In brief: Solo; The Forger’s Daughter; Little Weirds – reviews
A timely guide to happy home-working, a literary thriller and a comedian’s exuberant essay collection are all worth your time
On Connection by Kae Tempest review – persuasive and profound
The poet and musician’s essay on our need to combat alienation through creativity is refreshing
That Old Country Music by Kevin Barry review – wild, witty stories
The west of Ireland teems with canny characters and vivid language in the author’s third collection
Anatomy of a Killing by Ian Cobain review – a death that casts new light on the Troubles
The seasoned journalist skilfully reconstructs the killing of an RUC officer in 1978, and its aftermath, to reveal the deep moral fracture caused by the conflict
Kleptopia review: power, theft and Trump as leader in Putin’s own image
Tom Burgis’s study of dark global realities casts a wide net, from Washington to Moscow, Kazakhstan and the Congo
Trio by William Boyd review – superbly wry and wise
Set on a Brighton film set in 1968, this showbiz story is intricate and funny – but should William Boyd be taking more risks?
Let’s Do It by Jasper Rees review – Victoria Wood, perfectionist
An unflinching, affectionate portrait of the hugely popular writer and performer with a flair for very English comedy
Wicked Game review: a fascinating but flawed memoir by Trump’s jailed associate
Rick Gates, the campaign deputy who pleaded guilty to lying and conspiracy, excels on Trump and the GOP but protests too much on Russia
The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup
Snow by John Banville; Box 88 by Charles Cumming; Three-Fifths by John Vercher; When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole; The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett
The Great Gatsby review – intimate immersive show offers heady discombobulation
A revitalised, socially distanced version of the F Scott Fitzgerald adaptation keeps the jazz age alive with song, dance and spectacle
The Artful Dickens by John Mullan review – how did he do it?
How to convey sexual obsession and opium dreams? Entertaining and insightful essays on the skill of the supreme storyteller
Exit Management by Naomi Booth review – how to survive in London
This compelling tale of people scrabbling for purchase in the capital is peculiarly appropriate to our current crisis
Our Shadows by Gail Jones review – a quiet rejection of conformity in the Kalgoorlie mines
Three generations of a gold-mining family search for meaning in a carefully rendered ninth novel from last year’s Prime Minister’s literary award-winner
Reality, and Other Stories by John Lanchester review – horror for the digital age
Vinegar-sharp ghost stories play with the hold that technology has over all of us
The Dead Are Arising by Les Payne and Tamara Payne review – the real Malcolm X
How black America’s anti-hero remains underestimated, even when he speaks to our times