The Seven Days of Cain

British horror master Campbell (The House on Nazareth Hill) somewhat returns to form with a modern-day tale of psychological terror. British photographer Andy Bentley has a sedate life, working for the family firm and trying to figure out why he and his wife, Claire, can't conceive. Things begin to unravel after Max Beyer, a wealthy eccentric, hires Bentley to take a series of pictures intended to capture Beyer's disturbing true nature. Bentley has also been getting disturbing e-mails that may be connected to some brutal murders. After a short, unsettling prologue, the book takes its time returning to the horror plot line. The ultimate payoff is a bit of a letdown, with occasional lurches into silliness, but Campbell's characterizations and prose, especially in the opening sections, are solid. (Nov.)