To Dream of the Dead (Merrily Watkins Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Phil Rickman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2008 | Series: Merrily Watkins Mysteries

The village of Ledwardine has never been flooded in living memory, but as the river continues to rise with December rains, within days it will be an island. Electricity has been cut and the church is serving as a temporary mortuary for two people who drowned. Only one man feels safe: an aggressively atheist author who has been moved—for his own safety—into a secluded house just outside the village. Meanwhile, archaeologists—assisted by Merrily Watkins’s teenage daughter, Jane—are at work unearthing an ancient row of standing stones that some people would prefer stay buried. The atheist’s temporary home is close to the site, and his young wife is becoming conspicuously agitated. Is it the fear of discovery? With the flood water washing up Church Lane towards the vicarage and the shop running out of cigarettes, it looks to be a cold and complex Christmas for Merrily Watkins.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Past and present collide with fatal results in British author Rickman's unsettling 10th mystery to feature parish priest Merrily Watkins (after 2008's The Fabric of Sin). A few days before Christmas, a body with a mutilated face turns up in a ruined monastery in the Herefordshire village of Ledwardine near the Welsh border. Also casting a pall over the holiday season are the threat of a flood and a contentious debate at a town meeting about whether to build a highway through a beloved meadow. Meanwhile, the unearthing of the ancient Dinedor Serpent, a prehistoric monument, leads Merrily's aspiring archeologist daughter, Jane, into dangerous territory. A newcomer to the village, an outspoken atheist despised by fundamentalists, adds fuel to a volatile mix. Amid the mayhem, Rickman skillfully weaves together the assorted subplots. Credible characters—some down-to-earth, others lunatic—and absorbing archeological lore are a plus. (Aug.)
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Review

"Credible characters . . . and absorbing archeological lore are a plus."  —Publishers Weekly

"Merrily is a most original sleuth and an interesting, sparky woman of emotional and spiritual depth. Rickman is an excellent writer, terrific on atmosphere . . . The best so far."  —The Times

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 528 pages
• Publisher: Quercus; First Edition edition (November 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1847245781
• ISBN-13: 978-1847245786
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,230,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To Dream of the Dead, November 8, 2008

By 

Bloomsbury (melbourne australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Dream of the Dead (Merrily Watkins Mysteries) (Hardcover)

The latest installment of the adventures of Merrily Watkins, Deliverance Consultant (read exorcist) & parish priest for the village of Ledwardine, is a wonderful book.

Phil Rickman seems incapable of putting a foot wrong in this series. The characters are interesting, totally believable & varied, from Merrily herself to minor bit players, all fully realized & unerringly depicted.

Merrily's daughter Jane has developed convincingly through the series and is arguably the best creation of a teenaged girl in modern fiction. This book sees her struggling with issues that would be vividly familiar to this age group, all concerned with the transition to an independent life.

Her long term boyfriend Eirion is back, as is the complex musician Lol. The multi-layered plot vividly details the uneasy juxtaposition of "progressive" development which disenfranchises many of the long term residents of the area, and the workings of the human heart and spirit.

Rickman is honest and fearless in his examination of motivation and character, and of how struggling to do "the right thing" can make your life very difficult. The many facets of loneliness are a constant refrain in his books. Lol expresses this with his "Alien" sweatshirt & album, & in this book the detective Frannie Bliss - an outsider from Merseyside - finds himself on the outer from the Police force & his family.

Merrily is more of a traditional priest in "To Dream of the Dead", with the supernatural aspects of her job less intense. Rickman handles the supernatural elements of this series superbly & intelligently.

As always, music is an important background element, with the late Nick Drake an invisible presence throughout.

The complexity & richness of this series is amazing. Lesser books than "To Dream of the Dead" have won the Booker prize.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Nightmare Before Christmas, November 21, 2008

By 

T. Williams (Mariposa, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To Dream of the Dead (Merrily Watkins Mysteries) (Hardcover)

It's the week before Christmas, Ledwardine is threatened by flooding and a gruesome discovery is made at the old Blackfriars Monastery. The events that follow create a nightmarish advent for Merrily, Jane, Lol, Detective Frannie Bliss and the people living in Ledwardine. In his inimitable style, Phil Rickman once again delivers a tightly-woven tale of murder, greed, hate and religion gone wrong. While Bliss fights to find a cold-blooded murderer and save his career, Merrily fights to save the spiritual core of her parish -- and herself -- from a hateful attack. And the chaos created by those natural and human forces also wreak havoc in the personal lives of the characters we've grown to love.

While Rickman's latest offering is more of a detective story than a supernatural thriller, fans of "woo-woo" will not be disappointed. The supernatural element, though sparingly evidenced, proves crucial throughout.

I particulary loved To Dream of the Dead for the major role Jane and Bliss play in solving the crime. BIG surprises await readers at the end of this one. Put Dream on your Christmas list, if you can wait that long!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All this and a soundtrack too..., September 21, 2009

By 

Julia E. Adams (Athens, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: To Dream of the Dead (Merrily Watkins Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I love all the Merrily Watkins books and can't really add to the book reviews here except to say, did you know there are two albums, too? Songs from Lucy's Cottage and A Message from the Morning are CDs of character Lol Robinson's songs, lyrics by Phil Rickman and music by Allan Watson and Hazey Jane II. Readers of the Merrily Watkins novels will recognize Baker's Lament, Cure of Souls, Elgar, and Lucy's Song because snippets of Lol's lyrics appeared in the novels. But now the songs have been completed, and they're gorgeous. Lol was heavily influenced by Nick Drake and elements of Nick are interwoven. Lol spent his own time in the psych ward, hence Heavy Medication Day. Find info at Phil Rickman's website and Hazey Jane 2's myspace page. For all of us fans of the Merrily Watkins books, Lol lives! Added treats are Phil Rickman reading from Traherne, quotations from Leather's Folklore of Herefordshire, and the voice of Gomer Parry.