Scott Macklem and the conviction of Fred Freeman, who changed his name to Temujin Kensu. The case has been approached from many angles over the years — who killed Macklem or whether Kensu was wrongfully convicted. Aaron, in a new season of his Framed podcast, is widening the lens to ask another question. Contact me at silverliningshandbookpod@gmail.com Check out the Silver Linings Handbook website at: https://silverliningshandbook.com/ Check out our Patreon to support the show at: https://www.patreon.com/thesilverliningshandboo k Join our Facebook Group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1361159947820623 Visit the Silver Linings Handbook store to support the podcast at: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-silver-linings-handbook-podcast-store Visit The True Crime Times Substack at: https://truecrimemessenger.substack.com The Silver Linings Handbook podcast is a part of the ART19 network. ART19 is a subsidiary of Wondery and Amazon Music. See the Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and the California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

July 7, 202655 min

207. No-Body Homicides with Tad DiBiase, Part 2

In Part 2 of my conversation with former federal prosecutor Tad DiBiase, we dig into how investigators distinguish a missing‑persons case from a homicide, why the absence of evidence can be the most powerful clue, and how prosecutors build no‑body murder cases. We talk through successful prosecutions — including Lloyd Lee Welch in the Lyon sisters case and Sante and Kenneth Kimes in the murder of Irene Silverman — as well as failures like the dismissed case against Michael Turney in the disappearance of his daughter, Alyssa. We also explore what it may take to finally resolve long‑standing no‑body cases, from the Lewis‑Clark Valley disappearances to the cases of Ashley Loring HeavyRunner and Jermain Charlo. Listen to part 1 with Tad here . Contact me at silverliningshandbookpod@gmail.com Check out the Silver Linings Handbook website at: https://silverliningshandbook.com/ Check out our Patreon to support the show at: https://www.patreon.com/thesilverliningshandboo k Join our Facebook Group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1361159947820623 Visit the Silver Linings Handbook store to support the podcast at: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-silver-linings-handbook-podcast-store Visit The True Crime Times Substack at: https://truecrimemessenger.substack.com The Silver Linings Handbook podcast is a part of the ART19 network. ART19 is a subsidiary of Wondery and Amazon Music. See the Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and the California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

June 23, 202644 min

206. No-Body Homicides with Tad DiBiase, Part 1

Tad DiBiase, a former federal homicide prosecutor, joins me to discuss his path to specializing in no-body homicide cases, how investigators recognize when a missing person may actually have been murdered, and the core challenges of proving these cases. We explore historical and modern no-body homicides, along with ongoing cases that remain unresolved. Contact me at silverliningshandbookpod@gmail.com Check out the Silver Linings Handbook website at: https://silverliningshandbook.com/ Check out our Patreon to support the show at: https://www.patreon.com/thesilverliningshandboo k Join our Facebook Group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1361159947820623 Visit the Silver Linings Handbook store to support the podcast at: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-silver-linings-handbook-podcast-store Visit The True Crime Times Substack at: https://truecrimemessenger.substack.com The Silver Linings Handbook podcast is a part of the ART19 network. ART19 is a subsidiary of Wondery and Amazon Music. See the Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and the California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .