Mystery is My Hobby Presented by the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio

Adam Graham Radio Detective Podcasts

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In their own words

Mystery is My Hobby came to air as Murder is My Hobby, a title with an amusing double meaning. However, after 34 weeks, the series gained a sponsor–the Benefit Life Insurance Company of Omaha, Nebraska. They didn’t like the name. So thus it was changed.The series starred Glenn Langan as Mystery Writer Barton Drake, who teams up each week with Inspector Noah Danton to solve the weekly puzzle. At the end of each episode, Drake is sure to work in his catchphrase, “Murder/Mystery is My Hobby.”Beyond these basic facts, the series is an unsolved mystery. The episodes t...

As heard by us

Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026

Vintage radio mysteries turn guns, paint, poison and suspicious alibis into brisk exercises in listening for the detail everyone else missed.

Mystery is My Hobby Presented by the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio gives vintage crime puzzles room to work through suspicion, misdirection and physical clues.

Read our full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Purple paint points at a suspect; your fun begins when Barton Drake asks for the file cabinet.

Press play if you want

  • to catch Inspector Danton making an arrest before Drake is satisfied with the clues
  • to puzzle over a supposed suicide where the gun is in the wrong hand
Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Talks about

Best episodes of Mystery is My Hobby Presented by the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio

Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.

Mystery is My Hobby: Death Has Blue Eyes

A brisk, motive-heavy mystery where every answer seems one step away from trouble.

Death Has Blue Eyes works as a tangle of motives and old grudges, with Barton Drake walking into a room where almost everyone has a reason to lie.

Mystery is My Hobby: John Crain Murdered

A murder case driven by competing motives and sharp cross-accusations.

"John Crane Murdered" follows a knot of competing motives, with Mrs. Crane saying John wanted a divorce while she refused, and the rest of the cast tossing out accusations about who might have wanted him out of the way.

Mystery is My Hobby: Death of an Old Prospector

A death over gold turns into brisk, unsentimental inheritance drama.

When Hardtack dies, the episode turns into a row over gold, inheritance, and who thinks they deserve the money. It is less a slow puzzle than a loud scramble, with everyone pushing their angle and every answer landing with more temper than the last.

Mystery is My Hobby: Death Buys Flowers

A brisk hotel-room murder with a locked-room puzzle and sharp back-and-forth.

A hotel murder sets the board fast, with the body already cold and the clues refusing to yield an easy path. The sealed-room setup carries the tension, helped by the open window that leads nowhere useful and an elevator boy who seems a touch too familiar with the building,…

Mystery is My Hobby: Boston for Christmas

A Christmas mystery turns a murder confession into a sharp study of grief and self-deception.

The episode starts with a man saying he murdered someone, then keeps pressing on that confession until it feels less like guilt than something harder to pin down. Mr. Christian, the inspector, and Mr.

Mystery is My Hobby: Lake George Murder

A brisk old-radio murder puzzle that keeps the obvious answer from sticking.

"Lake George Murder" opens with a body that looks like a hit-and-run case, then changes shape once the bullet hole and the second wound come into view. The piece works because it holds back the obvious answer and lets the facts do the undoing.

Mystery is My Hobby: Death is Twin

A brisk twin-switch mystery with poison, banter, and a clean old-radio snap.

A poisoned glass of milk, a dead woman in a chair, and an identical twin set the stage fast. What gives it bite is the clipped back-and-forth, where the clues come out in argument and the dry little jabs keep it from getting solemn.

Mystery is My Hobby: Thief and the Paintings

A gun, a fainting woman, and a mystery that keeps refusing the easy answer.

"Thief and the Paintings" starts in a room that is already falling apart: alarm bells are going, a gun is on hand, and two men are trying to keep Laura steady after she wakes in panic.

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Episodes

  1. 1

    Mystery is My Hobby: Fishing Trip Ends in Murder

    Hidden gem

    Barton Drake and Inspector Danton take a fishing break at Pine Haven Lodge in the Adirondacks, but a hidden conversation between Hugh Osmond and Rita Conrad includes a direct threat against Rita’s husband.

    ·28m·1 clip
  2. 2

    Mystery is My Hobby: Murder Can Be Pleasant

    Hidden gem

    Classic old-time radio detective drama following Barton Drake and Inspector Noah Danton investigating the impossible murder of tennis champion Johnny Murray.

    ·34m
  3. 3

    Mystery is My Hobby: Death of an Old Prospector

    Hidden gem

    Barton Drake and Inspector Danton find the body of an old prospector near a giant cactus on the Arizona desert, then discover a pair of brand-new boots and a poke of gold that makes the death look less ordinary.

    ·31m·2 clips
  4. 4

    Mystery is My Hobby: Stephanie Brent Murdered

    Hidden gem

    Adam Graham presents a Mystery is My Hobby episode titled "Stephanie Brent Murdered," where Barton Drake is drawn to Chaminade's house after a phone call and finds Stephanie Brett shot in the library.

    ·30m·1 clip
  5. 5

    Mystery is My Hobby: Ghost Didn’t Walk

    Mystery Is My Hobby: Ghost Didn't Walk centers on Barton Drake, Inspector Denton, and constable Finn McNutt in Menden, where Russ Gordon is found with a knife in his chest and $5,000 missing.

    ·30m·1 clip
  6. 6

    Mystery is My Hobby: Henry Lawrence Murdered

    Henry Lawrence is dead.

    ·37m·2 clips
  7. 7

    Mystery is My Hobby: Estelle Wainwright Murdered

    Skru op for spänningen hos Mr. Green. Spill på sport eller ta en tur i casinoet med Blackjack og rou

    ·29m·1 clip
  8. 8

    Mystery is My Hobby: Kenneth Prangle, Polo Player

    Hidden gem

    Vintage mystery radio drama 'Mystery is My Hobby' featuring detective Barton Drake investigating a murder warning at the Matthews estate on Long Island.

    ·28m
  9. 9

    Mystery is My Hobby: Death Asks Questions

    Hidden gem

    Vintage radio mystery play featuring Detective Bart Drake investigating the murder of theater critic Donald Dodds, found dead in his locked apartment from poison gas.

    ·33m
  10. 10

    Mystery is My Hobby: Madame Valentine

    Hidden gem

    Classic radio mystery drama.

    ·31m·1 clip
  11. 11

    Mystery is My Hobby: Hudson Family Deaths

    Hidden gem

    The detective names the killers and nobody in the room can believe it

    ·30m·2 clips
  12. 12

    Mystery is My Hobby: Death Paints with Purple

    Hidden gem

    The broadcast opens with Adam Graham introducing Mystery is My Hobby and the case, Death Paints with Purple.

    ·32m·2 clips
  13. 13

    Mystery is My Hobby: Two Hours to Live

    Hidden gem

    A family argument over a trust fund turns ugly when Mr.

    ·32m·2 clips
  14. 14

    Mystery is My Hobby: Tov Morelli, Bank Robber

    Hidden gem

    The case opens with suspicion already in the room.

    ·31m·1 clip
  15. 15

    Mystery is My Hobby: John Crain Murdered

    Hidden gem

    Mystery Is My Hobby: John Crain Murdered centers on Inspector Noah Denton and Barton Drake examining a trunk, a lake, and a body that was first treated as a suicide.

    ·30m·2 clips
  16. 16

    Mystery is My Hobby: Thief and the Paintings

    Hidden gem

    Laura wakes up on a couch in the middle of a scare.

    ·34m·2 clips
  17. 17

    Mystery is My Hobby: Lake George Murder

    Hidden gem

    Mystery is My Hobby’s “Lake George Murder” starts with Dr.

    ·32m·2 clips
  18. 18

    Mystery is My Hobby: Radio Comedians Duel

    Hidden gem

    A gun is drawn, an arrest goes wrong, and a murder suspect insists the public won't pin the crime on him.

    ·32m·2 clips
  19. 19

    Mystery is My Hobby: Death is Twin

    Hidden gem

    A woman is found slumped in a chair with a book in her lap and a glass of milk on the floor.

    ·34m·2 clips
  20. 20

    Mystery is My Hobby: Death Has Blue Eyes

    Barton Drake steps into a smoke filled mess after Mike will not answer the phone.

    ·30m·2 clips
  21. 21

    Mystery is My Hobby: Coin Collector’s Murder

    Hidden gem

    Mystery Is My Hobby: Coin Collector's Murder centers on Barton Drake and Inspector Noah Danton arriving at Grant Parker's country house after a call about a stolen Maria Theresa toller, a rare coin Drake says can be worth $10,000.

    ·29m·1 clip
  22. 22

    Mystery is My Hobby: Boston for Christmas

    Hidden gem

    "Mystery is My Hobby: Boston for Christmas" opens with Barton Drake and Inspector Noah Gandy arriving in Boston for Beacon Hill carol singing and being stopped by Jimmy Christian, who says his father Noah Christian may have "murdered a man last night." The case centers on a fight at Harry's Bar, a dead man found near Beacon and Gloucester Street, and Noah Christian's plan to turn himself in before Christmas ends.

    ·29m·1 clip
  23. 23

    Mystery is My Hobby: Robert’s Rubber Company

    Hidden gem

    Adam Graham frames Mystery Is My Hobby: Robert's Rubber Company as likely airing in April or May 1945, then places it against the San Francisco conference that shaped the postwar world order.

    ·34m·2 clips
  24. 24

    Mystery is My Hobby: Death Buys Flowers

    Four floors up, the corpse waits.

    ·33m·2 clips
  25. 25

    Mystery is My Hobby: Death Has a Hotfoot

    ·30m
  26. 26

    Mystery is My Hobby: Death Speaks with Ten Fingers

    Hidden gem

    Mystery is My Hobby episode "Death Speaks with Ten Fingers" centers on Barton Drake and Inspector Danton investigating a double death tied to Ted Wallace, Pete Millar, and a sportsman's club bookmaking scheme.

    ·34m·2 clips
  27. 27

    Mystery is My Hobby: Bullets Make Holes

    Hidden gem

    Mystery Is My Hobby: Bullets Make Holes centers on Barton Drake, Inspector Noah Danton, and lodge keeper Charlie Ames at a fishing lodge on the Pierre Marquette near Walhalla.

    ·28m·1 clip
  28. 28

    Mystery is My Hobby: Death is a Grain of Sand

    Hidden gem

    Mystery is My Hobby: Death is a Grain of Sand centers on a stage illusion at the Rajah's theater, where a woman is buried under sand on a bed of spikes and then found shot.

    ·30m·1 clip
  29. 29

    Mystery is My Hobby: Murder at the Arnold House

    Hidden gem

    Mystery is My Hobby: Murder at the Arnold House centers on Paul Arnold, Brenda Arnold, Tony Irwin, and Bart Drake as a killing is reported in a room with a wall safe hidden behind curtains.

    ·29m·1 clip
  30. 30

    Mystery is My Hobby: Voice of Doom

    Hidden gem

    Mystery is My Hobby: Voice of Doom centers on Barton Drake and Inspector Dan as they answer Tracy Winthrop’s urgent letter and find a threatening voice outside Hurricane Manor.

    ·28m
  31. 31

    Mystery is My Hobby: The Case of 65 Women

    Hidden gem

    Mystery Is My Hobby: The Case of 65 Women begins with Barton Drake on the Queen Elizabeth dock in New York, where a French dance troupe arrives and one woman, Yvonne, dies after customs inspection.

    ·29m·1 clip
  32. 32

    Mystery is My Hobby: Death is One and Three

    An episode of the classic old-time radio detective series 'Mystery is My Hobby', featuring a fictional mystery solved by amateur sleuth Barton Drake.

    Apr 10, 2026·32m
  33. 33

    Mystery is My Hobby: Uncle Howard’s Treasure Map

    A host introduces an old time radio mystery drama featuring a writer and inspector solving crimes.

    Aug 1, 2025·28m
  34. 34

    Mystery is My Hobby: Sally Anders is Murdered

    A classic old time radio mystery drama where a writer and an inspector solve a murder case.

    Jul 25, 2025·28m
  35. 35

    Mystery is My Hobby: Chris Pomeroy

    A classic old time radio mystery drama where a mystery writer teams up with an inspector to solve crimes.

    Jul 18, 2025·32m
  36. 36

    Mystery is My Hobby: Ben Cramer

    A classic old time radio mystery drama about a writer and an inspector solving a crime.

    Jul 11, 2025·31m
  37. 37

    Mystery is My Hobby: Blue Jay Dude Ranch

    Jul 4, 2025·29m
  38. 38

    Mystery is My Hobby: Murder and the Folsom Point

    Jun 27, 2025·28m
  39. 39

    Mystery is My Hobby: Andrew Bradford Runs for Governor

    Jun 20, 2025·29m
  40. 40

    Mystery is My Hobby Episode 27

    Jun 12, 2025·32m
  41. 41

    Mystery is My Hobby: Wife and Her Friends

    Jun 6, 2025·29m
  42. 42

    Mystery is My Hobby: Murder at Asa Cook’s House

    May 30, 2025·30m
  43. 43

    Mystery is My Hobby: Hit Plan Gone Astray

    May 23, 2025·28m
  44. 44

    Mystery is My Hobby: Stella Dix is Murdered

    May 15, 2025·30m
  45. 45

    Mystery is My Hobby: Mink Coat

    May 9, 2025·34m
  46. 46

    Mystery is My Hobby: Cinderella for a Day

    May 2, 2025·31m
  47. 47

    Mystery is My Hobby: Phony Husband

    Apr 24, 2025·30m
  48. 48

    Mystery is My Hobby: Arthur Gideon’s Memoirs

    Apr 17, 2025·27m
  49. 49

    Mystery is My Hobby: Mystery of the Burning Light

    Apr 11, 2025·31m
  50. 50

    Mystery is My Hobby: Fatherly Advice

    Apr 3, 2025·27m
  51. 51

    Mystery is My Hobby: Clearing Peter Wade

    Mar 28, 2025·30m
  52. 52

    Mystery is My Hobby: The Waiting Game

    Mar 21, 2025·28m
  53. 53

    Mystery is My Hobby: The Eternal Triangle

    Mar 14, 2025·34m
  54. 54

    Mystery is My Hobby: Shots at Curtis Window

    Mar 7, 2025·32m
  55. 55

    Mystery is My Hobby: Engaged to Death

    Feb 28, 2025·29m
  56. 56

    Mystery is My Hobby: Death in Mark Adrian’s Studio

    Feb 21, 2025·31m
  57. 57

    Mystery is My Hobby: The Walking Corpse

    Feb 14, 2025·30m
  58. 58

    Mystery is My Hobby: Blackmail

    Feb 7, 2025·29m
  59. 59

    Mystery is My Hobby: Short Distance to Murder

    Jan 31, 2025·28m
  60. 60

    Mystery is My Hobby: Who Killed David Austin?

    Jan 17, 2025·29m
  61. 61

    Mystery is My Hobby: Murder Bound

    Jan 13, 2025·31m
  62. 62

    Mystery is My Hobby: Murder in the Ring

    Jan 10, 2025·31m
  63. 63

    Mystery is My Hobby: Dude Ranch

    Jan 2, 2025·28m
  64. 64

    Mystery is My Hobby: Snowbound

    Dec 27, 2024·36m
  65. 65

    Mystery is My Hobby: Mister Michaels, Murder Suspect

    This episode presents a classic old-time radio mystery drama, 'Mystery is My Hobby', featuring detective Barton Drake solving a case.

    Dec 20, 2024·28m
  66. 66

    Mystery is My Hobby: January-June Marriage Spells Murder

    This episode introduces the old time radio series 'Mystery is My Hobby' and plays a mystery story featuring writer Barton Drake solving crimes.

    Dec 13, 2024·36m
  67. 67

    Mystery is My Hobby: Death Writes an Epitath

    This episode features a classic old time radio mystery drama titled 'Death Rots an Epitaph' from the series Mystery is My Hobby.

    Aug 12, 2021·32m
  68. 68

    Mystery is My Hobby: Death Goes Before Pride

    A host introduces an episode of the old-time radio mystery series 'Mystery Is My Hobby' titled 'Death Goes Before Pride'.

    Aug 5, 2021·31m
  69. 69

    Mystery is My Hobby: Death Hides a Body

    A classic old-time radio mystery drama where a writer and an inspector solve a murder case.

    Jul 29, 2021·31m