All of a Winter's Night

Merrily Watkins is the most singular of crime fiction protagonists... As ever [Rickman]'s supremely skillful at teasing out the menace that lies behind English folk customs and legends and weaving them into a compelling contemporary narrative. - Mail on SundayIN THE DARK HEART OF THE COUNTRYSIDE...Aidan Lloyd's cold and sombre funeral suggests he won't be resting in peace. But not even diocesan exorcist Merrily Watkins foresees its unearthly aftermath.As a string of killings shakes the wintry Welsh border and a farming feud intensifies, Merrily - personally threatened by an enemy within - confronts secrets hidden in ancient dances and the walls of an enigmatic medieval church.

Merrily Watkins is the most singular of crime fiction protagonists... As ever [Rickman]'s supremely skillful at teasing out the menace that lies behind English folk customs and legends and weaving them into a compelling contemporary narrative., Rickman is on top form here, as are all his characters... the plot is probably the most spine-tingling one to date. Delightfully sinister, Ancient history, violent deaths, feuds, intrigues and murder. A most original sleuth., Compassionate, original and sharply contemporary, Rickman's crime series is one of the best around., Few writers blend the ancient and supernatural with the modern and criminal better than Rickman.

Phil Rickman lives on the Welsh border where he writes and presents the book programme Phil the Shelf on BBC Radio Wales. He is the hugely popular author of the Merrily Watkins series and the John Dee papers.