Guards! Guards!: Terry Pratchett

First book of the original and best City Watch series, now reinterpreted in BBC`s The Watch
`Vimes ran a practised eye over the assortment before him. It was the usual Ankh-Morpork mob in times of crisis; half of them were here to complain, a quarter of them were here to watch the other half, and the remainder were here to rob, importune or sell hotdogs to the rest.`
Insurrection is in the air in Ankh-Morpork. The Haves and Have-Nots are about to fall out all over again. Captain Sam Vimes of the city`s ramshackle Night Watch is used to this. It`s enough to drive a man to drink. Well, to drink more. But this time, something is different - the Have-Nots have found the key to a dormant, lethal weapon that even they don`t fully understand, and they`re about to unleash a campaign of terror on the city. Time for Captain Vimes to sober up.