The Crown in Crisis by Alexander Larman review – abdication, assassination and the Nazis
A new account of the difficulties of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, with contemporary resonances and speculation about an attempt to kill Edward VIII
The Australian book you should read next: Wake in Fright by Kenneth Cook
The story of the preppy city-bred schoolteacher in outback Australia is easy to explain, the novel’s nightmarish tension not so much
The Liar’s Dictionary by Eley Williams review – big ideas in a minor key
Further adventures in love and language from the author of Attrib., as two lexicographers a century apart juggle meaning and made-up words
Murder on the Middle Passage by Nicholas Rogers review – slavery and the British empire
An atrocity unpunished ... forget the triumphant tales of abolition – the brutal death of a teenage slave girl reveals important truths of Britain’s imperial history
How the ‘hub’ became the most fashionable place to be
There are technology hubs, startup hubs, ‘creative coffee hubs’ and now plans for a ‘government hub’ in York
x + y by Eugenia Cheng review – an end to the gender wars?
A bold and optimistic theory of gender and cooperation, based on the insights of maths
Owls of the Eastern Ice by Jonathan C Slaght review – an extraordinary quest
Drinking ethanol and saving the world ... an old-school, tautly strung adventure in pursuit of the largest species of owl
Wendy, Master of Art review – witty graphic novel unleashes hipster hell
Time for Lacanian sculpture and the semiotics of string in this third outing for Walter Scott’s winningly messy heroine
Too Much and Never Enough by Mary L Trump review – a scathing takedown of Uncle Donald
This blistering memoir by the president’s niece reveals the twisted dynamic of America’s ‘malignantly dysfunctional’ first family
Modern Times by Cathy Sweeney – twisted fables from a new talent
The debut Irish author delivers taut, surreal tales that take your breath away
Why Didn’t You Just Do What You Were Told? by Jenny Diski review – supremely sharp
The late writer’s singular qualities shine through in these brilliant columns for the London Review of Books
In brief: The Family Clause; Anti-Social; My Name Is Why – review
A Swedish family at war, tales from the Asbo frontline, and an affecting memoir of brutality and hope
Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce review – self-discovery in the South Pacific
The “up lit” novelist does more than warm our hearts in this 1950-set tale of one woman’s journey from mediocrity to adventure
Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell review – endless prog rock noodling
The acclaimed author of Cloud Atlas hits a bum note with this hackneyed story of a band in the late 1960s
The Other Madisons review: an astonishing story of a president’s black family
In extraordinary times, as statues fall, Bettye Kearse has written an extraordinary book. It contains lessons for all Americans