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The Lamp of the Wicked: Merrily Watkins Series, Book 5
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Review
'the most challenging and intelligent crime novel I encountered last year.' --Eurocrime.co.uk, February 2012
Product Description
'You're looking at his inspiration. These are ones he wishes he'd done, the ones he wishes he'd got to first...' After half a century of decay, the village of Underhowle looked to be on the brink of a new prosperity. Now, instead, it seems destined for notoriety as the home of a psychotic serial killer. DI Francis Bliss, of Hereford CID, is convinced he knows where the bodies are buried. But Merrily Watkins, called in to conduct a controversial funeral, wonders if Bliss isn't blinkered by personal ambition. And are the Underhowle deaths really linked to perhaps the most sickening killings in British criminal history?
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"The Lamp of the Wicked" is another outstanding book in the Merrily Watkins series. Fot those who are new to the series, Merrily Watkins is the parish priest of Ledwardine and also the Deliverance Consultant for Hereford.
Rickman gives all the characters very clear voices, and whilst he is dealing with the possibility of serial killings he manages to keep control of the plot. This book is probably the darkest of the series so far - it's complex story and the usual twists are well executed.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I'm a long-term Rickman fan and the arrival of a new Merrily Watkins mystery is a big event for me. Life gets suspended till I've finished the book though in with the excitement there's always a lurking fear that this time he won't deliver... But I reckon this is his most powerful novel yet.
If you haven't read them yet, the books have many things to offer; great characters, dialogue-to-die-for, truly suspenseful plotting, an ironic wit, a real earthy sense of evil, superb sense of place, and always a resolution that satisfies on several levels while still leaving a a few questions to chew on.
This latest novel, which takes a very famous crime case as its basis, is no exception. The pressure builds from the beginning all the way to the end with no let up and Rickman's mix of the infamous and the fictional gives a heightened sense of reality which leaves disbelief suspended from the ceiling. Masterly.
33 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have read all of the Merrily Watkins books so far, but this one is my favourite. The story starts out almost as a straightforward murder/mystery/revenge plot, before rapidly turning into something much darker (as we have come to expect from Rickman). The links to real life events (I won't spoil it by telling you what they are) just add the perfect touch of 'could almost happen'.
The action is well paced, with the main storyline backed up nicely by the subplots of Lol fighting his inner demons (again) and Jane struggling with her relationships with her mother, her boyfriend and life itself!
Phil Rickman is difficult to place in a category. Some would class him as horror, psychological thriller, crime. This book has elements of all of these and I personally think Rickman deserves a category of his own. I am certainly glad I chanced upon 'Wine of Angels' in my local bookshop.
This book is an outstanding read. If you haven't encountered Merrily Watkins before then I would recommend it, together with the other novels for a thoroughly absorbing read. Go and buy them now!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Merrily at her best
I read this volume out of order. It is number 5 in the Merrily series. I don't think it matters really, but I am glad I filled the gap in my reading. Read more
Published 20 days ago by Stephanie
book lover
Looked forward to receiving my latest Phil Rickman book and I must say I was not disappointed.
The author holds you in suspense right up to the end of the book and his plots... Read more
The author holds you in suspense right up to the end of the book and his plots... Read more
Published 2 months ago by misfitt
Another good book in the series but......
I have enjoyed this book having read all of them to date however I do miss the books that Phil Rickman wrote before starting on this series. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ms. Zoe Banks
As ever...
I've been an avid collector of the Merrily books almost since they were first published, and in fact this was simply replacing my printed copy with a Kindle version. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Alison
Superb
Another brilliant thriller from Phil Rickman - a real page turner. Intricate plot, well-drawn characters and concepts to make your blood run cold. Read more
Published 2 months ago by A. Gerrard
The Lamp Of The Wicked
This was a Christmas present, so I started reading from a position of ignorance. The story is compelling from the start, a real page turner which meant everything else had to wait... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Wordy Bird
Dark - and utterly compelling
This is the novel which first left me totally in awe of Phil Rickman's skills as a writer. It's been described as a difficult read, maybe so, but it's also utterly compelling. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. T. Young
One for the dark nights
Uh oh... here's a timely warning for anyone who still thinks the Merrily Watkins series is kind of cosy. Trust me, they don't come much darker than this.
Published 6 months ago by Sue de Nimes
Another stunning Rickman book!
Fascinating. Starting with the characters in the book, it sees huge developments in the characters of Lol, Jane and Merrily and also a fascinating insight into the past... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Anna Biggs
Terrifyingly good book, but not about Fred West
Never in my life have I read a book which has given me nightmares.
Although it includes Fred & Rosemary West, it does so in a very clever, but no less chilling way, so they do... Read more
Although it includes Fred & Rosemary West, it does so in a very clever, but no less chilling way, so they do... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Caitlin Sagan
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