Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss their most anticipated thriller and mystery books of 2025.

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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.

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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 [email protected].

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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We are off this holiday week, so we're sharing this rerun from the top of the year to reflect back on the titles we were most looking forward to in the first half of 2024!

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NEWS

“Our Most Anticipated Crime Fiction Novels of 2024” (Novel Suspects)

BOOKS DISCUSSED

One of the Good Guys - Araminta Hall (January 9) 

The Night of the Storm - Nishita Parekh (Jan. 16th)

The Hunter - Tana French (March 5)

Blessed Water - Margot Douaihy (March 12th)

The Woods All Black - Lee Mandelo (March 19th)

The Angel of Indian Lake - Stephen Graham Jones (March 26th)

Butter: A Novel of Food & Murder - Asako Yuzuki, transl. Polly Barton (April 16)

One of Us Knows - Alyssa Cole (April 16)

Supplication - Nour Abi-Nakhoul (May 24th)

Middle of the Night - Riley Sager (June 18)

If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at [email protected].

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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Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss their favorite books from 2024!

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At Tailored Book Recommendations, we’ve recommended over 150,000 books to readers of every type. And we’ve got good news— TBR makes a novel gift for the book lover on your list! All your gift recipient has to do is fill out a survey about their reading likes and dislikes, and our expert bibliologists will use their bookish knowledge to round up three personalized recommendations for reads we think they’ll love. Whether they’re a mystery maven, a historical fiction fanatic, or a contemporary connoisseur, we’ve got the chops to match the book lover in your life with their next favorite read. And it only takes a few clicks to gift TBR! Simply head to mytbr.co/gift to get started. You can even schedule the delivery of the welcome email, which means no more waiting on gifts to arrive last minute.

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Things Mentioned

• Goodreads Choice Awards: Mystery / Thriller 
• Crime Reads Best Books
• Washington Post’s Best Mystery Novels
• Washington Post’s Best Thrillers 
• The Guardian’s Best Mystery and Thrillers
• Kirkus’s Best Mystery and Thrillers
• NYTs Best Crime Novels

Books Discussed

• The Hunter - Tana French
• The Woods All Black - Lee Mandelo
• Mexican Gothic - Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• Guide Me Home - Attica Locke
• Model Home - Rivers Solomon
• Butter - Asako Yuzuki, translated by Polly Barton

If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at [email protected].

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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Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss books for Indigenous Peoples' Month!

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Keep up to date with the world of books and reading with Today in Books, Book Riot's daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. Our editors offer commentary, context, and the occasional clap-back to keep you informed and entertained. Visit bookriot.com/todayinbooks to subscribe for free, or become an All Access member starting at $6 per month or $60 per year and get unlimited access to members-only content in 20+ newsletters, community features, and the warm fuzzies knowing you are supporting independent media.

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Books Discussed 

• Exposure - Ramona Emerson
• Highway of Tears: A True Story of Racism, Indifference, and the Pursuit of Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls - Jessica McDiarmid
• Bad Cree - Jessica Johns
• Mongrels - Stephen Graham Jones
• Darkly - Marisha Pessl
• The Rival - Jane Pek

If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at [email protected].

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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Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss their 2024 holiday gift guide!

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To get even more mystery/thriller recs and news, sign up for our Unusual Suspects newsletter!

Keep up to date with the world of books and reading with Today in Books, Book Riot's daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. Our editors offer commentary, context, and the occasional clap-back to keep you informed and entertained. Visit bookriot.com/todayinbooks to subscribe for free, or become an All Access member starting at $6 per month or $60 per year and get unlimited access to members-only content in 20+ newsletters, community features, and the warm fuzzies knowing you are supporting independent media.

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

News

Goodreads Choice Awards 2024

Books Discussed

• They All Fall the Same by Wes Browne
• The Alienist by Caleb Carr
• Bunny by Mona Awad
• Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey
• Blue Monday by Nicci French
• Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh
• Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City by Tanya Talaga

If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at [email protected].

Otherwise you can:

Find Katie on Twitter @kt_librarylady

Find Kendra on Instagram and Twitter @KDWinchester and on TikTok @KendraWinchester

And we will talk to you all next time!

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Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss books for a scary season send-off!

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Books Discussed

• The Spite House - Johnny Compton
• The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story - Olga Tokarczuk, Trans. Antonia Lloyd-Jones
• The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters
• The Hunger - Alma Katsu
• Model Home - Rivers Solomon
• This Girl’s a Killer - Emma C. Wells
• Pony Confidential - Christina Lynch

If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at [email protected].

Otherwise you can:

Find Katie on Twitter @kt_librarylady

Find Kendra on Instagram and Twitter @kdwinchester and on TikTok @kendrawinchester

And we will talk to you all next time!

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Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss mysteries and thrillers from The New York Times’s Best Books of the 21st Century!

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This October, Tailored Book Recommendations is giving away a pair of Beats Fit Pro headphones! TBR is the perfect way to take the guesswork out of finding your next favorite read. To get started with TBR, just fill out a quick survey about your reading likes and dislikes, and we’ll pair you with a professional book nerd— aka bibliologist— who uses their bookish knowledge to match you with three books they think you’ll dig. You can sign up to receive your recommendations via email or have your bibliologist’s picks delivered right to your door as either hardcovers or paperbacks.

And if you sign up or gift TBR in the month of October, you’ll be automatically entered to win a pair of Beats Fit Pro headphones! Current TBR subscribers also have a chance to win by purchasing a drop-in round of recommendations in October. Sign up today at mytbr.co

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Things Mentioned

The New York Times’s Best Books of the 21st Century

Books Discussed

• The Guest List - Lucy Foley
• Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America - Erik Larson
• Just Mercy - Bryan Stevenson
• Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead - Olga Tokarczuk, Trans. Antonia Lloyd-Jones
• The Reformatory - Tananarive Due, Chosen by Stephen Graham Jones NYTs
• It Will Only Hurt For a Moment - Delilah S. Dawson
• The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story - Olga Tokarczuk, Trans. Antonia Lloyd-Jones
• Curdle Creek - Yvonne Battle-Felton

If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at [email protected].

Otherwise you can:

Find Katie on Twitter @kt_librarylady

Find Kendra on Instagram and Twitter @kdwinchester and on TikTok @kendrawinchester

And we will talk to you all next time!

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Katie and Kendra have been affected by Hurricane Helene, so we are bringing you this episode from the Book Riot Podcast in which Jeff and Rebecca consider 10 books (including a couple of buzzy mysteries!) and crown one of them the It Book of the Month.

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For more industry news, sign up for our Today in Books daily newsletter!

Check out the Book Riot Podcast Book Page on Thriftbooks!

The Book Riot Podcast Patreon

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Discussed in this episode:

Operation Airdrop

The Message

The Mighty Red

Slaveroad

The Bog Wife

The Boyfriend

The Revenge of The Tipping Point

What I Ate in One Year

Sonny Boy

Meditations for Mortals

Absolution

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Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss books for Latine Heritage Month!

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Join Book Riot's editorial staff and expert guest writers at The Deep Dive, your destination for deep thoughts on all things reading, behind-the-scenes insights, informed takes, and so much more. Whether we're analyzing book deal trends, whittling down the best books of the century, or letting you in on the best book club book of the summer, you'll find something to nerd out over and enrich your reading life. With decades of experience in books and publishing between us, we have a wealth of knowledge, thoughts, and curated goodness we can't wait to share with you. Go ahead and take the plunge.

Visit bookriot.com/deepdive to subscribe for free, or become an All Access member starting at $6 per month or $60 per year and get unlimited access to members-only content in 20+ newsletters, community features, and the warm fuzzies knowing you are supporting independent media.

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Books Discussed

The Guest List - Lucy Foley

Mexican Gothic - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Burn Baby Burn - Meg Medina

House of Bone and Rain - Gabino Iglesias

A Sunny Place for Shady People: Stories - Mariana Enriquez, Trans. Megan McDowell

The Hitchcock Hotel - Stephanie Wrobel

Ruin Road - Lamar Giles

If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at [email protected].

Otherwise you can:

Find Katie on Twitter @kt_librarylady

Find Kendra on Instagram and Twitter @kdwinchester and on TikTok @kendrawinchester

And we will talk to you all next time!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss must-read sequels!

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!

Join Book Riot's editorial staff and expert guest writers at The Deep Dive, your destination for deep thoughts on all things reading, behind-the-scenes insights, informed takes, and so much more. Whether we're analyzing book deal trends, whittling down the best books of the century, or letting you in on the best book club book of the summer, you'll find something to nerd out over and enrich your reading life. With decades of experience in books and publishing between us, we have a wealth of knowledge, thoughts, and curated goodness we can't wait to share with you. Go ahead and take the plunge.

Visit bookriot.com/deepdive to subscribe for free, or become an All Access member starting at $6 per month or $60 per year and get unlimited access to members-only content in 20+ newsletters, community features, and the warm fuzzies knowing you are supporting independent media.

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

News

Anthony Award winners

Books Discussed

Heaven My Home - Attica Locke

Dublin Murder Squad series - Tana French

Cult Following: the Extreme Sects That Capture Our Imaginations—And Take Over Our Lives - J.W. Ocker

Where They Last Saw Her - Marcie R. Rendon

Summers End - Juneau Black

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes - Hisashi Kashiwai, Trans. Jesse Kirkwood

If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at [email protected].

Otherwise you can:

Find Katie on Twitter @kt_librarylady

Find Kendra on Instagram and Twitter @kdwinchester and on TikTok @kendrawinchester

And we will talk to you all next time!

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Kendra Winchester and special guest Trisha Brown discuss genre-bending romance and mystery books!

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Learn something new, sharpen your skills, and expand your horizons with our Better Living Through Books newsletter. Better Living Through Books is your resource for reading material that helps you live the life you want. From self-help to cookbooks to parenting to personal finance, relationships, and more, Better Living Through Books has got you covered. If it’s part of life, it can be part of your reading life. That's what Better Living Through Books is all about.

Visit bookriot.com/betterliving to subscribe for free, or become an All Access member starting at $6 per month or $60 per year and get unlimited access to members-only content in 20+ newsletters, community features, and the warm fuzzies knowing you are supporting independent media.

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Things Mentioned

When in Romance

Books Discussed

The Vibrant Years by Sonali Dev

Summers End by Juneau Black

Rules of Engagement by Selena Montgomery

Whiteout by Adriana Anders

Think of England by KJ Charles

The Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues by Beth Lincoln

If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at [email protected].

Otherwise you can:

Find Trisha on instagram and Blue sky @trishahaleybrown

Find Kendra on Instagram and Twitter @kdwinchester and on TikTok @kendrawinchester

And we will talk to you all next time!

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