The Smile of a Ghost by
Philip Rickman
hbk out November 05
Published by Macmillan
at £17.99
This, the seventh book to feature parish priest Merrily Watkins, is a reminder
of Rickman's skill as a practitioner of the rural mystery. The setting is Ludlow,
one of England's most charming towns, but although Rickman acknowledges that the
scene is essentially 'warm and golden', he manages to imbue it with a menacing
quality. A boy plunges to his death from the old castle and Merrily is called
in to investigate, but other similar tragedies occur. Merrily is nicely characterised
('Sermons; every week another one hanging around your neck like a penance') and
is not exactly starry-eyed about some aspects of the Church ('Bishops didn't do
hands-on'). She is a likeable figure, but it is the sinister atmosphere of the
Borderland locale that will stay longest in the minds of most readers. 'Visit
Ludlow. You won't regret it,' Rickman says in his closing credits and those who
like an offbeat story won't regret taking a look at this novel.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
The Smile of a Ghost by
Philip Rickman
