Water Ways: A Thousand
Miles Along Britain’s Canals
Jasper Winn
Profile, £16.99, pp384
Most people in Britain live within five miles of a canal, but these slow highways remain something of an enigma, a key part of the industrial revolution slowly recast into peaceful havens populated by anglers, boaters, walkers and a fair share of eccentrics. Given that he wrote Paddle, an endearing story of a solo kayak trip around Ireland, Jasper Winn is the perfect guide to what these “wet roads and water streets” signified in the past, and to their importance today. And not just to wildlife but the humans he meets, too: looking for an escape, a refuge or, indeed, a place to feel at home.
The City Always Wins
Omar Robert Hamilton
MCD, £8.99, pp320
In this electrifying debut, set in Tahrir Square during the Egyptian revolution of 2011 – an event many saw played out on social media - one character remarks: “Tweets don’t stop bullets”. Omar Robert Hamilton should know - he was there, gathering footage that would be shared all over the world. His experiences are readily transposed to a novel that not only chronicles the drama of taking part in a revolution but also the feelings of reporters Khalil and Mariam as Egypt becomes “an island floating away from reality”. The City Always Wins not only gets to the heart of that seismic time, but asks us to think about the aftershocks still felt today.
A Shot in the Dark
Lynne Truss
Raven, £12.99, pp304
A particularly vicious theatre critic is murdered part way through the premiere of a new play. Meanwhile, a strange series of burglaries is causing a stir in 1950s Brighton. Is there a connection? The mysterious DI Steine and the eager young PC Twitten may or may not want to find out in Lynne Truss’s entertaining new crime series. A Shot in the Dark began life as a radio comedy drama more than 10 years ago, and Truss’s affection for a rollicking, twisty caper has transferred to the page with ease. Perhaps too comfortably – never has a book that starts with a massacre seemed so gentle – but there’s some fine storytelling on display here.
• To order Water Ways for £12.99, The City Always Wins for £7.64, or A Shot in the Dark for £11.04, go to guardianbookshop.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99
