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The Secrets of Pain

Merrily Watkins Mysteries, Book 11

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The Secrets of Pain

By: Phil Rickman
Narrated by: Emma Powell
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About this listen

Join Merrily Watkins - parish priest, single mother and exorcist - in her 11th chilling tale of murder, mystery and intrigue.

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.

©2011 Phil Rickman (P)2012 Isis Audio Books Crime Fiction Detective Fiction Genre Fiction Ghosts Gothic Horror Mystery Small Town & Rural Supernatural Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Scary Paranormal Crime Haunted

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Critic reviews

"Rickman once again cleverly blends supernatural elements with a conventional whodunit plot.... The writing and characterizations are first-rate." ( Publisher's Weekly)
"A first-class thriller - with a difference." ( The Guardian)
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I was almost put off downloading this book because another reviewer didn't enjoy the reader, but for me she was excellent. I felt very much at home with the familiar characters and comfortable with all the accents and voices.

Intriguing premise for this story. As always. I love the way Rickman combines the grittiness of modern crime, the changing lanscape of rural life and the machinations of local politicians with fascinating supernatural elements from carefully researched historical information, local legends and mythical stories.

As ever, the reader isn't required to believe in ghosts because the unexplained is always elusive and psychologically-based, even when itt generates outcomes as dark as those in this novel.

These books are peopled with characters you feel you could easily meet - as well as some you'd seriously want to avoid. Merrily's, with her combination of compassion, scepticism and self doubt , as well as her angst-ridden daughter, the pragmatic elderly Gomer Evans and Detective Bliss (his own worst eneny) are complex and highly believable people the reader can readilyrelate to. There are no trite, 'everything solved endings in these books and, as a reader it's so easy to imagine these characters lives continuing between the books.

I"ve read everything in the series up to this point and each book offers something unique - there are no predictable patterns in Rickman novels but every book is gripping, informative and cleverly-constructed. Rickman really is one of the most creative and intelligent writers of the suspense genre.

Great story; beautifully read

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very long & involved, with Rickman's clever plotting keeping me enthralled. Music also added much atmosphere.

usual quality of misdirection & dread

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I'm a Riickman fan of many years and have read all the Watkins books. I enjoy Audible and find it a relaxing break from rereading and obviously easier on the eyes. The performance on this particular book was irritating in the extreme, especially with the mispronunciation of familiar Welsh names. CaraDOG indeed! I found this lax and insulting.

Good story not so good performance.

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Narrator was annoying particularly as the voice of Franny Bliss whom she made sound like a school girl.

Totally engrossing

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I'm an avid fan of all of Phil's books. In fact love them so much I am now listening to them all over again instead of reading them. I admit I do purchase the books first.lol. Love the narration although I'd always pictured Gomer with a more Hertfordshire accent which I always believed was a mixture of Gloucester Midlands and Welsh thrown into the mix accent. Although in my case mainly West countryish. The music interludes by Lol Robinson (don't know who is the actual musician is) which you don't get in the books, is a great addition to my listening experience. It's a great story wrote by a master of suspense, with a touch of a supernatural whodunit. Roll on the next one.

Phil Rickman brilliant again

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