Night Haunts by Sukhdev Sandhu – review

Sukhdev Sandhu's poetic impressions of London's night-dwellers shed light on the capital's darkest hours, says William Skidelsky

Minority Verdict by Michael Ashcroft; Which Way’s Up? by Nick Boles; The British General Election of 2010 by Philip Cowley and Dennis Kavanagh

Fraser Nelson on accounts by Michael Ashcroft, Nick Boles, Philip Cowley and Dennis Kavanagh of the summer's 'car crash' general election

An Italian villa unites aristocratic characters from different ages in Michael Holroyd's magical book, writes Lisa Appignanesi

A history of the American civil war focuses on Britain's shamefully self-interested role, says Peter Conrad

The efforts of two contrasting writers will not materially alter our view of a flawed presidency, writes Stryker Maguire

Geoff Dyer's Working the Room finds him on elegantly meandering form, says Tim Adams

Magnus Mills's brief tales of everyday oddness are sharp, precise and dangerous, writes Alice Fisher

Stieg Larsson was a notoriously private man, so this biography provides sustenance for fans still mourning his loss, says Rosie Swash

Rebecca Hunt's much hyped black dog disappoints. Mary Fitzgerald prefers the altered perceptions of Charlie Hill and Joel Thomas Hynes

Wilf Mbanga applauds a forthright discussion of Zimbabwe's plight

The Cornish hotel made famous by Daphne du Maurier has plenty of spooky history, finds Sally Shalam, but no ghostly goings-on

Stephen Sondheim’s profound attention to his craft is the key to his genius

Nicola Barr still finds raw power in Lady Chatterley's Lover, a book whose literary reputation was overtaken by the controversy surrounding it

Will Hutton's engaging look at the economic crisis finds ground for optimism in the British sense of fairness, says Kate Pickett

A Christmas compendium of essays on atheism is the perfect godless curmudgeon's stocking-filler, writes Jessica Holland