Mike Donohue
@mikedmystery.bsky.social
Thriller writer, reader, book lover. Will often pick books depending on whether they will lie flat during meals. Find my books at mikedonohuebooks.com #thrillerwriter
Fantasy and romance titles dominated listening among Spotify subscribers this year. Also, getting your book adapted into a movie or series, that helped, too. No mystery or thrillers in the top 10 but Freida McFadden, Ruth Ware and Stephen King made the extended list.
Spotify Releases 2025 Audiobook Listening Data
For the first time, the streaming giant is including audiobook listening data in its annual Wrapped feature, with Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing securing its spot as the most-listened-to title of the…
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December 10, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Fantasy and romance titles dominated listening among Spotify subscribers this year. Also, getting your book adapted into a movie or series, that helped, too. No mystery or thrillers in the top 10 but Freida McFadden, Ruth Ware and Stephen King made the extended list.
Forget best-of and year end lists, PW has the upcoming spring mystery & thrillers including Jordan Harper's next, David Heska Wanbli Weiden follow up to Winter's Bone, a Joe Goldberg prequel and Jo Nesbo's US set thriller
Spring 2026 Fiction & Nonfiction Preview: Mysteries & Thrillers
On tap this season: promising debuts, provocative prequels, and new novels from Jessica Knoll and Jo Nesbø.
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December 8, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Forget best-of and year end lists, PW has the upcoming spring mystery & thrillers including Jordan Harper's next, David Heska Wanbli Weiden follow up to Winter's Bone, a Joe Goldberg prequel and Jo Nesbo's US set thriller
New episode: Why epic thrillers over 500 pages are worth it + 5 massive books that earn every page. Also: 100-year-old NYC bookstore run by 3 sisters, Booker Prize origins, Daniel Woodrell, and new releases. Ep. 11 of Unreliable Sources live now.
Mystery Thriller Podcast | Unreliable Sources by Mike Donohue
A mystery thriller podcast for crime fiction fans—book recs, news, interviews, features and adapatations in 15 minutes or less.
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December 6, 2025 at 12:18 AM
New episode: Why epic thrillers over 500 pages are worth it + 5 massive books that earn every page. Also: 100-year-old NYC bookstore run by 3 sisters, Booker Prize origins, Daniel Woodrell, and new releases. Ep. 11 of Unreliable Sources live now.
Did the hard work of reading 30+ year-end lists so you can pretend you read all the important books at holiday parties. Guardian to Goodreads, Kirkus to Edgar noms. I wasn't procrastinating writing at all. And now we both have reading material through 2027. Your welcome.
The Ultimate List: Best Mystery & Thriller Books of 2025
Find every top mystery book and thrilling novel of 2025 in one place. We compiled year-end lists from The Guardian, Kirkus, NPR, and more critics.
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December 5, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Did the hard work of reading 30+ year-end lists so you can pretend you read all the important books at holiday parties. Guardian to Goodreads, Kirkus to Edgar noms. I wasn't procrastinating writing at all. And now we both have reading material through 2027. Your welcome.
NPR's staff curated Books We Love 2025 list is out and the mysteries and thrillers section is an eclectic list of big names, deep cuts, cozys, thrillers, mashups. Really something for everyone's TBR.
Books We Love
Here are 380+ great reads from 2025 handpicked just for you by NPR staffers and trusted critics.
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December 4, 2025 at 2:25 AM
NPR's staff curated Books We Love 2025 list is out and the mysteries and thrillers section is an eclectic list of big names, deep cuts, cozys, thrillers, mashups. Really something for everyone's TBR.
First look at Kidman as Kay Scarpetta in Amazon's upcoming adaptation. Jamie Lee Curtis as Dorothy, Bobby Cannavale as Marino, and Simon Baker as Benton Wesley. This feels like a safe, smart play for Amazon. Surprised it took this long actually.
Nicole Kidman Suits Up as ‘Scarpetta’ in First Look at Amazon’s Crime Thriller Series
Nicole Kidman is Dr. Kay Scarpetta in Amazon's upcoming crime thriller series 'Scarpetta,' also starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Bobby Cannavale.
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December 3, 2025 at 12:38 AM
First look at Kidman as Kay Scarpetta in Amazon's upcoming adaptation. Jamie Lee Curtis as Dorothy, Bobby Cannavale as Marino, and Simon Baker as Benton Wesley. This feels like a safe, smart play for Amazon. Surprised it took this long actually.
Sure, November is over but Noirvember is forever. Essential watch list: BLADE RUNNER 2049, NIGHTCRAWLER, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN top the list. NIGHTCRAWLER still underseen and underrated IMO. Also includes a Lynch film because confusion is mandatory.
10 Essential 21st Century Neo-Noirs for Noirvember
We continue our Noirvember offerings with ten essential 21st century neo-noirs… It’s time once more to take a deep dive into the brutal and fatalistic world of noir as Noirvember rolls on. From…
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December 1, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Sure, November is over but Noirvember is forever. Essential watch list: BLADE RUNNER 2049, NIGHTCRAWLER, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN top the list. NIGHTCRAWLER still underseen and underrated IMO. Also includes a Lynch film because confusion is mandatory.
Daniel Woodrell, who coined "country noir" and wrote WINTER'S BONE, died Friday at 72. Pancreatic cancer. The man who wrote Jennifer Lawrence's breakout role never left the Ozarks. "There are a lot of things you can hear in the air that you can't read." RIP. buff.ly/hO4KXVP
www.nytimes.com
December 1, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Daniel Woodrell, who coined "country noir" and wrote WINTER'S BONE, died Friday at 72. Pancreatic cancer. The man who wrote Jennifer Lawrence's breakout role never left the Ozarks. "There are a lot of things you can hear in the air that you can't read." RIP. buff.ly/hO4KXVP
Somehow only listened to 3 of Audible's top 15 2025 best thrillers. S.A. Cosby's KING OF ASHES of course, Adam Lazarre-White always bring it. Maybe a sign that the trend is shifting from domestic thrillers to globe-trotting mysteries. Pack your bags?
The 15 best mysteries and thrillers of 2025
If you like plots with blood, sweat, and tears—and a few chuckles—then this is your year.
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November 23, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Somehow only listened to 3 of Audible's top 15 2025 best thrillers. S.A. Cosby's KING OF ASHES of course, Adam Lazarre-White always bring it. Maybe a sign that the trend is shifting from domestic thrillers to globe-trotting mysteries. Pack your bags?
NYT reviews three new thrillers: a Christmas shopping locked-room murder (think Christie meets Willy Wonka), William Boyd's Berlin spy sequel, and the Reese/Coben collab about a disgraced surgeon and Russian oligarchs. Oh, an a grief-bot.
Pulse-Pounding, Nail-Biting New Thrillers
Our columnist on three novels thrumming with menace.
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November 22, 2025 at 9:34 PM
NYT reviews three new thrillers: a Christmas shopping locked-room murder (think Christie meets Willy Wonka), William Boyd's Berlin spy sequel, and the Reese/Coben collab about a disgraced surgeon and Russian oligarchs. Oh, an a grief-bot.
The WaPo names its best thrillers of 2025 and I've read 3 of the 5 and will attest that DEAD MONEY, KING OF ASHES, and NOT QUITE DEAD YET are all worth some time. buff.ly/oioVJFq (paywall - u know what 2 do)
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November 22, 2025 at 12:18 AM
The WaPo names its best thrillers of 2025 and I've read 3 of the 5 and will attest that DEAD MONEY, KING OF ASHES, and NOT QUITE DEAD YET are all worth some time. buff.ly/oioVJFq (paywall - u know what 2 do)
2025 broke the record: FOUR Stephen King movies in one year. THE RUNNING MAN, THE MONKEY, THE LIFE OF CHUCK, THE LONG WALK. All about death, but all different. The Ringer dives into what King's been trying to tell us about mortality for 50 years.
What Has Stephen King Been Trying to Tell Us?
The prolific author has had four movie adaptations out this year—his most in a single year. And they share a unifying theme in more ways than one.
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November 21, 2025 at 12:53 AM
2025 broke the record: FOUR Stephen King movies in one year. THE RUNNING MAN, THE MONKEY, THE LIFE OF CHUCK, THE LONG WALK. All about death, but all different. The Ringer dives into what King's been trying to tell us about mortality for 50 years.
This cracked me up. Dickens invited Andersen for a week, got five instead. And some serious oddness. First morning, Andersen announced it was Danish custom for the host's son to shave him. It gets weirder. Literary beef at its pettiest. buff.ly/KPUansj
How guest Hans Christian Andersen destroyed his friendship with Dickens
Correspondence at auction shows authors’ burgeoning friendship scuppered by grumpiness and a torrent of drama and melancholy
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November 20, 2025 at 2:25 AM
This cracked me up. Dickens invited Andersen for a week, got five instead. And some serious oddness. First morning, Andersen announced it was Danish custom for the host's son to shave him. It gets weirder. Literary beef at its pettiest. buff.ly/KPUansj
I knew they didn't share much screen time, but didn't know they also never spoke off camera. "They'd lock him in his cell at the start of each day." Final day she told him she was scared of him. He said "I was scared of you!" Both won Oscars. Method acting at its finest.
Why Jodie Foster Never Spoke To Anthony Hopkins While They Were Filming Silence Of The Lambs - SlashFilm
Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins made a legendary duo in The Silence of the Lambs, but the pair seldom spoke on set. Here's why.
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November 17, 2025 at 11:33 PM
I knew they didn't share much screen time, but didn't know they also never spoke off camera. "They'd lock him in his cell at the start of each day." Final day she told him she was scared of him. He said "I was scared of you!" Both won Oscars. Method acting at its finest.
Janice Hallett's new book was inspired by her quiz team dominating at a new pub and walking out to "disgruntled mutters." [Ed note: Been there!] Mysterious team wins every week, landlords have secrets, body in the river. Trivia night gone deadly wrong. [Ed note: Ok, never this far!]
Sleuthing: A Guest Post by Janice Hallett - B&N Reads
The author of our former Monthly Pick, The Appeal, returns with a thrilling murder mystery centered on one deadly trivia night. Read on for an exclusive essay from Janice Hallett on writing The…
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November 16, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Janice Hallett's new book was inspired by her quiz team dominating at a new pub and walking out to "disgruntled mutters." [Ed note: Been there!] Mysterious team wins every week, landlords have secrets, body in the river. Trivia night gone deadly wrong. [Ed note: Ok, never this far!]
Collider ranks all 5 Dennis Lehane movie adaptations. No surprises at the top or bottom ("looks good on paper, real slog to watch"). I'm a bit kinder to #5, but skip that and go rewatch THE DROP, it's good beyond just Gandolfini's final performance.
All 5 Dennis Lehane Movies, Ranked
There have been five movies based on stories by Dennis Lehane, including well-regarded 21st century films like Mystic River and Shutter Island.
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November 16, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Collider ranks all 5 Dennis Lehane movie adaptations. No surprises at the top or bottom ("looks good on paper, real slog to watch"). I'm a bit kinder to #5, but skip that and go rewatch THE DROP, it's good beyond just Gandolfini's final performance.
Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson team up in DOWN CEMETERY ROAD on Apple TV to adapt an early Mick Herron novel. Missing girl, house explosion, conspiracy. Reviews say it's tonally messy (I disagree, I find that a feature not a bug). Anyone else watching?
Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson pair up for a missing child investigation in Apple TV's Down Cemetery Road
Mystery novelist Mick Herron has a knack for crafting stories that make for good TV.
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November 15, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson team up in DOWN CEMETERY ROAD on Apple TV to adapt an early Mick Herron novel. Missing girl, house explosion, conspiracy. Reviews say it's tonally messy (I disagree, I find that a feature not a bug). Anyone else watching?
Karen Pirie Season 2 adapts A Darker Domain and Val McDermid says Lauren Lyle nails the character even if she doesn't look like book-Karen. New book SILENT BONES drops December. I feel like Pirie (even McDermid to a degree) deserve a bigger audience in the States.
Catching Up with Karen Pirie, on Screen and Page
Karen Pirie and Silent Bones: A Thrilling Duo for Fans of Val McDermid Detective Inspector Karen Pirie is back in action in the second season of Karen Pirie, this time diving into the events of Val…
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November 15, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Karen Pirie Season 2 adapts A Darker Domain and Val McDermid says Lauren Lyle nails the character even if she doesn't look like book-Karen. New book SILENT BONES drops December. I feel like Pirie (even McDermid to a degree) deserve a bigger audience in the States.
Reactor has a Southern Gothic reading list that serves up five books about generational trauma you probably missed. The deep cuts that show how the South passes down violence like DNA. Ok, maybe you didn't miss Conroy. Happy to see Piccirilli included.
Five Southern Gothic Books about Generational Trauma That You (Probably) Haven’t Read - Reactor
Families grappling with ancestral sin and the crimes of the past
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November 14, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Reactor has a Southern Gothic reading list that serves up five books about generational trauma you probably missed. The deep cuts that show how the South passes down violence like DNA. Ok, maybe you didn't miss Conroy. Happy to see Piccirilli included.
Baldacci talking about writing NASH FALLS with a protagonist who's never fired a gun, out of shape, no cop/military background. Says he goes into every book scared because "complacency breeds mediocrity." Respect for staying enthusiastic after 40+ novels.
A Conversation with the King of Crime-Thrillers, David Baldacci
Novel Suspects: How did writing NASH FALLS compare to your previous thrillers like the Amos Decker or the Atlee Pine series? How has your writing evolved over time? David Baldacci: Walter Nash was …
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November 13, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Baldacci talking about writing NASH FALLS with a protagonist who's never fired a gun, out of shape, no cop/military background. Says he goes into every book scared because "complacency breeds mediocrity." Respect for staying enthusiastic after 40+ novels.
Louise Penny on the surreal feeling of watching her fictional plot play out in real life. When fiction becomes reality faster than you can hit publish. At least traditionally published.
Canadian author's latest novel imagines a plot to make Canada the 51st state before Trump did
Canadian author Louise Penny's latest novel, The Black Wolf, images a U.S. bid to make Canada the 51st state.
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November 12, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Louise Penny on the surreal feeling of watching her fictional plot play out in real life. When fiction becomes reality faster than you can hit publish. At least traditionally published.
Amazon has released the trailer for the adaptation of Don Winslow's novella 'Crime 101' (you can find it in his excellent 'Broken' collection from 2020. Looks like they are sticking pretty close to the source from what I recall.
Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry, and Mark Ruffalo lead a new heist movie!
We might have heists happening all around us in real life, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need them in fiction! Amazon MGM Studios has just released a trailer for a new heist movie star…
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November 8, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Amazon has released the trailer for the adaptation of Don Winslow's novella 'Crime 101' (you can find it in his excellent 'Broken' collection from 2020. Looks like they are sticking pretty close to the source from what I recall.
At Crime Reads, the man himself reflects on the adaptations of his work. I agree, I do wish more people checked out the the Bill Hodges adaptations (Dennis Lehane wrote some eps) hard as they were to find originally. Now on Peacock!
Bestsellers to Blockbusters: Stephen King Reflects on the Adaptations of His Work
In 2025, four of my novels and two short stories were adapted either for films or as streaming TV shows. I find this befuddling, perplexing, and downright peculiar. Also—okay, yeah—pretty cool. Par…
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November 7, 2025 at 12:53 AM
At Crime Reads, the man himself reflects on the adaptations of his work. I agree, I do wish more people checked out the the Bill Hodges adaptations (Dennis Lehane wrote some eps) hard as they were to find originally. Now on Peacock!
The Ringer's review of 'Welcome to Derry' tries to figure out what's left in IT to adapt (there's still a few nibbles left). They also wonder about a very weird (non-book) plot thread but ultimately find this one fun when it's goofy and weak when it tries serious.
Is There More to Mine From Stephen King’s ‘It’?
The HBO prequel series ‘Welcome to Derry’ adapts even more pages from the seminal horror tome. But it still misses some of the novel’s key themes.
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November 6, 2025 at 2:25 AM
The Ringer's review of 'Welcome to Derry' tries to figure out what's left in IT to adapt (there's still a few nibbles left). They also wonder about a very weird (non-book) plot thread but ultimately find this one fun when it's goofy and weak when it tries serious.
More King things, this one maybe for the super fans, but I found it interesting. The Lit Hub podcast talks with Caroline Bicks about the King archive at the Univ of Maine.
A Peek into Stephen King’s Archive and Behind the Best American Curtain on The Lit Hub Podcast
A weekly behind-the-scenes dive into everything interesting, dynamic, strange, and wonderful happening in literary culture—featuring Lit Hub staff, columnists, and special guests! Hosted by Drew Br…
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November 5, 2025 at 12:38 AM
More King things, this one maybe for the super fans, but I found it interesting. The Lit Hub podcast talks with Caroline Bicks about the King archive at the Univ of Maine.