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Spending the summer with his aunt as the only Black kid in a small Midwestern town was bad enough, but now Andy Carter’s summer has been effectively ruined. His dad’s parole hearing is postponed, he misses his friends, and—when an old barn burns down—he’s stuck taking the blame. Andy is sentenced with helping the barn’s owner, a cantankerous old man, renovate his crumbling mansion—a mansion that hides a mystery. It was once owned by the famous magician the Red Nave. In 1954, the Nave was a wanted suspect in the town’s most infamous murder before disappearing without a trace.

Bombastic headlines about science and technology are nothing new. To cut through the constant stream of information and misinformation on social media, or grab the attention of investors, or convince governments to take notice, strident headlines or bold claims seem necessary to give complex, nuanced information some wow factor. But hype has a dark side, too. It can mislead. It can distract. It can blinker us from seeing what is actually going on.

Smoke & Mirrors is an investigative podcast series by Consumer Watchdog that exposes the deceptions of the home insurance industry and empowers wildfire survivors to take back what they are owed. Reporter Justin Kloczko talks to people affected by the Los Angeles wildfires this year, and he digs into court records to show how they're being deceived by large companies. This series includes narrative storytelling, interviews, and court records.

Young Erin Hartsock arrives in Washington DC with ambition—and little interest in politics. However, when she's offered a position on a congresswoman's campaign for the Senate, she's more than happy to flee her dead-end job to take on what she expects will be boring administrative work . . . But as the campaign heats up, disturbing events follow. There's a string of dangerous fires, a violent attack, and a seemingly accidental death. Erin begins to wonder about her colleagues all while they grow suspicious of her.

Having spent months quietly investigating in the village of Raven Hill, Greer Hogan returns to New York City determined to find her husband’s murderer. She secures a temporary gig at a private library inventorying the personal collection of a deceased magician. In her free time, Greer sleuths, leaving no stone unturned—even the ones that could be hiding deadly secrets.

I don't know about love. I suspect the emotion that others apparently feel all the time is just . . . absent from me. Like there's an ingredient missing from the recipe. The possible exception is Gran. Grace cares about only two things: performing magic and her cantankerous gran. Gran shares her prickly personality and spiky sense of humour, and she's the only one Grace lets into her tightly locked heart – until she meets Simon, a schoolmate who promises to help her turn her magic tricks into a small business and social media stardom.

Working for heaven is a living hell for rogue wizard Josiah Quinn. There are too many rules and not enough easy cash. His first official assignment from the God Squad? Solve a string of brutal murders that he believes are part of an intricate and all-too-familiar summoning ritual involving broken mirrors. His investigation leads him to the front door of Stefan Nikolaides, the one and only living oracle in North America. What Josiah learns from Stefan’s terrifying visions sends him deep into the underworld of the Greek mafia.

Someone scratched a death threat in the paint of CDC nurse Kini Kerek's rental car. She's in Utah researching Hantavirus, but damaging rumors about the CDC have left residents suspicious and uncooperative. Thank goodness for former soldier Smoke, who's assigned to protect and help her navigate the isolated desert town as she races to identify a deadly virus. Memories from the combat zone leave ex-Special Forces soldier Lyle Smoke in a constant state of battle readiness, and he finds no solace. When he meets Kini Kerek, he discovers his heart isn't entirely dead.

Ever Chace is a Valkyrie, but not just any Valkyrie - she's a Valkyrie queen in the making. Torn between the past and present, love and obligation, Ever is terrified of saying the words that would break the curse she is bound to. Pushing Derek away hasn't simplified things; it has only made her miserable. With her father waking, and her and Derek's lives on the line, can she really shy away from who and what she is becoming? How long can Ever keep her past lives a secret? Pushing thoughts of his mate aside, Derek tries to focus on the task at hand.

Retired policeman turned killer Jeffrey Brandt has gone underground. He is even living something like a normal life in North Wales. He killed to make society stand up and take notice. It did. His crimes are notorious. So infamous, in fact, that someone wants to emulate him. How will Brandt react to a copycat killer? Will he be flattered, or disturbed that someone wants to steal his limelight? Crucially, for investigating officer DSI Stella Johnson, the new spate of murders might offer an opportunity to finally bring Brandt to justice.

Sasha has always loved the Cirque, a place filled with sequined costumes, dazzling spotlights, and magnificent tents. But when she starts fifth grade with the Islanders - the ordinary folk from the other side of the Island - for the first time, she’s not so sure she wants to be a Cirque kid. She starts to question her home and her Cirque family. Is the magic real? Are the stories even true? As the bullying by the Island kids gets worse, swirling blue-gray Smoke appears. One night in the big tent, Sasha’s dad performs, twisting his body through the air as the lights dance.

After declaring war on the criminal underworld, elite assassin Reed Montgomery uncovered a crippling secret: the organization he's fighting was founded by his father, and Reed must confront him if he has any hope of defeating it. Reaching David Montgomery is easier said than done, however. While in prison for manslaughter, insanity has taken hold, and now David doesn't remember his own son. Armed with a list of his father's known associates, Reed will drive out the truth by any means necessary.

Memphis Sullivan thought he was coming to Blissville to help his cousin out, but instead, he gained three meddlesome females, a tribe, and a permanent home. More than a year later, he owns a popular comic book and vinyl record store and doesn't think his life could get any better. That all changes when the star of his favorite television show and bad-boy fantasies rides into town and spices up his vanilla world.

This show is simply talking about finding your purpose through Gods eyes, Learning How to walk with our father and joining me on my Journey and truly being a child of God✊🏽🦋This world is not easy and the Lord did not say it would be but with our Lords help our savior Jesus Christ we can and will get through anything set before us. For everlasting and eternal life…🦋(John 10:27-28)

Podcast by Smoke & Mirrors: Ag Policy Unfiltered

Welcome to the Smoke & Mirrors: Ag Policy Unfiltered Podcast, where we dive deep into the stories, systems, and spectacles that shape our world. Each week, we peel back the layers of illusion—cultural, political, or personal—to uncover what’s real beneath the surface. Thought-provoking, unfiltered, and always curious, this is a space for those who question the obvious and lean into the gray. It’s not just talk—it’s truth through the haze.

Smoke & Mirrors is the third book from internationally bestselling poet Michael Faudet, author of Bitter Sweet Love and Dirty Pretty Things--both finalists in the 2016 and 2015 Goodreads Readers Choice Awards. Michael Faudet's latest book takes the listener on an emotionally charged journey...

Tune into our monthly podcast to hear J Lee, B-More, and D Troy as well as a host of guests and friends, as they take you on their random adventures and conversations

Logan Whitmere, the handsome owner of Cirque des Miroirs, is full of red flags: secretive, commanding, dangerous. I know better than to trust him, but I'm desperate for a way out of my small town, and he offers me a job as the fortune teller. What does Logan know that he isn't telling me? He seems to want to protect me—from the performers, from himself. I fall for his possession. I'm afraid of his obsession. There are secrets even the crystal ball won't reveal. When the truth is unveiled, I'm forced to confront my dark past.

Join us on a mind-bending journey through the world’s wildest conspiracy theories—where the truth is hazy, and so are we. Smoke & Mirrors takes a stoner’s perspective on the unexplained, unraveling everything from alien invasions and secret societies to ancient mysteries and the strangest government cover-ups. With a laid-back vibe and a sharp sense of humor, we explore the “what-ifs” and “could-it-bes” that keep you up at night—or during your next session. Whether you’re a skeptic, a believer, or just here for the munchies, this show is your ultimate trip into the unknown. ...