Phil Rickman decided to include Covid in this book, the latest in his Merrily Watkins series, and it pays off.
The wave of pain that Covid brought to the world is told sparingly and powerfully as the series hero, Merrily Watkins, tries to take on the burdens of all around her. Merrily is the most interesting hero of any series I read – vicar, single mother, and diocesan exorcist. She deals with human and (maybe) diabolical evil, and whatever your beliefs, you wish she were your local vicar.
Rickman’s ability to create an atmosphere is unparalleled. Whatever you believed at the beginning of a Rickman book, you are less sure of yourself by the end.
'Engrossing and beautifully dark . . . a cracking good read' JO BRAND
'A most original sleuth' THE TIMES
Welcome to the River Wye: a place of poetry, historic obsession... and occult murder.
The curious death of an estate agent is being investigated by detective David Vaynor who, before joining the police, studied the famous 18th century poet William Wordsworth. As Vaynor is discovering, the dark paganism that changed Wordsworth's life still lingers on the banks of the River Wye today - and there are some killings even the police can't approach...
This is the perfect thriller. It has a good mystery, of course, and you can’t trust anybody, but for me, the real coup lies in the hero.
The author achieves the most difficult trick of all – a hero you don’t like but whom you nonetheless root for. I think the last time I felt like this was reading Jane Austen’s Emma. A twisty plot and perfect pacing help to make this a really satisfying read.
I once had a girlfriend back in Scotland, Lorna, who was into astrology, karma, healing crystals and all that shite. She always said the universe had a way of knowing when you needed something and providing for you. In my experience, what it generally provides is a kick in the bollocks.
Tommy Chisholm is in trouble.
His dream life in Barcelona is unravelling. He’s broke, his writing career has stalled, and maybe it’s time to pack up and go home.
When he’s recruited by an organised crime gang to help them rob an art gallery, he thinks his financial worries…
I never start a series in the middle except by mistake – but fortunately, though I soon realised that I needed to go back and read the first book, it did not stop me devouring this to the end.
Sixteenth-century Florence is alive and kicking – usually kicking – and the range of characters is fascinating without being confusing. For me, the best characters were the nuns in the convent - it is good to see nuns treated as people!
The author used the of the convent enclosed space to make the horror and violence all the more startling. An excellent historical novel and an excellent murder mystery.
'Pretty much everything I want in an historical thriller - an absolutely terrific read' Philip Gwynne Jones
'A great insight into Renaissance Florence. What I love about these books is the seamless weaving of factual history with a great story' Abir Mukherjee
Florence. Spring, 1537.
When Cesare Aldo investigates a report of intruders at a convent in the Renaissance city's northern quarter, he enters a community divided by bitter rivalries and harbouring dark secrets.
His case becomes far more complicated when a man's body is found deep inside the convent, stabbed more than two dozen times. Unthinkable as it seems,…
The Battle of Philippi is over, and Octavian and Mark Antony have defeated the Republic. A cause and a generation of young noblemen have been lost.
Lucius Sestius, a lawyer embroiled in the Ides of March, has been driven from Rome by his allegiance to Caesar’s murderers. He has seen his commanders die on the battlefield, and now he and his friends must rebuild their lives, burdened by defeat and grief.
Murder follows him on his path back to Rome, and Lucius has to face the growing suspicion that something evil, born in that battle, is following him as he rebuilds his life.
