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

In this episode, thriller author Mike Donohue explores the harsh economics of indie bookshops (and why we still dream of owning one), celebrates classic crime stories entering the public domain, and shares exciting adaptation news for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware novels.

He spotlights new releases including Alice Feeney's mind-bending identity thriller and Matthew Quirk's action-packed espionage tale, then dives deep into the Boston-LA noir divide—comparing two giants of American crime fiction, Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane, and revealing how geography shapes everything from detective archetypes to the darkness we fear.

Books & topics mentioned:– Bookshop economics & the romantic dream of opening one (Financial Times)– The quest to digitize all human knowledge (Asterisk Magazine)– Nine classic crime stories entering public domain 2026 (CrimeReads)– The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series adaptation (Sky)– Alex Delaware series development (Amazon)– The Infamous Gilberts by Angela Tomaski– My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney– The Method by Matthew Quirk– Such a Clever Girl by Darby Kane

Michael Connelly vs Dennis Lehane deep dive: Harry Bosch, Patrick Kenzie, and the geography of American noir

What I'm reading/watching: Exit Strategy (Lee Child/Andrew Child), Alone by Lisa Gardner (audio), The Rip (Affleck-Damon), STEAL (Sophie Turner - Prime Video)

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🌐 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 encouraging reading habit data proving mysteries and thrillers still dominate, the most borrowed library books of 2025, and the massive wave of crime fiction adaptations hitting screens in 2026.

He spotlights stormy new releases from Rachel Hawkins, Lucy Clarke, and Lori Rader-Day then dives deep into a problem plaguing modern thriller writers: has technology killed the MacGuffin? From dead phone batteries to cloud storage, Mike explores why Hitchcock's favorite plot device doesn't work anymore—and how the best writers are adapting to a world where everything is backed up, tracked, and instantly shareable.

Books & topics mentioned:

– ⁠American reading habits: mysteries & thrillers still winning⁠– ⁠Most borrowed library books of 2025 (NPR)⁠– 2026 adaptations: ⁠Crime 101 (Don Winslow/Chris Hemsworth)⁠, ⁠Scarpetta (Patricia Cornwell/Nicole Kidman/Amazon Prime)⁠, ⁠The Seven Dials Mystery (Agatha Christie/Netflix)⁠, ⁠His and Hers (Alice Feeney/Netflix)⁠– ⁠2026 Lefty Award nominees announced⁠– ⁠Wreck Your Heart by Lori Rader-Day⁠– ⁠Wildwood by Amy Pease⁠– ⁠The Storm by Rachel Hawkins⁠– ⁠The Castaways by Lucy Clarke⁠– ⁠The MacGuffin's death: technology vs. thriller plots⁠

– What I'm reading/watching: ⁠

The Puppet Show (M.W. Craven)⁠, ⁠Alone (Lisa Gardner — audio)⁠, ⁠Caught Stealing

📚 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 explores the slow death of mass market paperbacks, unpacks why certain books become overnight blockbusters, and celebrates the eclectic 2026 Tournament of Books shortlist that doesn't shy away from genre fiction.

He spotlights new releases perfect for winter reading, then dives deep into holiday book gifting—breaking down five distinct reader types and exactly which thrillers to gift each one. Because the best gifts show you know the person, not just the bestseller lists.

Books & topics mentioned:– ⁠Tournament of Books 2026 shortlist⁠ – ⁠The slow death of mass market paperbacks⁠ (Publishers Weekly)– ⁠Dungeon Crawler Carl phenomenon⁠: how books become blockbusters overnight (New York Times)– ⁠Why some books become blockbusters overnight⁠ (The Guardian)– ⁠Agatha Christie adaptation⁠ from The End of the F***ing World director

New releases:– ⁠The Red Scare⁠ by Con Lehane– ⁠The Quiet Mother⁠ by Arnaldur Indridason (Detective Konrad #3)– ⁠Cape Fever⁠ by Nadia Davids– ⁠Murder in Manhattan⁠ by Julie Mulhern

Holiday book gifting deep dive:Five reader types and their perfect matches—⁠The Purist⁠ (Tana French, Mick Herron), ⁠The Speed Reader⁠ (Freida McFadden, Riley Sager), ⁠The Sophisticate⁠ (Louise Penny, Kate Atkinson), ⁠The Genre Tourist⁠ (Richard Osman, Ruth Ware), ⁠The Collector⁠ (special editions, signed copies). Plus: matching books to moments and the secret weapon that makes any book gift personal.

What I'm reading/watching:⁠Black Summer⁠ (M.W. Craven), ⁠Nash Falls⁠ (David Baldacci), ⁠Pluribus⁠ (Vince Gilligan — Apple TV+), ⁠Knives Out 3: Wake Up Dead Man⁠ (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.