How thrillers offer an antidote to toxic masculinity
This genre’s modern incarnation of the ancient hero myth can give boys essential but neglected lessons in how to be a good man
Thrillers review: Give Me Your Hand; The Cabin at the End of the World; An Unwanted Guest; The Ruin
A dark secret between rival scientists, apocalypse in the woods, an Agatha Christie-style chiller in a snowbound hotel – our pick of July’s thrillers
The Price You Pay by Aidan Truhen review – wisecracks and weaponry
This catchy revenge thriller, from an established author writing under a pseudonym, is gleefully over-the-top
If you only read one book this summer … make it this one
Do you feel like brushing up on politics? Trying a historical novel or some sci-fi? if you can’t choose from our summer book special, try our shortlist of absolute must reads
Our Friends in Berlin by Anthony Quinn – review
A plot to undercover Nazi sympathisers in wartime London turns into a gripping tale of betrayal
Best summer books 2018, as picked by writers – part one
Surrealist artists, dogged detectives, modern lovers and spies behaving badly ... leading authors pick their best books to enjoy these holidays
The best recent thrillers – review roundup
The Good Sister by Morgan Jones; Zero by Marc Elsberg; Careless Love by Peter Robinson; In the Dark by Cara Hunter; Day of the Dead by Nicci French; Cold Desert Sky by Rod Reynolds
Deep cuts: how Sharp Objects offers up a radically dark view of women
In the small screen adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s thriller, Amy Adams brings to life a fascinatingly complex female antihero
Thrillers review: The Tall Man; Social Creature; This Is What Happened
A murderous meme, a death foretold and a twisted post-Brexit future – three to spook you
The best recent crime novels – review roundup
This Is What Happened by Mick Herron, The Blood Road by Stuart MacBride, The Quaker by Liam McIlvanney, The Poison Bed by EC Fremantle and A Shot in the Dark by Lynne Truss
The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson – digested read
‘I’m President Jonathan Duncan, a war hero and not a draft-dodger. Everything Bill Clinton would like to have been’
The best recent science fiction – reviews roundup
The Rending and the Nest by Kaethe Schwehn, The Book of M by Peng Shepherd, Pandemic by AG Riddle, The Synapse Sequence by Daniel Godfrey, Awakened by James S Murray and Darren Wearmouth
The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson review – a presidential thriller
There is a sprinkling of psychological authenticity in this bestseller mix
Bill Clinton and James Patterson are co-authors – but who did the writing?
The President Is Missing is jointly ascribed to both the ex-president and the bestseller – but computer analysis suggests the prose was less than equally divided
The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson review – Guns! Girls! Guff!
A former US president co-writing a thriller about a US president taking on cybergeddon was so promising – but learning that the White House has a bowling alley is about as exciting as it gets