Unfortunately, by the time we discover – some 600 pages later – the late Princess’ connection to Comraich, the remote Scottish castle in which the majority of the story takes place, the novel has long since outstayed its welcome. And, especially this, be careful when you take pictures; things can look quite different when you stare at it through the lens of a camera.

His 'Rats' series in particular is a testament to his ability to create chilling horror stories that remain popular among fans of the genre. The first half of this is unadulterated 80's era horror fun (yes, it is from the early 90's, but you know what I mean). The story itself has several laugh out loud moments, in part owing to Joe’s dry wit and cavalier attitude.David Ash is a parapsychologist enlisted to solve unexplained disturbances and a violent death at the deeply dark and disturbing Comraich Castle, which remains - even to David Ash - in a secret location and houses many rich and some infamous guests. If you were to ask me if I would read any more books by James Herbert my honest answer would be, unless it was recommended to me, I would have to say no. The lack of character development was kind of a fun idea, actually I liked the whole concept; it's the execution that was lacking. After a little while in the same year, he was also awarded with the OBE and it was presented to him by Prince Charles at the Birthday Honors in 2010.

Stephen King ha said about him that he didn’t appear to be literary by any means, but his books depicted a sense of raw urgency. The main character is a photographer by the name of Joe Creed, a member of the paparazzi, Creed embodies the worst elements of the profession, caring little for the privacy of others, and going to extreme lengths to get the best photos.I really enjoyed the build up and quite low-key start and no matter your feelings for Joe Creed (loads of reviews talks about him being too unsympathetic for words and I agree, but I don't have any issues as such with a protagonist like him), he really did not bargain for what he got. But the man who Joe saw at the funeral, who bears more than a passing resemblance to a serial Killer who was hung just before World War Two, wants the photo’s back, and he will do anything to get them. It works well in this book, keeping the reader's interest peaked and has been used as a vehicle to give major nuggets of information and not just a nice sub-text throughout the story. Its been many, many years since I read a James Herbert book and I'm not sure whether my tastes have changed a lot more than I thought they had or whether this just isn't a good example of a Herbert book.

While many authors stick to one genre, Herbert has shown versatility in blending various genres to create engaging narratives. We are introduced – or reintroduced if you’ve read either Haunted or The Ghosts of Sleath – to paranormal investigator David Ash. In the meantime, a small girl and her dog get killed by a group of giant rats, which were helped by the smaller ones. When freelance photographer Joe Creed sets out to capture a series of photos at the funeral of a famous actress, he gets the chance to take a few snaps of a strange old man at the graveside. For me, Herbert's masterwork is still Fluke, a title that isn't even a horror - but Creed is oh so worthy of your time to see English horror done RIGHT!

I first got into James Herbert's books in the late Seventies, when horror novels were coming back into fashion.

On several occasions Ash mentions that the atmosphere in the castle is affecting his personality – usually when he wants to excuse himself for doing something reprehensible, like punching a woman in the face – but this is never developed.

Herbert is to be applauded for attempting to give his secondary cast their own stories and characters, but too many of them fall flat. On the plus side, it's a quick read which rattles along well after a slow start and far more information than you'd actually ever need about the profession of the book's 'hero'. Some of the creature descriptions veer too far into silliness, undermining any threat or fear they might hold. His best novels, The Rats and The Fog, had the effect of Mike Tyson in his championship days: no finesse, all crude power.