If you like sleuthing anthropomorphic sheep, revenge tales, Marvel but make it Noir, and Jack Ryan, then May is going to be an exciting viewing month for you when it comes to mystery and thriller adaptations. From streaming to putting butts in theater seats, there is plenty of entertainment coming your way.
First, a couple of adapted crime shows that are premiering their second seasons this month:
- The Chestnut Man: Hide and Seek, Season 2 is on Netflix May 7th, and is based on Søren Sveistrup’s same-titled book.
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Season 2 is on Netflix May 27th, and is based on Holly Jackson’s same-titled book.
The Sheep Detectives (In theaters May 8th)
Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
Three Bags Full (Sheep Detective Story #1) by Leonie Swann, Anthea Bell (Translator)
German author Leonie Swann has recently been publishing the Agnes Sharpe crime novels, but her 2005 debut is finding new audiences with a big film adaptation. Three Bags Full follows a flock of sheep who must solve their human caretaker’s murder. And just in time for the film release, Soho Crime is publishing the sequel, Big Bad Wool. All puns intended, I assume.
I’m going to lead with the cast for the film’s adaptation, The Sheep Detectives, because it is stacked: Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson, Regina Hall, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, Bryan Cranston, Chris O’Dowd, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, and Rhys Darby.
With mystery-loving shepherd George (Hugh Jackman) murdered, his flock of sheep decides the policeman is “hopeless,” and they must solve the murder.
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Is God Is (In theaters May 15th)
Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
Is God Is by Aleshea Harris
Aleshea Harris’s ” Is God Is is a play all about revenge with a genre mix: “tragedy, typography, the Spaghetti Western, hip-hop, and Afropunk.” Fun!
The film, in theaters on May 15th, has a fantastic cast: Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Sterling K. Brown, Vivica A. Fox, Janelle Monáe, and Erika Alexander! It’s a thriller about two sisters whose father gave the family burn scars, and now they’re on a mission to kill him at the request of their mother.
Spider-Noir (Amazon Prime, May 27th)
Courtesy of Amazon Prime
Spider-Man Noir, Vol. 1 by David Hine, Fabrice Sapolsky, Carmine Di Giandomenico (Contributor)
We’re getting a new Spider-Man with the Noir treatment set in 1933 during the Great Depression in New York.
The eight-episode series will have two options for viewers: in black and white and in full color. Nicolas Cage plays Ben Reilly, a private investigator and genetic clone of Peter Parker in 1930s NY. Rounding out the cast are Lamorne Morris, Li Jun Li, Karen Rodriguez, Abraham Popoola, Jack Huston, and Brendan Gleeson.
Ghost War (In theaters May 20th)
Courtesy of Amazon Prime
Patriot Games (Jack Ryan, #1) by Tom Clancy
In the ’80s, Tom Clancy created the character Jack Ryan, a CIA operative, in the military thriller The Hunt For Red October—Patriot Games was later written as a prequel and is now considered the start of the series. The character has been so popular that many top actors have played him, including Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.
In 2018, Amazon Prime began a new series with John Krasinski as Jack Ryan. And now he’s back, this time in theaters on May 20th, and trapped in a game of cat-and-mouse after spotting some suspicious bank transfers.
Browse the books recommended in Unusual Suspects’ previous newsletters on this shelf, and see 2026 releases! Until next time, come talk books with me on Bluesky, Goodreads, Litsy, and Multitudes Contained.
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