The Smile of a Ghost

The Parish Priest must solve the mystery of a young boy's deathly fall from the Ludlow Castle ruins, and discovers a hidden obsession with the afterlife amongst the ancient streets...



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

In the affluent, historic town of Ludlow, a teenage boy dies in a fall from the castle ruins. Accident or suicide? No great mystery - so why does the boy's uncle, retired detective Andy Mumford, turn to Diocesan Exorcist Merrily Watkins?

More people will die before Merrily - her own future uncertain - uncovers a dangerous obsession with suicide, death and the afterlife hidden within these shadowed medieval streets.



Phil Rickman was born in Lancashire and lives on the Welsh border where he writes and presents the book programme

Phil the Shelf on BBC Radio Wales. He is the acclaimed author of

Dr Dee, The Bones of Avalon,Midwinter Spirit (now a major ITV series), the Merrily Watkins Mysteries and the John Dee papers. Visit his website at: www.philrickman.co.uk



No-one writes better of the shadow-frontier between the supernatural and the real world.



Ancient history, violent deaths, feuds, intrigues and murder. A most original sleuth.



Phil Rickman is one of my all-time favourites. I love everything he's done.



[Rickman] is supremely skilful... a compelling contemporary narrative.



Tight with atmosphere, thick with latent violence...

Brilliantly eerie.



Compassionate, original and sharply contemporary, Rickman's crime series is

one of the best around.



Complex, absorbing, fascinating...



Few writers blend the

ancient and supernatural with the modern and criminal better than Rickman.



The layers, the characters, the humour, the spookiness -

perfect.



First rate crime with demons that go bump in the night.



Classic mysteries... [which] cleverly illuminate the darkest corners of our imaginations.



Engrossing and beautifully dark... a cracking good read ensues.