Maigret review – Gérard Depardieu is a charismatic version of Simenon’s detective
The actor doesn’t move much but brings off the Parisian copper’s air of worldly, tolerant bemusement
Top 10 female spies in fiction
Women’s role in espionage, largely written by women, leans less on explosions and more on perception, nuance and explorations of sacrifice – though they still kick ass
Prophet by Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché review – fun, high-octane sci-fi thriller
Happy memories are weaponised with lethal consequences in the H Is for Hawk author’s stylish co-written techno-thriller
The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup
A Bird in Winter by Louise Doughty; A Line in the Sand by Kevin Powers; My Husband by Maud Ventura; Case Sensitive by AK Turner; The Turnglass by Gareth Rubin
The best recent crime and thriller writing – review roundup
A surprise post-prom birth, a woman’s struggle to find her missing sister and the gaslighting of a would-be mother are among this month’s mysteries
In brief: 42: The Wildly Improbable Ideas of Douglas Adams; Alchemy; Mercury Pictures Presents – review
A fascinating glimpse into the mind of the humorist and sci-fi writer; a rip-roaring historical thriller; and a subversive novel set in golden-age Hollywood
Carol Smith obituary
Other lives: Literary agent who used her publishing expertise to write her own bestselling thrillers
The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup
The Second Murderer by Denise Mina; Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott; Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter; Black Thorn by Sarah Hilary; The Housekeepers by Alex Hay
Kala by Colin Walsh review – a sizzling debut of nostalgia and secrets
The disappearance of a teenage girl hangs over her former friends as they reunite in an Irish seaside village 15 years later
Pet by Catherine Chidgey review – sly psychological thriller
The New Zealander’s latest novel, set in 1980s suburban, Catholic Wellington, moves to a dark denouement powered by lingering uncertainty
Hot off the press: authors pick their page-turners for summer
From murder mysteries to comic novels, Maggie Shipstead, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Nina Stibbe, Paul Murray and other authors choose unputdownable favourites for your summer break
The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup
Black River by Nilanjana Roy; Thirty Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen; Killingly by Katharine Beutner; The End of Us by Olivia Kiernan; The Trial by Rob Rinder
Kala by Colin Walsh review – vanishings, betrayals and friends reunited in rural Ireland
This confidently plotted debut novel from the award-winning short story writer has a strong cast and vivid dialogue
The best recent crime and thriller writing – review roundup
An Indian village seeks mob justice after a girl’s death, the great Inspector Banks bows out, and clerical investigations resume for Richard Coles
Michael Caine’s novel will most likely be rubbish, but I’m glad he’s found his happy ending
Most actors make terrible novelists – but writing the ‘cracking thriller’ Deadly Game was life-affirming for the veteran star, so never mind the finished product