City Watch #08: Snuff

“A lively outing, complete with sly shout-outs to Jane Austen and gritty police procedurals.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

In Terry Pratchett’s delightful New York Times bestselling tale of crime, class, prejudice, and punishment, Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch is on vacation. But this is Discworld, where nothing goes as planned—and hilarious adventure ensues.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a policeman taking a holiday would barely have had time to open his suitcase before he finds his first corpse.

At long last, Lady Sybil has lured her husband, Sam Vimes, on a well-deserved and long-overdue holiday. But for the commander of the City Watch, a vacation in the country is anything but relaxing. The balls, the teas, the muck—not to mention all that fresh air and birdsong—are more than a bit taxing on a cynical city-born and -bred copper.

The policeman is back on familiar ground when a body is found—the first of many, many corpses—and an ancient crime more terrible than murder is uncovered. Out of his jurisdiction, out of his element, and out of bacon sandwiches (thanks to his well-meaning wife)—Sam must rely on his copper’s instincts, guile, and Ankh-Morpork street smarts to see justice done.

As he sets off on the chase, though, he must remember to watch where he steps. . . . This is the countryside, after all, and the streets most definitely are not paved with gold.