The Echo of Crows

Merrily Watkins #16

by Phil Rickman

'Brilliantly eerie' PETER JAMES
'Engrossing and beautifully dark . . . a cracking good read' JO BRAND
'A most original sleuth' THE TIMES
Welcome to the River a place of poetry, historic obsession... and occult murder.

Nestled deep in the Black Mountains, the village of Longtown is haunted by the double suicide of a lottery winner and his wife.

A rich Londoner, unaware of the town's dark history, buys the dead man's cottage in the hopes of refurbishing it...then begins to fall victim to a host of bad luck.

Luckily DS David Vaynor and Merrily Watkins - parish priest, single mum and renowned demon exorcist - are on the case.
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

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, British Literature, Paranormal

265 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 6, 2025

About the author

Phil Rickman, also known under the pen names Thom Madley and Will Kingdom, was a British author of supernatural and mystery novels.

Reviews

[Clare Padfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

The description of the plot shown here is incorrect: I suspect it was written before the book was released. I’m a huge fan of Phil’s writing: I enjoyed this book and I’m so sad that there won’t be another. As always there’s a riveting story set around the welsh borders with a powerful sense of place. There’s the usual cast of beloved characters. But in truth this book does read in part like a first draft that had Phil been in better health when writing it, would have no doubt been refined. There are also some errors that a proofreader should have corrected before publication. That said, I’m grateful the book was released posthumously: Phil’s writing has given me much pleasure over the years. I’ll miss him.

[Nick Brough · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this on release day in the UK. Of course, given the authors death, I am not only saddened to read it, but also worry whether it was completely finished or not. The series as a whole is excellent, although the internal time line gets mixed up with the previous novel bring the setting to 2019/20 whereas previous to that the unspoken date would appear to be some years earlier. The subject matter is somewhat timeless, but the last few books were set around 2015 (Vapes replace cigarettes). This one seems to be set after 2022. The series covers a time period of around 5 years in total, but would really need to be longer than that I think. This seems to be driven by Phil wanting to keep M's daughter Jane a key character rather than have her go to University. The current book continues this trend.

Reading the first few chapters, the written language feels slightly "off". I'm not sure why, but it's perhaps because I haven't reread any of the previous books since before 2022 (Fever of the world). The Cathedral/diocese sub plot line having got a bit stuck in 2017's All of a winters night. I'm well into the novel and regardless of my initial impression, I'm right back at home in the welsh marches.

I'm very glad and happy we got this book (novella ?). I enjoyed reading it and the story is complete.

However, I find it hard to believe that this is what it was meant to be. I was getting well in to the book, just as the Police investigation of kicking off and the prospect of understanding the link with the Crows, the Black Mountains and the murdered welsh king and then I glanced down at my kindle 87 % complete. The scenes that follow rapidly bring to story to a conclusion reveal a lot of the mystery, but - for me at least - just wasn't convincing. It felt like pre-written material and early versions of later scenes have been compiled to produce a complete story, but lacking the middle half that makes really good mysteries great. Perhaps it was intended as a novella (Phil had been seriously ill recently), but it would still have needed more work to complete it. I believe that death robbed both Phil of his life and a potentially great story.

Perhaps not a fitting end, but still a good end for these characters and their parent. RIP Phil.

[S.C. Skillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this, the 16th book in the Merrily Watkins series, within a few days of buying it and loved it. I admit I hardly wanted to read to the end because, as someone who has read through the entire series in order as the books came out, it felt so sad to know this will be the last. But it is a worthy end; and I was happy to read how the characters’ trajectory was resolved. I loved the way in which the story was brought to a conclusion, and it had a beautiful sense of continuance.

To all those of us who have followed the Merrily – Lol relationship, along with the volatile nature of Merrily’s work, and her relationship with her unpredictable daughter Jane, not to mention various nefarious bishops, police officers, criminals, pagans, folklorists, occultists and haunted souls along the way, always supported by Huw, Gomer, Sophie and so many others, this felt an appropriate resolution to me.

As a writer, when I consider all contemporary novels, this series has been the one I most wish I’d written myself; and I have never known another author handle Christianity, paganism, folklore and the paranormal, and the interface between them, with such subtlety, insight and nuance.

[Mark's endless quest · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
I was so surprised to seeing this novel here these last months. As the author passed away last year,I believed it would have been the end of one of my favorite series ever written .

The Bad : It's hard to get into this story at first. The first part of this novel feels like a kind of draft. the prose is off. Also, 220 pages is not enough to do this story justice. There was enough material for an old fashioned 400 plus page Merrily novel. It misses Rickman's subtle story weaving and plot developments.
The Good. It's better than Fever of the world, and , most important , the series is now officially wrapped up with a decent ending.

Rickman will always be one of my favorite authors. Waiting for the new Merrily novel has been part of my life for almost twenty years by now. Even though I'm Dutch, and I never even visited this part of the U.K ( the Welsh /English Border, Offa dyke, Herefordshire , etc ) I probably know more about that part of the world trough Rickman novels , than a lot regions in my own country ;)

I have wanted to visit Herefordshire for a while now , but due to Brexit, Covid, this, that and the other it somehow never happend. I hope to visit this part of Britain in the near future.

[Mary Frain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just perfect. What an end to my favourite series of books. Thankyou Phil. What a legacy.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am sad that this is the last ever Merrily Watkins. It is much shorter than usual and is strangely written in large print font, however it brings together all the ingredients of plot, characters and of course the supernatural into a satisfying story. I also love the focus on specific areas of Herefordshire and the Welsh Borders. As this is published posthumously it is definitely the end but everything draws together in a satisfying way at the end.

[Anne Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

A fitting final novel in the Merrily Watkins series. It’s not as dark as some of them have been, and the crime was not as complicated to solve, but it was a great read. I read it in one day as I didn’t want to put it down. All the old favourite characters played a part in the story.

[Paul Dooling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shorter than many of the series, almost feels like the author was hurrying to complete this before he died. Similarly he has used this book to complete the story of many of the ongoing ensemble of characters. A fitting end to the series. I have read them all and now want to start again from the beginning.

[Ginni · Rating 4 out of 5]

So sorry that this is the last Merrily Watkins novel, and also that I have to agree with other reviewers here that it has an unfinished feel. I can understand completely why this should be, so don’t want to be unduly critical. There were definitely some ‘rough edges’ - not too much of a spoiler to wonder how someone gets shot at pretty much point blank range without their killer having a few problems getting rid of the traces without anyone noticing? Also the typeface is very large…almost Large Print…to bulk out the text? Also a feeling at the end that storylines are being tied up, again completely understandable in the circumstances.
I shall probably return to the earlier books in the series as compensation, and the non-Merrily novels that are as yet unread.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this is the last in this fantastic series. I was saddened to hear that Phil Rickman had died, but his books have given me such pleasure and I highly recommend the whole series.

[David Prestidge · Rating 5 out of 5]

The late Phil Rickman's genius was to blend intriguing crime mysteries with with events that tapped into our sense of unease about the Unexplained, and I use the upper case with good reason. Here, in the final Merrily Watkins novel,a young multi million pound lottery winner is found shot dead in a field beside his Purdy shotgun, but there is more - so much more- going on.

I don't know if Phil was religious, but he certainly knew so much about religion. Here, veteran exorcist Huw Owen, driven to distraction by the anaemic, lanyard-wearing leadership of the corporate Church of England, is about to throw in the towel, until he is distracted by a former colleague's description of a frightening experience in the church at Clodock, allegedly built on the tomb of a murdered Dark Ages king, Clydawg. He visits his former mentee, Rev Merrily Watkins, vicar of Leintwardine, and responsible for exorcism in the diocese of Hereford. Naturally, given the state of the church's corporate image, she is formally titled 'Deliverance Consultant'

Longstanding readers of the series will know that the churches and chapels of Rickman's border region are often deeply sinister places with tangible links to a pagan past, for example the celebrated carvings at St Mary and David church in Kilpeck, which featured prominently in All of a Winter's Night.


The lottery winner - Eddy Davies - had bought a local farm, and had renovated the collection of neglected buildings. In one lived a young woman called Autumn Wise, whose parents had not long since been killed in an horrific car crash. We learn that Autumn is obsessed with the past and, in particular, the part played in folklore by Corvus Carone.

On a more practical and immediate level, when the police arrived at the farm following the discovery of Eddy's body, Autumn was found in the farmhouse, cradling a shotgun. Autumn's cottage was known as The Old Dairy, and it was there, centuries earlier that a man poisoned his wife in order to be with his young lover. The killer and his girlfriend were subsequently hanged outside Hereford gaol.

Across the series, which began in 1998 with The Wine of Angels, Merrily has tended not to see spirits or apparitions, but rather senses them, and believes that other people can see them. Here, when she visits The Old Dairy she actually witnesses something which shakes her to the core. The killer of Eddy Davis is eventually unmasked, but with little intervention in this case from spiritual forces. Rather, it is the intuition and hard work of the police in Hereford that close the case.

Phil Rickman died on 29th October 2024, therefore this is valete to what we might call the Merrily Watkins repertory company. There will be no more Gomer Parry, the aged digger driver, who acted like a one-man Greek Chorus throughout the series; no more Frannie Bliss the canny Scouse copper from Hereford; no more of Merrily's quixotic daughter Jane, and her complex relationship with boyfriend Eiron; and no more Lol Robinson, the tortured singer songwriter and Merrily's not-so-secret boyfriend. The Echo of Crows is a magnificent end to a much-loved series, and will be published by Corvus on 6th November.

[David Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's generally acknowledged that there are more books out there than one can possibly read in a lifetime. As a reader, this might amount to a bit of a memento mori. My own attitude has evolved through a number of phases. As a very young reader, I wasn't aware that there was a body of books already written, and a cadre of authors writing more. I devoured what I wanted from the shelves, and didn't bother too much about where the supply came from.

As I grew older (and, perhaps, once I had more money to spend) I became aware that some authors (PG Wodehouse, Charles Dickens) were dead and gone and there was a finite supply of their work (explaining the song and dance around unfinished and rediscovered works - Edwin Drood, or the half-finished Arthur Ransom story Coots in the North). I also became aware that others were still alive and writing and emitting the hardbacks I could now afford, generally at the rate of one per year, creating anticipated events in my reading calendar.

And then, inevitably, one of those authors would die, leading to a sort of reading bereavement, the encounter with the last novel. Another sort of momento mori. Reginald Hill. Terry Pratchett. Graham Joyce. Ursula K LeGuin. Christopher Priest. You'll have your own list. Most recently, for me, it was Phil Rickman. But in Rickman's case - and consonant with his having chronicled the uncanny, the liminal, the not-quite-dead - I became aware a couple of months back that there was another book by him out, and this made me so happy.

The Echo of Crows is, clearly, the last book featuring Merrily Watkins, exorcist to the Church of England diocese of Hereford, dweller on the Welsh/ English border (and on other borders, too). Merrily's drawn into strange events in Longtown, a remote village where, fifteen hundred years ago, a local king was murdered. Huw Owen believes that there's evil abroad in Longtown, and, truly, there has been a modern murder too which Frannie Bliss and his lover Annie are looking into. Jane gets involved too, in a sub-plot involving hangings and their legacy.

It's a satisfyingly convoluted story, as ever, with links picked out between historic evils and current day concerns (the housing shortage, offcomers buying up property, the drugs trade) and framed around the contemporary church's love-hate relationship with the "woo-woo". Huw's on the verge of quitting, Merrily, as ever, is aware of the ambivalence of smooth archdeacon Siân and of the diocesan authorities to her special calling - but also of the appeal, to modern seekers of something, well, a little more rooted, than traditional expressions of belief.

Convoluted, as ever, and dark, as ever, but perhaps not quite as dark? This superb series has never flinched from darkness, but in this final part, the threat (there is a sense of threat) is perhaps less directly focussed on Merrily, something coming for her, as it is an outcropping, a problem in the field to be dealt with. That's a positive, I think, and a choice, not Rickman running out of steam, and the result is a sort of psychological space here that allows The Echo of Crows to draw together, to a degree, threads that have run through this series: Merrily's spiritual struggles, Lol's career, their ambiguous relationship but also Annie's relationship with her dead father, her and Frannie's future, and Jane and Eirion's on-off whatever-it-is.

No, Jane hasn't saved Ledwardine from the developers (yet) or solved the mystery of its ancient roots, but some mystery is always necessary, don't you think? And, in the end, The Echo of Crows seems to be saying that there is always more light to be found here, and we should keep searching for that.

May Mr Rickman rest in peace, and rise in glory. Until then, his books are an excellent monument to him.

[Sal · Rating 4 out of 5]

After so many years of regularly dropping in on Merrily and the gang it was sad to pick up the final novel knowing there will be no more.
Author Phil Rickman struggled through illness to finish this final work and, whilst not the best in the series, it does contain the usual beguiling mix of horror, folklore, religion, police procedural and domestic drama that has kept me coming back for so many years.
The main plot was a little slight - an old lovestory and a new one, putting old wrongs right. As always, it wove in lots of contemporary concerns - the wiping away of local tradition, the inability of local people to afford houses and farms in the area, the future of religion, the survival of music in times of AI and streaming and even climate change.
It does feel like a last novel - a settling of some long awaited events and a quiet laying out of the future in Ledwardine. I was left feeling as if the old gang are all still there - Jane running the Ledwardine festival with Eirion always in tow, Lol happy with Merrily and still making music, Sophie keeping everyone in line, Huw still pondering life's big questions, Frannie Bliss and Annie defending the thin blue line and Gomer Parry watching over them all, still the friend we'd all love to have.
Thanks Phil.

[J S AYRES · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t believe this series is over!

I’ve been reading this series for years (more than once if I’m honest!) My Mum got me into them years ago and we always used to look forward to the next one coming out. She passed away six years ago now and I wish she’d been able to finish the series. I’m so sad it’s over! 😭😭

I’ve so enjoyed getting to know and love these characters over time, watching Jane grow into a young woman and the complexities of her relationship with Merrily shift into one of respect and pride. All the characters have depth and a sense of familiarity, you feel like you just might know them. Phil Rickman is also a magician when it comes to getting a real feeling of place, you feel transported by his beautiful but stark descriptions of a rural village and the surrounding areas and the hardness and desolation of the border lands on the threshold of England and Wales. These books are written with an understated but intense undercurrent of malice, it’s subtle, which I’ve always found more effective! This series has brought me endless hours of joy and got me through some tough times! 10/10

[Tredaran · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging police procedural with a difference. In addition to having a police team investigating a murder following more conventional means, the story also features vicar and exorcist Merrily Watkins, who gets involved in the supernatural and folkloric side of the story when a young woman with a crow obsession seeking her advice gets implicated in the death of a young lottery winner. I was not familiar with this series (I was surprised that there were another 15!) but found the story to be compelling, even as a stand alone, with the border mythology of England and Wales adding an interesting flavour to the mix. I listened to the audiobook of the novel and thought that the narration was easy to listen to, with excellent variation of pitch and accents in the dialogue, and a pretty good stab at Medieval Welsh at the end of the book. I will probably seek out the other books in the series after this.

Thanks to Bolinda audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance publication of this audiobook.

This is a review of the audiobook.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Echo of Crows by Phil Rickman and narrated by Emma Powell is the 16th book in the Merrily Watkins series and the first one I have read, where have I been? especially as this was the final instalment of this series. I had no problem getting into this audiobook and it was easy to follow. This book was set in the Wye Valley on the border of England and Wales. in Longtown village a local young farmer is murdered. Merrily will work closely again with the Police. Her job is a demon exorcist and her skills will be needed.

I loved her character and I can see why this series was very popular in the past.

Even though I have not read the other 15 books or listened to the audiobook, It is still a 5 star audiobook especially as I could just get into this audiobook.

Big thank you to NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for my ARC.

[Dawn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a huge Rickman fan for many many years there is of course a sadness in reading this final chapter in the Merrily series and he and his writing will be sorely missed.

In terms of the book it's more a short story that closes the book on the Ledwardine world (unless a brave soul wants to take on a new stance maybe with Jane as the lead in the future!!). It feels more like the first draft of a rewritten plot (different from the description shown here at time of writing), the careful interweaving of themes lacks the finesse of his other books but you can still see where Phil was going with it and ultimately if you're a fan you'll lap up what you can, be grateful to have one last turn with Merrily and co and quietly and respectfully turn that last page.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Rickman’s The Echo of Crows is a richly atmospheric mystery, steeped in the landscapes, folklore, and superstition of Wales. The story weaves local customs and ancient beliefs seamlessly into the plot, giving the haunting “echo of crows” real symbolic weight. Characters are shaped by their connection to place and heritage, which makes the suspense feel grounded and culturally resonant.

The pacing occasionally lags under the weight of its atmospheric detail, but for readers drawn to folklore, superstition, and a strong sense of Welsh identity, this is a compelling and memorable read.

[Mrs Yvonne Enzmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! What a finish.

I've read and re-read all the Merrily Watkins series, just waiting for this final offering, and in my opinion I wasn't disappointed. As always very well written, with plenty of background to help with the story. I don't like to speak of favourite parts of the book in case they are viewed as spoilers, although in saying that, I don't think that it is as 'dark' as some of his previous books, but it still has its moments.
The only down side is that it was the final book in the series, unless Mr Rickman can have a rethink and do a stand alone (as the Susan Lulham book) for us readers.
A very big thank you to the author for all his writings.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of the whole series of these books and the author Phil Rickman
A brilliant book which carries on the lives of Merrily Watkins a vicarage deliverance exorcist in rural Herefordshire . This book that’s as the usual characters and as always we have followed their lives throughout the whole series . I adored this book and was very sad at the end ,it was one of those books you didn’t want to end ,as you knew it was the last
Bravo Phil Rickman you will be missed ,and all the wonderful characters you created in these books

[Lynn Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a long time fan of the Merrily Watkins series, I’m so sad to come to its end. As others have observed, this is much shorter than a typical Phil Rickman book and therefore it reads more like a reasonably polished first draft. It lacks a lot of the atmospheric mood and setting that the previous books in the series have. But the beloved characters are still here, and clearly Phil did all he could to wrap up their stories for his loyal fans. Glad to have this final entry.

[Jo Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was always going to be bitter sweet, and balancing a desire to race through it with the need to Eeck out the last ever one was always going to be hard. But Phil Rickman books need to be read at pace as the story builds itself that way. Whilst shorter than earlier offerings this was no disappointment. It concludes things nicely without feeling forced and left me with the warm glow that only comes when characters in a series feel like friends. I will miss Merrily and the gang. RIP Phil.

[Pat Stearman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shorter than many a Merrily novel but bearing in mind the posthumous publication & the author's illness while writing I'm just happy to have a final book with a general rounding out of a few situations.
The main story is suitably spooky whilst also being totally feasible without the woo woo and deals with modern crime as well as ancient history in the way the author has made his own.
RIP Phil Rickman & thank you to all who got this into print ( or in this case, onto my phone!)

[Rachael Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can only echo (no pun intended) what others have said. Phil Rickman's Merrily series is superb, however, this one doesn't quite hit the mark. That said, I was thrilled to see a final book in the series and I loved reading it, even if it made me a little sad knowing he's no longer with us.

If you haven't read the series, do yourself a huge favour and get stuck in with book 1. Beautiful books, fascinating stories, a wonderful writer who will be sorely missed.

[Julie Friar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final Merrily Watkins novel. Set on Wye valley on the border of England and Wales. A young farmer will be killed in Longtown and the woman he wanted a relationship with is suspected. Merrily will work with the police. She is a demon exorcist and her skills will be required.

Very well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Good characters in a well paced and intriguing novel. Can past hauntings be resolved and will Eddy’s killer be caught? Read to find out.

[Cathi Penman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the last instalment of the Ledwardine saga, despite the limitations of the book in terms of length and content. The ending felt very pulled together, the loose ends firmly tied off - a competent compromise, all we could have wished for really in view of the circumstances.
Phil Rickman was an excellent writer, a good friend and a decent man, RIP.

[Lynn Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect ending to a perfect series.

I have loved each and every Merrily book in this series, but none before have actually got me choked up and shedding a tear.

The characters are as believable as if they were based on real people and I can hear their voices resounding in my mind as if I have listened to them.

[Kerry Hennigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sadly is the last novel written by Phil Rickman prior to his death. While not my favourite book in his popular Merrily Watkins series, it is nevertheless a fitting conclusion that resolves some long, lingering issues.

[Barbara Birchall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh no, not the end

I have enjoyed all of the Merrily Watkins books and can't believe this is the end. Knowing this part of the country, the space between England and Wales, I find I want to visit all places mentioned.

[Christine Best · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last of the Merrily Watkins novels, written before the author passed last year. Best read as part of the entire series as a conclusion. Will definitely be going back for rereads of his books next year.