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The cold war, wonder drugs, money-laundering, jihadis and the eastern front add a frisson to these latest gripping releases
Contagion in the Arctic Circle; the hunt for a Russian mole; undercover in Hamburg; and a superpower conspiracy
Adam LeBor’s selection of the best mid-year reads
A darker side of Sweden’s social-democratic paradise is exposed in the pick of the latest thrillers
The dictator’s ghost lurks among an ageing poet’s hydrangeas in McGrath’s latest tale of a 20th-century haunting
Rich in revenge and betrayal — spy novels from John Fullerton, Paul Vidich, Alma Katsu and Philip Prowse
Sergio Olguín’s latest gripping tale, tenacious heroines, plus murders in Africa
Wartime intrigue in Stockholm plays out in ‘A Prince and A Spy’, plus classy novels from Matthew Quirk and Simon Berthon
Chris Ryan offers bulletproof thrills while two former soldiers combine talent with verve in ‘Scar Tissue’ and ‘A Question of Time’
Adam LeBor selects his must-read titles
Tell us your recommendation and pick up a few tips for your own reading list too
Peril and paranoia dominate the latest yarns from Charles Cumming, Ben Creed, Mara Timon and a new version of ‘The Godfather’
An immersive thriller set against a tense historical backdrop
MI6 intrigue in ‘The Stranger’, radical Islamists in ‘Ride or Die’, Vatican power games in ‘The Order’ and an ‘Englishman’ in Russia
South Korean sensation You-Jeong Jeong’s new ‘whydunit’ is about the search for the truth
Ottessa Moshfegh’s novel begins like a traditional mystery but soon turns into a compelling tale of the narrator’s unravelling
Danger, betrayal, Carry On films — gripping yarns by David Ignatius, Tade Thompson and John Lawton
Holly Watt’s cracking journalism thriller ranges from London to Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh
Join novelist Adam LeBor and FT literary editor Frederick Studemann for a live discussion on Thursday April 9 at noon and 5pm UK time
‘Deep State’ by Chris Hauty, ‘The Coldest Warrior’ by Paul Vidich, John Sweeney’s ‘The Useful Idiot’ and ‘House on Fire’ by Joseph Finder
Women protagonists (at last!) feature in tales of spies, smuggling and tackling Nazis
Our critic’s round-up of yarns by Peter Gadol, Owen Matthews, Andrew Williams and John Grisham
The Fragility of Bodies by Sergio Olguín, The Silent War by Andreas Norman, A Fatal Game by Nicholas Searle, The New Girl by Daniel Silva
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