The Remains of an Altar

By: Phil Rickman

Narrated by: Emma Powell

Merrily Watkins, parish priest, single mum and Deliverance Consultant to the Diocese of Hereford, heads for the Malvern Hills to investigate an alleged paranormal dimension to a spate of road accidents in the sleepy village of Wychehill.

Merrily is called in when two people are killed in a head-on crash that is also linked to the revamped local pub which, it seems, has injected the valley with a shattering, strobing surge of inner-city nightlife ... and drugs. When a dealer is found savagely murdered below the great earthen hillfort of Herefordshire Beacon, police ask – is it a ritual killing, a gangland disposal or a cry of outrage?

As Merrily and the police follow separate paths towards the truth, Merrily's teenage daughter, Jane, faces the consequences of her own obsession with a possibly prehistoric site in their home village of Ledwardine. Until, on a night of frenzied violence, in a place at the centre of an ancient, universal mystery, the final, shocking connections are made.

©2006 Phil Rickman (P)2007, 2021 Isis Audio

Wonderful story, the series continues...

I continue to be thrilled with the fact that Audible has added many of these wonderful unabridged versions of Phil Rickman's Merrily Watkins series to its offerings. The books are beautifully written, character-rich, fast-paced, and just a treat to read, and now to listen to. The only issue I had with this version was the weird accent that Julie Maisey used for the American character, who was supposed to be from California. The accent she used was Alabama southern belle, and distracting, at least for this American's ears. That said, as soon as I finish this review, I'm downloading #9.