Podcast Review: CounterClock – The Murder of Denise Johnson

Revisit the fascinating murder of Denise Johnson 22 years later in a new podcast from the Crime Junkies team and Delia D’ambra: CounterClock.

To be upfront from the very beginning, I am a true crime junkie. My love for true crime has been around for as long as I can remember, but my love of ‘true crime podcasts’ is a more recent development. From the first episode of CounterClock’s only available season, I was completely invested. As soon as that episode ended, I was desperate to know what happened to Denise Johnson. If you’re looking for a new season-long true crime story, CounterClock is your new podcast.

Is CounterClock New?

To be fair to long-time listeners of the podcast, CounterClock has been around for years. It was removed under its original branding and re-released by the same team responsible for the popular podcast, Crime Junkies. (Frequent podcast listeners are probably familiar with Crime Junkies or one of Ashley Flowers’s many other podcasts.) I was not an early adopter of the series and only discovered the podcast recently. The re-release contains new details and updates so if you caught it before, it might be worth a second listen.

Soooo… Quick Summary?

While the North Carolina Outer Banks has grown into a touristy beach haven over the last decade, in the 1990s, the OBX consisted of a string of small, sleepy, beach towns without a boardwalk anywhere in sight. It was during this time, on an early morning in July 1997, when a house fire was first reported on Norfolk Street. When firefighters made their way inside the burning home, they found 33-year-old Denise Johnson lying dead, naked, and with her throat slit. CounterClock’s first series follows investigative journalist Delia D’ambra as she follows up on the cold case 22 years later.

Should you Listen?

If you’re a true crime fan, give CounterClock a listen (it’s only 13 episodes, each coming in under an hour). Delia D’ambra crafts Denise Johnson’s story in a compelling manner and proves she is a bulldog when it comes to tracking down any lead. I don’t know what will come with a second season (if there is one), but I can promise you the first season is well worth your time. Watch the trailer below:

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