SJ Watson: ‘The internet has this illusion of anonymity, but we give ourselves away’
The Second Life author talks to Alex Clark about becoming a bestselling author, after giving up a safe hospital job just before turning 40
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins review – inescapable tension, superbly handled
The Gone Girl comparisons are inevitable but this intriguing debut is a thoroughly British affair, writes Alison Flood
The 88 movies we’re most excited about in 2015
Think 2014 was a good year for film? Think again. This year is shaping up to be one of the classics. Here’s what’s on our radar
The Girl Who Wasn’t There review – ‘intriguingly eccentric’
Ferdinand von Schirach’s slow-burn thriller has already gripped German readers with its strangely sympathetic antihero, writes Alison Flood
Baddies in books: Rosa Klebb, the spy filled with Ian Fleming’s poison
This sinister Soviet agent may be a torturer and an assassin, but Fleming seems to have been most disturbed by Klebb’s sexuality, says Nicholas Lezard
Bond fans stirred by prospect of their hero ditching beer for vodka martini
Partnership between new film Spectre and luxury vodka brand appeases fans disheartened by Daniel Craig downing a beer
The best thrillers of 2014
A murder mystery in a girls’ boarding school, the welcome return of Hercule Poirot and Philip Marlowe, and Lauren Beukes’s truly disturbing crime chiller. By Alison Flood
Shaken: how the FBI was stirred by James Bond
• Newly released FBI files reveal fears over film portrayal• Letter urged agents to outlaw any mention of bureau
On my radar: Johnny Marr’s cultural highlights
The former Smiths guitarist talks to Kathy Sweeney about modernism and magazines, Paul Klee and art manifestos, Maxine Peake – and his fans’ impeccable taste
The Burning Room by Michael Connelly review – a cold case hots up for Harry
Michael Connelly’s 19th Harry Bosch novel is a clever, classy page-turner, writes Alison Flood
Revival by Stephen King review – ‘the best opening he has ever written’
Stephen King’s latest mystery, set in smalltown, baby-boomer America, starts off strongly but loses its way, writes Ben East
Itchcraft by Simon Mayo – review
GrrlScientist: Our teen-aged hero, Itch, is back. This, the third book in a mystery-thriller trilogy, follows Itch’s continuing adventures as he and his friends try to outwit criminal masterminds who are desperately seeking radioactive chemical element 126 -- an element that still lurks out there. Somewhere.
Treachery review – SJ Parris’s Elizabethan sea-romp is rich with intrigue
The philosopher-spy sets sail for Plymouth in SJ Parris’s fourth twisting, turning Giordano Bruno thriller, writes Natasha Tripney
Lamentation by CJ Sansom review – a new chapter for Shardlake
Tudor lawyer Matthew Shardlake’s sixth outing builds to a shocking climax, writes Stephanie Merritt
Dark Tides by Chris Ewan review – Halloween chills, Manx style
Drawing on classic horror films, this Isle of Man-set thriller avoids schlock cliches to deliver a chilling read, writes Alison Flood