The Cure of Souls

Format:	Paperback 576 pages

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Synopsis

The third chilling mystery for Rev. Merrily Watkins in her role as diocesan exorcist. As high summer bakes the rich earth of north-east Herefordshire, dark shadows gather - quite literally - round a converted hopkiln where the last owner was savagely murdered. Though the local vicar dismisses claims by its current occupants that the place is haunted, their story is soon splashed over a Sunday newspaper - and Merrily Watkins is directed by the Bishop of Hereford to defuse this situation. Merrily, however, is already contending with a woman's claim that her adopted teenage daughter is possessed by an evil spirit. In both cases Merrily remains unconvinced but, in this summer of oppressive heat and sudden storms, nothing is ever quite what it seems. As she is drawn into a tangle of trickery, deceit, corruption and sexual menace, her hastily conducted exorcism produces unhappy results. With her career now on the line, she and her good friend Lol Robinson try desperately to uncover the secrets of Knight's Frome - a village concealing a past as twisted as the bines on the hop-plants once surrounding it. There they discover how local history became entwined with the legacy and superstitions of the Romani gypsies who once harvested the hops. And it seems the Rom had long memories -- on both sides of the grave.

Book details

Published
08/11/2002

Publisher
Pan Books

ISBN
9780330487566

Publisher and industry reviews

Jacket review

"In her role as diocesan exorcist, Merrily is looking into a family's claims that 'evil' has possessed their daughter when the Bishop of Hereford asks her to intervene in a dispute over whether or not a converted hopkiln is haunted. Once used to dry hops, the kiln was also the scene of a terrible murder. Sensible, down-to-earth Merrily, as she investigates each case, isn't totally convinced that the unnatural phenomena are genuine. However, after her attempted exorcism of the hopkiln fails, another brutal murder occurs, the possessed daughter tries to commit suicide, and she begins to question her own judgment. In a search for the truth, Merrily, her daughter, and her friend, Lol Robinson, find intrigue, lies, cover-ups, danger, and the unexplainable. While the unraveling of the two stories takes time, the pace is fast and plot twists await the reader right up until the very end. The rural English setting and a cast of quirky yet believable characters add to the realism that makes this a most provocative read."

UK Kirkus review

This is English bucolic mystery fiction with a deeper and darker spiritual dimension than usual, featuring as it does the Reverend Merrily Watkins, a diocesan exorcist who is able to venture into areas even the most hardened detectives might find it difficult to penetrate. The novel is set in rural Herefordshire in the buzzing heat of high summer, where menace and corruption lurk beneath the benign country scenes. Merrily's adventures involve working with a girl whose mother thinks she is possessed, but get more complicated in the wake of a nasty murder and troubling goings-on at a converted hop-kiln. The owners' claims that it is haunted are dismissed by the local vicar - only for the story to be covered in sensational style in a Sunday tabloid. How it all ties together makes for a complex plot with some frightening moments. The elements are all carefully calculated for maximum chill effect, from nasty teenage girls to rats and cats scuttling around, and Merrily must struggle against many forms of evil as she seeks to restore peace. Atmospheric and cleverly plotted with sympathetic characters and realistic dialogue, this is another enjoyably spooky venture into the darkness of the English village. (Kirkus UK)