Cal Flyn, Deputy Editor

The ‘everyman’ quality of an amateur sleuths makes for a particularly readable subgenre of mystery book, says Jess Kidd—the author of a new series starring a crime-solving former nun. Here, she recommends five brilliant amateur detective novels with finely calibrated puzzles at their hearts.

Travelling over long distances offers extraordinary opportunity for reflection and re-orientation, explains Louis Hall—the equestrian travel writer whose new book, In Green, describes his trek through the Alps and Pyrenees. Here, he recommends five classic travel books about long journeys that have stood the test of time.

John le Carré—often credited as the best spy novelist of all time—wrote 26 books over the course of his career. We asked Nick Harkaway, his son and the author of Karla’s Choice (the best spy thriller of 2024, according to our interview with spy book expert Shane Whaley), to select the five best John le Carré novels: from the Cold War espionage stories that made his name to more contemporary thrillers set in a world of international crime syndicates.

A good historical biography should help us redefine and rethink what makes a person historically significant, says Roy Foster, chair of the judging panel of the Elizabeth Longford Prize. He talks us through the brilliant books that made the 2025 shortlist, including the lives of various monarchs who left their mark on European history, a portrait of an early modern spymaster, and a biography of Frantz Fanon, the anti-colonial writer.  

It was the century of the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolution. In the Scottish Highlands, there were multiple rebellions in favour of the deposed Stuart dynasty. Ariel Lawhon, author of The Frozen River, recommends five of her favorite novels set in the 18th century, a tumultuous era that doesn’t always get the shelf space it deserves when it comes to historical fiction.

Why do so many people fantasise about getting in their cars and driving away from everything they know? The novelist Ben Markovits reflects on the near-universal urge to get out on the open road, as he recommends five of the best road trip novels—from Jack Kerouac to Anne Tyler.

Every year, judges for the International Booker Prize search for the best works of fiction translated into English over the previous twelve months. We asked Anton Hur, the novelist, translator and 2025 judge, to talk us through the six-book shortlist—including five novels and this year’s winner, the first short story collection ever to triumph.

Now in its second year, the Women’s Prize for Nonfiction aims to highlight the very best new nonfiction books written by women. We asked Kavita Puri, the journalist and chair of this year’s judging panel, to talk us through the shortlist: from a gentle lockdown animal memoir to a thrilling true story of a WW2 secret agent.

Every year, the judges of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction highlight the very best new books published in that genre over the past twelve months. In 2025, the six book shortlist features historical novels set as widely apart as ancient Sicily, 16th-century England, and 20th century Holland. Here, judge Katharine Grant talks us through their selection.

Marcel Proust’s 3000-page masterpiece In Search of Lost Time might intimidate, but it also enthrals, argues Joshua Landy, Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Stanford University. We asked him to introduce us to the most rewarding of the seven volumes that make up this classic novel, as a helpful guide for the general reader.