THE FINAL NOVEL IN THE MERRILY WATKINS SERIES
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'Brilliantly eerie' PETER JAMES
'A most original sleuth' THE TIMES
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Welcome to the Wye Valley, exactly on the border of England and Wales, home to a dark legacy of murder...

Nestled deep in the Black Mountains, the village of Longtown is haunted by killings both ancient and modern.

When young farmer and lottery winner Eddy Davies is found dead in suspicious circumstances, Herefordshire Police find themselves handling a complicated investigation.

Things aren't looking good for Davies's friend, the mysterious Autumn Wise, who is found nearby holding a shotgun.

When Merrily Watkins - parish priest, single mum and renowned demon exorcist - comes to Autumn's aid, she soon discovers that Eddy's death is only the latest in a long string of tragedies to blight Longtown and the surrounding area.

But help is at hand from Merrily's spiritual advisor, the Rev. Huw Owen, who has an unorthodox solution in mind to end the area's centuries-long trail of misfortune...

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More praise for Phil Rickman
'Cleverly illuminates the darkest corners of our imagination' John Connolly
'The layers, the characters, the humour, the spookiness - perfect' Elly Griffiths
'First rate crime with demons that go bump in the night' Daily Mail
'No one writes better of the shadow-frontier between the supernatural and the real world' Bernard Cornwell
'Engrossing and beautifully dark . . . a cracking good read' JO BRAND

"No one writes better of the shadow-frontier between the supernatural and the real world." - praise for Merrily Watkins

"Ancient history, violent deaths, feuds, intrigues and murder. A most original sleuth." - The Times, praise for Merrily Watkins

"Compassionate, original and sharply contemporary, Rickman's crime series is one of the best around." - Spectator, praise for Merrily Watkins

"Complex, absorbing, fascinating..." - praise for Merrily Watkins

"Few writers blend the ancient and supernatural with the modern and criminal better than Rickman." - Guardian, praise for Merrily Watkins

"Supremely skillful at teasing out the menace that lies behind English folk customs and legends and weaving them into a compelling contemporary narrative" - Mail on Sunday, praise for The Fever of the World

"The layers, the characters, the humour, the spookiness - perfect." - praise for Merrily Watkins

"First rate crime with demons that go bump in the night." - Daily Mail, praise for Merrily Watkins

"Classic mysteries... [which] cleverly illuminates the darkest corners of our imaginations." - praise for Merrily Watkins

"Engrossing and beautifully dark... a cracking good read ensues." - praise for Merrily Watkins