Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester recommend books from this year's Edgar Awards finalists!
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News
A master class in writing taught by an AI version of Agatha Christie?
An Unsettling AI Agatha Christie Is Here to Teach You How to Write
2025 Edgar Awards
Books Discussed
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They All Fall the Same - Wes Browne
Cold to the Touch - Kerri Hakoda
The Amish Wife: Unraveling the Lies, Secrets, and Conspiracy that Let a Killer Go Free - Gregg Olsen
Find Her - Ginger Reno
God of the Woods - Liz Moore
The Man Made of Smoke - Alex North
The Dark Maestro - Brendan Slocumb
Otherwise you can:
Find Kendra on Instagram and Twitter @kdwinchester
Find Katie on Twitter @kt_librarylady
And we will talk to you all next time!
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Our 200th Episode!
Friday, May 2, 2025 • Duration 54:21
Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester celebrate 200 hundred episodes of Read or Dead!
Trust your reading list to the experts at Tailored Book Recommendations! The professional book nerds (aka bibliologists) at TBR have recommended over 160,000 books to readers of all kinds. Let TBR match you with your next favorite read! Simply fill out a quick survey about what you want more of in your reading life, and your bibliologist will scour their bookish knowledge to find three reads they think you’ll love. Choose from receiving just the recommendations via email, or opt to have paperbacks or hardcovers delivered right to your door. Get started for only $18!
Mystery author Peter Lovesey has died at 88.
Kerry Greenwood, author of the Phryne [FRY-nee] Fisher mystery series, has died at 70.
1849 titles
835 unique authors
1147 unique titles
40.1% authors of color
TOP Author mentions:
Sujata Massey - 28
Tana French - 26
Riley Sager - 24
Alma Katsu - 20
Attica Locke, Jane Harper, SA Cosby - 17
Stephen King - 16
Angie Kim - 14
Stephen Graham Jones - 12
Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Jesse Q. Sutanto - 11
Oyinkan Braithwaite, Alyssa Cole, Ausma Zehanat Khan, Wanda M. Morris, Ovidia Yu - 10
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Top Title Mentions:
The Widows of Malabar Hill - Sujata Massey - 13
My Sister the Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite - 10
Miracle Creek - Angie Kim - 9
When No One is Watching - Alyssa Cole - 8
Beneath the Mountain - Luca D’Andrea - 8
American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land - Monica Hesse - 7
Final Girls - Riley Sager - 7
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century - Kirk Wallace Johnson - 7
The Frangipani Tree Mystery - Ovidia Yu - 7
The Jigsaw Man - Nadine Matheson - 7
The Satapur Moonstone - Sujata Massey 7
The Witch Elm - Tana French - 7
Theme Music - T. Marie Vandelly - 7
Winter Counts - David Heska Wanbli Weiden - 7
If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at readordead@bookriot.com.
Otherwise you can:
Find Katie on Twitter @kt_librarylady
Find Kendra on Instagram and BlueSky @kdwinchester and on TikTok @kendrawinchester
And we will talk to you all next time!
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Genre-Bending Mysteries, Thrillers, and Horror Novels
Friday, April 18, 2025 • Duration 47:23
Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester recommend genre-defying mysteries, thrillers, and horror novels!
Trust your reading list to the experts at Tailored Book Recommendations! The professional book nerds (aka bibliologists) at TBR have recommended over 160,000 books to readers of all kinds. Let TBR match you with your next favorite read! Simply fill out a quick survey about what you want more of in your reading life, and your bibliologist will scour their bookish knowledge to find three reads they think you’ll love. Choose from receiving just the recommendations via email, or opt to have paperbacks or hardcovers delivered right to your door. Get started for only $18!
News
The American Library Association has sued the Trump administration for the gutting of IMLS. Attorneys general from 21 states have also filed a lawsuit
EveryLibrary condemns the Trump administration’s termination of IMLS grants as an attack on libraries, museums, and archives everywhere
Tracking the Trump Administration’s attacks on libraries
Books Discussed
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Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
When No One is Looking by Alyssa Cole
Himself by Jess Kidd
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Opal Watson: Private Eye by Brittany J. Thurman
Coram House by Bailey Seybolt
If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at readordead@bookriot.com.
Otherwise you can:
Find Katie on Twitter @kt_librarylady
Find Kendra on Instagram and BlueSky @kdwinchester and on TikTok @kendrawinchester
And we will talk to you all next time!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tackling Our Backlist TBRs
Friday, April 4, 2025 • Duration 45:24
Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss books from their never-ending backlist TBRs.
Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
To get even more mystery/thriller recs and news, sign up for our Unusual Suspects newsletter!
Trust your reading list to the experts at Tailored Book Recommendations! The professional book nerds (aka bibliologists) at TBR have recommended over 160,000 books to readers of all kinds. Let TBR match you with your next favorite read! Simply fill out a quick survey about what you want more of in your reading life, and your bibliologist will scour their bookish knowledge to find three reads they think you’ll love. Choose from receiving just the recommendations via email, or opt to have paperbacks or hardcovers delivered right to your door. Get started for only $18 at mytbr.co!
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News
Robert de Niro is starring in the adaptation of Alex North’s thriller, The Whisper Man
Books Discussed
Chasing the Boogeyman - Richard Chizmar
Bunny - Mona Awad
Night of the Mannequins - Stephen Graham Jones
Haunt Sweet Home - Sarah Pinsker
Murder at Gulls Nest - Jess Kid (April 8)
The Museum Detective - Maha Khan Phillips
If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at readordead@bookriot.com.
Otherwise you can:
Find Katie on Twitter @kt_librarylady
Find Kendra on Instagram and BlueSky @kdwinchester and on TikTok @kendrawinchester
And we will talk to you all next tim
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mysteries and Thrillers for Your Next Book Club
Friday, March 21, 2025 • Duration 50:35
Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester recommend mysteries and thrillers for book clubs!
Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
To get even more mystery/thriller recs and news, sign up for our Unusual Suspects newsletter!
Trust your reading list to the experts at Tailored Book Recommendations! The professional book nerds (aka bibliologists) at TBR have recommended over 160,000 books to readers of all kinds. Let TBR match you with your next favorite read! Simply fill out a quick survey about what you want more of in your reading life, and your bibliologist will scour their bookish knowledge to find three reads they think you’ll love. Choose from receiving just the recommendations via email, or opt to have paperbacks or hardcovers delivered right to your door. Get started for only $18 at mytbr.co!
This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
News
Louise Penny announces that she will not have any book tour dates in the US
Books Discussed
Happiness Falls - Angie Kim
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century - Kirk Wallace Johnson
Those We Thought We Knew - David Joy
My Sister, the Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite
Serial Killer Support Group - Saratoga Schaefer
Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man): A Vera Wong Novel - Jesse Q. Sutanto
If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at readordead@bookriot.com.
Otherwise you can:
Find Katie on Twitter @kt_librarylady
Find Kendra on Instagram and BlueSky @kdwinchester and on TikTok @kendrawinchester
And we will talk to you all next time!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feminist Mysteries
Friday, March 7, 2025 • Duration 50:37
Katie McLain Horner and honorary reading assassin Liberty Hardy talk about mysteries with feminist themes for Women's History Month.
Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
To get even more mystery/thriller recs and news, sign up for our Unusual Suspects newsletter!
Trust your reading list to the experts at Tailored Book Recommendations! The professional book nerds (aka bibliologists) at TBR have recommended over 160,000 books to readers of all kinds. Let TBR match you with your next favorite read! Simply fill out a quick survey about what you want more of in your reading life, and your bibliologist will scour their bookish knowledge to find three reads they think you’ll love. Choose from receiving just the recommendations via email, or opt to have paperbacks or hardcovers delivered right to your door. Get started for only $18 at mytbr.co!
News
Bram Stoker Award finalists
Janelle Monáe to Play Tanya Smith, Con Artist Behind $40 Million Heist, in ‘Never Saw Me Coming’ Movie Adaptation
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Books Discussed
Katabasis - R.F. Kuang
Notes on an Execution - Danya Kukafka
Bright Young Women - Jessica Knoll
Never Saw Me Coming - Vera Kurian
My Sister, the Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite
Broken Fields - Marcie R. Rendon
Black Tunnel White Magic: A Murder, a Detective’s Obsession, and ’90s Los Angeles at the Brink - Matthew McGough, Rick Jackson
Kills Well With Others - Deanna Raybourne
Accidents Happen - F.H. Batacan
The Man Nobody Killed: Life, Death, and Art in Michael Stewart's New York - Elon Green
Find Katie on Twitter @kt_librarylady
Find Liberty on Instagram @franzencomesalive / Bluesky @LibertyHardy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Destination Book Recommendations
Friday, February 21, 2025 • Duration 43:11
Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester recommend books set in the locations of their 2025 vacations!
Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
To get even more mystery/thriller recs and news, sign up for our Unusual Suspects newsletter!
A new year means a new Read Harder Challenge! Join us as we make our way through 24 tasks meant to expand our reading horizons. To get recommendations for each task, sign up for the Read Harder newsletter. All Access subscribers get even more recommendations plus community features, where you can connect with like-minded readers in a cozy and supportive corner of the internet. You can become an All Access member starting at $6 per month or $60 per year to get unlimited access to all members-only content in 20+ newsletters, community features, and the warm fuzzies of knowing you are supporting independent media. To join, visit bookriot.com/readharder.
This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Books Discussed
Everywhere That Mary Went - Lisa Scottoline
Murder by Degrees - Ritu Mukerji
Penitence - Kristin Koval
The Jigsaw Man - Nadine Matheson
Notes on Surviving the Fire - Christine Murphy
The Dream Hotel - Laila Lalami
If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at readordead@bookriot.com.
Otherwise you can:
Find Katie on Twitter @kt_librarylady
Find Kendra on Instagram and BlueSky @kdwinchester and on TikTok @kendrawinchester
And we will talk to you all next time!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mysteries and Thrillers for Black History Month
Friday, February 7, 2025 • Duration 45:29
Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester recommend mysteries and thrillers for Black History Month!
Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
To get even more mystery/thriller recs and news, sign up for our Unusual Suspects newsletter!
A new year means a new Read Harder Challenge! Join us as we make our way through 24 tasks meant to expand our reading horizons. To get recommendations for each task, sign up for the Read Harder newsletter. All Access subscribers get even more recommendations plus community features, where you can connect with like-minded readers in a cozy and supportive corner of the internet. You can become an All Access member starting at $6 per month or $60 per year to get unlimited access to all members-only content in 20+ newsletters, community features, and the warm fuzzies of knowing you are supporting independent media. To join, visit bookriot.com/readharder.
This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
News
Edgar Award Nominees
Books Discussed
Our Winter Monster - Dennis Mahoney
All Her Little Secrets - Wanda M. Morris
Anywhere You Run - Wanda M. Morris
What You Leave Behind - Wanda M. Morris
Jackal - Erin E. Adams
From the Desk of Zoe Washington - Janae Marks
My Darkest Prayer - S.A. Cosby
If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at readordead@bookriot.com.
Otherwise you can:
Find Katie on Twitter @kt_librarylady
Find Kendra on Instagram and BlueSky @kdwinchester and on TikTok @kendrawinchester
And we will talk to you all next time!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our Book Recommendations for the 2025 Read Harder Challenge
Friday, January 24, 2025 • Duration 44:09
Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester recommend mystery and thriller books to fulfill prompts for the 2025 Read Harder Challenge.
Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
To get even more mystery/thriller recs and news, sign up for our Unusual Suspects newsletter!
A new year means a new Read Harder Challenge! Join us as we make our way through 24 tasks meant to expand our reading horizons. To get recommendations for each task, sign up for the Read Harder newsletter. All Access subscribers get even more recommendations plus community features, where you can connect with like-minded readers in a cozy and supportive corner of the internet. You can become an All Access member starting at $6 per month or $60 per year to get unlimited access to all members-only content in 20+ newsletters, community features, and the warm fuzzies of knowing you are supporting independent media. To join, visit bookriot.com/readharder.
This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
News
Tom Holland is producing and starring in an adaptation of The Partner by John Grisham.
Everything you need to know about Osgood Perkins’ adaptation of The Monkey, based on the short story by Stephen King.
Books Discussed
Read Harder 2025
Theme Music - T. Marie Vandelly
The Dark Maestro - Brendan Slocumb
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers - Jessie Q. Sutanto
A Sea of Unspoken Things - Adrienne Young
Our Winter Monster - Dennis Mahoney
Tell Me What You Did - Carter Wilson
If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at readordead@bookriot.com.
Otherwise you can:
Find Katie on Twitter @kt_librarylady
Find Kendra on Instagram and BlueSky @kdwinchester and on TikTok @kendrawinchester
And we will talk to you all next tim
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our Most Anticipated Books of 2025
Friday, January 10, 2025 • Duration 36:30
Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss their most anticipated thriller and mystery books of 2025.
Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
To get even more mystery/thriller recs and news, sign up for our Unusual Suspects newsletter!
A new year means a new Read Harder Challenge! Join us as we make our way through 24 tasks meant to expand our reading horizons. To get recommendations for each task, sign up for the Read Harder newsletter. All Access subscribers get even more recommendations plus community features, where you can connect with like-minded readers in a cozy and supportive corner of the internet. You can become an All Access member starting at $6 per month or $60 per year to get unlimited access to all members-only content in 20+ newsletters, community features, and the warm fuzzies of knowing you are supporting independent media. To join, visit bookriot.com/readharder.
This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Books Discussed:
The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy - Andrea Dunlop & Mike Weber
The Dream Hotel - Laila Lalami
King of Ashes - SA Cosby
They All Fall the Same - Wes Browne
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter - Stephen Graham Jones
Immaculate Conception - Ling Ling Huang
If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at readordead@bookriot.com.
Otherwise you can:
Find Katie on Twitter @kt_librarylady
Find Kendra on Instagram and BlueSky @kdwinchester and on TikTok @kendrawinchester
And we will talk to you all next time!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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