The Cure of Souls (A Merrily Watkins Mystery)

From Publishers Weekly Merrily Watkins, single mom and Anglican priest, faces more than one occult threat in her third chilling outing, set in northeast Herefordshire near the Welsh border, from British author Rickman (Midwinter of the Spirit; A Crown of Lights). In her role as the appointed diocesan Deliverance Minister, Merrily is looking into a family's claims that "evil" has possessed their daughter when the Bishop of Hereford asks her to intervene in a dispute over whether or not a converted hopkiln is haunted. Once used to dry the hops in beer making, the kiln was also the scene of a terrible murder. Sensible, down-to-earth Merrily, as she investigates each case, isn't totally convinced that the unnatural phenomena are genuine. However, after her attempted exorcism of the hopkiln fails, another brutal murder occurs, the possessed daughter tries to commit suicide and she begins to question her own judgment. In a search for the truth, Merrily, her daughter and her good friend, Lol Robinson, find intrigue, lies, cover-ups, danger and the unexplainable. While the unraveling of the two stories takes time, the pace is fast and plot twists await the reader around every corner right up until the very end. The rural English setting, where the past is still part of the present, and a cast of quirky yet believable characters add to the realism that makes this a most provocative read. Even skeptics of the paranormal will shudder with fear. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Review Even skeptics of the paranormal will shudder with fear a most provocative read -- Publishers Weekly Formats : EPUB, MOBI "As high summer bakes the rich, heavy earth of the Frome Valley in north-east Herefordshire, dark shadows gather - quite literally - around a converted hopkiln where the last owner was savagely murdered." "Though the local vicar dismisses claims by the current occupants that the place is haunted, their story is soon splashed over a Sunday newspaper - and the diocesan Deliverance Minister, the Revd. Merrily Watkins, is directed by the Bishop of Hereford to defuse the situation. Merrily, however, is already contending with a similar problem involving a woman's claim that her adopted teenage daughter is possessed by evil." "In both cases Merrily remains unconvinced but, in this summer of oppressive heat and sudden storms, nothing is ever going to be quite what it seems. As she is drawn into a tangle of trickery, deceit, corruption and sexual menace, her hastily conducted exorcism produces unhappy results. With Merrily's increasing paranoia putting both her faith and her future on the line, and the whole concept of Deliverance now facing public trial, she and her good friend Lol Robinson can only try to uncover the secrets of Knight's Frome - a village concealing a past as twisted as the vines on the hop-plants once surrounding it." "The two of them discover how local history once became entwined with the legacy and superstitions of the Romany gypsies who once harvested these crops. It seems the Rom have long memories - allegedly on both sides of the grave - and for them the darkest hour could be noon, the time of no shadows." A school girl possessed by evil spirits and a savage murder; Merrily is once again drawn into the deadly tangle of deceit and mystery in rural Herefordshire... Lies, cover-ups, danger and the unexplainable. The pace is fast and plot twists await the reader around every corner. Even sceptics will shudder. - Publishers Weekly 'Black poles against the pale night . . . like a site laid out for a mass crucifixion.' A summer of oppressive heat in Herefordshire's hop-growing country, where the river flows as dark as beer. A converted kiln is the scene of a savage murder. When the local vicar refuses to deal with its aftermath, diocesan exorcist Merrily Watkins is sent out to a village with a past as twisted as the hop-bines which once enclosed it. 'Black poles against the pale night... like a site laid out for a mass-crucifixion.' In Herefordshire's hop-growing country, where the river flows as dark as beer, a converted kiln is the scene of a savage murder. When the local vicar refuses to help its new owners cope with the aftermath, diocesan exorcist Merrily Watkins is sent in by the Bishop. Already involved in the case of a schoolgirl whose mother thinks she's possessed by evil, the hesitant Merrily is drawn into a deadly tangle of deceit, corruption and sexual menace as she uncovers the secrets of a village with a past as twisted as the hop-bines which once enclosed it. Merrily Watkins faces multiple occult threats in her fourth outing In Herefordshire's hop-growing country, where the river flows as dark as beer, a converted kiln is the scene of a savage murder. When the local vicar refuses to help its new owners cope with the aftermath, diocesan exorcist Merrily Watkins is sent in by the Bishop. Already involved in the case of a schoolgirl whose mother thinks she's possessed by evil, the hesitant Merrily is drawn into a deadly tangle of deceit, corruption, and sexual menace as she uncovers the secrets of a village with a past as twisted as the hop-bines which once enclosed it. In Herefordshire's hop-growing country, where the river flows as dark as beer, a converted kiln is the scene of a savage murder. When the local vicar refuses to help its new owners cope with the aftermath, Diocesan Exorcist Merrily Watkins is sent in by the Bishop. Already involved in the case of a schoolgirl whose mother thinks she's possessed by evil, the hesitant Merrily is drawn into a deadly tangle of deceit, corruption, and sexual menace as she uncovers the secrets of a village with a twisted past. The fourth instalment in the Merrily Watkins series: A school girl possessed by evil spirits and a savage murder; Merrily is once again drawn into the deadly tangle of deceit and mystery in rural Herefordshire...