Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama review – riveting, slow-burn thriller
Hideo Yokoyama’s bestseller combines classic crime elements with a twisting journey to the heart of Japan’s police establishment
Quiz: how much do you know about John le Carré?
As spy thriller The Night Manager arrives on our screens, how much intelligence do you have on the MI6 agent-turned-bestselling writer?
Missing, Presumed review – lonely detective seeks EM Forster fan…
Susie Steiner’s second novel rises above more two-dimensional crime fiction by focusing on the little details that bring characters to life
A lonely story: the perils of writing in solitude
It worked for George Orwell and Henry Thoreau – but for Adrian McKinty, a retreat deep in rural Australia was a very sad tale indeed
Exposure review – spies with secrets of their own
Helen Dunmore’s fine 14th novel explores the particular perils of homosexuality during the cold war
Alan Rickman: 10 key performances
From the Sheriff of Nottingham to Severus Snape, Alan Rickman played some of the most memorable roles cinema had to offer. Here are 10 of the best
Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes review – the killer who plays it by the book
Psychotic bibliophile Joe Goldberg returns in this carnal follow-up to You
Hostage review – an audacious, satisfying thriller
Observer journalist Jamie Doward’s second novel links murder, terrorism and big tobacco in a winning globe-spanning, quickfire plot
The most unmissable culture of 2016
Tarantino goes bounty-hunting, Botticelli takes you to hell, Bowie goes dark, and Jericho fills that Downton-shaped hole … in our bumper guide to the best 150 arts events to look forward to this year
Take shelter from festive excesses with a good, creepy book
There are plenty of cosy titles to choose from in the lull between Christmas and the new year, but a Chandleresque thriller in London’s underworld is the pick of the creepy ones
Golden Globes 2016: Carol, Mad Max and Trainwreck shine in nominations
Expected nominations for The Revenant, Spotlight and Room offset by outside bets such as Mad Max: Fury Road, a surprise inclusion in best picture
The Hunter of the Dark by Donato Carrisi review – on the trail of the ‘Monster of Rome’
A priest hunts a serial killer in a grisly Italian noir that’s more Nesbø than Mankell
Kenneth Branagh on track to play Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express
Actor will also direct adaptation of 1934 Agatha Christie mystery about a killing on board a long-distance passenger train
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 review – Katniss kicks ass in the final showdown
The fourth instalment of the YA film franchise is fuelled by a charismatic performance from Jennifer Lawrence – and a terrifying surprise
Burt Reynolds: I regret turning down Bond
Star of the Smokey and the Bandit films, Boogie Nights and Deliverance says he believed in 1970 that only an Englishman should play 007