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)

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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.

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

In this episode, thriller author Mike Donohue celebrates Indie Bookstore Day, investigates the habits of people who read hundreds of books a year, and previews the stacked Theakston Crime Writing Festival lineup in Harrogate. On the adaptation front: talking sheep solve a murder (seriously), and Nicolas Cage goes noir as a 1930s Spider-Man P.I. He then breaks down how today's best thriller writers build suspense—and what readers can look for once they know the tricks, from the ticking clock to keeping the shark underwater.

Books & topics mentioned:

– Indie Bookstore Day & favorite mystery bookshops

– Super-readers: the habits of people who read 100–600 books a year (Literary Hub)

– Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2026 — Harrogate, July 23–26

– The Sheep Detectives (Amazon MGM, May 8) — Hugh Jackman, Bryan Cranston, Julia Louis-Dreyfus

– Spider-Noir (Prime Video, May 27) — Nicolas Cage

– A Violent Masterpiece by Jordan Harper

– How to Cheat Your Own Death by Kristen Perrin

– A Murder Most Camp by Nicolas DiDomizio

– Sanctuary by James Cleary

– Suspense deep dive: Lee Child, Karin Slaughter, Gillian Flynn, Tess Gerritsen & more

What I'm reading/watching:

Welcome to Cottonmouth by Jay Bell,

Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano (audio),

Apex (Netflix)

📚 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.

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

In this episode, thriller author Mike Donohue covers the biggest author identity reveal in years, Norway's century-old Easter crime fiction obsession that will make you want to book a cabin immediately, and the London crime festival you should already have on your calendar.

He then dives deep into the best crime and thriller sequels ever written—why book two is the hardest thing a series will ever do, and which ten sequels not only survived the test but redefined what their series was capable of being, from The Silence of the Lambs to Die Trying.

Books & topics mentioned:

– ⁠Freida McFadden identity reveal

⁠– Norway's Påskekrim Easter crime fiction tradition

⁠– ⁠Capital Crime Festival 2026, London⁠

– ⁠Dalziel and Pascoe BritBox reboot

⁠– ⁠Hope Rises by David Baldacci⁠

– ⁠Last One Out by Jane Harper⁠

– ⁠Spies and Other Gods by James Wolff

⁠– ⁠The Children of Eve by John Connolly

⁠– ⁠Best crime fiction sequels deep dive

– What I'm reading/watching: ⁠Revenge Prey by John Sandford⁠, ⁠Kill For Me, Kill For You by Stuart MacBride (audio)⁠, ⁠Crime 101 (Amazon)⁠

📚 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.

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

In this episode, thriller author Mike Donohue covers the timeless appeal of Sherlock Holmes, Yale's fascinating new exhibition on five centuries of publishing typos (really), and the unlikely resurgence of Barnes & Noble.

He then dives deep into the knight errant formula that makes Jack Reacher work—and spotlights five lone wolf thriller series that come closest to scratching that same itch.

Books & topics mentioned:– The eternal appeal of Sherlock Holmes– Yale's errata exhibition and the Wicked Bible of 1631– Barnes & Noble's brick-and-mortar comeback

– Film Noir quotes– The Keeper by Tana French (final Cal Hooper novel)– Sorry for Your Loss by Georgia McVeigh– Two Kinds of Stranger by Steve Cavanagh (Eddie Flynn #9)

– The Survivor by Andrew Reid– Reacher deep dive: Peter Ash (Nick Petrie), Orphan X (Gregg Hurwitz), The Gray Man (Mark Greaney), Joe Pike (Robert Crais), Quinn Colson (Ace Atkins)– What I'm reading/watching: Dark Times (Nick Petrie), Don't Let Him In (Lisa Jewell — audio)

📚 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.

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

In this episode, thriller author Mike Donohue celebrates the world's strangest bookstore, weighs in on the eternal book-to-film adaptation debate, warns aspiring authors about a growing wave of publishing scams, and pays tribute to the late Dan Simmons.

He then dives deep into the amateur sleuth exploring why ordinary people solving crimes has never felt more culturally urgent, from Poe and Miss Marple to Gone Girl and Richard Osman's 15-million-copy empire.

Books & topics mentioned:– Alabama Booksmith — The New Yorker's profile of America's strangest bookstore– The book-to-film adaptation debate — NPR & Cultured magazine– Publishing scams — New York Times investigation– 2026 Left Coast Crime Lefty Award winners– RIP Dan Simmons — Hyperion, The Terror, and the Joe Kurtz noir trilogy– The Tree of Light and Flowers by Thomas Perry– The Crossroads by C.J. Box– I Did Not Kill My Husband by Linda Keir– The Best Little Motel in Texas by Lyla Lane– Amateur sleuth deep dive — Poe, Christie, Flynn, Osman, and the psychology of institutional distrust– What I'm reading/watching: Wolf Hour (Jo Nesbø), Home Is Where the Bodies Are (Jeneva Rose — audio), Steal (Amazon Prime Video)

📚 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.