Journalists chase a decades-long trail through a coronial inquest and Rick Bloom's dozens of aliases.
The Lady Vanishes tracks the unresolved case of Marion Barter with patient reporting, coroner’s court detail, first-hand accounts, and listener tips. Its engine is Sally’s years-long effort to understand what happened to her mother.
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The Lady Vanishes is a narrative true crime series structured as an ongoing, real-time investigation rather than a closed-case retrospective. Co-hosts Alison Sandy and Brian Seymour narrate developments and conduct interviews, with episodes built around coronial inquest hearings, document trails, and testimony gathered across Australia and Belgium. The recurring subject is the 1997 disappearance of Marion Barter and the pursuit of Rick Bloom, a man documented to have used over 50 aliases and been convicted of fraud multiple times in Europe. Sally Layden, Marion's daughter, appears repeatedly as the person driving the public campaign for answers, alongside her sister Evelyn and several Belgian women who describe being financially exploited or endangered by Bloom. Episode lengths vary widely, from short bonus updates and book announcements of a few minutes to full investigative episodes near 80 minutes covering inquest sessions in detail. Recurring institutional figures include NSW Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan and lawyers involved in the inquest, alongside NSW Police, whose handling of the original 1997 case is examined critically. The show draws on collaboration with Channel 7's Spotlight program and 7NEWS reporting. Listeners who follow the series encounter legal proceedings, financial fraud schemes, and questions about missing persons investigation practices in Australia. The tone throughout is investigative and measured rather than sensational, with hosts letting courtroom exchanges and witness accounts carry much of each episode. It is best suited to listeners already familiar with the case or willing to follow a single story across many installments rather than listeners seeking self-contained episodes.
Made for: Listeners interested in long-running true crime investigations, missing persons cases, and Australian coronial inquest reporting.
What sets it apart: Rather than recapping a closed case, the series has followed a single active investigation and its coronial inquest in near-real time across more than 90 episodes and five years.
A much-loved mother, teacher and friend steps on a plane for an overseas adventure and is never seen again. Marion Barter, the former wife of Australian soccer great Johnny Warren, went missing in 1997. The circumstances surrounding her disappearance are bizarre. Her daughter has never given up hope of finding her. This is her quest.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
A patient serialized investigation that clarifies complex court evidence while keeping Marion Barter and her daughter's search at its center.
The Lady Vanishes sustains a serialized investigation into Marion Barter's disappearance, with presenter Alison Sandy and investigative journalist Brian Seymour moving between field reporting, interviews and coronial proceedings.
A coronial inquest becomes appointment listening when every denial makes you lean closer.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A restrained court-day episode centered on Sally Leydon's first official answer after 27 years without her mother.
At the New South Wales Coroner's Court at Lidcombe, The Lady Vanishes follows the day Sally Leydon is told officially that her mother, Marion Barter, is deceased after 27 years missing.
A tense Brussels chapter shaped by money, fear, and Ghislaine's hard-won clarity about Frederick.
The Debt takes The Lady Vanishes to Brussels, where Marion Barter's disappearance is held against another woman's account of Frederick, also called Rick Bloom.
A careful, bruising chapter where two daughters search for answers through overlapping family mysteries.
Daughter is one of the more intimate turns in The Lady Vanishes, shifting from Marion Barter's long disappearance to Evelyn, born in Sydney to a Hungarian mother and a Belgian-born father listed as Willy Wooters, a man tied to many names.
A restrained aftermath to Marion Barter's inquest hearings, centred on Sally Layden, unanswered questions, and the women still speaking up.
Aftermath picks up after the public hearings in Marion Barter's coronial inquest, with Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan's findings still to come. Alison Sandy and Brian Seymour keep Sally Layden close to the centre of it: a daughter still waiting, after years of searching, for…
A tense inquest episode built on disputed money, repeated denials, and the slow testing of credibility.
The Lady Vanishes returns to Lismore for the afternoon of Day 2 in the latest coronial inquest hearing into Marion Barter's disappearance. This instalment centres on Ghislaine Dubois-Danlois and Mr Bloom, whose evidence is marked by repeated denials: no Bali marriage plan, no…
A measured inquest chapter centered on Andre Flume's evidence and what it adds to the questions around Rick Bloom.
The Inquest: Part 18 returns six months after Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan delayed her findings into Marion Barter's disappearance, following new evidence connected to alleged victims of Rick Bloom.
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This episode promotes a petition for justice in the Amy Wensley death investigation and invites listener questions for upcoming discussions.
This episode introduces a true crime podcast investigating the mysterious death of Amy Wensley, a young mother whose shotgun wound was initially ruled suicide but is now suspected to be murder.
Hosts Alison Sandy and Brian Seymour announce the release of The Lady Vanishes book, a companion to their long-running true crime podcast of the same name.
Marion Barter has been missing for 27 years.
This episode previews the upcoming coroner's findings on the 26-year disappearance of Marion Barter, highlighting the mysterious circumstances and her daughter's relentless search.
This episode investigates the mysterious 26-year disappearance of Marion Barter, exploring suspects like Rick Blum and Michael Reid in a true crime deep dive.
The episode promotes a new podcast about a former government minister jailed for corruption, while the show itself investigates the 1997 disappearance of Marion Barter.
A daughter's relentless search for her mother who vanished in 1997 under bizarre circumstances.
This episode discusses the mysterious 26-year disappearance of Marion Barter, a mother and teacher, exploring the bizarre circumstances and a daughter's relentless quest for answers.
The trail reaches Brussels.
Marion Barter has been missing for nearly 26 years.
Episode 50 sits in the wait for findings.
Back at Lismore, the questions get narrower.
Six months have passed.
A daughter's relentless search for her mother who vanished in 1997 under bizarre circumstances.
This episode investigates the 25-year disappearance of Marion Barter, focusing on a trip to Luxembourg to track down a man connected to a personal ad from 1994.
A daughter's relentless search for her mother who vanished in 1997 after boarding a plane for an overseas adventure.
A 98-year-old Holocaust survivor recounts his journey from Auschwitz to becoming a hockey legend.
The host promotes another true crime series while the main show investigates the disappearance of Marion Barter.
The episode updates listeners on the postponed coroner's findings in the Marion Barter disappearance case and highlights new evidence from recent podcast episodes.
A daughter's relentless quest to find her mother who vanished in 1997, with new inquest testimony from a suspected serial swindler.
A daughter's relentless search for her mother who vanished in 1997, with the episode covering the final week of the inquest into the disappearance.
A daughter's relentless search for her mother who vanished in 1997, exploring bizarre circumstances and a man with many aliases.
A daughter's relentless search for her mother, Marion Barter, who vanished in 1997, with new inquest testimony revealing connections to a mysterious man.
A daughter's relentless search for her mother who vanished in 1997, with new evidence emerging from an inquest.
A daughter's relentless quest to find her mother, Marion Barter, who vanished in 1997, with new inquest revelations.
A daughter's relentless quest to find her mother who vanished in 1997, with the latest inquest proceedings revealing the investigation is ongoing.
A daughter's relentless quest to find her mother who vanished in 1997, with new inquest evidence.
A daughter's relentless search for her mother who vanished in 1997, with the latest episode covering the inquest proceedings.
A daughter's relentless search for her mother who vanished in 1997, with new inquest evidence.
A daughter's relentless quest to find her mother who vanished in 1997, with this episode covering the first two days of the inquest.
The episode covers the start of the inquest into the 1997 disappearance of Marion Barter, with the host and her daughter discussing the upcoming proceedings and personal reflections.
The hosts celebrate the announcement of a coronial inquest into the disappearance of Marion Barter, a major milestone in their investigation.