The Playbook by James Shapiro: Gripping account of theatre as cultural agent of New Deal
Federal Theatre Project in the late 1930s fused entertainment and news in productions seen by a quarter of the US population
3 Shades of Blue. Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and the Lost Empire of Cool: an eloquent elegy
Author James Kaplan captures a remarkable time when some of the greatest art of the 20th century was being made
July’s best new crime fiction: Prom Mom by Laura Lippman; Someone You Trust by Rachel Ryan; A Lesson in Malice by Catherine Kirwan and more
Reviews: Prom Mom by Laura Lippman; Someone You Trust by Rachel Ryan; A Lesson in Malice by Catherine Kirwan; The Continental Affair by Christine Mangan; Standing in the Shadows by Peter Robinson
Crime fiction: Declan Hughes on May’s best new thrillers
Beware The Woman; Don’t Look Back; No One Saw A Thing; The Monk; and Italian Rules
Irish queens of crime fiction rightly take the laurels this month
Brief reviews of Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent and The Close by Jane Casey
Declan Hughes reviews January’s best new crime fiction
Featuring Needless Alley by Natalie Marlow; A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley; Age of Vice of by Deepti Kapoor; The Mysterious Case of Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett; and The Second Stranger by Martin Griffin
The best crime fiction of 2022, chosen by Declan Hughes and Declan Burke
Irish writers kept the home fires burning steadily throughout the year with absorbing new titles
Rebus returns in Ian Rankin’s new mystery, plus the rest of October’s best crime fiction
Including The Book of the Most Precious Substance; Vera Kelly Lost and Found; Bleeding Heart Yard; and Black is the Night
This month’s best new crime fiction, including John Connolly’s 20th Charlie Parker novel
Declan Hughes on new works by Arlene Hunt; John Connolly; Catherine Ryan Howard; EV Kelly; and Ferdinand von Schirach
Glam: When Superstars Rocked the World 1970-74 by Mark Paytress
A distinctively English affair defined by a vivid portrait of the UK music scene in the early 1970s
The best new crime fiction: Sunny places for shady people
The Island of Lost Girls, A Season in Exile, Birthday Girl, Crookedwood, The Family Remains
Crime fiction: A special treat for traditional mystery fans
New titles by Nicola Upson, Lisa Lutz, Mick Herron, Jo Spain and Christobel Kent
Killer stories: this month’s best crime writing
Declan Hughes on Laura Lippman, Catriona Ward, Catherine Kirwan, Sharon Dempsey and Joe Ide
Crime fiction: a mother’s vengeance, the forensics of Agatha Christie and more
New books by Alison Gaylin, WC Ryan, Janice Hallet, Stephen Spotswood and Carla Valentine
Crime fiction round-up: Stuart Neville’s new horror is unsettling but deeply rewarding
Plus thrills from Nicci French, Elly Griffiths, John Banville and Otto Penzler