The Cure of Souls by Phil Rickman

 

First Line: It was really getting to Jane now, tormenting her nights, raiding her head as soon as she awoke in the mornings.

 

It may be the height of summer in Herefordshire, but dark clouds are gathering over a converted hop kiln where the last owner was savagely murdered. The current owners are convinced that the place is haunted, but even though their story becomes headlines in a Sunday newspaper, the local vicar dismisses the idea as nonsense. 

 

Always leery of bad press, the Bishop of Hereford directs Merrily Watkins, priest and exorcist for the diocese, to put the situation to rest. It makes no difference that Merrily already has her hands full with a woman who is convinced that her adopted daughter is possessed by an evil spirit.

 

~

 

It had been years since I'd first enjoyed the first three books in Phil Rickman's Merrily Watkins series. Then the day came when I saw the next three sitting on my bookshelf, and I knew it was time to pick up book four, The Cure of Souls. Rickman knows how to blend many elements into a compelling, atmospheric tale. 

 

There's the element of the supernatural that makes the story a tiny bit eery, even though the cause of mayhem is always rooted in very earthbound human behavior. There's the element of setting in which I always learn something about the area. In The Cure of Souls, this element is threefold: a bit about the history of hop growing and picking, the making of guitars, and Romany (gypsy) traditions. There's the ecclesiastical element which is done with a light touch. There's the strong element of mystery which keeps readers wondering what in the world is going on, and then there's my favorite-- the element of character. I truly enjoy the characters in this book.

Merrily Watkins is a woman with a true calling. She wants to do good. She wants to help her fellow human beings. She wants to raise her teenage daughter to be a good person, and she's still not convinced that she's the right priest for the job of diocese exorcist, but she's working hard to learn as much about it as she can. She has to work hard because too many people still look at her and think, "You're the wrong sex, you're too young, you're too small."

 

At the beginning of this series, I couldn't stand Merrily's daughter, Jane. Jane just got right up my nose, but I'm happy to say that, as she gets older, she's begun to realize that the world doesn't revolve around her and she needs to take other people into account. She's got good instincts in this book, and it's fun to watch the evolution of her character.

 

I love how Rickman begins his tales with overtones of the supernatural-- Ouija boards, fortune tellers, demonic possession, ghosts-- and then turns everything inside out to show how the mystery is actually rooted in the here and now. That takes skill, and when that skill is joined with an atmospheric setting and a strong cast of characters, it turns this series into a winner. 

The Cure of Souls by Phil Rickman

ISBN: 0330487566

PanMacmillan © 2001

Paperback, 566 pages

Amateur Sleuth, #4 Merrily Watkins mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Paperback Swap