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

A Crown of Lights by Phil Rickman

First Line: Betty was determined to keep the lid on the cauldron for as long as possible, which might just-- the way she'd been feeling lately-- mean for ever.

When a pagan couple buys property on the Welsh border that has a redundant church attached, a match is touched to the powder keg of religion in the area. Robin and Betty Thorogood are nice, unassuming, and blend right in-- until the area's Church of England exorcist Merrily Watkins is coerced into taking part in a Jerry Springer-like television program. When the information comes out during the program, it sets off a local fundamentalist preacher, and the villagers turn against the young pagan couple. (Yes, a bit like villagers armed with pitchforks heading toward Castle Frankenstein.)

But there's more going on than just various religious factions pitting themselves against each other. There's the country lawyer who refuses to be parted from his dead wife; and the mystery of five local ancient churches all dedicated to St. Michael the slayer of dragons. Whether she likes it or not, Merrily Watkins is right in the middle of it all, and since there is a killer on the loose trying to guard an old tradition, she'd best tread carefully.

Although this book moved a bit slower than I would like from time to time, it's still an excellent blend of characterization, plot, and atmosphere. I would imagine many people who pick up one of Rickman's Merrily Watkins novels might put it right back on the shelf when they read words like "supernatural," "exorcist," or "horror." To each his own, but I would love to suggest to these folks that they might want to give his books a try.

The connotations that swirl around the words that I mentioned have more to do with the passage of centuries and the shifting focus of human belief systems. Rickman's books have everything to do with buried secrets that have been allowed to fester and taint those who would hide this information than they have to do with specters and things that go bump in the night. His plots are built solidly upon the rock of human frailty, and the hints of the supernatural serve as wisps of fog touching the corners of your vision and making the hairs on the back of your neck rise. The friction between Christianity and paganism was extremely well done here, and I had no clue what was really going on until the reveal.

A good solid story with the tantalizing taste of the otherworldly only works when guided by a strong cast of characters. Merrily Watkins is priest, exorcist, mother-- a smart, brave, and compassionate woman committed to doing what's right and good for people-- oftentimes against the advice of church hierarchy. (Merrily believes in helping people regardless of their church affiliation-- or lack thereof.)  She calls her teenage daughter "flower" and although Jane is the usual prickly moodswinging adolescent with more than a passing interest in the occult, she's basically a good kid who loves her mother. In fact Jane and her boyfriend of the moment Eirion (Jane always thinks of him as "Irene") not only supply some of the thrills and chills in A Crown of Lights, they add some of the humor that's needed to leaven a rather dark tale.

My interest in the supernatural is superficial at best, and if that's all Phil Rickman's books had to offer, I wouldn't read them. Everything he writes is rooted firmly in humanity-- our mistakes that frighten and shame us, and the lengths to which we will go to hide and protect those mistakes-- and in the history and immeasurable passage of time in this area of the Welsh borders. Several times in reading A Crown of Lights, I was reminded of an evening when my husband and I were driving through the English countryside and the tower of an ancient church loomed suddenly above me out of the dark and the fog. Phil Rickman is a master of character, of blending history and belief, and of atmosphere. Whenever I read a Merrily Watkins book and feel "a tighter breathing, And zero at the bone," I smile.

A Crown of Lights by Phil Rickman

ISBN: 0330484508

Pan MacMillan © 2001

Mass Market Paperback, 566 pages

Ecclesiastical, Amateur Sleuth, #3 Merrily Watkins mystery

Rating: A-

Source: Paperback Swap


 

Midwinter of the Spirit by Phil Rickman

First Line: This is where it walks...

Merrily Watkins is in her thirties. She's a single mother, and she's the parish priest of Ledwardine, a small village in Herefordshire, England. And-- after the events that occurred in The Wine of Angels-- she's been approached by the new bishop to be a Deliverance Consultant. It's a job that's viewed with so much suspicion by the Church of England that it now goes by this kinder, gentler name instead of the old title: Diocesan Exorcist. Although she has misgivings as to her ability, she wants to do good, to make a difference, so she goes on the training course.

The training course gives her more doubts because even the instructor believes that it's not a job for a woman, but when she returns to her own parish, she has to hit the ground running. A seemingly unending stream of phone calls demand her help with some very strange goings on. The current Deliverance Consultant, a curmudgeonly old man on the verge of retirement, is not about to give her even a molecule of help, and neither is the bishop. The bishop, a handsome, self-assured political animal, wants to see if she's got the right stuff. Even her sixteen-year-old daughter Jane is bent on rebellion, not help.

The new position has begun badly for Merrily and shows no signs of improving. The old city of Hereford is experiencing an early winter. The body of an unidentified man is found in the River Wye. An ancient church is desecrated. Even the cathedral itself shows signs of evil, where the tomb of a medieval saint lies in pieces....

When I read the first book in this series, I fell in love with the setting and the atmosphere that Rickman created as well as his characters, but I had a bit of a problem with the length of the book (over 600 pages). When I picked up Midwinter of the Spirit to read, I didn't even remember the quibble about the previous book's length. All I remembered were the characters, the setting, and the atmosphere. That's all I needed to remember. At over 500 pages, this book isn't lightweight either, but I didn't care. Not one jot. I immediately fell into that setting-- the ancient buildings, the centuries-old traditions, the feeling that the past is always with us-- and Rickman's wonderful characters.

Merrily with her self doubts and her real need to do good... her infuriating and lovable teenage daughter Jane... the self-effacing Lol Robinson... they had all been indelibly imprinted on my mind from reading the first book, and I felt as though I were renewing acquaintance with old friends. I dove headlong into the story and grudgingly came up for air only when real life demanded that I do so.

I know many readers who do not care to read about the paranormal or the supernatural. I used to be one of them. One of the things that I love about Phil Rickman's Merrily Watkins series is that so much of the supernatural is implied; you can choose just how deeply you want to go into the story. It would be easy to read Midwinter of the Spirit and pay little to no attention to the supernatural elements. The motivations of the characters are no different: greed, jealousy, ambition, and Rickman certainly knows how to put together a plot by interweaving all these characters and all these reasons to cause harm.

Characters, setting, plot... and the delicious eerie atmosphere that can cause a tingle... or the hair to rise on the back of your neck. Wonderful! If you're in the mood for a rich, meaty, slightly spooky read just perfect for Halloween (or any other time of year), I can give you a tip: get your hands on one of Phil Rickman's Merrily Watkins books. Chances are, once you've read one, you'll be reaching for more. Can you read the books out of order? Yes, you can, but character development is key to the series, and I would advise against it. Why deny yourself the pleasure of reading Merrily from the beginning?

Midwinter of the Spirit by Phil Rickman

ISBN: 9780330374019

Macmillan UK © 2000

Paperback, 544 pages

Genre: Clerical Mystery, #2 Merrily Watkins

Rating: A

Source: Paperback Swap

The Wine of Angels by Phil Rickman

Title: The Wine of Angels
Author: Phil Rickman
ISBN: 0330342681
Publisher: MacMillan UK, 2002
Mass Market Paperback, 631 pages
Genre: Suspense, #1 Reverend Merrily Watkins mystery
Rating: B-
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: Twisty old devil.

The Reverend Merrily Watkins had never thought she'd find herself posted to a picturesque English village where she'd be expected to live in a huge, drafty vicarage. She also didn't think she'd find herself in the middle of a dispute over a controversial play about a seventeenth-century clergyman accused of witchcraft. It's not long at all before Merrily and her teenage daughter, Jane, find that the village of Ledwardine is far from being the idyllic English village.

Rickman's Merrily Watkins mystery series is one that was highly recommended to me shortly after I joined Paperback Swap. It didn't take long for me to obtain a copy of this book, but for some reason it sat on the shelf for almost two years.

The book is set in an area of Herefordshire where cider making had been an art form for a long time. The author has certainly done his homework because he brings the village of Ledwardine to life, with its half-timbered buildings, its new residents from the city who think they know what's best for everyone, the old residents who know they don't, and all the myths and legends surrounding its ancient apple orchards.

Rickman certainly knows how to set the scene, as when Merrily is finally able to move into the vicarage:

There was quaint, Merrily thought, and there was horribly old-fashioned. Like the steel-grey four-bar electric fire blocking up the inglenook. Like a kitchen the size of a small abattoir with no real cupboards but endless open shelves and all the pipes coiled under the sink like a nest of cobras.

The setting isn't the only thing that Rickman is gifted at doing-- his characters are marvelous. Merrily and her daughter Jane soon felt like people I'd known my entire life. Merrily at first seems to be a quiet, serious person who never learned how to say no. The villagers take advantage of her, and she's soon exhausted and sleep-deprived. But she does have a backbone, and she does have a line that no one should cross. (I cheered when I read that particular scene.) Jane is a typical teenager. You want to hug her one second and strangle her the next. Deep down, she's a good person who can admit her mistakes and learn from them. Merrily should be proud.

Rickman is also very very good at atmosphere. I, for one, will never again walk into an apple orchard the way I always have in the past. I'm not sure I trust the trees, you know.... And that vicarage gave me the creeps!

I've read several other books that mention the resentment villagers feel toward city people who move in, throw their money around, think they know what's best for everyone, and generally believe they should be allowed to take total control of the town. But this is usually glossed over and used more as a secondary prop than anything else. Rickman fleshes this conflict out perfectly and makes it an integral part of the story.

Fleshing out. Rickman is excellent at fleshing out. In fact, he's so good at it that it's the major reason why I didn't rate this book an A+ and wax poetical about it. This book weighs in at 631 pages. The story could very easily have been told in half the number of pages. Granted, I feel as though I've been treated to a very special place and people, and that I know them better than the places and people of hundreds of previous books I've read. However, it's just not a "year's best" read for me when I repeatedly stop reading a book, turn it over and look at the back cover and think, "Is anything ever going to happen?"

Thankfully something did happen. Something spine-tingling and creepy and plausible. And thankfully it happened in Ledwardine, a village well known to me now, and to people I feel as though I've known all my life. On the power of that I now have the second book in the series. It's well over 500 pages. Only time will tell if Rickman ultimately leaves too much flesh on the bones for this reader.

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