Ash (David Ash, #3)

Title: Ash (David Ash, #3)

Author: James Herbert

Published in: 2012

Date read: 1st November 2013

Score: 4/5

Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Ash" by James Herbert is a chilling and controversial horror novel that serves as the third and final instalment in his David Ash series.

Paranormal investigator David Ash is summoned to the remote and heavily guarded Comraich Castle in the Scottish Highlands. His mission is to investigate a series of increasingly disturbing supernatural phenomena, culminating in the horrific crucifixion of a man in a locked room. Ash, a seasoned debunker of the paranormal who has reluctantly come to accept its existence, senses an overwhelming evil presence at the castle.

He soon discovers that Comraich Castle is no ordinary dwelling. It's a highly secretive and luxurious retreat for some of the world's most infamous and wealthy individuals – those who have faked their deaths, committed heinous crimes, or simply vanished from public view, now living under the protection of a powerful and shadowy organization known as "The Inner Court." These include disgraced politicians, war criminals, and figures from history and tabloid legend, all living in opulent confinement.

As Ash delves deeper, he uncovers a horrific conspiracy and a dark history intertwined with the castle's very foundations. The supernatural occurrences are not just random hauntings; they are linked to the unspeakable evil that has accumulated within the castle due to its vile inhabitants and the ancient, malevolent forces that predate them. The novel controversially weaves in real-life figures and events, hinting at deep-seated conspiracies and a shocking lineage connected to some of history's darkest chapters.

Ash faces not only terrifying supernatural entities, including mutated wildcats and other grotesque manifestations, but also the dangerous human elements of the Inner Court who are desperate to keep their secrets hidden. He forms a complicated relationship with Delphine Wyatt, the castle's psychiatrist, as they navigate the escalating horror and the revelations of a horrifying, suppressed truth. The story culminates in a terrifying showdown as the full extent of the evil is unleashed, threatening to consume everyone within Comraich Castle.

Comments:
Having loved the first two "Ash" books, this on had a lot to live up to. Simply put, it was great. I appreciated the historical links to evil within humanity again, and they fitted in perfectly here.

Books that we've read by James Herbert (20):
The Rats (Rats, #1) (1974), The Fog (1975), The Survivor (1976), Fluke (1977), The Spear (1978), Lair (Rats, #2) (1979), The Dark (1980), Jonah (1981), Shrine (1983), Domain (Rats, #3) (1983), Moon (1985), Magic Cottage (1986), Sepulchre (1987), Haunted (David Ash, #1) (1988), The Ghosts Of Sleath (David Ash, #2) (1994), Others (1999), Once... (2001), Nobody True (2003), The Secret of Crickley Hall (2006), Ash (David Ash, #3) (2012)