Customer Reviews
Haunted - By: Mr. M. G. Dempsey, 19 Dec 2008 
Unoriginal plot, awkward dialogue (there's nothing wrong, James, with using 'he said'/'she said'!) & an almost Point Horror style of writing. The book could have been so much more if Herbert had made it longer, but as it stands it's a real let-down. There are maybe two momentsin the book that are genuinely creepy. Borrow from someone; don't spend money on it.
Recommended - By: Emily Wilson, 07 Jul 2008 
I would recommend this book, just gotin to James Herbert & the stories are really captivating, once you start you cant put it down. He does goin to detail a lot which i'm not as fussed on but still want to read more. I would recommend it to everyone.
Ploddy Plotting - By: Cowan's Books, 22 Feb 2008 Until now I had not read James Herbert before. Its unlikely that I will read him again. The characters are unconvincing & the style slow & uninteresting. As to the plot I lost the thread due to lack of interest.
Am I missing something..? - By: Nick, 09 Sep 2007 I do not quite understand how this book has been getting such good reviews!? I have enjoyed Herbert's writingin the past but this effort is sub-par at best. There was little empathy with the main character, or the seemingly 'after-thought' secondary characters.
The plot was transparent & the twists were so obvious you would have had a harder time working out the killer from an episode of Columbo! There were only two momentsin the book that I actually felt any of the author's previous chilling storytelling abilities; the book does not live up to the title.
A HIGHLY ATMOSPHERIC GHOST STORY... - By: Lawyeraau, 29 Jul 2007 This is a spooky, well-written haunted house novel, a gothic ghost story that is a wonderfully atmospheric. The author is Britain's premier writer of horror stories. Having read many of his other books & been thoroughly satisfied, this one is no exception. Those with an interestin haunted house stories will find this one most entertaining & enjoyable.
David Ash, a man with a skeletonin his closet, is a professional investigator of psychic phenomena with a penchant for debunking so-called supernatural occurrences. After receiving an intriguing & pleading letter from a Mrs. Webb about ghostly apparitions at Edbrook, the rural manor homein which she resides, David goes to Edbrook, only to be met by the Mariell clan, consisting of Christina, & her brothers, Robert & Simon. It turns out that Mrs. Webb,in addition to being their aunt, is also their old nanny, whom they all still call Nanny Tess. She is clearly terrified of something that is going onin at Edbrook, & the Mariells all seem to be humoring her.
The Mariell siblings, at first, appear to be somewhat eccentric, but later seem to be more than just a little twisted, as it soon becomes apparent that all is not rightin that household. There definitely are things that go bumpin the night, & the ghostly apparition of a young girl seems to glide about the house & grounds. Moreover, Nanny Tess always appears to bein a state of acute, though restrained, terror.
As a romance heats up between David & Christina, however, David appears to turn a blind eye to what is going onin the household. Too late, he realizes the nature of the evil within this isolated, rural manor house. In the end, it takes the force of something beyond the grave to save him from an almost unimaginable horror.
Those who enjoy this book will also enjoy the wonderful film of the same name adapted from this book. It is an excellent adaptation with a stellar cast. It stars Aidan Quin as David Ash, Kate Beckinsale as Christina Mariell, Anthony Andrews as Robert Mariell, Alex Lowe as Simon Mariell, & Ann Massey as Nanny Tess. This wonderful haunted house story transitions beautifully to film. It is as spooky as the book.
