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The Secrets of Pain (Merrily Watkins…
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The Secrets of Pain (Merrily Watkins Mysteries) (edition 2013)

by Phil Rickman

Series: Merrily Watkins (11)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1686161,280 (4.03)8
The elite warriors of the Hereford-based SAS know all about pain and the enduring of it. Syd Spicer, ex-SAS trooper, has found himself back in the Regiment - this time as its chaplain, responsible for the spiritual welfare of the hardest men in or out of uniform. Faced with a case which would normally be passed discreetly to Hereford diocesan exorcist Merrily Watkins, Spicer is forced, for security reasons, to try and handle it himself and is coming close to a breakdown.Meanwhile, the scattered communities along the Welsh border have their own crisis. With recession biting deep, urban crime has spilled into the countryside and old barbaric evils are revived. When a wealthy landowner is hacked to death in his own farmyard, the senior investigating officer, DI Frannie Bliss is caught in the backlash, his private life in danger of exposure. With the framework of her own world beginning to crack, Merrily is persuaded to venture into areas where neither a priest nor a woman is welcome to unearth secrets linked with the border's pagan past. Secrets which she knows can never be disclosed.… (more)
Member:swsol
Title:The Secrets of Pain (Merrily Watkins Mysteries)
Authors:Phil Rickman
Info:Atlantic Books (2013), Paperback, 592 pages
Collections:Read but unowned
Rating:****
Tags:Merrily Watkins, mystery, England, exorcism, women clergy, paranormal, spiritual, Anglican church

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The Secrets of Pain by Phil Rickman

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» See also 8 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 6 (next | show all)
This one was kind of rough to read, but things mostly turned out ok. ( )
  natcontrary | Aug 16, 2022 |
The dedication mentions a launch - maybe the reason for the long gap between books. Excellent read yet again. More background characters brought to life, gripping story intertwined with everyday realities of life for a teenage girl to country crime and the sounds of a JCB. And that's not even mentioning Deliverance.... ( )
  libgirl69 | May 20, 2013 |
I've read all eleven installments of this series--as they came out--and I can still confidently say that there is no such thing as a bad Merrily Watkins book. This particular installment spent more time with other characters--like the local police officer and Merrily's daughter, Jane--than I would have preferred, but it was still fantastic. No one pulls together threads of mystery, thriller, politics, Paganism and Christianity like Phil Rickman. He never disappoints, and Merrily Watkins is one of the all-time great amateur sleuths. If Rickman were prolific enough to keep up with me, I probably would never read anyone else. ( )
  TheBentley | Feb 1, 2013 |
Very happy to be reading another Merrily Watkins book. The usual central characters are there in full force fighting the local councillors, lords of the manor, 'small county' mindset and everything else thrown in their path.

Phil Rickman has a clever way of making seemingly tiny fragments of detail become important as the plot progresses.

This is a book that really makes you think about the impact of immigration, townies moving to the countryside, the impact of big business, politics - both national and local and also how former army personnel cope, or otherwise, with life outside barracks. ( )
1 vote floriferous | Jan 1, 2013 |
Showing 1-5 of 6 (next | show all)
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The house was right next to the road, wherever the road was.
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The elite warriors of the Hereford-based SAS know all about pain and the enduring of it. Syd Spicer, ex-SAS trooper, has found himself back in the Regiment - this time as its chaplain, responsible for the spiritual welfare of the hardest men in or out of uniform. Faced with a case which would normally be passed discreetly to Hereford diocesan exorcist Merrily Watkins, Spicer is forced, for security reasons, to try and handle it himself and is coming close to a breakdown.Meanwhile, the scattered communities along the Welsh border have their own crisis. With recession biting deep, urban crime has spilled into the countryside and old barbaric evils are revived. When a wealthy landowner is hacked to death in his own farmyard, the senior investigating officer, DI Frannie Bliss is caught in the backlash, his private life in danger of exposure. With the framework of her own world beginning to crack, Merrily is persuaded to venture into areas where neither a priest nor a woman is welcome to unearth secrets linked with the border's pagan past. Secrets which she knows can never be disclosed.

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