Recommended reading: Phil Rickman's Merrily Watkins novels

Filed by: Darren on November 30, 2006 at 13:04
Filed In: Books

I've recently finished The Smile of a Ghost [Amazon], the seventh book in Phil Rickman's ongoing series of novels about Merrily Watkins, village vicar turned diocesian exorcist (or 'deliverance consultant'). I've read all seven book sin the series, and I'm still somewhat bemused that they haven't been snapped up by a TV production company for imminent development.

I mean, it's got all the elements of a successful Saturday night drama aimed at the comfortably mid 30s-60s demographic, surely? There's the idyllic, rural Herefordshire setting for a start. Follow that up with good, strong, characterisation: a leading lady who, as well as being an ordained minister and the only female exorcist for miles around, is also, so we're told, a sexy single mum. She's ably backed-up by her feisty teenage daughter, a reclusive rock musician with a History, devious Church politicians, a veteran exorcist of the old school who lives the life of a recluse in the Welsh mountain, sundry hard-bitten country coppers, and a varied supporting cast of rustics and incoming yuppies.

All of this, plus a series of mysterious goings-on and, to top it all off, an edgy, supernatural-ish atmosphere that sometimes - just sometimes - crosses over into out-and-out occultism, but usually stays just this side of "well, there could always be a rational explanation, you know..."

All-in-all, a quintessentially English mystery series, with a slightly edgier feel than your average Miss Marple, and plenty of possibility to grow; it's got to be a winner! I mean, if they can put Jonathan Creek on our screens for a few seasons, then surely there's room for Merrily Watkins?

Anyhow, as I say, I've read and thoroughly enjoyed all seven books in the series so far, and I'm looking forward to picking up a copy of the eighth, which was published in October, some time soon. There is one slight niggle, though. By book seven the characters have rather started to take on that slightly rounded feeling of comortable familiarity; not much here in the way of shocks and surprises, and whilst the mystery itself was an intriguing one, there wasn't much of a worry that it wouldn't all turn out right in the end.

So, if you fancy a genteel dose of mystery fiction, with plenty of things that go bump in the night, plenty of opportunity to get to really like the characters as they grow and develop, and plenty of heart-warming catharsis, then these are definitely the books for you.

Amazon links for anyone who's interested: