The Cure of Souls
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'A haunting quality unique in crime fiction... rich in atmosphere and practically unique' Great British Fictional Detectives, Russell James 'The paranormal investigator with a down-to-earth attitude. This is no rural paradise' Sunday Telegraph
Product Description
Black poles against the pale night...like a site laid out for a mass-crucifixion.' In Herefordshire's hop-growing country, where the river flows as dark as beer, a converted kiln is the scene of a savage murder. When the local vicar refuses to help its new owners cope with the aftermath, diocesan exorcist Merrily Watkins is sent in by the Bishop. Already involved in the case of a schoolgirl whose mother thinks she's possessed by evil, the hesitant Merrily is drawn into a deadly tangle of deceit, corruption and sexual menace as she uncovers the secrets of a village with a past as twisted as the hop-bines which once enclosed it.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The Cure of Souls, Rickman's fourth novel featuring the Revd. Merrily Watkins, finds her settled, more or less, into her role as Diocesan Deliverance Minister. But in spite of her growing experience, the job seems only to grow more difficult. This time, the lines between good and evil blur, leaving Merrily uncertain how-or who-to free from spiritual bondage.
The diseased crops of the Frome Valley are a good metaphor for the psychic condition of those now living there. Something is sucking the life out of not only the land but of the people. That what remains of a once flourishing valley draped in hop bines is a rural wasteland-scape is painfully evident to Lol Robinson, who is about to re-enter Merrily's life after going off to take courses in psychotherapy. Led by 'Prof' Levin to the legendary luthier, Al Boswell, Lol learns not only about the region's gypsy heritage but that the romany ways still pervade the lives of those who live ... and die ... in the Frome Valley. And from this culture comes a psychic adversary as mysterious as the romany themselves.
Lol's close encounter with the legendary "Lady of the bines" leads him to the vicarage of the Reverend Simon St. John and his wife, the intriguing Isabel. Simon's refusal to exorcise the house, a converted hop kiln, of a local "entrepreneur," places the task in Merrily's hands. Soon Merrily, Lol and Simon realize that it will take all three of them, and more, to deliver this town from what plagues it. In perfect contrast to the wilt and waste of the main setting is the continued flourishing of Merrily's "flower," her indomitable daughter Jane. Rickman's secondary story, that of Jane's growth into young womanhood and her and her own spiritual and psychic quest, provides a wonderful parallel to the main storyline. And in a way that he does probably better than any other writer in the business, Rickman deftly weaves this sub-story into the main textual fabric, adding to the narrative tension and the intrigue of his tale.
Phil Rickman's The Cure of Souls is a sophisticated blend--part ghost story, part detective story, part myth--and totally gripping. His unerring ability to bring each character fully alive on the page and make every scene in which he places them believable will not disappoint. This book is just 'The Cure' for a cold winter's night!
The diseased crops of the Frome Valley are a good metaphor for the psychic condition of those now living there. Something is sucking the life out of not only the land but of the people. That what remains of a once flourishing valley draped in hop bines is a rural wasteland-scape is painfully evident to Lol Robinson, who is about to re-enter Merrily's life after going off to take courses in psychotherapy. Led by 'Prof' Levin to the legendary luthier, Al Boswell, Lol learns not only about the region's gypsy heritage but that the romany ways still pervade the lives of those who live ... and die ... in the Frome Valley. And from this culture comes a psychic adversary as mysterious as the romany themselves.
Lol's close encounter with the legendary "Lady of the bines" leads him to the vicarage of the Reverend Simon St. John and his wife, the intriguing Isabel. Simon's refusal to exorcise the house, a converted hop kiln, of a local "entrepreneur," places the task in Merrily's hands. Soon Merrily, Lol and Simon realize that it will take all three of them, and more, to deliver this town from what plagues it. In perfect contrast to the wilt and waste of the main setting is the continued flourishing of Merrily's "flower," her indomitable daughter Jane. Rickman's secondary story, that of Jane's growth into young womanhood and her and her own spiritual and psychic quest, provides a wonderful parallel to the main storyline. And in a way that he does probably better than any other writer in the business, Rickman deftly weaves this sub-story into the main textual fabric, adding to the narrative tension and the intrigue of his tale.
Phil Rickman's The Cure of Souls is a sophisticated blend--part ghost story, part detective story, part myth--and totally gripping. His unerring ability to bring each character fully alive on the page and make every scene in which he places them believable will not disappoint. This book is just 'The Cure' for a cold winter's night!
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
2001 was a good year for Phil Rickman fans, with two new novels to his name. (OK, three if you include Phil's, erm, partner-in-crime, Will Kingdom novel, MEAN SPIRIT.) For my money, though, this one is the best of them.
It's summer, and the temperature's rising in more ways than one. A haunted hop-kiln. a drop-out trainee psychotherapist/sensitive musician (yep, folks, Lol Robinson's back, after being criminally dismissed from the last book in a couple of sentences), the wonderful and irreverent Simon St John (from DECEMBER; along with Prof Levin and Simon's missus, with her useful collection of carnal verbs), as well as Annie Howe, whom we see a lot more of than the last book, too. Jane is here, too, of course, Merrily's new-age daughter (think a pagan version of Winona Ryder in MERMAIDS), desperate to unburden herself of certain things you really do want to get rid of at 16.
This is a sexy book. Its motifs recurr nicely in Rickman's spare yet full descriptions of the countryside all the action occurs in. The supporting cast is, as ever, great and quirky; the dialogue sparkles -this is how people really do talk - and the plot powers everything along to an inevitable conclussion.
This is Phil's 4th Rev Watkins book, and by now, according to series' conventions, she should be staking vampires and shooting werewolves in an unavoidable escalation of events. But no, Rickman's smarter than that, he knows characterisation is what keeps people interested, not stakes and silver bullets. And with Merrily, Jane and Lol he's on to a winner.
This is one of my favourite reads of the year; great characters and a great story which Rickman puts to bed nicely. Of course you should get a copy
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Phil Rickman never fails to impress me. Not only is he the master of dark crime, he is also an adept at characterisation and plot. Not only is there a plot that the likes of Ian Rankin and James Lee Burke would be proud of, he also has a talent to make you really care for the characters, whether they be the principal or supporting members of the cast. So it was with excitement bordering on obsesive that I rushed to get the latest 'Merrliy Watkins' episode. I wasn't disapointed.
Romany lore and the local hops history, give weight to the realism and authenticity, making the unexplainable moments all the more chilling.
Get Rickman of the horror shelves! This is dark crime at its best, so do your self a favour and jump on the Merrily Watkins train. This man deserves to be on the best sellers list...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
essential to the series
If you've read some of this series but not this then it is an essential one to fill in the gaps and get some important bits of the "history" of Merrily and her relationship with... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Brian Swinton
A rich, evocative creepy crime thriller
Rickman does it again as he crafts a superb plot as twisty-turny as the hop bines in the story. Creepy, atmospheric and bloody well written. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Saskia
Tawdry medieval spoof
The oddly-named exorcist "Merrily Watkins" says she would rather her craft was dismissed as a "tawdry medieval spoof" than for any more lives to be lost, in a rare moment of... Read more
Published 2 months ago by scythe
Plot development a bit slow but good Rickman fayre
Another outing for Rickman's female Deliverance Consultant the Reverend Merrily Watkins. A murder in a supposedly haunted house-cum-hop kiln, a missing child who believes she is... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jane
Super, fast-moving mystery.
Merrily Watkins is a female priest who finds herself in the village of Ledwardine, in the heart of the apple-centre of Hereford. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Galadriel
What developments in Merrily's life!
A brilliant book as always, by Phil. Fascinating depth to the characters and a whole new phase in Merrily's life (I'm not giving anything away in case you haven't read it). Read more
Published 8 months ago by Anna Biggs
Spooky goings-on!
I was recently introduced to Phil Rickman. These books are a very good read; easy enough for the beach, pool or garden but meaty enough to give you food for thought. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mrs. L. Wisson
Crime novel with a supernatural edge
Merrily Watkins is a vicar with a special remit for exorcism and the defence against other supernatural manifestations. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Roman Clodia
Ghosts and hops
Lol Robinson is living in the Herefordshire countryside and working with Prof Levin who has a recording studio. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Damaskcat
More Hops Than a One Legged Firewalker........
The Cure of Souls was first time I ever picked up a Phil Rickman with a muted feeling of half hearted enthusiasm. Read more
Published on 3 Oct 2007 by A. Watson
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