Hello, there! With one week until Halloween, spooky season is at its peak. From old-fashioned campfire stories that’ll keep you up at night, to a chilling story from the pandemic, to a near nuclear war, we’re diving into a multitude of horrors. Plus, an upcoming audiobook is already making headlines.

We Were Three

The Set Up

“I’ve been too distraught to tell you, but Dad passed away today at 2:42 pm.” Rachel McKibben’s world stopped when she received this text from her brother Peter. Even more shocking was when Peter died just two weeks later. They had both contracted Covid after becoming fearful of vaccines during the pandemic. Through her shock and grief, Rachel finds a record of Peter’s final days that reveal exactly what happened to her loved ones. All episodes of We Were Three, the latest podcast from the production team behind the mega-hit podcast Serial, are out now.

The Host

Nancy Updike—writer, editor and producer at This American Life —became fascinated with Rachel McKibben’s story after reading her tweets about the shocking and sudden loss of her family and set out to uncover what happened.

The TL;DL

A 3-part story of lies, family, grief and Covid’s destruction.

For more shocking familial stories:

“The United States and the Soviet Union almost started an actual nuclear war entirely by accident, and none of us knew anything about it.”

This week’s trending podcasts will have you in full body chills reaching for the night light. Plus, a chart-topping pop star interviews celebrities and Guy Raz has a new podcast.

Spooky Season: Horrors and Nightmares

Suspenders: Investigations and Narratives

Closetalk: Interviews and Conversations

Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

Matthew Perry is best known for his role as the quick-witted and loveable Chandler Bing on the mega-hit series Friends. Next week, Perry’s first memoir comes out along with an audiobook read by the actor himself. Ahead of its release, stories from the book have already been making headlines, including a shocking reveal that Perry nearly died at the age of 49 when his colon burst due to his opioid abuse. In addition to opening up about his struggle with addiction, Perry chronicles his rise to fame from childhood to his experience on one of the biggest TV shows of all time. Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing is available, November 1st.