Canada by Richard Ford – review

Richard Ford's triumphant novel explores the impact of parental foolishness on a son's life, writes Sean O'Hagan

The Killing by David Hewson – review

David Hewson's terrific literary translation of Danish crime series The Killing is much more than a cheap spin-off, writes Ben East

From the archive, 2 June 1986: PD James: more deadly than the male

Originally published in the Guardian on 2 June 1986: PD James is very much nicer to meet than her books might lead one to expect. But in her writing there is sometimes a certain contempt for many of her characters

Crime writer Petros Markaris channels Greek rage into fiction

Murders at heart of new book resonate strongly with a mass readership furious at Greece's tax-dodging elite

A voyage round Agatha Christie

Joanna Moorhead meets Agatha Christie's grandson and finds there's more to the Queen of Crime than meets the eye ... her love of surfing, for example

The Penge Mystery: the murder of Harriet Staunton

In 1877, Harriet Staunton's husband and three others were accused of starving her to death and lurid newspaper reports of the Penge murder trial held the nation's rapt attention. A bestselling novel about the affair – written in 1934 and now republished – proves as gripping today

Notes and queries: Why has Britain never had a revolution?

Plus: Zaleski – the greatest fictional detective? Why don't the French like vegetables?

Jo Nesbø: ‘I am a vulture’

The bestselling Norwegian crime writer tells Andrew Anthony about the violence in his books, Anders Breivik and why his baddies are Arsenal fans

JK Rowling’s new book: clues suggest a turn to crime fiction

There's no official word on what her new book will be about, but all the evidence points to a crime story

Pompey meets Le Havre in French TV crime hit

British writer Graham Hurley's detective duo are proving popular across the Channel

Kind of Cruel by Sophie Hannah – review

Sophie Hannah's seventh foray into the world of thrillers is cool, calculating and chilling, writes Alison Flood

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo cancelled in India

Oscar-nominated thriller withdrawn from release in India after director David Fincher refuses to cut 'unsuitable' sex scenes

Elmore Leonard: the great American novelist

Elmore Leonard is regarded as the greatest American crime writer, surpassing even Raymond Chandler. But it is time to drop the qualification of genre, argues Philip Hensher