The Lamp of the Wicked
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
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 case
After 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?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A serial killer stalks a small English town in British author Rickman's fourth Merrily Watkins mystery, a darker, more disturbing tale than last year's The Cure of Souls. The Anglican priest and single mom agrees to help a parishioner, Gomer Parry, after fire destroys Gomer's business and kills his nephew. When Merrily's efforts lead to the discovery of a murdered woman's body, the police start to hunt the unscenic Herefordshire village of Underhowle, with its high-voltage power lines, for more victims. A suspect's arrest sets off a long and complex investigation involving Merrily, her musician boyfriend, Lol Robinson, and her adolescent daughter, Jane. Rickman deftly weaves in real-life serial killers Fred and Rose West, while exploring the nature of evil and the deleterious effects of radiation, electricity overload and EH (electro-hypersensitivity). Besides trying to comfort the victims' loved ones, Merrily has to deal with alleged angelic visitations, the need to keep her relationship with Lol quiet and Jane's crisis of faith. Fans of cozier parish mysteries may not find the novel to their taste, both those interested in the West case and the psychology of serial killers will be well rewarded.
