People Like Them by Samira Sedira review – strangers in their midst

In a small French village a family of five are murdered in this taut examination of race and class based on a shocking real-life case

Objects of Desire by Clare Sestanovich review – a parade of great pretenders

The New Yorker writer’s debut short story collection tackles the difficulties of female yearning amid the mess of urban life

From David Diop and Craig Brown to Carmen Maria Machado and Douglas Stuart, prize-winning authors present their top tips for immersive books

A stay-at-home mother gives in to her animal instincts in this skilful and imaginative debut novel

The bestselling author on the dearth of top-quality politicians, his regard for diaries and letters, and his disciplined writing approach

The sports writer’s debut novel is a perceptive behind-the-scenes re-enactment of English football in the latter decades of the 20th century

From gay hookups to pub banter, connections multiply over the nine sections of this incisively witty novel

New novel from the author of Beautiful Revolutionary takes aim at far more than the ‘dead girl’ crime genre trope

The Manningtree Witches takes the £10,000 first novel award for its ‘clever and unexpected’ story of a 17th-century Suffolk village’s moral panic

Laura Fairrie’s family-sanctioned film praises the author’s personal courage, work ethic and feminism-lite but doesn’t delve very deep

To help our readers through the latest lockdowns, Guardian Australia staff recommend the last books that completely enthralled them

The first adaptation of teen horror author RL Stine’s set of supernatural books makes for a marvelously entertaining throwback slasher

An unlikely adventure in the Himalayan foothills is full of rare wisdom and spirituality

As well as books tackling big issues, there’s a good dose of sharp laughter in the latest clutch of titles for teens

The director’s pulpy novelisation of his most recent film is entirely outrageous and addictively readable