The Secret of Crickley Hall

Title: The Secret of Crickley Hall

Author: James Herbert

Published in: 2006

Date read: 10th January 2012

Score: 5/5

Genre: Supernatural, Horror, Psychological

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"The Secret of Crickley Hall" by James Herbert, published in 2006, is a powerful and deeply unsettling ghost story that blends traditional haunted house tropes with a tragic human drama. It explores themes of grief, lost innocence, and the enduring echo of past horrors.

The story centres on the Caleigh family: Gabe, Eve, and their three children, Loren, Cameron, and the youngest, Cally. Their lives are shattered when five-year-old Cally mysteriously vanishes during a visit to a playground. The police investigation yields no results, and the family is left with an agonizing, unresolved grief that slowly tears them apart.

Desperate for a change of scenery and hoping to escape the constant reminders of Cally's disappearance, Gabe and Eve decide to temporarily relocate the family. They rent Crickley Hall, an old, secluded country house in rural Devon.

Initially, the Hall seems like a peaceful retreat, but it quickly becomes apparent that the house is anything but. Subtle disturbances begin to occur: strange noises, cold spots, flickering lights. These escalate rapidly into more terrifying and violent paranormal phenomena. The children, particularly Loren, are targeted by unseen forces, experiencing terrifying nightmares and even physical assaults. Possessions are thrown, doors slam, and chilling disembodied voices are heard, often those of children.

The Caleighs soon realize they are not alone in Crickley Hall. The house is intensely haunted by a multitude of restless, tormented spirits. As the hauntings grow increasingly malevolent, Eve, driven by her grief and a desperate hope, believes she can sense Cally's presence in the house, leading her to believe that the key to her daughter's disappearance might be linked to the Hall's dark history.

As the family investigates, they uncover the horrific truth of Crickley Hall. During World War II, the house served as an orphanage run by a sadistic, fanatical religious zealot named Augustus Cribben and his equally cruel sister, Magda. Under their brutal regime, the orphans endured unspeakable abuse, torture, and ultimately, murder, their innocent lives extinguished in the most horrifying ways. The ghosts haunting the Hall are those tormented children and their victims, seeking justice and peace.

The climax sees the Caleigh family caught in the terrifying vortex of the Hall's past, battling the malevolent spirits and the lingering evil of Cribben. They must confront the horrifying truths of the house to save themselves and bring some measure of peace to the restless souls, even as they continue to search for answers about their own lost child. "The Secret of Crickley Hall" is a deeply emotional and terrifying journey into the heart of a truly haunted place.

Comments:
This is the best ghost story that I have ever written. Bravo, nothing more to add.
Except, great TV adaptation in 2012.

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)