What do you think?
Rate this book
Merrily Watkins #5
The Lamp of the Wicked
In Merrily's fifth outing, a serial killer appears to be on the loose—and Merrily has her doubts about the detective in charge of the caseAfter 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 Francis Bliss, of Hereford CID, is convinced he knows where the bodies are buried. But Merrily Watkins, called in to conduct a controversial funeral, wonders if Bliss isn't blinkered by personal ambition. And are the Underhowle deaths really linked to perhaps the most sickening killings in British criminal history?
624 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2003
73 people are currently reading
607 people want to read
About the author
Phil Rickman
57 books803 followersPhil Rickman, also known under the pen names Thom Madley and Will Kingdom, was a British author of supernatural and mystery novels.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
April 22, 2024
Is there a dead body under your sceptic tank?
The 5th book in the Merrily Watkins series and without doubt the darkest so far. There's a hell of lot going on here... Serial Killers, sightings of angels, alien abduction, folk music, electro-hypersensitivity, black magic, tractor envy, but it's the introduction of Fred & Rose west that cast the biggest shadow over the story. Lots of threads, lots and lots of threads and lots and lots of characters with everything neatly tied up with a Scooby Dooish ending.
I think these books are amazing and hugely satisfying, it's like being wrapped in your favourite mufflements with an endless supply of tea and posh biscuits. Slow paced yes, but sometimes that's a good thing.
The 5th book in the Merrily Watkins series and without doubt the darkest so far. There's a hell of lot going on here... Serial Killers, sightings of angels, alien abduction, folk music, electro-hypersensitivity, black magic, tractor envy, but it's the introduction of Fred & Rose west that cast the biggest shadow over the story. Lots of threads, lots and lots of threads and lots and lots of characters with everything neatly tied up with a Scooby Dooish ending.
I think these books are amazing and hugely satisfying, it's like being wrapped in your favourite mufflements with an endless supply of tea and posh biscuits. Slow paced yes, but sometimes that's a good thing.
October 23, 2008
Rickman is one of my favorite authors, so much so that I will on occasion re-read his books. I chose to re-read this one to give it another chance. Although very good, this is not one of my favorites.
Rickman's stories are so multi-layered, sometimes it is difficult to summarize his books. This one deals primarily with the impact of the death of presumed criminal Roddy Lodge upon his hometown village of Underhowle. Because of his erratic behavior, Roddy is assumed responsible for the disappearance and death of several local women. To make matters worse, his neighbors believe he modeled his own crimes after the heinous acts of serial killer Fred West (who, I was very startled to learn, is not someone Rickman made up but was an actual real criminal, whose acts were so disturbing he makes Ted Bundy look like an angel in comparison).
Roddy is a business competitor of (my favorite character) Gomer Parry, who lives in the scenic village of Ledwardine, in the Hereford district near the border of England and Wales. Gomer accuses Roddy of setting fire to his garage where he stores his digging equipment and also holds him responsible for the subsequent death of Gomer's nephew and assistant Nev. During a confrontation with Roddy, Gomer and his friend, the Rev. Merrily Watkins, vicar of Ledwardine who also happens to be a "Deliverance Consultant" (exorcist) stumble across a crime even worse than arson. As they try to determine the origins of Roddy's crimes and the explanation for his death by his own hands, Merrily must also struggle with church politics in addition to her teenage daughter Jane, who is even more sullen here than usual and is experiencingd somewhat of an existentialist crisis. And then there is the member of the congregation who develops an infatuation with Merrily and decides to move to Ledwardine as a result of her vision of the angel Uriel.
In the meantime, Merrily's new boyfriend, musician Lol Robinson has a successful but reluctant comeback, thanks to the assistance of Prof and the mysterious Moira Cairns, 2 musicians (characters from earlier Rickman books who make a cameo appearance here).
As usual, Rickman borrows heavily from local folklore (and in this case, criminal history) and seems to target one "theme" in each of his books, presenting the reader with both a supernatural explanation alongside a more rational one. The mood he sets is almost palpable and his dialogue, as always, is extremely effective and realistic.
Not a quick read and one that requires some degree of concentration, but a good read nontheless.
Rickman's stories are so multi-layered, sometimes it is difficult to summarize his books. This one deals primarily with the impact of the death of presumed criminal Roddy Lodge upon his hometown village of Underhowle. Because of his erratic behavior, Roddy is assumed responsible for the disappearance and death of several local women. To make matters worse, his neighbors believe he modeled his own crimes after the heinous acts of serial killer Fred West (who, I was very startled to learn, is not someone Rickman made up but was an actual real criminal, whose acts were so disturbing he makes Ted Bundy look like an angel in comparison).
Roddy is a business competitor of (my favorite character) Gomer Parry, who lives in the scenic village of Ledwardine, in the Hereford district near the border of England and Wales. Gomer accuses Roddy of setting fire to his garage where he stores his digging equipment and also holds him responsible for the subsequent death of Gomer's nephew and assistant Nev. During a confrontation with Roddy, Gomer and his friend, the Rev. Merrily Watkins, vicar of Ledwardine who also happens to be a "Deliverance Consultant" (exorcist) stumble across a crime even worse than arson. As they try to determine the origins of Roddy's crimes and the explanation for his death by his own hands, Merrily must also struggle with church politics in addition to her teenage daughter Jane, who is even more sullen here than usual and is experiencingd somewhat of an existentialist crisis. And then there is the member of the congregation who develops an infatuation with Merrily and decides to move to Ledwardine as a result of her vision of the angel Uriel.
In the meantime, Merrily's new boyfriend, musician Lol Robinson has a successful but reluctant comeback, thanks to the assistance of Prof and the mysterious Moira Cairns, 2 musicians (characters from earlier Rickman books who make a cameo appearance here).
As usual, Rickman borrows heavily from local folklore (and in this case, criminal history) and seems to target one "theme" in each of his books, presenting the reader with both a supernatural explanation alongside a more rational one. The mood he sets is almost palpable and his dialogue, as always, is extremely effective and realistic.
Not a quick read and one that requires some degree of concentration, but a good read nontheless.
January 22, 2015
Congratulations to Phil Rickman for NOT using the obvious plot device in this novel. When I realized it was about a serial killer who targets women, I winced, mentally preparing myself for that scene you know is coming, when the killer has one of the lead female characters in a defenseless position and she has to get free. Every damn cop TV show - even the ones with 'strong' females - winds up putting its female leads in this situation. I didn't realize how fed up I am with it until it was not part of the plot here. Take that you uncreative TV writers!
This book is full of thrills, chills, unexpected twists, and some lovely character development. I am not British and so was not aware until the author's notes at the end that one of the main offstage characters was based on a real life serial killer in the UK from the 1990s. If I had known he was 'real', the book would have been even more dark and scary.
This book is full of thrills, chills, unexpected twists, and some lovely character development. I am not British and so was not aware until the author's notes at the end that one of the main offstage characters was based on a real life serial killer in the UK from the 1990s. If I had known he was 'real', the book would have been even more dark and scary.
March 11, 2019
In this installment of Merrily Watkins, Rickman makes use of the real-life murders committed by Fred and Rosemary West. The couple raped and murdered several young women. There is a two-part mini-series called Appropriate Adult that details the case against the couple. There are several books about them as well. Part of what Rickman is addressing is the always questioning of more – were all the bodies found. (If you are an American, a recent example would be the Grim Sleeper).
But to say this book is simply a mystery involving a real-life murder case would be misleading.
The art of the novel is the question of relationships. Not so much marriage, though that is touched on as well, but romantic relationships and family relationships. There is Jane who not only faces a crisis of faith but also suffers through romantic problems with Irene as she worries about whether or not her mother is throwing away a relationship with Lol. Lol, Jane thinks, is spending too much time with a singer who really resembles Kate Bush.
So that’s another reason to like this novel.
There is the new woman in the village who is a bit too famous and a bit too interested in Merrily, as well as her husband. There is Bliss’ marriage, which may be falling about. There is the woman whose sewage semester needed to be dug up and oopsie there’s a body.
Merrily gets brought into the case because of Gomer and because, well, her nose.
But the murder almost feels secondary to the tangle of interconnect personal relationships and changing towns that consumes the novel. In addition to the issues above, there are also questions about what, if anything, you owe the dead, abuse, and sexuality. The pacing is almost wandering, but engrossing. A reader will wonder how Rickman can take all the threads and weave them together. Never fear, he does, quite well in fact.
The one thing I did miss in the book was more interaction between the Watkins women. I can understand the reasoning for it, but Merrily and Jane work best when they speak to each other.
But to say this book is simply a mystery involving a real-life murder case would be misleading.
The art of the novel is the question of relationships. Not so much marriage, though that is touched on as well, but romantic relationships and family relationships. There is Jane who not only faces a crisis of faith but also suffers through romantic problems with Irene as she worries about whether or not her mother is throwing away a relationship with Lol. Lol, Jane thinks, is spending too much time with a singer who really resembles Kate Bush.
So that’s another reason to like this novel.
There is the new woman in the village who is a bit too famous and a bit too interested in Merrily, as well as her husband. There is Bliss’ marriage, which may be falling about. There is the woman whose sewage semester needed to be dug up and oopsie there’s a body.
Merrily gets brought into the case because of Gomer and because, well, her nose.
But the murder almost feels secondary to the tangle of interconnect personal relationships and changing towns that consumes the novel. In addition to the issues above, there are also questions about what, if anything, you owe the dead, abuse, and sexuality. The pacing is almost wandering, but engrossing. A reader will wonder how Rickman can take all the threads and weave them together. Never fear, he does, quite well in fact.
The one thing I did miss in the book was more interaction between the Watkins women. I can understand the reasoning for it, but Merrily and Jane work best when they speak to each other.
June 17, 2019
This was not the book I had anticipated at all, given its beginning. It starts off with a tragedy which strikes Gomer Parry, one of the most likeable characters in this series. The Reverend Merrily Watkins accompanies him for moral support - and because he has been in the pub when he got the call and needs someone else to drive his van - to the scene of his business premises where all his digger vehicles are stored. An even worse discovery awaits than the destruction of Gomer's livelihood, and they are soon off to a house where he had earlier agreed to remove a badly fitted upmarket septic tank for a woman who appeared too scared to call back Roddy Lodge, the original contractor, Gomer being convinced that Roddy - who has left a threatening message on his answerphone - has torched his premises.
A confrontation with Roddy, who is there at night apparently removing the tank himself, soon escalates into a murder enquiry. And the book starts to take a different turn, first with Roddy's seeming madness and 'confession' of being a mass murderer, and then with the effect of electrical energy on human health, for Roddy's village is surrounded by electricity pilons and his home is right next to one. Finally, the dominant theme of the second part of the book takes over where the real life serial killers, Fred (now deceased) and Rosemary West, become an integral part of the story.
The book was extremely dark and full of depression: for a start, Merrily's 17-year-old daughter Jane is suffering from it, having lost her starry eyed belief in spirits of nature and other such New Age topics and now seeing no point in human existence. Merrily's mentor, Huw, is another sufferer and seeking some redemption for the loss of his love, a woman whose daughter was murdered, probably by West or some disciple of his, and who eventually committed suicide. The community where Roddy lives is also dogged by a dark presence in the former Baptist chapel. The only light relief in the book is the possibility of Merrily's lover Lol finally getting back on stage and being able to perform again, and Moira, the Scots singer who is helping him to do that.
I found the basing of the story on the real life crimes of the Wests unacceptable. There are obviously a lot of people still living who have either lost loved ones at their hands, or who have to live with the knowledge that they will never know if the Wests were responsible for the disappearance of their relatives in that general area around that time. Plus those who were survivors of the awful abuse that went on at the Wests' house. The book was actually published in 2003, not that long after the events in question either. I think a story could have been written where the same ideas were used - electromagnetism and its effect on human mental health, practitioners of sex magic and how that might shade into sexual abuse and murder - without having to have it be about these real life people. For me, it trivialised the suffering of the victims and their families, and so I'm afraid this has to be a 1-star even though it was well written - because I just didn't like it.
A confrontation with Roddy, who is there at night apparently removing the tank himself, soon escalates into a murder enquiry. And the book starts to take a different turn, first with Roddy's seeming madness and 'confession' of being a mass murderer, and then with the effect of electrical energy on human health, for Roddy's village is surrounded by electricity pilons and his home is right next to one. Finally, the dominant theme of the second part of the book takes over where the real life serial killers, Fred (now deceased) and Rosemary West, become an integral part of the story.
The book was extremely dark and full of depression: for a start, Merrily's 17-year-old daughter Jane is suffering from it, having lost her starry eyed belief in spirits of nature and other such New Age topics and now seeing no point in human existence. Merrily's mentor, Huw, is another sufferer and seeking some redemption for the loss of his love, a woman whose daughter was murdered, probably by West or some disciple of his, and who eventually committed suicide. The community where Roddy lives is also dogged by a dark presence in the former Baptist chapel. The only light relief in the book is the possibility of Merrily's lover Lol finally getting back on stage and being able to perform again, and Moira, the Scots singer who is helping him to do that.
I found the basing of the story on the real life crimes of the Wests unacceptable. There are obviously a lot of people still living who have either lost loved ones at their hands, or who have to live with the knowledge that they will never know if the Wests were responsible for the disappearance of their relatives in that general area around that time. Plus those who were survivors of the awful abuse that went on at the Wests' house. The book was actually published in 2003, not that long after the events in question either. I think a story could have been written where the same ideas were used - electromagnetism and its effect on human mental health, practitioners of sex magic and how that might shade into sexual abuse and murder - without having to have it be about these real life people. For me, it trivialised the suffering of the victims and their families, and so I'm afraid this has to be a 1-star even though it was well written - because I just didn't like it.
April 28, 2015
This is the darkest of this series yet. It's about the aftermath, or maybe you'd say fallout, of a real-life English serial killer of the 1990's, Fred West. It’s a good book, notwithstanding some nonsense about people being allergic to electricity, but I'd have been content to go my whole life without knowing anything about West, serial killers not being one of my favorite topics to read about. Fictional ones are bad enough; this novel sometimes felt too much like a true crime book.
The paranormal aspects are weaker here than in the last book. There is little more than a sense of the lingering evil spirit of West possibly infecting/possessing people and places.
I continue to enjoy Rickman’s writing and his characters. I like Merrily, although she seems to be rather ineffectual as a priest, as an exorcist and as a mother. She rarely takes action - things happen to her and around her and despite of her. Her simple physical presence and her quiet, determined goodwill seem to be enough to soothe and impress people.
I love the slow pacing of these stories, and I love the setting: small English towns close to the Welsh border which are making efforts to modernize and prosper that often clash with local traditions and sensibility.
The paranormal aspects are weaker here than in the last book. There is little more than a sense of the lingering evil spirit of West possibly infecting/possessing people and places.
I continue to enjoy Rickman’s writing and his characters. I like Merrily, although she seems to be rather ineffectual as a priest, as an exorcist and as a mother. She rarely takes action - things happen to her and around her and despite of her. Her simple physical presence and her quiet, determined goodwill seem to be enough to soothe and impress people.
I love the slow pacing of these stories, and I love the setting: small English towns close to the Welsh border which are making efforts to modernize and prosper that often clash with local traditions and sensibility.
November 1, 2015
3.75 stars. I always enjoy this series, but this one was primarily about a mass murderer, so I can't say it gave me that creepy cozy feeling I look forward to with this series (although it definitely did in parts, before that storyline really got going. I highly recommend this series for ghost story lovers and people interested in the supernatural. Rickman bases some part of each story on reality, which always ramps up the creepy factor, and I loved the main characters from the first book. Also really enjoy the audio versions, which are available on Audible.
December 19, 2014
I'm reading the series in the right order, and have enjoyed them up until this one, which is definitely not my favourite. I got bored in the middle and had to push myself to finish, then it got better and suddenly it was the end.
I think it was the subject matter that I found distasteful: I really cannot stomach horror stories and, although there weren't actually any horror parts in this novel, I felt uncomfortable with the numerous references to Fred and Rosie West. The writing was, however, very good, and I'm happy Lol has got a life at last, so I will carry on reading the series.
I think it was the subject matter that I found distasteful: I really cannot stomach horror stories and, although there weren't actually any horror parts in this novel, I felt uncomfortable with the numerous references to Fred and Rosie West. The writing was, however, very good, and I'm happy Lol has got a life at last, so I will carry on reading the series.
April 4, 2017
I'm giving this one two stars because of it's subject matter. I really had to push myself to finish it.
August 17, 2014
This is probably the grimmest of Phil Rickman's Merrily Watkins mysteries. It has connections to a real life serial killer of horrific proportions, which makes this a dark, dark novel.
Adding to the darkness is the 'dark night of the soul' through which Merrily's teenage daughter Jane is currently living, her faith in anything and everything dispelled by depression and despair.
When a body is discovered in suspicious circumstances in a sewerage trench, suspicions are raised that there may be others hidden elsewhere in the region where the same contractor has been working. Merrily's old friend Gomer Parry is called in to dig for any evidence. But Gomer has his own tragedy to deal with, and Merrily feels powerless to help.
The message in "The Lamp of the Wicked" seems to be that evil, even if it turns out to be deliberately contrived, is still evil.
Young Jane, meantime, is just looking for some reason to believe there really is something to, well, believe in, beyond the darkness.
UP-DATE after a subsequent reading 17 Aug 2014
The Lamp of the Wicked is a ripping read – I enjoy it far more than its immediate predecessor in Phil Rickman’s wonderful Merrily Watkins series, namely The Cure of Souls, which has confused me both times I’ve read it. (Yes, only twice, while I’ve read most books in the series many times).
Merrily’s daughter Jane, on of my favourite characters in the series, is experience a very dark night of the soul while her mother becomes increasingly distracted by the events unraveling in Underhowle.
Lol Robinson, Huw Owen and DI Franny Bliss all have sufficient roles in this novel to satisfy their fans, as does Gomer Parry, who experiences some of the tragedy too close to home for him to be forgiving.
The great thing about this one is the twists in the final revelations… more than one twist, more than one revelation, so that Rickman continues to keep us – and Merrily guessing, and doesn’t fail to take us by surprise.
Adding to the darkness is the 'dark night of the soul' through which Merrily's teenage daughter Jane is currently living, her faith in anything and everything dispelled by depression and despair.
When a body is discovered in suspicious circumstances in a sewerage trench, suspicions are raised that there may be others hidden elsewhere in the region where the same contractor has been working. Merrily's old friend Gomer Parry is called in to dig for any evidence. But Gomer has his own tragedy to deal with, and Merrily feels powerless to help.
The message in "The Lamp of the Wicked" seems to be that evil, even if it turns out to be deliberately contrived, is still evil.
Young Jane, meantime, is just looking for some reason to believe there really is something to, well, believe in, beyond the darkness.
UP-DATE after a subsequent reading 17 Aug 2014
The Lamp of the Wicked is a ripping read – I enjoy it far more than its immediate predecessor in Phil Rickman’s wonderful Merrily Watkins series, namely The Cure of Souls, which has confused me both times I’ve read it. (Yes, only twice, while I’ve read most books in the series many times).
Merrily’s daughter Jane, on of my favourite characters in the series, is experience a very dark night of the soul while her mother becomes increasingly distracted by the events unraveling in Underhowle.
Lol Robinson, Huw Owen and DI Franny Bliss all have sufficient roles in this novel to satisfy their fans, as does Gomer Parry, who experiences some of the tragedy too close to home for him to be forgiving.
The great thing about this one is the twists in the final revelations… more than one twist, more than one revelation, so that Rickman continues to keep us – and Merrily guessing, and doesn’t fail to take us by surprise.
April 8, 2010
This is number 5 in the series and the characters are developing and growing. A lot has happened in the village of Ledwardine and its environs in the year or so since Rev Merrily Watkins arrived! It's the sort of place you may not want to move to, a bit like Midsomer!! In fact this series could probably be made into a TV series, although I hope they would do it justice, and some of the grisly scenes may not be ideal for daytime viewing!
This book centres on a serial killer - but is he really, or is he just someone with an illness caused by his environment? Did he actually kill anyone?
It all becomes clear right at the end of the book, and incidental characters who you may not really think much about, or wonder why they are there, come into their own at the end. They are all there for a reason it seems.
There is a bit of artistic license in the fact that the murders are linked to an infamous real life serial killer who was convicted at around the time this book was written, and I guess this adds to making the story itself seem a bit more believable.
I enjoyed his book once I sat down and got on with reading it, and I'm interested to see what Rev Watkins has to deal with next time!
This book centres on a serial killer - but is he really, or is he just someone with an illness caused by his environment? Did he actually kill anyone?
It all becomes clear right at the end of the book, and incidental characters who you may not really think much about, or wonder why they are there, come into their own at the end. They are all there for a reason it seems.
There is a bit of artistic license in the fact that the murders are linked to an infamous real life serial killer who was convicted at around the time this book was written, and I guess this adds to making the story itself seem a bit more believable.
I enjoyed his book once I sat down and got on with reading it, and I'm interested to see what Rev Watkins has to deal with next time!
February 13, 2022
The Lamp of the Wicked is a tremendously dark, creepy book, but it is also one of the shortest long books I've ever read. Each entry in Phil Rickman's Merrily Watkins series is excellent, and recommended. If you're looking for an absorbing, well-written, intelligent series with strong, believable characters, try Phil Rickman.
October 8, 2023
Maybe it’s just my least favourite book in the series so far, or maybe it was just not a good idea to start a 600+ page book at a time when I read less than usual. In any case, this book just seemed to drag on forever, and I found it especially grim. There are some key developments about some of the recurring characters in the series, so it was worth reading on, but I am certainly glad to move on to another (shorter!) book now.
December 15, 2015
Women are disappearing from the area and there is a cowboy drainage contractor around. When those two facts come together and a body is discovered under a newly installed drainage system the police think they have an open and shut case but things aren’t as simple as they first seem to be.
The shadow of Fred West – one of England’s most notorious murderers – still lies heavy over the Gloucester area and it seems as though once again his legend has been affecting people’s actions. Diocesan Deliverance Consultant, Merrily Watkins, is involved because she discovered the body and DI Frannie Bliss wants her to talk to their suspect. She has her own problems as she has received an anonymous donation for the church which she is unsure about accepting.
A strange village which seem to be enjoying a revival, dubious booksellers and missing women some of who seem to have had dealings with some very dubious practices make this a compelling and frightening read. I think this is probably one of the best and most disturbing books in this well written series.
The shadow of Fred West – one of England’s most notorious murderers – still lies heavy over the Gloucester area and it seems as though once again his legend has been affecting people’s actions. Diocesan Deliverance Consultant, Merrily Watkins, is involved because she discovered the body and DI Frannie Bliss wants her to talk to their suspect. She has her own problems as she has received an anonymous donation for the church which she is unsure about accepting.
A strange village which seem to be enjoying a revival, dubious booksellers and missing women some of who seem to have had dealings with some very dubious practices make this a compelling and frightening read. I think this is probably one of the best and most disturbing books in this well written series.
July 23, 2019
This is a review I think would benefit from partial-star ratings, since I'd sling it about 3.75 more than 4, but more 4 than 3 at any rate. The book definitely contains 4-plus-star material and some interesting characterizations and set-ups and events and background information (more on this in a second) but it also comes across as padded and, worse, waiting for a particular page count (as I sometimes say about books, like this one, that feel less organic and more structured to a particular template).
It is a testament, I'd say, to Rickman that his literary world has grown so much that a fair chunk of this book (perhaps 300 of the 600ish pages) is all about the characters and their lives and relationships. There are breakups, and deaths in the family, and concerts, and local church squabbles. Characters from a couple of other Rickman novels show up and intersect with the plot in this one. Other characters feel like they are from somewhere, and maybe they are. This definitely adds to the sense of padding and waiting, for sure, and it is telling with the backcover synopsis talks about events that don't show up for the first hundred or two pages, but when it works it works. It doesn't always work here, and this I feel is the core of me wanting to bring the book's score below the 4 mark, though not as far down as a 3. It is not an impediment to enjoying the book, and makes it more than about the mystery (and, sense this is a book of religion and folklore, the Mystery, of course). It just feels like Rickman is writing a series of mini-series or at least planning the Merrily Watkins books to be a long haul (which, really, they have been) and so is unbothered to progress all that much.
The events in this book are only a year or so after the events in the first one, at most, if that is any indication on how leisurely he is progressing things, despite spending hundreds of pages to talk about it.
But really, the mystery is still the core and it is alright. It deals with a man who may or may not be a serial killer, and a somewhat cloistered town council overseeing a town/village finally climbing out of economic despair, and a man who was definitely a serial killer (again, more on this in a moment), and an entire cast of somewhat-to-entirely despicable (but still human) people who have created various dramas and traumas in the world around them. It also involves spirits and electro-hypersensitivity (given considerable weight) and cutting edge septic tanks and dodgy bookshops and startup computer companies and old churches and so forth and so forth. It is chock full, as it were, with a sizeable cast of characters (some of which are dead at the start of the tale, or very near it) and the fact that everyone is somehow connected feels a bit tidy but it at least brings things together. The coincidences do prove a bit shallow, you find, when you realize even the most unconnected-to-the-mystery plotline was mostly there to suddenly have some minor, and unnecessary, additions to the story. That plotline, involving among other things a sizable anonymous donation to Merrily's church and her "growing fandom", would have been much more interesting completely on its own, I think.
Though one who knows the genre can probably guess the major twist as soon as they see the pieces set up, it was at least told in a way that seems like it is treating it as a twist. I was not surprised by it, and I guess that's also a part of the genre, yes?, to play by certain rules so the reader can feel clever. Another, sort of anti-twist, I found much more enlightening. Without spoilers I guess this seems like nonsense, but that's ok.
As for the twice hinted serial killer note, from above, a major portion of the novel deals with real life serial killer, Fred West, and his debaucheries, complete with rape and sex magick and his own "acolytes". Now, Rickman's West is borderline fictional with elements brought in and enhanced to reflect the Rickman-verse, including run-ins with several of the folks involved in this novel and new acolytes and the such, and to make a much bigger deal about the mystical connotations of West's murders, but it still is a strange thing that despite my love of the mystery/crime genre (and the horror genre), I am not exactly one that enjoys the true crime genre, especially not the type that sort of...makes it sexy (no pun intended). Rickman for sure paints West as wicked and terrible and atrocious, but also powerful and kind of amazing. It's a quirk of mine, sure, but an entirely fictitious killer would have worked better for me. I am not holding that against the book, per se, but just as a note.
I am still a fan of the series, and will continue to read them, though as it goes I am wanting there to either be more development of the world/characters or stronger focus on the actual mystery (perhaps having one that doesn't end with some folks conveniently confessing or having it confessed for them). At least this time Merrily (or her daughter) weren't trapped by a killer in a dark church and forced to wait for someone to save them. And this novel it would have made perhaps more sense than the others. It is almost like Rickman realized how much he had used that main-character's-a-damsel trope and played it off expectation. That's neat, I guess. I suppose that's a spoiler, but eh...
It is a testament, I'd say, to Rickman that his literary world has grown so much that a fair chunk of this book (perhaps 300 of the 600ish pages) is all about the characters and their lives and relationships. There are breakups, and deaths in the family, and concerts, and local church squabbles. Characters from a couple of other Rickman novels show up and intersect with the plot in this one. Other characters feel like they are from somewhere, and maybe they are. This definitely adds to the sense of padding and waiting, for sure, and it is telling with the backcover synopsis talks about events that don't show up for the first hundred or two pages, but when it works it works. It doesn't always work here, and this I feel is the core of me wanting to bring the book's score below the 4 mark, though not as far down as a 3. It is not an impediment to enjoying the book, and makes it more than about the mystery (and, sense this is a book of religion and folklore, the Mystery, of course). It just feels like Rickman is writing a series of mini-series or at least planning the Merrily Watkins books to be a long haul (which, really, they have been) and so is unbothered to progress all that much.
The events in this book are only a year or so after the events in the first one, at most, if that is any indication on how leisurely he is progressing things, despite spending hundreds of pages to talk about it.
But really, the mystery is still the core and it is alright. It deals with a man who may or may not be a serial killer, and a somewhat cloistered town council overseeing a town/village finally climbing out of economic despair, and a man who was definitely a serial killer (again, more on this in a moment), and an entire cast of somewhat-to-entirely despicable (but still human) people who have created various dramas and traumas in the world around them. It also involves spirits and electro-hypersensitivity (given considerable weight) and cutting edge septic tanks and dodgy bookshops and startup computer companies and old churches and so forth and so forth. It is chock full, as it were, with a sizeable cast of characters (some of which are dead at the start of the tale, or very near it) and the fact that everyone is somehow connected feels a bit tidy but it at least brings things together. The coincidences do prove a bit shallow, you find, when you realize even the most unconnected-to-the-mystery plotline was mostly there to suddenly have some minor, and unnecessary, additions to the story. That plotline, involving among other things a sizable anonymous donation to Merrily's church and her "growing fandom", would have been much more interesting completely on its own, I think.
Though one who knows the genre can probably guess the major twist as soon as they see the pieces set up, it was at least told in a way that seems like it is treating it as a twist. I was not surprised by it, and I guess that's also a part of the genre, yes?, to play by certain rules so the reader can feel clever. Another, sort of anti-twist, I found much more enlightening. Without spoilers I guess this seems like nonsense, but that's ok.
As for the twice hinted serial killer note, from above, a major portion of the novel deals with real life serial killer, Fred West, and his debaucheries, complete with rape and sex magick and his own "acolytes". Now, Rickman's West is borderline fictional with elements brought in and enhanced to reflect the Rickman-verse, including run-ins with several of the folks involved in this novel and new acolytes and the such, and to make a much bigger deal about the mystical connotations of West's murders, but it still is a strange thing that despite my love of the mystery/crime genre (and the horror genre), I am not exactly one that enjoys the true crime genre, especially not the type that sort of...makes it sexy (no pun intended). Rickman for sure paints West as wicked and terrible and atrocious, but also powerful and kind of amazing. It's a quirk of mine, sure, but an entirely fictitious killer would have worked better for me. I am not holding that against the book, per se, but just as a note.
I am still a fan of the series, and will continue to read them, though as it goes I am wanting there to either be more development of the world/characters or stronger focus on the actual mystery (perhaps having one that doesn't end with some folks conveniently confessing or having it confessed for them). At least this time Merrily (or her daughter) weren't trapped by a killer in a dark church and forced to wait for someone to save them. And this novel it would have made perhaps more sense than the others. It is almost like Rickman realized how much he had used that main-character's-a-damsel trope and played it off expectation. That's neat, I guess. I suppose that's a spoiler, but eh...
December 14, 2019
Here Rickman advances his characters through an unsavory series of events set into motion by the real-time serial killer, Fred West. It intrigued me- how can the horrors committed in the past sully present day's people, places and occurrences? "Lamp" delightfully rounded out the characters of Gomer Parry, Lol Robinson, Huw Owen, and daughter Jane, while Merrily herself (around whom the story spins) seemed to be so tied into the web of events that she was ineffectual in her relationships. Rickman does an outstanding job of depicting the rush of time- everything happens at once at the end- and our characters respond, showing us who they are and who they are becoming. The plotting is a wonder in itself- how can Rickman weave all these threads and not drop one? So many questions, like: In civic matters do ends justify means? Are there angels among us? Is Electrical Hypersensitivity a real condition? And what about God- does the Creator manifest for us? A very engaging read for someone who likes their stories deep and wide and who likes to think about things.
October 20, 2023
I enjoy the Merrily Watkins series about the Herefordshire diocese, unlikely exorcist, a single mum looking after her teenage daughter in a quiet border parish.
I feel troubled, however, by this story, which draws heavily on the true life events that haunted the region after the discovery of the crimes of Fred and Rose West.
I will read more of the character who I enjoy, but I put it down feeling uncomfortable that such tragedy was used in this novel.
I feel troubled, however, by this story, which draws heavily on the true life events that haunted the region after the discovery of the crimes of Fred and Rose West.
I will read more of the character who I enjoy, but I put it down feeling uncomfortable that such tragedy was used in this novel.
February 23, 2022
Die Story ist bisher die spannendste und aufreibendste der Serie, die Bearbeitung eines echten Serienmordfalls gelungen. In Postpandemiezeiten haben die pseudowissenschaftlichen Aussagen über Hochspannungsleitungen und Elektrizität leider ein gewisses Geschmäckle. Wie zerstörerisch Verschwörungserzählungen sein können war leider zum Zeitpunkt der Erscheinung des Buches noch nicht so bekannt. 😕
February 5, 2023
I’d managed to miss this one…or forget it. Like all this series, it makes you work for understanding. This is one of the best Merrily Watkins, for sure.
June 28, 2023
The past books I've read in this series has been 4 to 5 star reads for me. But I struggled a little staying invested in this installment. It wasn't quite as good as the first four. But I will definitely be continuing, and look forward to reading the next ones. 3.5 stars
April 4, 2021
It's a bold move to write a novel that features Fred West and his victims, even if they are not central to the plot. Precisely what is central to the plot of The Lamp of the Wicked is a harder question. There are too many different strands weaving around, not all of which are necessary. I lost interest about half way through. In particular I didn't buy the whole Electricity Sensitive strand that was a significant feature. Merrily's daughter Jane is too self-contradictory at times being both self-declared immature and yet able to hold conversations with adults that would be unusual for most 17 year olds. A bit of a disappointment all told.
August 8, 2016
Phil Rickman books are always a delight to read, so I try to space them out. Liking the direction things are taking with Merrily and Lol, but of course this is just a small corner in the plot of the book. The plot has many layers, moving back and forth between the point of view of a view characters. Evil is once again present in a small village, murder, secrets kept. The tie-in with the Fred West case of the nineties makes it sometimes difficult to take in, true life evil isn't easy to fit into a work of fiction, but I think Rickman does a good job. Loving this series.
May 14, 2013
IMHO this is the best (and darkest) of the series so far.
This might have something to do with it's connections to the Fred West case which happened in the part of the country I lived in and which I cannot forget. It cleverly left many open questions which may well be speculation but leaves a sinister miasma over the whole thing and made me think about how a crime of that magnitude of evil can live in a place long after the perpetrators had departed. Rivetting.
This might have something to do with it's connections to the Fred West case which happened in the part of the country I lived in and which I cannot forget. It cleverly left many open questions which may well be speculation but leaves a sinister miasma over the whole thing and made me think about how a crime of that magnitude of evil can live in a place long after the perpetrators had departed. Rivetting.
May 10, 2020
I love Merrily and her family and have read all the books in the series as they came out, but missed this one because I didn't want to read about a serial killer. I am glad that I've finally got around to it though. It was bleak and horrific at times, but I loved spending time with the characters, even when they're having a terrible time and it took me out of the strange world we're living in at the moment, where visiting Wales or anywhere further away is forbidden.
February 16, 2015
I'm amazed I can end up saying I liked this book because it was pretty dark and close to home, with its strong links to the Fred and Rosemary West killings. And there were so many subplots going on, it was all starting to feel like too much. But just as I was losing steam, the whole story came together again and redeemed itself.
May 20, 2015
These books are so well-written, I could hardly put them down. Well-fleshed characters, excellent dialogue, unusual themes, slightly supernatural, not at all preachy, great thought-provoking theology/spiritual discussions. I can't wait to read the next one!
April 22, 2020
Snug little mysteries with a touch of gore, a bit of offstage sex, some semi-gothic near horror, and murders here and there, but still proper enough for grandmom. Merrily, the little vicar (short and voluptuous, enough to titillate a bishop and choirmaster, among others) always obsesses over her inadequacies as does her love object Lol, the down-and-out musician back in town.
Each book has a resident spirit/ghost that Merrily, the Deliverance Minister (read exorcist), takes on. Tensions frame the series: 1-Merrily vs. her bishops, Merrily vs. the traditionalists in the church who do not want women, Merrily vs. the rationalist wing of the Church of England who want no medieval ghosts wandering about, 2-daughter Jane, a mid-teen when the series starts, a born-again pagan looking dreamily at the moon at midnight vs. her mom whom Jane thinks is wasting her life in the no-account structure of the Church of England, Jane vs. the developers, the crooked, town councilors, and the newly arriving Londoners crowding out the old village life, 3-Inspector Bliss (Frannie) vs. his boss or his boss’s father, an old school retired cop who is moving into politics, 4- Hua, the old exorcist who runs the exorcism school, vs. everyone except (after a book or two) Merrily, 5-Khan, the immigrant impresario and salon-keeper who pops up when needed, vs. old-school England, …
The plots are intricate, and the storytelling shifts focus from one character to another. Episodes often end in a Perils-of-Pauline cliff-hanger. The characters are finely detailed--I know them better than my neighbors, but the gems of the series are the details about the Wales-England border country, all based on real places. Sometimes haunted, sometimes only threatening.
A dozen or so books good for a two-month isolation. But you need breaks—I can only do two books straight without an interlude. I read French Revolution Histories and Marcus s Aurelius’s Meditations to get away for a day or two from Mr. Rickman’s creation.
This is one review for the complete series. I’ve read them all. I know I'm a man not the target demographic, but I’m hunkering down during the C-virus lock-in, and they are here with me. Fine for a old-style virtual trip outside the front door into a land with no pandemic.
Each book has a resident spirit/ghost that Merrily, the Deliverance Minister (read exorcist), takes on. Tensions frame the series: 1-Merrily vs. her bishops, Merrily vs. the traditionalists in the church who do not want women, Merrily vs. the rationalist wing of the Church of England who want no medieval ghosts wandering about, 2-daughter Jane, a mid-teen when the series starts, a born-again pagan looking dreamily at the moon at midnight vs. her mom whom Jane thinks is wasting her life in the no-account structure of the Church of England, Jane vs. the developers, the crooked, town councilors, and the newly arriving Londoners crowding out the old village life, 3-Inspector Bliss (Frannie) vs. his boss or his boss’s father, an old school retired cop who is moving into politics, 4- Hua, the old exorcist who runs the exorcism school, vs. everyone except (after a book or two) Merrily, 5-Khan, the immigrant impresario and salon-keeper who pops up when needed, vs. old-school England, …
The plots are intricate, and the storytelling shifts focus from one character to another. Episodes often end in a Perils-of-Pauline cliff-hanger. The characters are finely detailed--I know them better than my neighbors, but the gems of the series are the details about the Wales-England border country, all based on real places. Sometimes haunted, sometimes only threatening.
A dozen or so books good for a two-month isolation. But you need breaks—I can only do two books straight without an interlude. I read French Revolution Histories and Marcus s Aurelius’s Meditations to get away for a day or two from Mr. Rickman’s creation.
This is one review for the complete series. I’ve read them all. I know I'm a man not the target demographic, but I’m hunkering down during the C-virus lock-in, and they are here with me. Fine for a old-style virtual trip outside the front door into a land with no pandemic.
January 11, 2025
Yeah this was an interesting read. I took a look at the chapter on it in Merrily's Border after and saw that many consider this the darkest of the books and some skip it, with, in my opinion, good reason. It is one thing to imagine darkness apropos of nothing; it's quite another to deal, however peripherally, with real evil. As a trainee priest with an interest in deliverance ministry, I come to these with a view to understanding how this is perceived and the challenges that can arise; albeit they are fictional, it's obvious Phil Rickman did his research, and many deliverance ministers of my acquaintance read and enjoy them, although one did say she was a bit 'wet'! Without this turning into a full-on theological reflection, it's worth noting that due to empathy or even psychical sensitivity and whether we identify as possessing either or not, the things we read, watch and consume, can have effects on our wellbeing that range from positive to, of course, negative. Luckily prayer is a part of my job and I had to do more of it than usual to resist the sensation of spiritual oppression I got from reading this book. Read it, by all means, but I would recommend praying afterwards, just to shift some of the spiritual weight!
January 13, 2017
Phil Rickman is to the Herefordshire border country what Alan Garner is to Alderley Edge and Cheshire. His writing is saturated with the feel of the landscape, tied up intimately with its old stories, it's folklore. That's why I love Rickman's writing so much. That, and his, at first glance, readable no nonsense style but on closer inspection like many great writers it's clever and quite beautiful. 'He was directly under the power lines - heavy gauge black strings on a fretboard of night cloud'. He says in the closing credits that it 'was not exactly an easy book to write' but I'm very glad that he did. It takes the characters of Merrily, Jane, Gomer, Lol and even Huw to some very dark places indeed and the subject matter provides plenty to think about: evil - formless and dark - human or supernatural? Rickman cleverly provides links to the Fred West cases and explores what it is that leads someone to be a predatory serial killer. The background plot of the electrical pollution and power lines is equally well handled and ties in nicely with themes relating to the changing face of the countryside. Some folk think it's a bit dark but that's exactly why I liked it. Pure genius!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews