Love and Deception: Philby in Beirut by James Hanning review – the spy who loved, maybe

A fascinating new biography from the perspective of Philby’s third wife sheds new light on a well-worn story of secrecy and betrayal

Peril review: Bob Woodward Trump trilogy ends on note of dire warning

Behind the headlines about Gen Milley, China and the threat of nuclear war lies a sobering read about democracy in danger

The Maltese Falcon review – dreamlike tension and the greatest MacGuffin of all time

A dark, steely performance from Humphrey Bogart is at the cynical heart of John Huston’s adaptation of the classic detective novel

The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup

The Dark Remains by William McIlvanney and Ian Rankin; Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty; Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden; The Whistleblower by Robert Peston; and The Wrong Goodbye by Toshihiko Yahagi

The Magician by Colm Tóibín review – inside the mind of Thomas Mann

This compelling fictionalised biography explores the life and times of the exiled German Nobel winner, exquisitely balancing the intimate and momentous

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty review – overgarnished but pyrotechnic family drama

A missing grandmother is at the heart of this perfectly readable but indulgent new mystery from the mordant queen of Sydney suburbia

The Sisters Mao review – dazzlingly ambitious yet modestly human

Gavin McCrea’s second novel juxtaposes revolutionaries in London and China as it explores the roles of art and motherhood in communism

Listen by Kathryn Mannix review – a wise guide to finding the right words

From adoption to sexuality, early pregnancy to death, a palliative care doctor explores the discussions we often try to avoid

Index, a History of the by Dennis Duncan review – a delightfully readable A to Z

Can a good index be compiled by computer software, or is there an art to this overlooked endeavour?

Exponential by Azeem Azhar review – bridging the technology gap

A bullish survey of AI, biotech, renewable energy and more explains how change is leaving us behind, and what we can do about it

A Calling for Charlie Barnes review – tragicomedy of the American Dream

Joshua Ferris’s story of a fraud, fool and faithless husband narrated by his novelist son is funny, moving – and surprising

Rebecca & Lucie in the Case of the Missing Neighbor by Pascal Girard review – postpartum PI

The fierce love and deathly boredom of maternity leave is addressed playfully in a delightful mystery for adults and kids

Souvenir by Michael Bracewell review – the London that time forgot

These atmospheric recollections of the capital of the 1970s and 80s, and the artists it inspired, conjures a city – and a culture – in a less rapacious age

Freight Dogs by Giles Foden review – into the dark heart of the Congo wars

The Last King of Scotland author wrenches readers into a period of horrifying violence for a sharp study of the moral complexity of war

Bewilderment by Richard Powers review – stars in their eyes

An astrobiologist soothes his troubled son with inner voyages to fantastical worlds in a tender sci-fi novel-cum-family romance