There Is No Ethan
How Three Women Caught America's Biggest Catfish
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 3 months for $0.99/mo
Buy Now for $32.62
-
Narrated by:
-
Anna Akbari
-
Justin Price
-
Written by:
-
Anna Akbari
About this listen
In 2011, three successful and highly educated women fell head over heels for the brilliant and charming Ethan Schuman. Unbeknownst to the others, each exchanged countless messages with Ethan, staying up late into the evenings to deepen their connections with this fascinating man. His detailed excuses about broken webcams and complicated international calling plans seemed believable, as did last minute trip cancellations. After all, why would he lie? Ethan wasn't after money — he never convinced his marks to shell out thousands of dollars for some imagined crisis. Rather, he ensnared these women in a web of intense emotional intimacy.
After the trio independently began to question inconsistencies in their new flame's stories, they managed to find one another and uncover a greater deception than they could've ever imagined. As Anna Akbari and the women untangled their catfish’s web, they found other victims and realized that without a proper crime, there was no legal reason for “Ethan” to ever stop.
There Is No Ethan catalogues Akbari's experience as both victim and observer. By looking at the bigger picture of where these stories unfold — a world where technology mediates our relationships; where words and images are easily manipulated; and where truth, reality, and identity have become slippery terms — Akbari gives a page-turning and riveting examination of why stories like Ethan's matter for us all.
You may also enjoy...
-
Trial by Ambush
- Murder, Injustice, and the Truth About the Case of Barbara Graham
- Written by: Marcia Clark
- Narrated by: Marcia Clark
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4
-
Performance3
-
Story3
Unwanted and neglected from birth, Barbara Graham had to overcome the odds just to survive. Her beauty was both a blessing and a curse—offering her too many options of all the wrong kind. Her innate sensitivity left her vulnerable to the harsh realities of the street, where she was left to fend for herself before she reached double digits. Her record of petty crimes spoke to a life that constantly teetered on the brink of disaster. But in 1953, a catastrophic twist of fate would catapult her out of obscurity and into the headlines.
-
-
Interesting!
- By RW on 2025-04-12
Written by: Marcia Clark
-
The Lies You Wrote
- Raisa Susanto, Book 1
- Written by: Brianna Labuskes
- Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall7
-
Performance5
-
Story5
The double murder of a married couple in a small Washington town draws FBI forensic linguist Raisa Susanto into an investigation that mirrors a decades-old crime. Twenty-five years ago—to the day—Alex Parker murdered his parents, then took his own life, leaving behind a note admitting everything. Raisa, paired with forensic psychologist Callum Kilkenny, uses her skills to read between the lines. Especially now that paranoid postings on a conspiracy thread suggest that Alex was a victim himself.
Written by: Brianna Labuskes
-
No One Gets to Fall Apart
- A Memoir
- Written by: Sarah LaBrie
- Narrated by: Sarah LaBrie
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0
-
Performance0
-
Story0
Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award A New York Times ""Editor's Pick"" and ""Notable Book of the Year"" * An Essence ""Most Anticipated"" * A Lit Hub's ""Most Anticipated"" * An Oprah Daily ""Best Book of Fall"" * An Esquire ""Best Memoir of the Year"" * A San Francisco Chronicle ""New Book for...
Written by: Sarah LaBrie
-
Alcatraz
- The Last Escape
- Written by: Ken Widner, Mike Lynch
- Narrated by: Christopher Grove
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall6
-
Performance5
-
Story5
When Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin boldly escaped from Alcatraz prison on June 11, 1962, it is widely believed that they succumbed to the waters of San Francisco Bay, though no trace of the men has ever been found, only their makeshift raft.
-
-
Super interesting new information
- By RW on 2025-07-11
Written by: Ken Widner, and others
-
Remember Me Tomorrow
- A Novel
- Written by: Farah Heron
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall10
-
Performance10
-
Story10
East House is the oldest and least desirable dorm on campus, but it has a draw for lonely university freshman Aleeza Kassam: Jay Hoque, the hot and broody student who vanished from East House five months ago without a trace. It’s irresistible to an aspiring investigative journalist like Aleeza. But when she starts receiving texts from Jay, the mystery takes an unexpected turn. To put it mildly.
-
-
Love it
- By Laura R on 2025-08-19
Written by: Farah Heron
-
Slow Noodles
- A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes
- Written by: Chantha Nguon, Kim Green
- Narrated by: Clara Kim
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3
-
Performance1
-
Story1
A haunting and beautiful memoir from a Cambodian refugee who lost her country and her family during Pol Pot's genocide in the 1970s but who finds hope by reclaiming the recipes she tasted in her mother's kitchen. Take a well-fed nine-year-old with a big family and a fancy education. Fold in 2...
Written by: Chantha Nguon, and others
-
Trial by Ambush
- Murder, Injustice, and the Truth About the Case of Barbara Graham
- Written by: Marcia Clark
- Narrated by: Marcia Clark
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4
-
Performance3
-
Story3
Unwanted and neglected from birth, Barbara Graham had to overcome the odds just to survive. Her beauty was both a blessing and a curse—offering her too many options of all the wrong kind. Her innate sensitivity left her vulnerable to the harsh realities of the street, where she was left to fend for herself before she reached double digits. Her record of petty crimes spoke to a life that constantly teetered on the brink of disaster. But in 1953, a catastrophic twist of fate would catapult her out of obscurity and into the headlines.
-
-
Interesting!
- By RW on 2025-04-12
Written by: Marcia Clark
-
The Lies You Wrote
- Raisa Susanto, Book 1
- Written by: Brianna Labuskes
- Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall7
-
Performance5
-
Story5
The double murder of a married couple in a small Washington town draws FBI forensic linguist Raisa Susanto into an investigation that mirrors a decades-old crime. Twenty-five years ago—to the day—Alex Parker murdered his parents, then took his own life, leaving behind a note admitting everything. Raisa, paired with forensic psychologist Callum Kilkenny, uses her skills to read between the lines. Especially now that paranoid postings on a conspiracy thread suggest that Alex was a victim himself.
Written by: Brianna Labuskes
-
No One Gets to Fall Apart
- A Memoir
- Written by: Sarah LaBrie
- Narrated by: Sarah LaBrie
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0
-
Performance0
-
Story0
Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award A New York Times ""Editor's Pick"" and ""Notable Book of the Year"" * An Essence ""Most Anticipated"" * A Lit Hub's ""Most Anticipated"" * An Oprah Daily ""Best Book of Fall"" * An Esquire ""Best Memoir of the Year"" * A San Francisco Chronicle ""New Book for...
Written by: Sarah LaBrie
-
Alcatraz
- The Last Escape
- Written by: Ken Widner, Mike Lynch
- Narrated by: Christopher Grove
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall6
-
Performance5
-
Story5
When Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin boldly escaped from Alcatraz prison on June 11, 1962, it is widely believed that they succumbed to the waters of San Francisco Bay, though no trace of the men has ever been found, only their makeshift raft.
-
-
Super interesting new information
- By RW on 2025-07-11
Written by: Ken Widner, and others
-
Remember Me Tomorrow
- A Novel
- Written by: Farah Heron
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall10
-
Performance10
-
Story10
East House is the oldest and least desirable dorm on campus, but it has a draw for lonely university freshman Aleeza Kassam: Jay Hoque, the hot and broody student who vanished from East House five months ago without a trace. It’s irresistible to an aspiring investigative journalist like Aleeza. But when she starts receiving texts from Jay, the mystery takes an unexpected turn. To put it mildly.
-
-
Love it
- By Laura R on 2025-08-19
Written by: Farah Heron
-
Slow Noodles
- A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes
- Written by: Chantha Nguon, Kim Green
- Narrated by: Clara Kim
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3
-
Performance1
-
Story1
A haunting and beautiful memoir from a Cambodian refugee who lost her country and her family during Pol Pot's genocide in the 1970s but who finds hope by reclaiming the recipes she tasted in her mother's kitchen. Take a well-fed nine-year-old with a big family and a fancy education. Fold in 2...
Written by: Chantha Nguon, and others
-
I Might Be in Trouble
- Written by: Daniel Aleman
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0
-
Performance0
-
Story0
A "hilarious, suspense-filled" dark comedy about a struggling writer who wakes up to find his date from the night before dead—and must then decide how far he’s willing to go to use this as inspiration for his next book (Entertainment Weekly). A few years ago, David Alvarez had it all: a...
Written by: Daniel Aleman
-
April Storm
- A Novel
- Written by: Leila Meacham
- Narrated by: Jennifer Pickens
- Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5
-
Performance5
-
Story5
“Leila Meacham is a gift to readers everywhere.”—Adriana Trigiani A seemingly perfect suburban housewife is being pursued by a private detective . . . and hunted by a murderer in this riveting, much-anticipated posthumous novel from the beloved author of Roses and Dragonfly. Kathryn Walker...
-
-
A decent story.
- By Budb on 2025-04-11
Written by: Leila Meacham
-
The Missing Wife
- Written by: Sue Fortin
- Narrated by: Jacqueline Milne
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall7
-
Performance6
-
Story6
Everyone knows about the fight between Kathleen Walsh and her sister on the night she disappeared. For six months, no one has heard from Kathleen. Not her bullying husband, not her teenage son, and not her devastated sister Siobhan. But then Kathleen’s purse is found by a walker high up on the rocky Irish sea cliffs. The only thing inside is a torn scrap of paper with the words ‘HELP ME’. For Siobhan, it’s a chance to find her sister and fix the mistake she made six months ago. But not everyone in the tight-knit community welcomes Siobhan’s interest in the disappearance.
-
-
2.5 Stars Rounded Up
- By Average Person on 2025-05-13
Written by: Sue Fortin
-
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie
- A Novel
- Written by: Marie Benedict
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
- Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall39
-
Performance31
-
Story31
In December 1926, Agatha Christie goes missing. Investigators find her empty car on the edge of a deep, gloomy pond, the only clues some tire tracks nearby and a fur coat left in the car - strange for a frigid night. Her World War I veteran husband and her daughter have no knowledge of her whereabouts, and England unleashes an unprecedented manhunt to find the up-and-coming mystery author. Eleven days later, she reappears, just as mysteriously as she disappeared, claiming amnesia and providing no explanations for her time away.
-
-
Marginal
- By RW on 2021-04-25
Written by: Marie Benedict
-
Remember, You Are a Wiley
- Written by: Maya Wiley
- Narrated by: Maya Wiley
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0
-
Performance0
-
Story0
A moving, politically-charged memoir of surviving trauma and embracing the power of activism from MSNBC legal analyst and former New York City Mayoral candidate Maya Wiley—"a book that offers hope and inspiration in a moment of division and political unrest in America" (Zerlina Maxwell, author...
Written by: Maya Wiley
-
I'll Come to You
- Written by: Rebecca Kauffman
- Narrated by: Elisabeth Rodgers
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3
-
Performance3
-
Story3
A modern story of family, I’ll Come to You chronicles intersecting lives over the course of one year—1995—anchored by the anticipation and arrival of a child. With empathy, insight, and humor, Rebecca Kauffman explores overlapping narratives involving a couple whose struggle to become pregnant has both softened and hardened them; a woman whose husband of forty years has left her for reasons he’s unwilling to share and the man who is now attempting to woo her; and a couple in denial about a looming health crisis as well as their son who is fumbling toward middle age and can’t stop lying.
-
-
Relatable, fully captures the human spirit.
- By pnogas on 2025-12-30
Written by: Rebecca Kauffman
-
The Moonflowers
- A Novel
- Written by: Abigail Rose-Marie
- Narrated by: Abigail Reno
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall9
-
Performance9
-
Story9
Tig Costello has arrived in Darren, Kentucky, commissioned to paint a portrait honoring her grandfather Benjamin. His contributions to the rural Appalachian town and his unimpeachable war service have made him a local hero. But to Tig, he’s a relative stranger. To find out more about him, Tig wants to talk to the person who knew her grandfather best: Eloise Price, the woman who murdered him fifty years ago.
-
-
Loved it. Women’s strength
- By Leona on 2025-10-13
Written by: Abigail Rose-Marie
-
Mothers and Sons
- A Novel
- Written by: Adam Haslett
- Narrated by: Andrew Gibson, Janet Metzger
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall1
-
Performance1
-
Story1
At forty, Peter, an asylum lawyer in New York City, is overworked and isolated. He spends his days immersed in the struggles of immigrants only to return to an empty apartment and occasional hook-ups with a man who wants more than Peter can give. But when the asylum case of a young gay man pierces Peter's numbness, the event that he has avoided for twenty years returns to haunt him. Ann, his mother, who runs a women's retreat center she founded after leaving his father, is wounded by the estrangement from Peter but cherishes the world she has built.
-
-
Boring
- By Solange Keller on 2025-06-30
Written by: Adam Haslett
-
Two Sisters
- Betrayal, Love, and Resistance in Wartime France
- Written by: Rosie Whitehouse
- Narrated by: Rosie Whitehouse
- Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall2
-
Performance2
-
Story2
Marion and Huguette Müller’s family was torn apart when the Nazis invaded France in 1940. After their mother was deported to Auschwitz, the sisters fled to the small Alpine ski resort village of Val d'Isère, where they were rescued by a brave young doctor. Through intrepid reporting and meticulous research, Whitehouse traces the story of the Müller sisters, solving decades-old mysteries in her attempt to deliver both closure and justice. With skill and urgency, Whitehouse raises moral questions at the heart of the tragedy of the Shoah.
-
-
Boring
- By Anonymous on 2025-09-08
Written by: Rosie Whitehouse
-
Why Can't I Just Enjoy Things?
- A Comedian's Guide to Autism
- Written by: Pierre Novellie
- Narrated by: Pierre Novellie
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5
-
Performance3
-
Story3
Comedian Pierre Novellie was on stage when a heckler suggested he was autistic. Usually, this disruption would be water off a duck's back but two things made this heckler different: first, he was himself autistic. Second, he turned out to be absolutely right. This random encounter led to a diagnosis of autism at the age of 31 that unravelled his world, explained his struggles and answered questions that had bothered him for his entire life: why were the other kids obsessed with Britney Spears instead of The Goon Show? Why don't people ever say what they mean? Why is everyone chewing so loudly?
-
-
Amazing!
- By Jenna on 2024-11-01
Written by: Pierre Novellie
-
Night of a Thousand Darlas
- A Novel
- Written by: Brooke Abrams
- Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5
-
Performance5
-
Story5
Liza Day’s mother isn’t dead, but leave it to Darla Day to throw herself a funeral anyway. It’s the kind of attention grab Liza left behind to build a quiet life for herself and her rebellious teenage daughter, Avery. But between her students discovering her old daytime TV show—putting her teaching job at risk—and her mother’s unexpected funeral invitation, Liza’s life feels truly like a soap opera.
-
-
Nice story
- By debbie on 2025-07-21
Written by: Brooke Abrams
-
The Girls We Sent Away
- Written by: Meagan Church
- Narrated by: Susan Bennett
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall9
-
Performance9
-
Story9
It’s the 1960s in North Carolina, and Lorraine Delford has it all—an upstanding family, a perfect boyfriend, and an idyllic home complete with a white picket fence. Yet every time she looks through her father’s telescope, she dreams of leaving it all behind to go to space. It’s ambitious, but Lorraine has always been exceptional.
-
-
Easy Read
- By Solange Keller on 2025-07-31
Written by: Meagan Church
Editorial Review
Interesting, but feels like a personal vendetta
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
There Is No Ethan
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Pleasantly surprised!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
GO Fish!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Prepare to be blown away by Anna Akbari's true cri
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.