Crime and thrillers of the month – review
Nicci French’s latest gem; an unsettling brainteaser from Japanese enigma Uketsu; the tensions that mar the maiden voyage of an airship; and a sojourn on a scary Scottish island
Prosecuting the Powerful by Steve Crawshaw review – from the Nuremberg trials to the pursuit of Putin and Assad
This history of international justice is an important primer for our dark times and surprisingly optimistic about our chances of putting today’s despots in the dock
Bad Education by Matt Goodwin review – a lapsed liberal’s war on ‘woke’ lecture
The former politics professor is right to defend free speech in our higher education system, but his argument is undermined by his hysterical tone and lack of nuance
We All Come Home Alive by Anna Beecher review – the pain of grief and joy of living
Beecher’s beautiful memoir, written partly in response to the death of her brother aged 25, describes in startling detail the highs and lows of existence
The Loves of My Life by Edmund White – sex on the brain… and in the bathhouse
The American author’s anthology of his many physical encounters is a spiritual quest as much as a sensual one
Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett review – a moving treatise of family dynamics
The third book from the twice Pulitzer prize-nominated American author is a complex portrait of parallel lives on a par with the great Russian novels
Quarterlife by Devika Rege review – an intimate epic set in Modi’s India
An astute debut novel follows the personal and political upheaval of three friends in a thinly fictionalised contemporary Mumbai
The Artist by Lucy Steeds review – dextrous portrait of female fulfilment
A young woman with creative ambitions is obliged to care for her uncle, a famous painter, in an accomplished debut set in 1920s Provence
All the President’s Money by James Comer review – incomplete, hypocritical and needs an editor
The Kentucky Republican enjoys taking his shots, putting words into Bob Woodward’s mouth and misspelling names
Oromay by Baalu Girma review – long-overdue translation of a modern classic
First published in Amharic in 1983, this shocking story about the military junta that governed Ethiopia in the 70s and 80s was banned and led to the author’s disappearance
In brief: Slow Train Coming; How to Sleep at Night; A Sign of Her Own – review
Behind the scenes on Dylan musical Girl from the North Country; a sharp tale of political and family strife; and a fine novel about sensory deprivation
Hope: The Autobiography by Pope Francis review – the gospel according to…
The first ever memoir by a living pope reveals a warm, emotionally intelligent man who loves football and ‘cutting-edge’ cinema – but skates over the more controversial parts of his career
Dealing with the Dead by Alain Mabanckou review – supernatural satire
Funny, spooky and surreal, this shapeshifting novel from the Francophone author explores Congolese politics
The Memory Palace by Nate DiMeo audiobook review – bite-size historical wonders
Author and narrator Nate DiMeo zooms in on stories of mishap, invention and adventure in these pithy yet profound historical lessons
The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup
Havoc by Christopher Bollen; Strange Pictures by Uketsu; Ghosts of Rome by Joseph O’Connor; Murder Mindfully by Karsten Dusse; The Day of the Roaring by Nina Bhadreshwar