Merrily Watkins Books in Order
Phil Rickman has written 18 Merrily Watkins books, published between 1998 and 2026: 17 in the Merrily Watkins series and 1 related title. The first book is The Wine of Angels (1998) and the newest main-line book is The Echo of Crows (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 18
- Published
- 1998–2026
- Confirmed
- 18 of 18 titles
- Pages on record
- 5,902 in 12 of 18 books
- Reading time
- 98–148 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 5,902 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 12 of 18 titles with a page count on record.
Merrily Watkins is a woman priest and diocesan exorcist in the novels of Phil Rickman, working English parish cases where crime meets the supernatural. The Wine of Angels (1998) introduces her, and Midwinter of the Spirit, A Crown of Lights, The Cure of Souls and The Lamp of the Wicked follow. Eighteen books reach The Echo of Crows (2026), with a Merrily Watkins Companion beside them, and the series is ongoing.
How many Merrily Watkins books are there?
Merrily Watkins has 18 books, released between 1998 and 2026. 17 of them belong to the Merrily Watkins series, and 1 related title sit outside it: companion books.
Merrily Watkins Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 18 Merrily Watkins books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 11998–3/4
- 219995393/4
- 320015663/4
- 420015463/4
- 520035633/4
- 620046303/4
- 72005–3/4
- 820065123/4
- 920075443/4
- 102008–3/4
- 112009–3/4
- 1220115783/4
- 1320134643/4
- 1420141923/4
- 1520153843/4
- 1620173843/4
- 172019–3/4
- 182026–3/4
Do you have to read Merrily Watkins books in order?
You should read the Merrily Watkins series in publication order, the order of the numbered table above; the 1 related title (companion books) sit outside that sequence. The catalogue does not record whether each Merrily Watkins book also stands alone.
Where to start with Merrily Watkins
Start with The Wine of Angels (1998), the earliest published book in the Merrily Watkins series.
What is the newest Merrily Watkins book?
The Echo of Crows (2026) is the newest book in the Merrily Watkins series.
Is there a new Merrily Watkins book coming?
No next Merrily Watkins book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Merrily Watkins at a glance
- Still running
- Merrily Watkins is still running, with a main-line title published as recently as 2026.
- Release pace
- Merrily Watkins books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 5,902 pages across the 12 of 18 books with a recorded length, a median of 542 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Merrily Watkins books, 9 of 18, were published in the 2000s.
What the Merrily Watkins books are about
15 of the 18 Merrily Watkins books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: clergy is tagged on 10 of 15. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Clergy 10 of 15 books
- Women clergy 10 of 15 books
- Watkins, merrily (fictitious character) 9 of 15 books
- England 8 of 15 books
- Exorcism 7 of 15 books
- Mystery & detective 7 of 15 books
- Crime 4 of 15 books
- Mystery & detective, women sleuths 4 of 15 books
- Ghosts 3 of 15 books
- Haunted houses 2 of 15 books
- Supernatural 2 of 15 books
More books by Phil Rickman
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Phil Rickman books in order 30 books