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THE FABRIC OF SIN
by Phil Rickman
Quercus, September 2007
448 pages
14.99 GBP
ISBN: 1847240844


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

You know what you get when you pick up a Phil Rickman book . . . A healthy dose of woo-woo, characters so vivid you reckon you know them, and a tale that could do with pruning a touch.

THE FABRIC OF SIN is no exception. If you've kept up with this compelling series (and the book won't make a lot of sense if you haven't), you'll know that the Rev Merrily Watkins is a priest in Ledwardine – and also the diocese's deliverance consultant. Yep, she's the one called out when things go bump in the night.

This time around she's called in by royal command – kind of! The Master House in the village of Garway has had a turbulent history, with two families falling out over the centuries over its ownership. Now the Duchy of Cornwall (read Prince of Wales) has bought it, and wants to turn it into craft units. Snag is, the builder contracted to do the work isn't a bit enamoured of the atmosphere there, and neither is his sidekick Fuchsia.

So Merrily's packed off over there, and soon discovers that they may have a point – especially when two bodies appear in quick and gruesome succession. And Merrily's like a dog with a bone, so she won't be warned off the enquiry. The more she digs, the more she finds links to the sinister Knights Templar and to modern-day Masons (don't worry, it's not a DaVinci Code rip-off – Rickman can write the socks off Dan Brown!)

Merrily's daughter Jane and musician Lol are key characters in the book. As always, there are strong cameos from the enigmatic Mrs Morningwood, the ghastly evangelical Shirley West and the bishop's secretary Sophie.

Rickman's books are always heavy with references to music and literature, and THE FABRIC OF SIN is no exception, with the music of Nick Drake and MR James's ghost stories resonating in the background.

This is one creepy tale, perfect for a winter's night. The ending fizzles out somewhat – I was expecting a grand denouement – but up until then it's a gripping read. Rickman excels on moving his characters along as the series progresses. So we see Merrily continuing to struggle with her faith in the modern Church of England, Lol rebuilding his musical career, and Jane maturing and starting to appreciate more what motivates her mother.

I'm always amused to read Rickman's thanks to his wife Carol who apparently edits his manuscripts. Now if the admirable Mrs R could have seen her way to being a bit more stringent with the red pen and persuading hubby to hack out about 75 pages, THE FABRIC OF SIN would almost certainly have been an outstanding book rather than merely a very good one.

Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, November 2007

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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