u/Ok_Writer3166

The Demon Next Door The Atlantic, Stephanie McCrummen

A charismatic church in Tennessee decided the bookstore across the street was a stronghold for a demon named Lilith. McCrummen traces how "strategic spiritual warfare" against the shop's owner escalated to masked men showing up armed, and how the same language now runs through Trump's cabinet and a lieutenant governor's war room.

The Mystery of Why Sonia Exelby Paid a Man to Kill Her The Telegraph, Max Stephens

A 31 year old from a quiet English seaside town flew to Florida and paid a stranger $4,000 to kill her. Stephens reconstructs the two years that led there, and the messages she sent from inside the Airbnb where it happened.

Romance Scams Are on the Rise. Here's One Woman's Story AP, Juliet Linderman

Jean Booth wired more than $90,000 to a man who didn't exist, over 237 days, even after she'd started to suspect he wasn't real. Linderman documents what happened after that scam ended and a second one began within weeks.

20 Years After His Wife Fell to Her Death, a Youth Pastor's Story Unravels CNN, Lauren Mascarenhas

A youth pastor's wife fell from Angel's Landing in 2006, and he collected $567,000 in life insurance. Nineteen years later, NASA sun-position data helped unravel his account of that morning, and the case ended before it reached trial.

The Rosenberg Boys The Atlantic, Amy Weiss-Meyer

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg's sons spent 50 years insisting their parents were innocent. Declassified documents proved their father guilty and left one question about their mother's choice that they still can't answer.

Hi everyone,

As you may know, I curate a daily longform newsletter called Lunch Break Reads, and every month I pull together the five stories that got the most clicks from readers. Here's July's list, in case you've missed any of these stories!

The Demon Next Door The Atlantic, Stephanie McCrummen

A charismatic church in Tennessee decided the bookstore across the street was a stronghold for a demon named Lilith. McCrummen traces how "strategic spiritual warfare" against the shop's owner escalated to masked men showing up armed, and how the same language now runs through Trump's cabinet and a lieutenant governor's war room.

The Mystery of Why Sonia Exelby Paid a Man to Kill Her The Telegraph, Max Stephens

A 31 year old from a quiet English seaside town flew to Florida and paid a stranger $4,000 to kill her. Stephens reconstructs the two years that led there, and the messages she sent from inside the Airbnb where it happened.

Romance Scams Are on the Rise. Here's One Woman's Story AP, Juliet Linderman

Jean Booth wired more than $90,000 to a man who didn't exist, over 237 days, even after she'd started to suspect he wasn't real. Linderman documents what happened after that scam ended and a second one began within weeks.

20 Years After His Wife Fell to Her Death, a Youth Pastor's Story Unravels CNN, Lauren Mascarenhas

A youth pastor's wife fell from Angel's Landing in 2006, and he collected $567,000 in life insurance. Nineteen years later, NASA sun-position data helped unravel his account of that morning, and the case ended before it reached trial.

The Rosenberg Boys The Atlantic, Amy Weiss-Meyer

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg's sons spent 50 years insisting their parents were innocent. Declassified documents proved their father guilty and left one question about their mother's choice that they still can't answer.

Lots of great stories were shared in the newsletter this week. These were my favorites!

The Atlantic (gift link): The Rosenberg Boys

The Narwhal: Meet Gary, the Serval British Columbia Made Illegal

Outside: The Mysterious Story of Moncacht-Ape, the Yazoo Explorer Who Walked Across America

https://magazine.atavist.com/2021/the-girl-in-the-picture-aundria-bowman-dennis-murder-michigan-cold-case

https://www.lunchbreakreads.com/p/gps-spoofing-superyacht

https://www.lunchbreakreads.com/p/the-doctors-gave-him-two-years-he-spent-them-hiking-to-canada

Doomscrolling is taking a toll, so I started Lunch Break Reads. Every day, I send out four interesting longform stories for you to read during lunch. Check out today's edition here.

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/water-activities/stone-skipping-kurt-steiner/

https://www.propublica.org/article/deschutes-river-oregon-water-rights

https://www.lunchbreakreads.com/p/raw-farm-raw-milk-fda