Haunted was published by Hodder & Stoughton in 1988, the first in a trilogy featuring the psychic investigator David Ash. Ash, a man who investigates supernatural claims precisely because he does not believe in the supernatural, is invited to Edbrook, a country house where the Mariell family — an elderly aunt and her three grown nephews and niece — claims to be experiencing ghostly phenomena. What Ash discovers is more disturbing than any conventional ghost: the Mariells themselves are the haunting, and the house is a trap designed to exploit Ash’s own buried psychological trauma.
The novel was Herbert’s most disciplined work — a classical ghost story in the tradition of Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw, with a twist ending that reframed everything that had come before.
The David Ash Trilogy
Haunted was followed by The Ghosts of Sleath (1994) and Ash (2012), forming a trilogy. The Ash character — a rational investigator forced to confront phenomena that defy his scepticism — allowed Herbert to explore the tension between scientific materialism and the possibility of genuine supernatural experience. The 1995 film adaptation starred Aidan Quinn and Kate Beckinsale.
Collecting Haunted
First edition (Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1988): Boards with dust jacket.
Approximate market values:
- Fine in dust jacket: $25–$60
- Very good: $10–$25
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate appreciation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Haunted adapted into a film? Yes. A 1995 film starred Aidan Quinn and Kate Beckinsale. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and is a reasonably faithful adaptation, retaining the twist ending. The film performed modestly but is considered one of the better Herbert adaptations.