This is one of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels though don’t expect any of the usual characters to appear – there are no wizards – apart from Death and the Death of Rats, who make only a fleeting appearance. Yes, some animals do perish in this book, but don’t worry remember how many lives cats have.

This is a lovely story with a squad of rats to enjoy, each with their own distinctive characteristics. Do Maurice, the rats, and the piper succeed in their aims and fleece the residents of Bad Blintz as they have with so many other towns on Discworld? No. Do they reach a compromise with the citizens to achieve a mutually beneficial living environment for both sets of animals? Well, you will have to find out. There’s even a human love story running through the narrative as well as some life lessons for us all. What more could you want from a book?