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The Lamp of the Wicked

Phil Rickman author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Atlantic Books

Published:1st Dec '11

Should be back in stock very soon

The Lamp of the Wicked cover

MERRILY WATKINS: SINGLE MUM, PARISH PRIEST. COSY? I DON'T THINK SO... 'FIRST CLASS' - 'TERRIFIC' - 'WONDERFUL' - 'FIRST RATE' GUARDIAN - THE TIMES - DAILY EXPRESS - DAILY MAIL

The fifth instalment in the Merrily Watkins series: Merrily must unearth the mysteries of the decaying village of Underhowle, and tackle a particularly stubborn Detective Inspector who strays off course...

Merrily must unearth the mysteries of the decaying village of Underhowle, and tackle a particularly stubborn Detective Inspector who strays off course...

'Few writers blend the ancient and supernatural with the modern and criminal better than Rickman.' - Guardian

'You're looking at his inspiration. These are ones he wishes he'd done, the ones he wishes he'd got to first.'


After half a century of decay, the village of Underhowle looked to be on the brink of a new prosperity. Now, instead, it seems destined for notoriety as the home of a psychotic serial killer.

DI Frannie Bliss, of Hereford CID, is convinced he knows where the bodies are buried, but Merrily Watkins wonders if Bliss isn't blinkered by personal ambition. Are the Underhowle deaths really linked to the legacy of Fred West and the most sickening cycle of killings in British criminal history?

The most challenging and intelligent crime novel I encountered last year. Rickman writes with care and sympathy and doesn't shy away from the horror. * Eurocrime *
The good thing about Merrily Watkins is that she's not full of righteous certainty and intuitive detective skills, she is flawed and filled with doubts. A reminder that good fiction based on unsettling ideas can be as illuminating as any number of earnest documentaries. * Sunday Mercury *
Monumentally ambitious . . . Merrily links criminal, psychological, moral, sociological, spiritual and supernatural realms to dig deeper into evildoing just when most fictional sleuths would be calling it quits. * Kirkus Reviews, USA *
Few writers blend the ancient and supernatural with the modern and criminal better than Rickman. * Guardian *
Phil Rickman is one of my all-time favourites. I love everything he's done, from horror to mystery to supernatural thriller - often all in the same book. -- Diana Gabaldon

ISBN: 9780857890139

Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 37mm

Weight: 429g

624 pages

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