Having enjoyed, “The Cold Calling,” I was eager to read the sequel. Marcus Bacton is still running his New Age periodical, now with the help of Grayle Underhill, while Bobby Maiden has been ear-marked for promotion and Cindy Mars-Lewis is, unbelievably, hosting the National Lottery!

Years before, while still teaching, Marcus Bacton knew a young girl called Persephone Callard, who was expelled from a top public school after a wave of poltergeist phenomena. Now a famous medium, Pesephone (Seffi) has suddenly gone into retirement and contacted Marcus for help. As he is suffering from flu, Grayle is sent in his stead, but, what unfolds is the beginning of a nightmare. It turns out that Seffi was asked to do a private séance, which led to her being targeted by a malevolent spirit; whose possible reappearance is of great interest to a, very much alive criminal, named Gary Seward, with an interest in mediums.

As the story unfolds, things also begin to go wrong for Bobby and Cindy, leaving our old friends to reunite at Marcus’s farmhouse to re-group. Gradually, things point towards a Festival for the Spirit at Overcross Castle, organised by hypnotist Kurt Campbell, who had wanted Cindy’s job. There is a recreation of a Victorian spiritualist gathering and it becomes obvious that Seffi is to be the star attraction…

Again, this novel has a good combination of a crime story grounded in reality, along with a good undercurrent of the mystical. The characters are wonderful and I have become very fond of them. The novel has a good dose of humour, along with a creepy storyline and an excellent villain in Gary Seward. A really great read, which leave me keen to read more by Phil Rickman.

4 s Linda1,319 51

Persephone Callard is a world reknowned psychic medium, but her skills did not warn her to avoid becoming entangled with sadistic criminal Gary Seward. Now she's in hiding, and is being haunted herself by the evil manifestation of Seward's most vicious "enforcer", who himself was brutally murdered. The desperate Persephone contacts her old mentor, but since he's down with the flu, he sends his assistant, journalist Grayle Underhill, to help. As soon as Grayle sets out, the nightmare begins.

Will Kingdom is a pen name of the author better known, mainly in the U.K., as Phil Rickman. Rickman deserves a much wider American readership, because he sure knows how to write captivating, credible, paranormal novels. His Merrilee Watkins series, about a female Anglican priest who's trained in exorcism, is set along the evocative England/Wales border, as is Mean Spirit. It's difficult to decide whether Rickman's/Kingdom's strength lies in plotting or characterization, as both of those factors are always so strong. A cross-dressing TV celeb, a young cop who recently died and came back again, the publisher of a new age magazine, and an American writer can hardly be expected to meld into a crime busting team, but that's exactly what they do, by hook or by crook. The suspense ratchets up, chapter by chapter, and the final scenes in a Victorian castle's creepy cellars are positively riveting. If you're looking for quality paranormal/crime novels, you can't do better.favorite-authors mystery-crime paranormal4 s Veronica-Lynn Pit Bull585 17

Mean Spirit is the sequel to The Cold Calling" and really should not be read as a stand alone if you want to fully understand and appreciate all the nuances of the story and relationship between the characters. The rag-tag band of eccentric characters from The Cold Calling - Marcus Bacton, Grayle Underhill, Bobby Maiden and Cindy Mars-Lewis - are again brought together to solve another paranormal mystery; and in typical Rickman style there is a seemingly never ending array of plot twists that all in the end manages to get neatly tied up.

Mean Spirit involves the medium Persephone Callard, a former student from Marcus's teaching days who seeks out his support after a seance gone bad seems to have left her with a malevolent spirit attached to her. Ultimately Seffi's problematic spirit is just one thread in an intricate web that also encompasses the former bent police superintendent and his unsavory associates, who still have it in for Maiden; and also have run afoul of Mars-Lewis.

The story moves along at a steady pace until the last 20% of the story when it becomes absolutely riveting and everything seems to start happening at once. My only wish is that I would have d more of an epilogue. These are characters that I have come to care about and I didn't feel I had a proper "Goodbye".

Thanks to Phil Rickman I will one day own a Bull Terrier. I may possibly name him Malcolm.
horror-supernatural phil-rickman4 s T. K. Elliott (Tiffany)241 52

The characters from The Cold Calling are back: Cindy Mars-Lewis, Bobby Maiden, Grayle Underhill, and Marcus Bacton. Sister Anderson gets a few mentions too.

This time, an ex-student of Marcus's calls him for help - and, laid up with the 'flu, he sends Grayle instead.

Once again, the plot relies more on mysticism than complex plotting, but this is an entertaining story and it was good to see the same cast again, with a suitably nefarious plot, by suitable disable villains.horror2 s TrilbyAuthor 2 books18

This second (and last) installment in the Bobby-Grayle mysteries I found more engaging than the first. The cast of loveable misfit characters is carried over into this story, with the addition of a mixed-race psychic and assorted British lowlifes. Rickman's handling of plot is masterful, as usual, although the action occasionally stops while characters provide exposition. In addition, background from the first novel bulks up the book; I found myself skipping over these intrusions into the action.

What bothered me most about story is that the women and transvestite characters are described in great detail, but we "see" virtually nothing of the main male character, Bobby Maiden, a police detective. He attracts beautiful--and rather stereotypical--thin young women (the American bleached blond, the dark, exotic aristocrat), but I couldn't understand why. Also, the tensions between the women vying for Maiden's attention is not--to me--satisfactorily resolved. The story could have used fewer words at the beginning and more at the end.crime england ghost-story ...more2 s Lc13

While different than the more popular Merrily Watkins series by the same author, these books deserve a read, and I hope the author might add a book or two to this series.

The main character is a police officer who literally died and came back, and is drawn into a world of cross dressing Celtic shamans (with his puppet bird familiar!), a New Age writer from New York, a grumpy widower who runs a failing magazine on the paranormal and his bull terrier, and a nurse possibly turning to faith healing. And of course, there is a crackling murder mystery here, too, and much danger the characters must escape. I read Rickman's work for his unerring ability to create realistic, intriguing characters, but his books are always superbly paced and plotted and will keep you up at night reading.

I highly recommend this series for lovers of well done British mysteries and thrillers. And anyone who has read the Merrily series will love these two books by Will Kingdom as well.2 s Sean O'Reilly106 3

Having previously read The Cold Calling I was eagerly looking forward to reading this sequel. In fact before I realised that these two books pre-date the Merrily Watkins series I had been quite excited at the prospect of this being the start of a whole series of books.

Given my eager anticipation I was surprised to find that it took me quite a while to really engage with this book. In retrospect I realise that I had envisaged Grayle, Bobby, Marcus and Cindy being together as a unit right from the beginning of this story. On reflection this was always unly. In fact from a narrative point of view there would have been every reason for these characters to have little to do with one another following the conclusion of the events of The Cold Calling. I also suspect that some of my lack of early engagement may stem from the fact that I connect more with the character of Bobby Maiden than with Grayle Underhill, who carries the early stages of this story.

Eventually though the cast is all assembled and the drama continues to build towards a climax. In the latter stages I was absolutely hooked; this was Phil Rickman at his best, combining horror, psychology and the supernatural with excellent description and characterisation.

As with The Cold Calling it is easy to see how this book represents a shift from Early Rickman 'Supernatural Horror' to Later Rickman 'Merrily Watkins Spiritual Procedural'. Personally I would love to read more in the vein of his earlier books but I guess I will have to satisfy myself by re-reading them. This though was an entertaining read and well worthwhile.e-books1 Kerry Hennigan517 13

“Mean Spirit” is the second novel by Will Kingdom – a pseudonym for Phil Rickman, author of the Merrily Watkins mysteries.

“Mean Spirit” features the same fascinating bunch of odd-ball characters that Kingdom/Rickman gathered together for their first adventure in his inaugural novel under the Will Kingdom name: “The Cold Calling.”

Best described as a psychic mystery, there is a much thinner dividing line between the sacred and the secular in “Mean Spirit” and its predecessor than in the Merrily Watkins mysteries.

Kingdom’s team of Marcus Bacton, editor of a journal on the paranormal, American assistant Grayle Underhill, police detective Bobby Maiden, and cross dressing Welsh shaman Cindy Mars-Lewis, don’t necessarily expect a rational answer to the mysteries they encounter. Well, perhaps Bobby Maiden does, but he’s learning that his own near-death experience may not be all there is to know about the spirit world.

In “Mean Spirit” a celebrated psychic, Persephone Callard, is targeted by a psychopathic killer. When Marcus, Grayle and Bobby try to help her, they find themselves embroiled in a nightmare involving hypnosis, seances, psychic fairs and - murder.

Meantime Cindy has his own problems when he is blamed for the premature deaths of lottery winners after on-air comments made by his ventriloquist dummy Kelvyn Kite. Coincidence? Or something more sinister?

I’ve read and enjoyed both of Rickman’s Will Kingdom novels, and wish he’d write more of them. The principal characters he created for these novels really deserve to have further adventures.

1 Dark-Draco2,239 41

When Grayle is asked to go visit a the famous medium, Seffi Callard, she doesn't back on having her car break down, being hit on by a sleasy mechanic or having to defend herself from would be kidnappers. But it's Seffi who has the real problems, as every time she goes into a trance, she is haunted by a menacing figure that terrifies her. So, once again, the unly grouping comes together to sort it out - Cindy, the cross dressing TV presenter and Celtic Shamen, Marcus, Grayle's antisocial and old fashioned boss, and Maiden, the cop who's visited the supernatural on more than one occasion.

This was really good. Fast paced and well plotted - the ending was totally unexpected, but brilliant. I can't say too much without spoiling it, but I did think the supernatural side was played down a bit too much. Still, at least that kept it realistic.paranormal1 Joyce329

I'll read anything written by Phil Rickman. This is one of the few that was free to borrow on Kindle. I normally the series, and I've read a couple of the one-offs. This is the second book written with a set of characters. others, I rather them and wish he'd do more with them, although I'm not sure what else he could do as he's dragged them all near to death more than once and it'd be unly they'd want a third set.

These books walk the borderlines of a couple of genres, paranormal, horror, crime - I the feel of them although I generally don't read horror.

If you Rickman, odds are you'll this one too and it's worth borrowing free on the Kindle if you can. I say that because Rickman's books have gone in and out of availability, I suspect it has to do with publishers and editions, but it's frustrating.

fiction-and-literature1 Susan1,006

Suddenly a victim of her own remarkable gifts, Seffi Callard, the world's best known spiritual medium, has been forced to back away from the glamour and the glow of public adulation, becoming a paranoid recluse at her father's home in the Cotswolds. Who is stalking Seffi Callard—and from which side of the grave?

A fabulous book, everything else in my life was put to one side while I read it. The best of the three in the series in my opinion. The character I least (Marcus) was somewhat sidelined which was good and the story was fantastic. An excellent blend of corruption and greed with a supernatural element adding to the mix!2016books fivestarreads1 Beth Morgan53 1 followerRead

A gripping romp through spiritualism Welsh border style, complete with trance medium, and the return of cop Bobby Maiden and New-Age columnist Grayle Underhill. I found this book very entertaining, replete with mostly likable characters--including the cross-dressing shaman cum TV-star Cindy Mars-Lewis, who has troubles of his/her own. d it a lot, although a developing romance seems to have taken a left turn. Perhaps that is fodder for a future page-turner. 1 Sheare Bliss69 2

Excellent as always

There area few writers for whom I would read even an itemized accounting of their expenses. CJ Cherryh is one, Stephen King is another, and Phil Rickman a third. This 'series' (or at least this trilogy) is up to the standards he has previously established in his stand alone "supernatural" novels as well as his Merrily Watkins series, and the location for me, due to ancestral connections, fascinating. 1 Oliver ClarkeAuthor 39 books1,262

Absolutely superb. I enjoyed the first book in this series, but the second was even better. A brilliant cast of convincing and able (or hateable) characters, a gripping plot and a central mystery that kept me guessing until the very end. The final chapter is so packed with twists it's almost dizzying. Brilliant stuff.1 Carolyn113 21

Ho hum. Read this on a boring 7 hour car journey.1 Gilda Felt638 10

Things were going along great. The gang was all back: Grayle, Bobby, Cindy and Marcus. There was a great plot, plenty of murder and mayhem. Even a little what you might call horror with the inclusion of Seffi Callard, a woman who may, or may not, be able to contact the dead. Not the most likable of characters, though.

We got to read more of what the main characters were feeling, how they thought their lives should go on, though at times it seems as if their relationships with each other were taking a backseat. Even so, I was rooting for a little romance. And even though this was more a crime thriller than a horror story, I still found myself enjoying it.

But then came the ending. Or, at least I think it was the ending. At first, I went back and forth on my kindle. Did the end of the book not download? The mystery is solved, but what about the characters? Where do they go from here? It fairly ruined the book for me. Which means that I’m not sure I’ll read the last book in the trilogy. We’ll see.
TraceyAuthor 14 books17

Mean Spirit

D.I. Bobby Maiden hopes life is getting better for him after he is made Acting D.C.I. But after his flat is broken into things take a turn for the worst.
Cindy Mars Lewis is on top of the world as the popular presenter of the National Lottery. But his world soon falls apart.
Marcus Bacton is contacted by former pupil Persephone who is a medium. She needs his help she did when she was younger.
Grayle Underhill can't work out what Persephone is hiding.
The four friends reunite to try and work out what is happening with Persephone, but they have no idea what they are getting into.
This is a great book by Phil Rickman. It is quick paced with a story that grips you and an ending that you never saw coming. Ellie ThomasAuthor 40 books63

Having thoroughly enjoyed The Cold Calling, I was keen to read this and delighted that it was at least as good as the first book in the series.

Much as I love the Merrily Watkins books, these books are equally enjoyable, with the engagingly able ragtag team of the spiritually sensitive. The plot was excellent and perfectly paced and the main characters are outstandingly written. I felt I cared for them even more in this second outing. I really hope at some stage that Phil Rickman has time to return to these characters as they must have more stories to tell. A brilliant read. Plum-crazy2,324 41

What an excellent read, I loved it but then I am a huge fan of Phil Rickman - whatever name he writes under!

The history between the characters is often referred to as this is a follow up to "The Cold Calling" but that makes no difference to the enjoyment of this book. I actually read this one first & I think I preferred it to it's predecessor. myst-supernat-series-following Christine Best193

I really Phil Rickman’s books. They don’t belong in a specific category, you might call them supernatural thrillers - though his plots always allow for a non supernatural explanation. His characters are larger than life and truly engaging.If you’re going to read this, I’d recommend’The Cold Calling’ first as this is in some ways a sequel. DeliaC141 6

Amazing

A gangster. A psychic. A gender nonconforming scooby gang. Love it.

Also, the best ways to die EVER. I mean, everything from a hit-run to getting your face sliced off. Terrific hijinx! Dawn Folley298 9

Just brilliant. Jill Williams10 3

Genius book

This is a very witty, exciting book with lots of twists and turns. Highly recommended to people who thrillers barbara j swordy14

Another great read

Another great read from Rickman. Some of the old characters appear again in this novel. It's quite blood thirsty too. Jules17

There is So Much Dialogue ~o m g~ More mystery than anything else IMO Linda Burnham189 7

So glad there was a second "Cold Calling" volume and it was as gripping as the first. Very clever writing, well researched and great characters. I loved it.phil-rickman Sophie Clissold-Lesser21

Beach read... can't really remember much about it bibliodufi132 19

Another thought provoking, intense, wry, intriguing mystery from Mr Rickman, whose books I have loved for decades now.
An interesting plot full of ley lines, English folklore and ancient monuments, with the fantastically rich characters we can expect; so well written that you genuinely care about what happens to them, so there are a few edge-of-your-seat moments.
First in a series. Jim Bowen921 10

I won't lie. The end of this book sort of irritated me. In Phil Rickman's The Cold Calling (the first book in the series), he introduced a variety of misfits (a shaman, a new age reporter, a policeman who had been revived after being dead for a considerable amount of time, the nurse who revived him, and a magazine editor whose magazine is interested in "New Age Phenomena"), and got them to solve a crime in Wales.

In this book, Rickman reunites the gang to solve who is haunting someone who communicates with the dead, and why she make be being haunted. She's very posh, and independent minded (she's the mixed race daughter of an ambassador, but disappears mid way through the book, only to crop up later), but wants the gang's help, because they'll believe she can do the things she claims.

In many ways, it's laid out your standard crime thriller, albeit one with some mystic elements thrown in. The giddy gang scamper around, finding clues, and solving puzzles, while keeping just this side of the spooky. It's the denouement that's daft. It felt he wasn't sure how to finish it, and it felt rushed, as a consequence. Up until the end, I was wondering why he hadn't written more in the series. When the end came through, my immediate response was "Oh he didn't really know how to finish this book, and maybe that's why he didn't write any more?"

This said, if you can get over the weak ending, you'll enjoy this book, especially if you your mysteries coupled with a degree of spookiness.british-crime horror Leanne HuntAuthor 8 books45

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