The Man Who Calculated Death podcast

The Man Who Calculated Death

New episodes released for free every Tuesday. In 2013, journalist Suzanne Rico gets the call. Her mother, Gabriele, is dying. As time ticks down, Gabriele reveals an unfinished memoir about her World War II childhood–and makes a daunting last request: “Finish what I started.” When Suzanne and her sister, Stephanie, dive into their mother’s turbulent past, they come face to face with the truth of their own ancestry for the first time, including mind blowing mysteries that swirl around inventor Robert Lusser–their grandfather–and his work for the Third Reich. As they struggle to bring closure to something as intimate as a memoir, they have no idea of the revelations in store, or the reckoning they will require.

New episodes released for free every Tuesday. In 2013, journalist Suzanne Rico gets the call. Her mother, Gabriele, is dying. As time ticks down, Gabriele reveals an unfinished memoir about her World War II childhood–and makes a daunting last request: “Finish what I started.” When Suzanne and her sister, Stephanie, dive into their mother’s turbulent past, they come face to face with the truth of their own ancestry for the first time, including mind blowing mysteries that swirl around inventor Robert Lusser–their grandfather–and his work for the Third Reich. As they struggle to bring closure to something as intimate as a memoir, they have no idea of the revelations in store, or the reckoning they will require.

 

#14

The Soul of the Story: 13

Suzanne sits down with friend and Executive Producer, Lisa Joyner, to discuss the beating ... more

03 Jun 2025

41 MINS

41:28

03 Jun 2025


#13

Behind the Scenes with Jon Cryer: 12

Suzanne sits down with Executive Producer Jon Cryer to discuss the origin of the podcast, ... more

27 May 2025

18 MINS

18:00

27 May 2025


#12

Doodlebug Summer: 11

Suzanne investigates the three-month stretch in 1944 when Germany launched the most V1 fly... more

20 May 2025

10 MINS

10:44

20 May 2025


#11

The Sound of Silence: 10

Suzanne and Stephanie view footage and documents from a 1944 press conference in London ho... more

13 May 2025

15 MINS

15:40

13 May 2025


#10

Unintended Consequences: 9

Suzanne visits Tante Heide, who is now seriously ill, and Tante Traute, to tell them of th... more

06 May 2025

51 MINS

51:56

06 May 2025


#9

Lost Souls: 8

Suzanne and Stephanie walk the halls of a children’s home where their mom described her mo... more

29 Apr 2025

36 MINS

36:41

29 Apr 2025


#8

The Dark Road of the Future: 7

In the wake of investigating their grandmother’s death, the sister revisit the day their o... more

22 Apr 2025

36 MINS

36:31

22 Apr 2025


#7

Broken Glass: 6

Suzanne and Stephanie stumble around a small cemetery in Bavaria, searching for their gran... more

15 Apr 2025

35 MINS

35:59

15 Apr 2025


#6

Chamber 44: 5

Suzanne and Stephanie visit Tante Heide in Sacramento, California, where the sisters’ belo... more

08 Apr 2025

43 MINS

43:02

08 Apr 2025


#5

V Is For Vengeance: 4

In the aftermath of the fire bombing, Robert Lusser’s family finds shelter in an abandoned... more

01 Apr 2025

41 MINS

41:07

01 Apr 2025


#4

Into The Fire: 3

Suzanne and Stephanie investigate their family's experience in the long-ago fire bombing o... more

25 Mar 2025

40 MINS

40:43

25 Mar 2025


#3

Candles In The Window: 2

Suzanne and Stephanie begin at their mother’s childhood home in Augsburg, where they’re fa... more

18 Mar 2025

40 MINS

40:35

18 Mar 2025


#2

The Last Request: 1

Suzanne and Stephanie Rico dig through their deceased mother's office searching for clues ... more

18 Mar 2025

38 MINS

38:29

18 Mar 2025


#1

Introducing: The Man Who Calculated Death

In 2013, journalist Suzanne Rico gets the call. Her mother, Gabriele, is dying. As time ti... more

11 Mar 2025

02 MINS

02:22

11 Mar 2025