In this 'novel of psychic deliverance', Rickman’s follow-up to The Wine of Angels, the Reverend Merrily Watkins, single mother and recently appointed vicar of a rural Herefordshire village, returns. As does her feisty, anti-church daughter, and Lol Robinson, sensitive musician who has been through the mill of psychiatric care.

Hereford has a new bishop, young, modern, fast-track; the sort that would be seen enjoying a pint with Tony Blair. This new bishop is very keen on dragging the Church out of the Middle Ages and has sent Merrily on a Deliverance Course, with a mind to making her the local Deliverance Minister. In the old days, this was exorcism, and it was stern stuff. Certainly not the province of young woman priests. Such is the opinion of the old Diocesan Exorcist, Canon Dobbs, a man the bishop wishes would retire. Dobbs is not so obliging, however. Not only does he set Merrily up with the exorcism of an extremely unpleasant dying man, he also exhibits some very odd behaviour, such as the sudden sacking of his long-time housekeeper and late night conversations with the shade of Saint Thomas Cantilupe, who’s tomb lies within Hereford Cathedral.

As is obvious from the title, it is winter and the traditional investment of the Boy Bishop is fast approaching, while the tomb of the medieval saint undergoes repair. Merrily is drawn deeper into her Deliverance work, an appointment she is more than a little unsure about. Meanwhile, her daughter, goaded on by a new - and older - school friend, seems to have taken up with a group of women interested in alternative spirituality. Lol Robinson, in the meantime, is having to deal with a young woman on the verge of mental collapse, obsessed with the local Iron Age Fort and her Celtic ancestors.

As with Wine of Angels, Rickman invests the whole with air of the supernatural: demons in the cathedral, Satanists, ley lines and the desecration of churches. The sense of wintry menace is well invoked, as is the almost impending mental collapse of Merrily as she has to cope with events spiralling out of control: murder, suicide, the threat of ancient evil in the cathedral itself, a bishop who seems a little too friendly.

Rickman writes well and certainly knows how to keep the pages turning. The plot is so packed full of incident that it is easy to forgive the sometimes stereotypical characters, and Rickman obviously knows Herefordshire.

The balance between the modern world and the timelessness of ancient Hereford is perfectly judged, shrouded by the almost oppressive feel of a rural winter. Although the idea that influential groups of Satanists might be ever ready to launch an attack on the Church of England is a little hard to take, I found this an immensely enjoyable thriller, full of suspense, menace and tension.