The Secrets of Pain (Merrily Watkins 11)
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Review
`Strikingly original and consistently intriguing. A labyrinthine plot and a fascinating portrayal of the quagmire of ancient grudges and shifting allegiances of a close-knit community make this an absorbing and thought-provoking page-turner.' --Guardian
`Spine-tingling... this is Rickman at his very best and proves just how compelling and original a writer he is. A national treasure.' --Daily Mail
`Phil Rickman is right up to form in this one, once again fusing straight criminal activity with more than a whiff of the occult.'
--Bernard Knight, Tangled Web
`Spine-tingling... this is Rickman at his very best and proves just how compelling and original a writer he is. A national treasure.' --Daily Mail
`Phil Rickman is right up to form in this one, once again fusing straight criminal activity with more than a whiff of the occult.'
--Bernard Knight, Tangled Web
Review
"* 'Middle England at its most sinister... very difficult to put down' - The Bookseller * 'A rich hinterland of politicking clerics and mother-daughter growing pains... makes for an entertaining read, with shivers' - The Guardian * 'First rate. A passionate, flawed modern woman, every bit as concerned with the intricacies of crime as with demons that go bump in the night. We don't praise our home-grown thriller writers enough. It's high time we praised Phil Rickman.' - Daily Mail * 'Rickman is an excellent writer, terrific on atmosphere' - The Times"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a brilliant return to Ledwardine, the postcard pretty English village where darkness lurks behind lace curtains and the taint of old murder has soaked into the timbers of the black and white buildings. Phil Rickman knows where the beating heart of rural malevolence is to be found and he infuses his pages with liberal doses from this wellspring of brooding ichor.
The first half of the book mostly plays like the pastoral guitar picking of a Nick Drake song. It gives us breathing space to wander around an old familiar stamping ground and get re-acquainted with characters we've come to look upon as friends. This is part of the magic of these novels. It's like coming home after a long holiday. Of course it wouldn't be a Rickman book if this period of grace wasn't interspersed with a rising body count and glazed with a thin skein of supernatural disturbance.
Somewhere around the midway point it's like Gomer has fitted afterburners to his JCB. The plot switches into overdrive mode and all you can do is hang on to your hat until it smacks into the buffers at the end of the track with a shriek of grinding metal. So take my advice and prepare yourself for a bad case of whiplash. I had to wear a surgical collar for three days after reading this book.
This ranks up there as one the best Merrily books I've read. It's full of suspense, sly wit, compelling prose, and has a plot that revolves around the mystical undercurrents that secretly exist within the military brotherhood of the SAS.
And as an additional extra - it's big and heavy enough to kill your feuding next door neighbour with if you throw it from an upstairs window. What more can you want from a Phil Rickman novel?
The first half of the book mostly plays like the pastoral guitar picking of a Nick Drake song. It gives us breathing space to wander around an old familiar stamping ground and get re-acquainted with characters we've come to look upon as friends. This is part of the magic of these novels. It's like coming home after a long holiday. Of course it wouldn't be a Rickman book if this period of grace wasn't interspersed with a rising body count and glazed with a thin skein of supernatural disturbance.
Somewhere around the midway point it's like Gomer has fitted afterburners to his JCB. The plot switches into overdrive mode and all you can do is hang on to your hat until it smacks into the buffers at the end of the track with a shriek of grinding metal. So take my advice and prepare yourself for a bad case of whiplash. I had to wear a surgical collar for three days after reading this book.
This ranks up there as one the best Merrily books I've read. It's full of suspense, sly wit, compelling prose, and has a plot that revolves around the mystical undercurrents that secretly exist within the military brotherhood of the SAS.
And as an additional extra - it's big and heavy enough to kill your feuding next door neighbour with if you throw it from an upstairs window. What more can you want from a Phil Rickman novel?
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I've been a fan of Phil Rickman's Merrily Watkins novels for some time now, and I've come to love the characters and the setting. Beautiful black and white Ledwardine, constantly under threat from the outside world of property developers and identical shopping estates and money-grubbing capitalists, just surviving by the skin of its teeth. Merrily herself, holding on to her faith in much the same way. Lol, Jane, Gomer, Frannie Bliss. All just managing to survive in the maelstrom of life.
This book holds no comfort. Without giving away plot, at the end of it none of the above has changed for the better, and several of these characters whom I've come to know as friends have been put through the mill good and proper. And yet it's a satisfying read, as one would expect from Rickman, and there is a kind of exaltation in the ending. Rickman is especially good at moments that make you want to punch the air and shout "YES!" And I found a special treat here in a nice long discussion between Merrily and the gleefully amoral magician Athena White, who remains a joy to read, especially to read aloud. (I read these books to my wife who is partially sighted.)
And there is meat here as well. There's a sock in the eye for those modern comparative religionists who like to make out, based on a few superficial resemblances in the central story, that the cult of Mithras and Christianity are fundamentally identical. There's a sideswipe at the current fad for blokishness, idolising organisations such as the SAS (who certainly deserve admiration, but are hardly to be envied or emulated) and "finding your inner warrior," and there's a television presenter on a programme about cars who I'm sure is not based on any real person living or dead, but ought to be. From the depths of the past rises the unclean shadow of Denzil Joy once again. And there's Jane, charging in where angels fear to tread in her own inimitable way.
You won't be disappointed in The Secrets Of Pain. You might find yourself wishing that the next Merrily book could be a nice safe British Cosy whodunnit, a rest for these characters who have gone through so much...but it wouldn't be Phil Rickman if it were. So, pry your hands off the chair arms and put some gaffa tape over the fingernail marks, and read it again.
This book holds no comfort. Without giving away plot, at the end of it none of the above has changed for the better, and several of these characters whom I've come to know as friends have been put through the mill good and proper. And yet it's a satisfying read, as one would expect from Rickman, and there is a kind of exaltation in the ending. Rickman is especially good at moments that make you want to punch the air and shout "YES!" And I found a special treat here in a nice long discussion between Merrily and the gleefully amoral magician Athena White, who remains a joy to read, especially to read aloud. (I read these books to my wife who is partially sighted.)
And there is meat here as well. There's a sock in the eye for those modern comparative religionists who like to make out, based on a few superficial resemblances in the central story, that the cult of Mithras and Christianity are fundamentally identical. There's a sideswipe at the current fad for blokishness, idolising organisations such as the SAS (who certainly deserve admiration, but are hardly to be envied or emulated) and "finding your inner warrior," and there's a television presenter on a programme about cars who I'm sure is not based on any real person living or dead, but ought to be. From the depths of the past rises the unclean shadow of Denzil Joy once again. And there's Jane, charging in where angels fear to tread in her own inimitable way.
You won't be disappointed in The Secrets Of Pain. You might find yourself wishing that the next Merrily book could be a nice safe British Cosy whodunnit, a rest for these characters who have gone through so much...but it wouldn't be Phil Rickman if it were. So, pry your hands off the chair arms and put some gaffa tape over the fingernail marks, and read it again.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Reading a new book from Phil Rickman is like opening presents on Christmas Day. It's anticipated all year and never disappoints. The Secrets of Pain is the latest in the Merrily Watkins series which follows Merrily, Jane, Lol and of course Gomer Parry through harrowing experiences bordering on the supernatural. In The Secrets of Pain, Merrily is faced with the death of a fellow vicar, Syd Spicer, which the authorities claim was natural causes. Soon Merrily learns that there is much, much more to the story than the death of a colleague. Meanwhile Jane, Merrily's now 18 year old daughter, is involved with exposing illegal hunt clubs that leads her into a very dark and dangerous realm. The seemingly disconnected events all come together in the climax with twists and turns of events and logic that in the end make perfect sense. The most exceptional aspect of all of Phil's books are the characters. You feel the vulnerabilities of Merrily, the insecurities of Lol, the "In Your Face-ness" of Jane and the dedication and loyalty of Gomer. The characters are so believable that I can't image that they don't really exist.
In addition to the wonderful characters is Phil's description of the Welsh borderlands. The sleepy villages that have an undercurrent of suspicion of anybody from "Off." The ancient sacred sites, the old cathedrals and churches, standing stones and ley lines that lend an air of the supernatural to the plots. Warning: Once you start reading a Merrily Watkins book, be prepared to be hooked.
In addition to the wonderful characters is Phil's description of the Welsh borderlands. The sleepy villages that have an undercurrent of suspicion of anybody from "Off." The ancient sacred sites, the old cathedrals and churches, standing stones and ley lines that lend an air of the supernatural to the plots. Warning: Once you start reading a Merrily Watkins book, be prepared to be hooked.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Bravo Maestro!
First important point is that, although this book is the 11th in the Merrily Watkins series, it can still be read as a `stand-alone' by newcomers (you lucky people!). Read more
Published 2 months ago by JAW
More Than Just A Mystery
The latest book in the Merrily Watkins saga does not disappoint. This is the largest tome in the series, for good reason. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Rob Wilder
Frustrating
Perhaps I should have read all the other books in the series before attempting this one as I found it really hard going and so frustrating to read. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Kingsowen
Phil Rickman is the best
For many years I have enjoyed Phil Rickman's books. He does not disappoint. Thank you Mr. Rickman for a great read.
Published 3 months ago by Lisa Girardi
A heart-wrenching, exciting read
I've just finished The Secrets of Pain and I'm emotionally exhausted but loved the ride. Exciting, fun, informative and leaves you begging for the next installment. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Saskia
Superb as ever
Having read all of Phil Rickman's novels, this latest instalment in the lives of the people of Ledwardine is of the same superb standard as his previous books. Read more
Published 4 months ago by LC
Gripping, intelligent twisty-turny tale. Can't wait for XII
I'd never list my favourite Merrily books because each one has it's own wonders and stories, and this is no exception. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Stan Sagan
A tale of two pities
Having read all of the Merrily Watkins books, I have to say I was a bit disappointed with this outing (and how I hate to say that..!). Read more
Published 4 months ago by JoolsR
Has the series run out of steam?
I have read all of the Merrily Watkins books and this is the first one that I haven't particularly enjoyed. Read more
Published 4 months ago by A. Solley
Better and Better
This is an excellent story, and a development in the Merrily stories. It is very well plotted, and a real page turner. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mrs. S.
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