Thames; Sacred River - Peter Ackroyd

I am an Ackroyd fanboy, and I particularly adored London; The Biography, but this is a far more problematic affair. I think the main issue is with the editing that fails to gloss over a confused structure that alternates between geographical and thematic patterns. There are also some wild contradictions. In one chapter the Thames is described as a conservative river, later as a radical one; it is also described as both filthy and pure within the space of a few pages. The radicalism section also misses out on notable performances by both The Clash and The Sex Pistols on boats close to parliament.

Unsurprisingly, the best sections are those that feature historical mysteries and folk myths. I didn't know about the tunnel that runs underneath Tower Bridge, so close to the river bed that you can hear the water rushing by overhead.

There is also the extraordinarily unfortunate Lizzie Stride who survived the horrific 1878 Princess Alexander disaster but lost her husband and 2 children. A downward path to poverty and prostitution followed, culminating in her murder at the hands of Jack The Ripper.