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The Cold Calling is a series of mystery suspense novels that are heavily infused with elements of the supernatural. Written by Phil Rickman under the Will Kingdom pseudonym, the books have a lot of grounded components.
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Order of Grayle Underhill & Bobby Maiden Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Cold Calling | 1996 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Mean Spirit | 2001 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Night After Night | 2014 | Description / Buy |
The characters are real people with real issues and the mysteries are dissected and solved in ways that make sense for a crime fiction story. However, the books are also heavily steeped in the supernatural.
Rickman, the author, understands religions and lore and folktales, and whatever he doesn’t know he researches thoroughly. This shows in The Cold Calling.
The series revolves around the experiences of Bobby Maiden, Marcus Bacton, Sister Anderson, and Cindy.
Cindy is a cross-dressing Shaman. When readers encounter him in the first novel (The Cold Calling), Cindy is certain that a landlady’s daughter was killed by the same person who took the life of William Rufus a long time ago.
Because of a lack of concrete evidence, no one gives Cindy’s ramblings any consideration and that, in turn, drives Cindy to undertake his own investigation.
Bobby Maiden is one of the police officers that choose to ignore Cindy’s claims, and for good reason. Bobby’s life is unraveling. Not only did his marriage implode but he discovered evidence pinning his boss to a corruption case.
When the boss in question retaliates, Bobby actually dies, only to revive a little while later. For Sister Anderson, death is nothing new. And as far as she knows, most people that return to the world of the living typically report visions of a bright light.
But for Bobby, the afterlife was a nightmare, and even after he revives, he cannot find peace. Terrible dreams torment him. If that wasn’t enough, Bobby knows that his boss will orchestrate another accident the first chance he gets.
So when Sister Anderson, a nurse that was miraculously healed and whose own healing powers brought him back to life, offers him sanctuary, Bobby accepts.
It is through Anderson that Bobby meets Marcus, a student of the supernatural, and Grayle Underhill, an American journalist who writes a New Age column in the New Yorker.
Grayle, Cindy, Bobby, Anderson, and Marcus must band together to overcome the mystical source of their respective challenges.
The Cold Calling series tells their story. Each novel follows the distinct journeys of the individual characters as they pull away from one another and then snap back together, forced to reconnect by unexpected circumstances.
Best The Cold Calling Books
These novels are most commonly commended for their magnetic characters and grounded exploration of incredible paranormal occurrences, with some of the best books in the series including:
The Cold Calling: Marcus lives in the ruin of an ancient castle. His life is hardly ordinary. After all, his housekeeper saw the Virgin Mary at a prehistoric burial mound.
When a television archeologist buys the burial mound and then attempts to acquire the ancient castle, Marcus wants to fight back.
However, distractions keep pushing their way into his life. Chief amongst them is Bobby Maiden. The DI was killed by his corrupt boss. But then sister Anderson, a nurse, and alternative healer brought him back.
Now he is plagued by frightening dreams. Anderson brings Bobby to Marcus because she thinks he can help the police officer.
Meanwhile, Cindy, a ventriloquist, is certain that a serial killer is on the loose. However, he has no proof and no one will listen to him.
Mean Spirit: As a child, Seffi was thrown out of a prestigious public school following a scandal that involved supernatural phenomena. But she grew up and became the world’s most renowned medium.
When she suddenly retreats from the public eye and asks Marcus for help, his illness forces the man to send Grayle, a journalist, in his place. Grayle learns that Seffi did a séance that went wrong.
Now a malevolent spirit is out to get her, and so is a criminal with an interest in mediums.
Other Book Series You May Like
Be sure to check out the “Francis Bacon” Series by Anna Castle. Francis Bacon doesn’t want a protégé. But Thomas Clarady knows that Bacon has a powerful uncle and through the barrister, he is determined to ascend the Elizabethan social ladder.
However, his dreams will come at a price. Bacon intends to make comprehensive use of Clarady’s skills. This is as they undertake investigative work that keeps placing them at the center of some rather sensitive political and social wrangles.
You may also like the “Stephens and Mephisto Mystery” Series by Elly Griffiths. Edgar Stephens and Max Mephisto served together as part of a shadowy unit in the war. Now Edgar is a detective in Brighton in the 1950s. Max is doing magic.
When Edgar observes that a girl was murdered in a manner similar to a magic trick Mephisto created, he reaches out to his old friend.
What Is The Next Book in The Grayle Underhill & Bobby Maiden Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Grayle Underhill & Bobby Maiden Series. The newest book is Night After Night and was released on October, 30th 2014.