The Smile of a Ghost (Merrily Watkins Mysteries) [Paperback]

Phil Rickman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Merrily Watkins Mysteries | Publication Date: November 1, 2006

The border town of Ludlow has it all—exquisite medieval streets, a parish church the size of a cathedral, and a weight of history and legend. After a young teenage boy dies, his grandmother becomes convinced she's still seeing her dead grandson in the old town. Merrily Watkins, parish priest is brought in to find out if it is dementia, delusion or something even more disturbing?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Merrily Watkins faces her most challenging case yet in British author Rickman's unsettling seventh mystery to feature the Anglican priest and deliverance consultant to the diocese of Hereford (after 2004's The Prayer of the Night Shepherd). When the 14-year-old nephew of newly retired Det. Sgt. Andy Mumford falls from the ruined castle in the medieval town of Ludlow, the official inquest rules the boy's death a suicide. Suspecting foul play, Mumford seeks Merrily's aid. Two more deaths shatter the village, and Mumford, not yet at peace with his retirement, begins to investigate on his own. Rickman vividly depicts Ludlow's narrow streets and the sinister castle, but it's his masterly handling of the occult elements and their impact on the psychology of his sensitive and memorable characters that will keep readers mesmerized from start to finish.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

...memorable characters that will keep readers mesmerized from start to finish. -- Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

A thinking reader’s Elizabeth George. -- Kirkus Reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan UK (November 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330438158
• ISBN-13: 978-0330438155
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #971,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the "Merrily" series, November 12, 2005

By 

K. MacAlister (Richmond, VA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Smile of a Ghost (Merrily Watkins Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Smile of a Ghost is undoubtedly the best of the Merrily Watkins series--and the best of all Rickman's books. Though there is a slight paranormal flavor, the book works best as a straight mystery, one involving many different people and their actions. Mr. Rickman takes these strands and weaves them together beautifully to the final outcome. The main character, the Rev. Merrily Watkins is still charming but slightly anxious in her role as Diocesan Exorcist, and the scenes involving church politics are spot on. Secondary characters are not relegated to "supporting role" status but are integral to the plot. I started reading on a Thursday afternoon and finished it the next day--it's that kind of book.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The smile of a reader, December 28, 2005

By 

T. Williams (Mariposa, California United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Smile of a Ghost (Merrily Watkins Mysteries) (Hardcover)

In this the seventh of his Merrily Watkins novels, Phil Rickman once again proves that you really can't get too much of a good thing. While The Smile of a Ghost does not find the Rev. Merrily Watkins in such dire or dark supernatural peril she has contended with previously, the demons she must face are just as chilling -- the possible elimination of her very role as Deliverance Minister by modernizing forces in the Church as well as by her own self-doubt. And this crisis couldn't have come at a worse time -- in the midst of a tragic trend of teen suicides, possibly influenced by a 12th century ghost and a very hauntingly real "ghost" of sorts from Merrily's Goth days of the more recent past.

In spite of this novel's thematic seriousness, Rickman manages to weave subtle strands of wit and humor throughout, and his astounding facility with character and dialogue only gets better with each book. Through his superb crafting of narrative perspective, the personalities of Rickman's characters seem to hijack their way from chapter to chapter with an amazing fluidity that makes the book very hard to put down.

If you're a regular reader of Rickman's novels, this newest one will not disappoint. If you're new to the novels of Phil Rickman, you're in for a treat. Either way, The Smile of a Ghost will leave a reader smiling.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delicious Dilemma, January 14, 2006

By 

Meredith B. Handspicker "preacher teacher" (North Bennington, VT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Smile of a Ghost (Merrily Watkins Mysteries) (Hardcover)

The seventh Merrily Watkins book, this one tops the list. Rickman has the skill to present characters who are so real you are sure you know them, a plot so intriguing that you become engrossed in the action, and a way of writing the draws you on through the story. The dilemma is whether to spend time with the characters or turn the page and get on with the story. Here the venue of the mystery is almost a character in itself: what is it about the castle and the town which shapes the story? As always with Rickman one finds oneself on the border between the rational and the non-rational, the quotidian and the mysterious. One finishes with a respect for that which is finally beyond explanation but open to understanding.