Cool, contemporary thriller set in the Malverns

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Product Description

Merrily Watkins, parish priest, single mum and Deliverance consultant to the Diocese of Hereford, heads for the Malvern Hills in the latest installment of Phil Rickman's acclaimed series of 'first class thrillers with a difference' ("The Guardian"). In 1934, the dying composer Edward Elgar feebly whistled to a friend the theme from his Cello Concerto and said, 'If ever you're walking on the Malvern Hills and hear that, don't be frightened. It's only me.' Over seventy years later, Merrily is called in to investigate an alleged paranormal dimension to a spate of road accidents in the Malvern village of Wychehill, where she discovers new tensions in Elgar's countryside. The proposed take-over of a local pub by a nightclub owner with a criminal reputation has become the battle-ground between the defenders of Olde Englande and the hard-men of drug culture - with extreme and sinister elements on both sides. And as the local choral society prepares to stage an open-air performance of Elgar's Caractacus on the Iron Age hillfort known as British Camp, the deaths begin...

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #300344 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 544 pages

Review
'Compassionate, original and sharply contemporary, Rickman's crime series is one of the best around.' The Spectator 'This is no rural paradise, but a setting for an uneasy mix of embittered farmers, escapees from the city and a local pub with a reputation for drug dealing It's probably his best book.' Sunday Telegraph 'Crime fiction lovers who like their stories with a quirky twist need look no further.' Yorkshire Evening Post

Sunday Telegraph
...It's probably his best book

Yorkshire Evening Post
Crime fiction lovers who like their stories with a quirky twist
need look no further

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Customer Reviews

Never read a bad book by Rickman
That's the truth--I've never read a bad book by Phil Rickman, even when he was writing traditional horror stories. Since he's started the Merrily Watkins mystery series, the books get better and better. This one starts slowly, builds up tension, and ends with a stunning climax. There is a supernatural element for those who like it and an engrossing mystery, but the book is essentially character-driven, with the spirit of Edward Elgar tying everything together.
Mr. Rickman's ability to weave earth magic, the possibility of a ghost, the difficulty of faith, and the concreteness of daily life is masterful.

Still top of his game
It's very difficult to find anything to fault with the Merrily series, and it's impressive that Phil seems to be able to maintain the character-driven intensity of his protaganists so far into the run. Merrily, Jane and Lol are stunningly three dimensional, and, coupled with Phil Rickman's unmatched dialogue, they are brought into the "high definition", making their lives, loves and fears all the more vivid.

Remains of an Altar probably won't surprise any fan of the series, but is also rich and accessible to newcomers (those from "off"). Those wishing for the Celtic goth-horror of the earler novels will be disappointed. Instead, Phil Rickman treats us to a little light around the edges of the door, a muslim shroud of the unexplained which is far more unsettling for its lack of definition and it's everyday nature. Again, the story is rich in geographical and historical detail, but rather than paint a gold-tinted haywain a la Constable, this book in particular pays close attention to the rawness of country life, and the brutal elements lurking within the summer hills like worms in cider apples.

Highly recommended

The Hills Are Alive...........
the latest in the Merrily Watkins series is primarily set in around the Malvern Hills where allegedly paranormal normal happenings - a ghostly bike rider seemingly causing drivers to have accidents - and more secular problemss - a local pub has become a venue for music and perhaps other nefarious goings-on. Merrily, comes in to investigate the sightings of the bike rider and finds herself embroiled in local discord, a local vicar who let's her face the situation on her own - and a local composer/choir master and Elgar fanatasist. Meanwhile, back in Ledwardine Jane, Eirion, Lol and Gomer are up against a County Councillor involved in the proposed building of new houses in a local field that may or may not have spiritual significence for the village. As usual, you can rely on Phil Rickman to weave a tale that slowly draws you in and then ensnares you. His use of narrative to make characters real is second to none. For regular readers the themes found in previous books are at the forefront of this novel and they wont be disappointed!