Merrily Watkins is Phil Rickman's main character. She's the Hereford Diocesan exorcist in a time when that's increasingly viewed at daft. The books aren't all out mystical though, as she gets called in to help with suspicious deaths (are they suicides, do the mystical elements mean anything?). In this book, she called in to help with someone who has fallen while rock climbing, a police officer behaving oddly round a suspect, and a former actor-turned-priest who is struggling with his faith. Along the way we get musings on her position, a certain mystical story with a Herefordshire twist, and the state of the Church of England.

The book wasn't a bad read. In many ways it reminded me of the earlier Watkins stories, which were more straight up murder mysteries. I just... felt that the COVID-19 storyline was strapped on to make it relevant (it could have just as easily been set where it was just arriving here, and viewed as a way to grow the church). In addition, the ending felt a little like Rickman wasn't sure how to really finish the book as well as he might have liked (you know how sometimes in school, you had to write an essay, and you got told you had 5 minutes left, so you rushed the ending? It felt like that).

If you can get over these, you'll definitely the book a good read.