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

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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.