The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher – Hilary Mantel’s alluring portraits of interior disquiet

Hilary Mantel’s short stories explore isolation, pain and distress, writes Robert Collins

Political Order and Political Decay review – volume two of Francis Fukuyama’s magisterial political history

The author of The End of History challenges the west’s obsession with liberal democracy, writes Nick Fraser

Earth vs. the Sci-Fi Filmmakers by Tom Weaver

A sparkling collection of interviews with everyone who is anyone in the world of B-movie sci-fi, writes PD Smith

Hidden City: Adventures and Explorations in Dublin by Karl Whitney – review

Forget the tourist destinations, and discover the essential Irish capital with this ingenious and affectionate study, writes Colm Tóibín

Ghost in the Shell review – a rare slice of adult animation fantasy

Blending violent thriller, tech porn and sci-fi epic, this headspinning manga cyborg quest has dated better than its live-action rivals, writes Peter Bradshaw

Human Capital review – a shrewd portrait of status anxiety and avarice

Stephen Amidon’s novel of greed and family consequences is skilfully transplanted to Milan for this caustic drama, writes Peter Bradshaw

Station Eleven review – Emily St John Mandel’s haunting dystopian vision

Emily St John Mandel creates a disturbingly believable vision of humanity all but wiped out by a flu pandemic, writes Alison Flood

The Love Object review – Edna O’Brien’s powerful short stories

This collection of elegant short stories spanning five decades reveals a writer of consistent brilliance, writes Clare Wigfall

A Replacement Life review – Boris Fishman tells tall tales in a fine debut

In Boris Fishman’s first novel, a writer makes false claims against Germany on behalf of Russian-Jewish Holocaust survivors, writes Edward Docx

Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII’s Most Faithful Servant review – Tracy Borman’s rather sketchy portrait

This account of the rise and fall of the fascinating Thomas Cromwell is disappointingly light on facts, writes Lucy Hughes-Hallett

The Monogram Murders review – Sophie Hannah brings Poirot back to life

Crime writer Sophie Hannah has fun reviving Agatha Christie’s famous Belgian truffler, writes Ben East

The Strangest Family review – Janice Hadlow’s engaging history of the Hanoverian court

Janice Hadlow combines sympathetic, nuanced portraits of George III and Queen Charlotte with witty cameos of their rakish contemporaries, writes Alexander Larman

An Event in Autumn review – Henning Mankell’s lugubrious detective Kurt Wallander is back, briefly

Published in English for the first time, Mankell’s delightful novella finds Wallander in typically dejected form, writes Alison Flood

Private Island: Why Britain Now Belongs to Someone Else review – a forensic critique of privatisation

James Meek’s compelling study reveals how consumers have paid the price for politicians selling Britain’s assets overseas, writes John Kampfner

Please, Mr Postman and Sailing Close to the Wind reviews – Alan Johnson and Dennis Skinner’s memoirs

Alan Johnson and Dennis Skinner’s memoirs provide intimate portraits of two very different working-class heroes, writes Chris Mullin