A Novel of Psychic Deliverance.
The word "exorcism" is no longer favoured by the Church of England. Nowadays the preferred term for dealing with cases of possession and paranormal disturbance is "Deliverance ministry". It sounds less sinister, more caring - so why shouldn't this be a job for a woman?
When offered the post once styled "diocesan exorcist", the Reverend Merrily Watkins - single parent, rural parish priest and unashamed nicotine addict - cannot really refuse. For hasn't she already spoken out against the Church's reluctance to take a stance on psychic matters? And hasn't she also had inexplicable experiences of her own? But the retiring exorcist - who strongly objects to women entering the priesthood - not only refuses to be of any help to Merrily, but ensures that she's soon exposed to the job at its most terrifying.
And things get no easier. As an early winter cuts through to the bones of the old city of Hereford, a body is found in the freezing river Wye, an ancient church is desecrated, and there are suggestions of a dark ritual on a hill overlooking the city. Meanwhile, reports of psychic unrest in the Cathedral itself - where the famous medieval shrine of St Thomas Cantilupe lies temporarily in fragments - reflect an undying evil lying close to the heart of the Anglican Church itself.
Based on long-established "Deliverance" techniques, 'Midwinter Of The Spirit' is the first spiritual-procedural thriller: the electrifying story of a professional woman who must walk in dark places where an often intangible malevolence thrives uncurbed by the forces of law and order.
