Brutally detailed murder stories appeal to female readers both for the real anxieties they tap into, and for their metaphorical resonances

At this year's Theakstons Old Peculier crime writing festival in Harrogate, roughly 80% of the audience (and half the 80 or so authors appearing) will be women. We will also make up around 80% of those signing up for writing workshops where aspiring crime writers learn their craft. Though only a third of published authors in almost all genres are women and media outlets scandalously persist in reviewing disproportionately more books by men, women have long made up the majority of adult readers and, increasingly, both as readers and writers, we are turning to crime.

Women love crime fiction, and not just in its cosy, sanitised, Midsomer Murders version. The trend towards ever-more explicit accounts of murder, rape and torture in crime novels, often involving a female victim, is led not by men but by women. Why?

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The Leftovers, HBO's new drama based on the Tom Perrotta novel, leaves one guessing and sometimes suffering

Like stale lasagna sitting in a refrigerator, an unnerving reminder of a family get together long past, an existential contest that puts one face-to-face with questions of faith, mortality and indigestion, so HBO serves up The Leftovers. Alternately thrilling, depressing, puzzling and stuffed with occasional chunks of cheese, The Leftovers, (like most leftovers) leaves one guessing and sometimes suffering.

The premise: three years ago, 140 million people disappeared around the world, for which neither science nor major religion can offer any explanation. Many lost a family member, but everyone knows someone who vanished, or who cracked in the aftermath. Children miss their "departed" parents; parents of missing children are left devastated, struggling to move on. The blunt, intimate style of director Peter Berg makes the overwhelming sense of loss that permeates The Leftovers feel personal. Berg has created something between a post-apocalyptic horror movie and a Raymond Carver short story, which works, even if it's not always very fun to watch.

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From Trey Songzs salacious R&B to George Ezras husky folk-pop, here are five new albums to consider

Why you should listen: Lones Matt Cutler has produced a collection of forward-thinking, textured and often slow-burning dance music tracks on this sixth album.

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Channel 4 documentary series Benefits Street did not breach broadcasting rules following complaints the show was offensive, Ofcom says.

Monty Python team describe their stage show revival ahead of the 10-night run at London's O2 Arena

Girls Aloud Star Kimberley Walsh joins BBC Breakfast to talk about singing the official Tour de France song that marks the start of the race which begins in Leeds

Revellers still revelling as Glastonbury draws to a close

US actor Meshach Taylor, best known for his roles in the 1980s film comedy Mannequin and the US show Designing Women, dies aged 67.

Dolly Parton's Glastonbury set has been mired in controversy as television viewers accuse her of miming

Meet the best up-and-coming photography graduates

No matter how deeply biographers delve, some aspects of their subjects' lives will remain forever mysterious, says Nicholas Shakespeare

The Telegraph's Neil McCormick gives his verdict on Kasabian's closing set at Glastonbury Festival 2014

Dolly Parton wows the crowds at Glastonbury as a 100,000 people flock to see her perform classics such as Jolene and Blue Smoke on the Pyramid Stage

After her Glastonbury debut, Tourette's sufferer Jess Thom explains how her condition makes for perfect comedy material. By Sarah Chalmers

As a new, older-actors-only The Importance of Being Earnest hits theatres, Laura Thompson asks if the way our society looks at age is changing

Don't miss a beat of the final day of Glastonbury 2014 as Kasabian, Dolly Parton and Ed Sheeran star at Worthy Farm

Don't miss a beat of the final day of Glastonbury 2014 as Kasabian, Dolly Parton and Ed Sheeran star at Worthy Farm

Do Monty Python really want to get back together?, asks Benji Wilson

The best way to enjoy the wonders of the NYRB is to read it, says Benji Wilson

Watching the Arena documentary shows the best way to enjoy the wonders of the magazine is to read it, says Benji Wilson