Apartment 515 Podcast with Jeff Pearlman cover art

Apartment 515

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Apartment 515

By: Jeff Pearlman
Narrated by: Jeff Pearlman
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About this listen

Jeff Pearlman is a critically-acclaimed sportswriter, with bestselling books about the Mets and the Lakers to his credit, but some ten years ago he found himself out of his element when he came face to face with a murderer. That’s where this insane true crime story begins.

Apartment 515 is a podcast exploring how Pearlman first encountered a part-time professional backgammon player named Rod Covlin while both men were waiting to pick up their young children from preschool inside a Jewish Community Center in the upscale suburb of Scarsdale, New York. Pearlman thought of Covlin as "Mr. Balloon Animals" - the single dad whose special talent was tying balloons into funny shapes for the kids. It was then that Pearlman heard a story - one that was just rumor at the time - about Covlin allegedly committing a shocking crime.

Pearlman would spend the next decade, off and on, investigating the case, tracking down witnesses, running down leads, and ultimately confronting a murderer in prison about his victim. By turns surprising, emotional, and thrilling, Apartment 515 takes twists and turns listeners won’t see coming. It’s the kind of tale that makes you wonder: how many of your friends, family members and neighbors are wearing a disguise? How far will they go to hide their true face? And what lengths are you prepared to go to uncover who they really are?

©2021 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC
Murder True Crime
Episodes
  • Episode One - Mr. Balloon Animals
    Sep 16 2021
    Sportswriter Jeff Pearlman discovers that one of his neighbors has been accused of a shocking crime, and begins to investigate the tragic, tangled tale of Rod and Shele Covlin.
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    20 mins
  • Episode Two - Rolling the Dice
    Sep 16 2021
    Businesswoman Shele Danishefsky takes a chance and marries Rod Covlin, a man she barely knows.
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    19 mins
  • Episode Three - Look Out For Love
    Sep 16 2021
    Professional backgammon, and shocking secrets, begin to unravel the Covlins’ marriage.
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    21 mins
All stars
Most relevant
I didn't know what to expect from this but I was very
surprised.The story told is very interesting and is read very clearly. This is well worth a listen!

Good story with lots of little details

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Very well narrated and put together. My heart is broken for this poor woman and her family, especially her children.

Heart breaking

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such a great deep dive into this case.. so sad for Shelley"s family. Great job Jeff.

excellent case

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I thought it was well researched and well read. Thoroughly enjoyed listening to it in one go.

Thought it was well researched and well read.

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"She remembered the surly obnoxiousness, the refrigerated anger in his eyes, but she also thought he was kind of cute."
This story has been challenging to listen to due to the stupidity of the adult women who fell for the obvious jerk, and of the friends/family who watched it all happen without beating some sense into the jerk (at least figuratively). There were too many signs that everybody ignored. This guy was not even trying to hide his massive anger issues; he wasn't concealing anything. Yet, an accomplished woman decides to have kids with this creature and pass on his genes? Another woman is initially repulsed but chooses to ignore the bad behavior and the giant red flags, because he's cute and sometimes charming. Not to mentions "dozens" of other women. I don't understand how people grow up in this world and remain so willfully naive, closing their eyes on anything just to fulfil their needs.
The podcast itself is well-structured and interesting to listen to.

Interesting but frustrating

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