Snuff by Terry Pratchett

Snuff is the 39th novel set in the Discworld written by Sir Terry Pratchett. It belongs to the Sam Vines' (The Watch) story-arc. As every other Discworld novel, it is a treaty on humankind (read philosophy) in the form of comic-fantasy—or is it comic-fantasy in the guise of philosophy? 

In Snuff, Vimes is forced to take a vacation to the countryside where young Sam Vimes discovers the pleasures of naturalism—becoming a poo expert—and old Vimes finds himself in the middle of a murder case where he's the prime suspect. Of course, this changes immediately to old Vimes chasing the clues and upsetting a band of high-born tobacco troll drugs smugglers cashing on the status quo of rural Discworld and the perception of goblins as vermin to be enslaved and not worthy of human rights—a vision changed, in the end, by the diplomatic efforts and connections of Lady Sybil Vimes who introduces to the world the music of Tear of a Mushroom, the best student of "Where's my cow" author Miss Felicity Beedle. In this tome, Willikins—Vimes' gentleman's gentleman—plays a major role as a kind of lex-talionis-justice complement to Vimes ideal-justice and reign of the law conception of the discworld.

I am a big fan of Sir Pratchett's penmanship, it is refreshing and his books flow without any effort. More important, with his Discworld saga, he has describe many facets of historical and modern humanity exploring a great deal of the practical philosophy—including both lofty and not-so-exalted ideals—that plays a role in constructing a barely holding social weave.

I hold dear the character of Samuel Vimes, I see this know-thyself fighting-the-self-darkness hero as the embodiment of Nietzsche's aphorism #146 from Beyond Good and Evil:

"Wer mit Ungeheuern kämpft, mag zusehn, dass er nicht dabei zum Ungeheuer wird. Und wenn du lange in einen Abgrund blickst, blickt der Abgrund auch in dich hinein."

"He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee."

In any case, if you have never tried a book by Sir Terry Pratchett, this new year may be a good year to pick one from your local library or bookstore and give it a try.