Ep #24 | The PI Novel Revival, Author Bookstores & Lisa Gardner

Ep #24 | The PI Novel Revival, Author Bookstores & Lisa Gardner

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 [https://bookriot.com/most-read-books-on-goodreads-in-2026-so-far/] – Authors opening bookstores [https://apnews.com/article/author-owned-bookstores-e6959a95afb1a4c81bc3c3e5b88b6243] – A professional book reader for Hollywood [https://lithub.com/the-man-who-reads-books-for-a-living-one-every-two-days/] – A River Red with Blood [https://amzn.to/3RZS05R]by John Connolly (Charlie Parker #23) – Red Sheet [https://amzn.to/4fC7PJJ]by James Ellroy (Freddy Otash #3) – You First [https://amzn.to/4vFoeSt] by Caroline Kepnes (You series #5) – The Clock House Murders [https://amzn.to/4vHTgsY] by Yukito Ayatsuji – The Dogwalker's Detective Agency [https://amzn.to/4dXx0Fs] by Michael Hogan – PI revival deep dive [https://mikedonohuebooks.com/new-crime-fiction-pi-series/] What I'm reading/watching: The Curator [https://amzn.to/4aCKQL4] (M.W. Craven), The Man Who Came Uptown [https://amzn.to/4aCKQL4](George Pelecanos — audio) Hidden Fury [https://amzn.to/3SBfJJG] 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. 🌐 Learn more: ⁠https://mikedonohuebooks.com⁠ [https://mikedonohuebooks.com%E2%81%A0] Until next time—stay sharp, follow the clues, and don't trust anyone who skips to the end.

Ep. #23 | Connelly Read Alike Series, Summer Books List Season & Ironwood

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 [https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/may/12/the-100-best-novels-of-all-time]– The Atlantic: Typos as proof of humanity [https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/05/typo-ai-trend-human/687237/]– James Patterson's $10M literacy pledge [https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/100441-james-patterson-pledges-10-million-to-launch-literacy-institute.html]– Reading retreats: the "readaway" trend [https://www.marthastewart.com/reading-retreats-11978195]– NPR's most anticipated summer books 2026 [https://www.npr.org/2026/05/19/nx-s1-5800893/new-summer-books-2026] – Ironwood [https://amzn.to/42X8tKg]by Michael Connelly: – Mist and Malice [https://amzn.to/4e3mw7o] by Rachel Howzell Hall: – The Brothers McKay [https://amzn.to/4dwUIrP] by Craig Johnson: – Hurricane Room [https://amzn.to/4wPzBbF] by Kim Sherwood: – 10 crime series for Connelly fans full blog post [https://mikedonohuebooks.com/books-like-michael-connelly-bosch-ballard/] What I'm reading/watching:– Ironwood [https://amzn.to/42X8tKg] by Michael Connelly: – The Last One at the Wedding [https://amzn.to/4uyVpXO] 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.com [https://mikedonohuebooks.xn--com-xw0a]Until next time—stay sharp, follow the clues, and don't trust anyone who skips to the end.

Ep. #22 | The Lost Decade of Thrillers, Awards Season & Yesteryear

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 [https://mysteryreadersinc.blogspot.com/2026/05/thrillerfest-2026.html] – 2026 Anthony Award nominations [https://wwwshotsmagcouk.blogspot.com/2026/05/anthony-award-nominations.html] – Capital Crime Fingerprint Award shortlists [https://therapsheet.blogspot.com/2026/05/fingered-for-favor.html] — voting open through May 30th – 2026 Edgar Award winners [https://therapsheet.blogspot.com/2026/04/basking-in-edgars-glory.html] – My Name Was Gerry Sass [https://amzn.to/4wDbtt0] by Tiffany Hanssen – The Anniversary [https://amzn.to/3Pjffa3] by Alex Finlay – The Last Mandarin [https://amzn.to/4wpe4GD] by Louise Penny & Mellissa Fung – Red Verdict [https://amzn.to/42s3Jw8] by James Comey – Forgotten thrillers of 2005–2015 [https://mikedonohuebooks.com/forgotten-thriller-books-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 [https://mikedonohuebooks.com] Until next time—stay sharp, follow the clues, and don't trust anyone who skips to the end.

Ep. #21 | How Bestselling Authors Build Suspense, Super Readers & Old Theakston

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 [https://modernmrsdarcy.com/favorite-indie-bookstores-around-the-world/] – Super-readers: the habits of people who read 100–600 books a year [https://lithub.com/what-are-the-routines-of-so-called-super-readers/] (Literary Hub) – Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2026 [https://wwwshotsmagcouk.blogspot.com/2026/04/theakston-old-peculier-crime-writing.html] — Harrogate, July 23–26 – The Sheep Detectives [https://deadline.com/2026/04/the-sheep-detectives-review-hugh-jackman-murder-mystery-1236873022/] (Amazon MGM, May 8) — Hugh Jackman, Bryan Cranston, Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Spider-Noir [https://deadline.com/2026/04/spider-noir-trailer-nicolas-cage-color-black-white-1236871399/] (Prime Video, May 27) — Nicolas Cage – A Violent Masterpiece [https://amzn.to/48qfGFZ] by Jordan Harper – How to Cheat Your Own Death [https://amzn.to/4cCdWMm] by Kristen Perrin – A Murder Most Camp [https://amzn.to/4e8NRph] by Nicolas DiDomizio – Sanctuary [https://amzn.to/3QBgp0T] by James Cleary – Suspense deep dive: Lee Child, Karin Slaughter, Gillian Flynn, Tess Gerritsen & more [https://mikedonohuebooks.com/how-to-build-suspense-thriller-authors/] What I'm reading/watching: Welcome to Cottonmouth [https://amzn.to/4mWNRuL] by Jay Bell, Finlay Donovan is Killing It [https://amzn.to/4ndZrSF] 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 [https://mikedonohuebooks.com] Until next time—stay sharp, follow the clues, and don't trust anyone who skips to the end.

Ep. #20 | 10 Great Crime Fiction Sequels, Easter Crime, and Revenge Prey

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 [https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2026/04/08/freida-mcfadden-reveals-real-identity/89523398007/] ⁠– Norway's Påskekrim Easter crime fiction [https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260330-the-easter-crime-wave-sweeping-norway] tradition ⁠– ⁠Capital Crime Festival 2026 [https://wwwshotsmagcouk.blogspot.com/2026/03/capital-crime-announces-full-programme.html], London⁠ – ⁠Dalziel and Pascoe BritBox reboo [https://variety.com/2026/tv/global/uk-crime-drama-dalziel-and-pascoe-rebooted-1236633014/]t [https://variety.com/2026/tv/global/uk-crime-drama-dalziel-and-pascoe-rebooted-1236633014/] ⁠ [https://variety.com/2026/tv/global/uk-crime-drama-dalziel-and-pascoe-rebooted-1236633014/]– ⁠Hope Rises [https://amzn.to/4tJZPtZ] by David Baldacci⁠ – ⁠Last One Out [https://amzn.to/4t3Jal8] by Jane Harper⁠ – ⁠Spies and Other Gods [https://amzn.to/3Oh0C6G] by James Wolff ⁠– ⁠The Children of Eve [https://amzn.to/4t9chn0] by John Connolly ⁠– ⁠Best crime fiction sequels deep dive [https://mikedonohuebooks.com/best-crime-fiction-sequels/] – What I'm reading/watching: ⁠Revenge Prey [https://amzn.to/4tkUNUX] by John Sandford⁠, ⁠Kill For Me, Kill For You [https://amzn.to/4szJ0Rx] by Stuart MacBride (audio)⁠, ⁠Crime 101 [https://amzn.to/4dMLOXO] (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 [https://mikedonohuebooks.com%E2%81%A0] Until next time—stay sharp, follow the clues, and don't trust anyone who skips to the end.