In the original dustsheet. Black cloth binding with gilt title on the spine.

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The third chilling mystery for Rev. Merrily Watkins in her role as diocesan exorcist. As high summer bakes the rich earth of north-east Herefordshire, dark shadows gather – quite literally – round a converted hopkiln where the last owner was savagely murdered. Though the local vicar dismisses claims by its current occupants that the place is haunted, their story is soon splashed over a Sunday newspaper – and Merrily Watkins is directed by the Bishop of Hereford to defuse this situation. Merrily, however, is already contending with a woman’s claim that her adopted teenage daughter is possessed by an evil spirit. In both cases Merrily remains unconvinced but, in this summer of oppressive heat and sudden storms, nothing is ever quite what it seems. As she is drawn into a tangle of trickery, deceit, corruption and sexual menace, her hastily conducted exorcism produces unhappy results. With her career now on the line, she and her good friend Lol Robinson try desperately to uncover the secrets of Knight’s Frome – a village concealing a past as twisted as the bines on the hop-plants once surrounding it. There they discover how local history became entwined with the legacy and superstitions of the Romani gypsies who once harvested the hops. And it seems the Rom had long memories — on both sides of the grave.

Review: Lol Robinson is living in the Herefordshire countryside and working with Prof Levin who has a recording studio. Lol is starting to write songs again and is toying with the idea of recording some, but it seems like too big a step to make. He is still thinking about Merrily Watkins – Deliverance Consultant to the Diocese of Hereford. Merrily herself has been approached by the mother of a teenage daughter who has suddenly turned against the Church and has started behaving strangely. Merrily is trying to decide whether the girl is possessed or whether it’s the normal pains of growing up – writ large. Merrily is asked to perform an exorcism in a former hop kiln close to where Lol is living. But things are never plain and simple and life is a lot more complicated in the village of Knight’s Frome than it at first appears and people are definitely not what they seem. The story gradually builds to an atmospheric and exciting conclusion. This book will keep you reading and will make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. There are some interesting characters – Gareth Stock and his wife who own the apparently haunted former hop kiln; Sally and Al Boswell who own and run the hop museum. There are interesting insights into how hop picking used to be carried out and into Romany beliefs. I found the characters realistic and believable – the half gypsy Layla – who has the personality and appearance of an adult even though she is still a child; big businessman Allan Henry whose only motivations are money and power and Amy’s parents trying to do the best they can for their daughter. The story is complex and enthralling and it is good to see Lol and Merrily working together again. This is the fourth book in the Merrily Watkins series and in my opinion one of the best.