The Smile of a Ghost by
Philip Rickman
pbk out June 06
(Pan)
at £6.99
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
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)
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The Smile of a Ghost by
Philip Rickman
