{"podcast":{"title":"What to Read Next — Book Recommendations for Romance, Thrillers & Escape Reads","slug":"what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873","podcast_index_feed_id":9873,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/whattoreadnext/","website_url":"http://www.whattoreadnextblog.com","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/f7acd6df-7bd5-4b9f-bdcd-cc1c6c790629/4osSDj37v6rAcBIBBysi07ET.png","author":"Laura R Yamin","episode_count":928,"summary":"You know you want to read. You just don't know what. What to Read Next is the podcast for readers who love romance, thrillers, and women's fiction — and spend more time staring at their TBR than actually reading it. I'm Laura, and twice a week I bring you book recommendations built around one thing: how you actually feel right now. Not what's new. Not what's trending. The right book for this exact mood, this exact moment, this exact week of your life. Some weeks that means asking an author what they read for joy — not what they wrote, but what they reach for when they need to escape. Their answer is always your next discovery. Some weeks it means me telling you exactly what I read, what stayed with me, what I DNF'd at 40% and why, and which one I'd press into your hands right now if we were having coffee. Romance across every subgenre. Psychological thrillers. Beach reads with actual substance. Women's fiction that makes you feel seen. The books that give you the escape you came for — and a few that'll quietly change how you see things too. New episodes every Monday and Wednesday. The Reading Receipt — my weekly reading log — drops every Thursday on Substack. Start anywhere. The r…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-30T20:17:08.396085+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873"},"episode":{"title":"Can a Serial Killer Be “Cozy”? Dark Comedy Meets Cozy Mystery | Fergus Craig","slug":"can-a-serial-killer-be-cozy-dark-comedy-meets-cozy-mystery-fergus-craig","published_at":"2026-02-20T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/can-a-serial-killer-be-cozy-dark-comedy-meets-cozy-mystery-fergus-craig","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873","url":"http://www.whattoreadnextblog.com","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/712c3646-a35b-435b-9a4c-44a36f7c9a72.mp3","summary":"This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. What happens when you drop a retired serial killer into a luxury retirement home full of former investigators? You get chaos, secrets… and one very suspicious death. In this episode, I chat with British comedian-turned-mystery author Fergus Craig about his latest cozy crime novel, I’m Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home . We talk about writing a likable serial killer, the art of “cracked cozy” mysteries, and how parody crime novels unexpectedly launched his fiction career. If you love cozy mysteries with a dark twist — and characters who blur the line between wrong and relatable — this one’s for you. We also dive into his favorite reads (including a book he calls the best he’s ever read), and why sometimes escape fiction is exactly what readers need right now. 📚 Books Mentioned I’m Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home by Fergus Craig — Buy on Amazon | Cozy Mystery | Dark Comedy | Serial Killer Protagonist The Bee Sting by Paul Murray — Buy on Amazon | Literary Fiction | Family Drama East of Eden by John Steinbeck — Buy on Amazon | Classic Literary Fiction ⏱️ Timestamps [00:00] Introduction to Fergus Craig [01:00] The premise behind I’m Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home [02:00] What is a “cracked cozy” mystery? [03:00] Writing a likable serial killer [05:00] Balancing flashbacks and present-day mystery [06:00] From comedian and actor to novelist [07:00] Parody crime novels and landing a book deal [08:00] Why readers want escape fiction right now [09:00] Fergus’s reading life and audiobook habits [10:00] The Bee Sting by Paul Murray recommendation [12:00] Literary fiction and reading widely Join the Conversation Subscribe to our Substack for exc…","meta_description":"This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. What happens when you drop a retired serial killer…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":895,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/episodes/can-a-serial-killer-be-cozy-dark-comedy-meets-cozy-mystery-fergus-craig/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/can-a-serial-killer-be-cozy-dark-comedy-meets-cozy-mystery-fergus-craig.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}