The Man in the Moss

By Phil Rickman

A PHIL RICKMAN STANDALONE NOVEL

A supernatural thriller from the author of the chilling Merrily Watkins Mysteries.

Though dead for two millennia, he remains perfectly preserved in black peat. The Man in the Moss is one of the most fascinating finds of the century.

But, for the isolated Pennine community of Bridelow, his removal is a sinister sign. A danger to the ancient spiritual tradition maintained, curiously, by the Mothers' Union.

In the weeks approaching Samhain - the Celtic feast of the dead - tragedy strikes again in Bridelow. Scottish folk singer Moira Cairns and American film producer Mungo Macbeth discover their Celtic roots are deeper and darker than they imagined. And, as fundamentalist zealots of both Christian and satanic persuasions challenge an older, gentler faith, the village faces a natural disaster unknown since the reign of Henry VIII.

Gripping throughout. Powerful, classic stuff. - The Times

• Language: English
• Publisher: Corvus
• Release date: Sep 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9780857896926

Phil Rickman

PHIL RICKMAN lives on the Welsh border where he writes and presents the book programme Phil the Shelf on BBC Radio Wales. He is the hugely popular author of The Bones of Avalon, The Heresy of Dr Dee and the Merrily Watkins Mysteries.

Reviews for The Man in the Moss

[Sheena Gurbakhash · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

All my previous Rickman reads have been from the Merrily Watkin's series so this one is a step off the familiar universe. What can I say? This is an amazing sweep of a story, impossible to summarise. Phil Rickman lays complication on complication and it's hard to stop reading. By half way through the book you wonder how he's going to pull it all together and he does- while keeping the suspense up to the last page.
The book has some delightful characters but the most compelling character is the village of Brindelow and the Moss . I confess I actually looked up Bridelow in the hope of making a trip across the Moss. I was somewhat disappointed to find it doesn't exist.
The story is full of unexpected twists. Rickman makes a compelling case for a middle ground between religion and tradition. Loved it.