Notable Episodes "The Unsound", "Board to Death"
Pacific Northwest Stories have really made a name for themselves over the last few years. With the release of their first podcast, The Black Tapes, they produced a still-running, long-form fiction narrative told in the style of modern non-fiction investigative podcasts. They also created two likable and, more importantly, believable characters in host Alex Reagan and producer Nic Silver. The story follows Reagan as she co-investigates a group of difficult cases with a professional skeptic and perpetual scene-stealer, Dr. Strand. The voice acting is usually pretty good, though some guests occasionally make ill-advised attempts at accents. Occasionally, listeners may get frustrated as it's relatively easy to see where almost everything is going far before the hosts "figure it out". That said, the story is strong and characters have enough easy chemistry between them to keep most people invested. The first several episodes are a little slow, as the show takes a bit to find its footing. Once the show hits its stride, though, it chugs along toward a solid finale. Season 2 just started, and Season 1 is available to download for free. The Black Tapes is released every other week.