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

In this episode, thriller author Mike Donohue celebrates the world's strangest bookstore, weighs in on the eternal book-to-film adaptation debate, warns aspiring authors about a growing wave of publishing scams, and pays tribute to the late Dan Simmons.

He then dives deep into the amateur sleuth exploring why ordinary people solving crimes has never felt more culturally urgent, from Poe and Miss Marple to Gone Girl and Richard Osman's 15-million-copy empire.

Books & topics mentioned:– Alabama Booksmith — The New Yorker's profile of America's strangest bookstore– The book-to-film adaptation debate — NPR & Cultured magazine– Publishing scams — New York Times investigation– 2026 Left Coast Crime Lefty Award winners– RIP Dan Simmons — Hyperion, The Terror, and the Joe Kurtz noir trilogy– The Tree of Light and Flowers by Thomas Perry– The Crossroads by C.J. Box– I Did Not Kill My Husband by Linda Keir– The Best Little Motel in Texas by Lyla Lane– Amateur sleuth deep dive — Poe, Christie, Flynn, Osman, and the psychology of institutional distrust– What I'm reading/watching: Wolf Hour (Jo Nesbø), Home Is Where the Bodies Are (Jeneva Rose — audio), Steal (Amazon Prime Video)

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Until next time—stay sharp, follow the clues, and don't trust anyone who skips to the end.