Welcome to Unreliable Sources—a quick hit of mystery, murder, and mayhem.

In this episode, thriller author Mike Donohue covers Goodreads' mid-year most-read list and what it reveals about where genre readers are right now, Anna Kendrick finally taking the director's chair on The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and a feel-good story about authors opening bookstores for all the wrong (right) reasons.

He then dives deep into why the private investigator is having its best decade in years—and why the new wave of PI fiction looks nothing like Philip Marlowe.

Books & topics mentioned:

– Goodreads Most-Read List 2026

– Authors opening bookstores

– A professional book reader for Hollywood

– A River Red with Blood by John Connolly (Charlie Parker #23)

– Red Sheet by James Ellroy (Freddy Otash #3)

– You First by Caroline Kepnes (You series #5)

– The Clock House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji

– The Dogwalker's Detective Agency by Michael Hogan

– PI revival deep dive

What I'm reading/watching:

The Curator (M.W. Craven),

The Man Who Came Uptown (George Pelecanos — audio)

Hidden Fury by Mike Donohue (Marti #4 — June 26th)

📚 Like twisty books and tense shows? Subscribe for bi-weekly episodes packed with killer reads, news, and sharp takes.

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Until next time—stay sharp, follow the clues, and don't trust anyone who skips to the end.

Welcome to Unreliable Sources—a quick hit of mystery, murder, and mayhem.

In this episode, thriller author Mike Donohue takes on the Guardian's 100 Best Novels of All Time list (crime fiction fans will have thoughts), the Atlantic's piece on typos, and James Patterson putting $10 million behind getting kids to read.

He then dives into ten crime series for readers who've burned through every Bosch and Ballard novel and are standing in front of their shelves wondering what comes next.

Books & topics mentioned:– The Guardian's 100 Best Novels of All Time– The Atlantic: Typos as proof of humanity– James Patterson's $10M literacy pledge– Reading retreats: the "readaway" trend– NPR's most anticipated summer books 2026

– Ironwood by Michael Connelly: – Mist and Malice by Rachel Howzell Hall: – The Brothers McKay by Craig Johnson: – Hurricane Room by Kim Sherwood:

– 10 crime series for Connelly fans full blog post

What I'm reading/watching:– Ironwood by Michael Connelly: – The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak (audio): – Widow's Bay (TV)📚 Like twisty books and tense shows? Subscribe for bi-weekly episodes packed with killer reads, news, and sharp takes.🌐 Learn more: ⁠https://mikedonohuebooks.comUntil next time—stay sharp, follow the clues, and don't trust anyone who skips to the end.

Welcome to Unreliable Sources—a quick hit of mystery, murder, and mayhem.

In this episode, thriller author Mike Donohue runs through a bumper crop of awards news — ThrillerFest winners, Anthony nominations, the Capital Crime Fingerprint Award shortlists, and a belated Edgar catch-up. On the streaming front, the creator of Adolescence has a new limited series that won't help you sleep. He spotlights four new releases worth your TBR, then dives into the thrillers that quietly disappeared after Gone Girl hit and makes the case for why you should be reading them now.

Books & Topics mentioned:

– ThrillerFest 2026 winners

– 2026 Anthony Award nominations – Capital Crime Fingerprint Award shortlists — voting open through May 30th

– 2026 Edgar Award winners

– My Name Was Gerry Sass by Tiffany Hanssen

– The Anniversary by Alex Finlay

– The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny & Mellissa Fung

– Red Verdict by James Comey

– Forgotten thrillers of 2005–2015

What I'm reading/watching:

Mr. Whisper by Andrew Mayne,

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke (audio),

Widow's Bay (Apple TV+)

📚 Like twisty books and tense shows? Subscribe for bi-weekly episodes packed with killer reads, news, and sharp takes.

🌐 Learn more: https://mikedonohuebooks.com

Until next time—stay sharp, follow the clues, and don't trust anyone who skips to the end.