From a pirate king to a possible spy, these colorful characters star in our team's favorite stories from the past year.

From an around-the-world manhunt to medieval penis investigators, these are the stories our readers were most excited to dive into this year.

From rebellious radio broadcasters to daring scientists, these colorful characters star in our team's favorite stories from the past year.

From professional fake shoppers to plus-size male models to controversial kratom kingpins and beyond, these are the stories that most enraptured our readers this year.

Steve was a father of five and a devout Mormon when he was dragged into a world that upended everything he knew to be true.

Steve was a father of five and a devout Mormon when he was dragged into a world that upended everything he knew to be true.

Silvon was shot by the police outside his home, and woke up handcuffed to a chair, fighting for his life in more ways than one.