Read or Dead

By Book Riot

Read or Dead is a bi-weekly show dedicated to the worlds of mystery and thriller literature.... more

4.2

213213 ratings

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FAQs about Read or Dead:

How many episodes does Read or Dead have?

The podcast currently has 221 episodes available.

Read or Dead episodes:

November 14, 2025Holiday Gift Guide 2025
Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester recommend books for Read or Dead's annual holiday gift guide.
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.
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 Tailored Book Recommendations! Simply head to mytbr.co/gift to get started.
News
New Tana French novel!!
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Books Discussed
The Dead Path - Stephen M. Irwin

Thursday’s Children - Nicci French

The Weight of Blood - Tiffany D. Jackson

Night Film - Marisha Pessl

Portrait of a Thief - Grace D. Li

The Feather Thief - Kirk Wallace Johnson

Blue Monday - Nicci French, Performed by Beth Chalmers

The Kamogawa Food Detectives - Hisashi Kashiwai, Translated by Jesse Kirkwood

Restaurant of Lost Recipes - Hisashi Kashiwai, Translated by Jesse Kirkwood

Menu of Happiness - Hisashi Kashiwai, Translated by Jesse Kirkwood

Midnight Timetable - Bora Chung, Translated by Anton Hur
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!
Books Discussed

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52min
October 31, 2025Book Club: FIEND by Alma Katsu
Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss their very first book club pick, Fiend by Alma Katsu.
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!
Ready for a cozy, bookish autumn? Let Tailored Book Recommendations help you find your next favorite read with handpicked suggestions from professional book nerds. Get started today from just $18!
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Fiend - Alma Katsu

Empire of Pain - Patrick Radden Keefe

Death in Mud Lick - Eric Eyre

Dreamland - Sam Quinones

Dopesick - Beth Macy

The Nature of Pain - Mandi Fugate Sheffel
If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at [email protected].
Find Kendra on Instagram and Twitter @kdwinchester
Find Katie on Twitter @kt_librarylady
And we will talk to you all next time!
Books Discussed

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57min
October 17, 2025Down the Rabbit Hole with Fantastical Mysteries and Thrillers
de of the fantastic. Be sure to join us for our first book club to discuss The Fiend by Alma Katsu on October 31st.
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!
Ready for a cozy, bookish autumn? Let Tailored Book Recommendations help you find your next favorite read with handpicked suggestions from professional book nerds. Get started today from just $18!
This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Books Discussed
Fiend by Alma Katsu

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline

We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2025 edited by Don Winslow

The Sister’s Curse by Nicola Solvinic
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!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
...more
53min
October 03, 2025Cozy Books, Cute Animals—What's Not to Love?
Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss books on the cozier end of the mystery spectrum. Plus, they all feature cute animals! Be sure to join us for our first book club to discuss The Fiend by Alma Katsu on October 31st.
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!
Ready for a cozy, bookish autumn? Let Tailored Book Recommendations help you find your next favorite read with handpicked suggestions from professional book nerds. Get started today from just $18!

Books Discussed
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The Fiend - Alma Katsu

The Cat Who Could Read Backwards - Lilian Jackson Braun

The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra - Vaseem Khan

Menu of Happiness - Hisashi Kashiwai, translated by Jesse Kirkwood

Mockingbird Court: A Shady Hollow Mystery - Juneau Black

The Midnight Timetable: A Novel in Ghost Stories - Bora Chung, translated by Anton Hur

I Make My Own Fun - Hannah Beer

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!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
...more
45min
September 19, 2025Women Writers for Latine Heritage Month
Latine Heritage Month! Be sure to join us for our first book club to discuss The Fiend by Alma Katsu on October 31st. (Apologies—we said the 24th in the episode.)
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!
Ready for a cozy, bookish autumn? Let Tailored Book Recommendations help you find your next favorite read with handpicked suggestions from professional book nerds. Get started today from just $18!

Things Discussed
Anthony Awards

Latine Heritage Month (PRH)

Tomes and Textiles
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Books Discussed
Fiend - Alma Katsu

The House in the Pines - Ana Reyes

More Than You’ll Ever Know - Katie Gutierrez

The Vampires of El Norte - Isabel Cañas

Liliana's Invincible Summer: A Sister's Search for Justice - Cristina Rivera Garza

You Are the Detective: The Creeping Hand Murder - Maureen Johnson, Jay Cooper

The Librarians - Sherry Thomas
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!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
...more
47min
September 05, 2025Dark Academia Strikes Back!
Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss dark academia novels.
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!
Ready for a cozy, bookish autumn? Let Tailored Book Recommendations help you find your next favorite read with handpicked suggestions from professional book nerds. Get started today from just $18!
This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Things Mentioned:
Obama’s Summer Reading List 2025

Books Discussed:
The Fiend - Alma Katsu

White Ivy - Susie Yang

They Never Learn - Layne Fargo

The Library at Hellebore - Cassandra Khaw

Bunny - Mona Awad

Sisters in the Wind - Angeline Boulley

The Belles - Lacey N. Dunham
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!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
...more
52min
August 22, 2025Historical Crime and Horror Novels
Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss historical crime and horror novels!
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!
Book Riot is hiring a digital content specialist! If you love books and know the ins and outs of social media strategy, and especially social video, consider joining the team. Find details and apply by August 22, 2025, at riotnewmedia.com/careers.
News
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù To Lead Netflix Series ‘All The Sinners Bleed’

Noir at the Bar Kentucky Tour
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Books Discussed
Burn Baby Burn - Meg Medina

Mrs. Poe - Lynn Cullen

The Possession of Alba Díaz - Isabel Cañas

Little Deaths - Emma Flint

Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror - Ashley Cullins

Five Found Dead - Sulari Gentill
Otherwise you can:
Find Kendra on Instagram and Twitter @kdwinchester
Find Katie on Twitter @kt_librarylady
We will talk to you all next time!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
...more
51min
August 08, 2025Let's Celebrate Women in Translation Month!
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!
Book Riot is hiring a digital content specialist! If you love books and know the ins and outs of social media strategy, and especially social video, consider joining the team. Find details and apply by August 22, 2025, at riotnewmedia.com/careers.

Things Mentioned
Murder, She Wrote is getting a film adaptation with Jamie Lee Curtis starring as Jessica Fletcher

Women in Translation Month
Books Discussed
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The Woman in the Purple Skirt - Natsuko Imamura; transl. by Lucy North

I Remember You - Yrsa Sigurdardottir; transl. by Philip Roughton

Thing We Lost in the Fire - Mariana Enriquez, transl. by Megan McDowell

Death Takes Me - Cristina Rivera Garza, transl. by Sarah Booker and Robin Myers

The Faceless Thing We Adore - Hester Steel

The Dead Husband Cookbook - Danielle Valentine
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!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
...more
48min
July 25, 2025Books That Have Been on Our TBRs for Far Too Long
Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss books that they’ve been meaning to get to for far too long. No time like the present!
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!
Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help! TBR delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. You can get your recommendations via email, or receive hardcovers or paperbacks in the mail. And with quarterly or annual plans available, TBR has something for every budget. Plans start at just $18!
The CWA Dagger Awards

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The Good Daughter - Karin Slaughter

While Justice Sleeps - Stacey Abrams

Kala - Colin Walsh

Natural Beauty - Ling Ling Huang

The Confessions - Paul Bradley Carr

A Twist of Fate - Se-Ah Jang, Trans. S. L. Park

The Hunger - Alma Katsu
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!
Books Discussed

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...more
44min
July 11, 2025Our Most Anticipated Mysteries and Thrillers of 2025 Pt. 2
Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss their most anticipated book for the second half 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!
Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help! TBR delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. You can get your recommendations via email, or receive hardcovers or paperbacks in the mail. And with quarterly or annual plans available, TBR has something for every budget. Plans start at just $18!

Crime Reads Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2025
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An Evil Premise - T. Marie Vandelly (August 12th)

The Possession of Alba Díaz - Isabel Cañas (August 19)

You Weren’t Meant to Be Human - Andrew Joseph White (September 9)

Fiend - Alma Katsu (September 16th)

We Love You, Bunny - Mona Awad (September 23rd)

Dead Man Blues - S.D. House (October 14th)
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!
Books Discussed

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
...more
40min

FAQs about Read or Dead:

How many episodes does Read or Dead have?

The podcast currently has 221 episodes available.