Nobody True

Title: Nobody True

Author: James Herbert

Published in: 2003

Date read: 16th November 2010

Score: 4/5

Genre: Supernatural, Horror, Thriller, Psychological

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Nobody True" by James Herbert, published in 2003, is a chilling supernatural thriller that explores the terrifying concept of an out-of-body experience gone horribly wrong, forcing the protagonist to witness his own murder and its aftermath as a disembodied spirit.

The story opens with Jim True, a seemingly ordinary and content advertising executive living in London. One night, while sleeping, Jim experiences an incredibly vivid out-of-body sensation. He finds himself floating above his bed, able to see his sleeping body below. Curious, he drifts through his home, then outside, experiencing the city from this ethereal perspective.

His astral projection takes a terrifying turn when he discovers intruders in his house. To his horror, he witnesses his own body being brutally murdered by masked assailants. He watches helplessly as his life is extinguished.

Now a ghost, invisible and intangible to the living, Jim is trapped in a limbo state. He is "nobody true" – a disembodied consciousness, unable to interact with the world he once inhabited. He follows the police investigation into his murder, observing his distraught wife, Melanie, and his young daughter. He quickly realises that the police suspect Melanie of his murder, and she becomes the prime suspect.

Jim, in his spectral form, is compelled to uncover the truth behind his death. His investigation takes him through the dark underbelly of London, as he follows clues and tries to piece together the motive and identity of his killers. He discovers that his seemingly ordinary life had hidden secrets, including a covert, dangerous organization known as the "Screamers," who are involved in horrifying, ritualistic acts.

He also realises that he is not the only disembodied spirit. There are other "lost souls" or "nobody truers" who exist in this liminal state, some of whom are malevolent. Jim must battle against these other spectral entities, as well as the very real dangers posed by the Screamers.

The novel is a tense, claustrophobic narrative as Jim battles his own powerlessness and the horror of watching his loved ones suffer and be suspected. He desperately tries to find a way to communicate, to warn, and to seek justice. The climax involves Jim, despite his incorporeal state, finding a way to influence events and confront the Screamers, leading to a shocking revelation about the true nature of his murder and the evil he unknowingly stumbled into.

"Nobody True" is a gripping and often disturbing exploration of identity, mortality, and the chilling possibilities beyond death, driven by Herbert's signature blend of psychological suspense and visceral horror.

Comments:
I have had a lot of problems remembering some of the books that I read more than 15 years previously but as soon as I saw the cover to this one, it all came flooding back. Wonderful book.

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)