Lesley Himes obituary
Other lives: Journalist and widow of Chester Himes, the father of black American crime writing
Women spies in fiction
As Anna Chapman faces accusations of espionage in the US, test your knowledge of female agents throughout literature
Peter James: My Media
The crime writer on his love of obituaries, disgust for Bugsy Malone and need to keep up with local criminals
A book doesn’t need to be believable to be brilliant
Suzanne Munshower: Whether it's Ian McEwan's dubious villains or Tom Rob Smith's 'dizzying mass of incident', credibility in a book isn't about being true-to-life, it's about characters being true to themselves
Thomas Carnacki, king of the supernatural detectives
The character of Thomas Carnacki, ghost-finder, celebrates his centenary this year. Through him, his creator William Hope Hodgson shows us that detective fiction and the occult can be a perfect match
The iPhone apps throwing light on best-selling books
Authors such as Iain Banks and Martina Cole are increasingly supplementing book releases with apps full of bonus material
Forgetting Zoe by Ray Robinson
An unsettling story about a child kidnapping leaves just enough to the imagination, says Alison Flood
The News Where You Are by Catherine O’Flynn
The prize-winning author stares again into the dark heart of Birmingham, but to diminishing effect, writes Olivia Laing
It’s no crime to be funny
Colin Bateman: Crime fiction used to entertain us with double acts such as Holmes and Watson – but when and why did it lose its sense of humour?
Author Henning Mankell aboard Gaza flotilla stormed by Israeli troops
Fears for safety of bestselling Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell after surprise attack results in at least 10 deaths
Theakstons prize: women close the gap in crime
Longlist for major UK crime writing award shows more even gender balance, with Susan Hill, Val McDermid and Martina Cole in running
Innocent by Scott Turow
America's foremost legal-thriller writer puts his most famous defendant back on trial, writes Alison Flood
Blood Harvest by SJ Bolton
This adept thriller writer's third novel, set in a remote corner of the Pennines, is her creepiest yet, says Alison Flood
Maps and Legends by Michael Chabon
Comic books, crime fiction, ghost stories… In a series of essays, novelist Michael Chabon argues that entertainment should be the primary role of fiction, writes Olivia Laing
Crime novelist sued for setting plot around Paris landmark
Lalie Walker wrote latest thriller as a tribute to a Montmartre fabric store, but store's owners say the book is defamatory