Book
The remains of an altar : a Merrily Watkins mystery
Record details
- ISBN: 9781847240910 (mass market pbk.) :
-
Physical Description:
print
506 p. ; 18 cm. - Publisher: London : Quercus, 2006.
Content descriptions
| General Note: | "A Merrily Watkins mystery" -- Cover. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Watkins, Merrily (Fictitious character) -- Fiction Women clergy -- England -- Fiction Village communities -- England -- Herefordshire -- Fiction Herefordshire (England) -- Fiction |
| Genre: | Mystery fiction. Occult fiction. |
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Available copies
- 2 of 2 copies available at BC Interlibrary Connect.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 2 total copies.
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazelton Public Library | PBA - Mystery (Text) | 35154000070924 | Adult Mystery Paperback- Green Dot Spin Racks | Volume hold | Available | - |
| Quesnel Branch | PB RIC (Text)
Legacy Use Count: 0 |
33923004425819 | Mystery | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2007 October #1
The spirit of Edward Elgar, Britain's greatest ecclesiastical composer, haunts the byroads of the village of Wychehill.In his latest, Jane, the 17-year-old daughter of Merrily Watkins, Deliverance Consultant for the Church of England, is about to be expelled from school for upsetting the local councilmen who wish to bulldoze Coleman Meadow and erect 24 luxury estate houses on the site. Jane believes the hillside represents a worship area that harks back to the Druids and should be left intact. Complicating matters, Merrily has been called in by the local vicar, Syd Spicer, ex-SAS, to conduct an exorcism of the bicycle-pedaling ghost of Sir Edward Elgar, whose sightings have caused numerous accidents along the road. Meanwhile, Tim Loste, a local choirmaster obsessed with Elgar and goaded by a hippie-dippie occult writer, not only seems determined to recreate a Perpetual Choir that will restore balance and harmony to the earth, but may have sliced and diced a drug dealer working near an ancient sacrificial stone. Merrily's musician lover Lol provides help in analyzing Elgar's music and entrée to anthropologist Alfred Watkins (no relation) and horror writer Algernon Blackwood; Jane relies on a crusty septuagenarian for aid.Rickman (The Smile of a Ghost, 2005, etc.) is equally enamored of historical scholarship, ectoplasmic sleight-of-hand and village rumor-mongering. Readers will be left with an urge to wander the English countryside while whistling Elgar's tunes. Be advised, however, that the dark doings unfold at a stately pace. Copyright Kirkus 2007 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2007 October #1
In what may be the most captivating mystery to date in Rickman's Merrily Watkins series (after 2006's The Smile of a Ghost ), victims in several car accidents near the Malvern village of Wychehill report swerving to avoid ghosts. One doesn't have to be a believer in the paranormal to become engrossed as Merrily, parish priest and exorcism consultant, examines connections that some have made to the famous English composer, Elgar, who once lived in Wychehill and is venerated by many residents of the town. As the investigation takes Merrily deeper and deeper into the lives of the villagers, her teenage daughter is fighting her own battle at home against a proposed housing development that will destroy what's considered ancient sacred space. Rickman provides (at some length) meticulous historical background on Elgar and vivid descriptions that create the backdrop for an unusual cast of characters and a dramatic, thrilling conclusion. (Dec.)
[Page 40]. Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
