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Murray State Professor Emeritus and commentator Michael Cohen surveys uncommon authors of mysteries, whose day jobs have nothing to do with whodunits.…

A new book by critic Olivia Laing explores the link between alcohol and writing through the commentaries of famous writers who were themselves alcoholics. Fresh Air's Maureen Corrigan calls Laing's readings "exquisite," and says she wisely avoids "any one-size-fits-all conclusions about the bond between the pen and the bottle."

Cities across the country saw sharp drops in violent crime rates in 2013. For some big cities, murder rates reached historic lows. The numbers reflect a decades-long decline, which shows that plenty of neighborhoods in urban areas are safe while some remain troubled by violent crime.

Comedian Jim Gaffigan lives with his wife and five young kids in a two-bedroom New York apartment. His latest book, Dad Is Fat, reflects on the challenges and triumphs of raising a big family in a small space. (Originally broadcast on July 26, 2013.)

Actress, comedian and writer Amy Sedaris plays our game called "Drinking this much will win me a Pulitzer Prize, or make not winning a lot easier to take."

As much as the BCS system was criticized for using statistics instead of actual playoffs, this year's matchups were pretty interesting. NPR's Linda Wertheimer talks with sports reporter Tom Goldman about the end of a college football tradition, NFL playoffs and the collision of football and politics.

The songwriter behind the much-beloved "Hey Sandy" returns after eight years with Dear Mark J. Mulcahy, I Love You; Fresh Air tech contributor Alexis Madrigal reflects on the online streaming and DVD rental service's bizarrely personalized microgenres; and a new HBO comedy takes place in the geriatric extended-care wing of a California hospital.

After decades of war in Afghanistan, the country has thousands of orphans. One home for these children ended up with an improbable benefactor — an Iranian-American who came to Kabul to do rule of law development work, and stumbled into a side project working with disabled orphans.

The Everly Brothers influenced an entire generation of popular musicians. Don's voice usually handled the melody, but Phil gave the higher accompanying harmony to that melody, which defined the brothers' sound. Phil Everly died Friday from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 74.

Carlos Watson, co-founder of the online magazine Ozy, talks with host Arun Rath about what he's most excited about in 2014: Japan's burgeoning role on the world stage, the rise of actor Idris Elba and Tesla's electric cars.