"Things turn rotten after a while on a tower. That's what they said to me at the depot, watch out for the towers, they can turn you loopy..."

In 1972 three lighthouse keepers,
Principal Keeper Arthur Black, Assistant Keeper William (Bill) Walker and Supernumerary Assistant Keeper Vincent (Vince / Vinny) Bourne disappear from the Maiden Rock, a tower lighthouse four miles from the Cornish coast. Managed by Trident House, who blame Vince, the youngest, with the most chequered past.

Twenty years later, author Dan Sharp, investigates to find out what happened. Helen, widow of Arthur, speaks with Dan, she believes her husband is dead, that he drowned. Jenny, wife of Bill, believes, until his body is found that he is still alive. Speaks with Dan. Michelle, girlfriend of Vince (Vinny), believes he must be dead and has since married Roger and had two daughters; she is unhappy and still thinks of him. Why had both the clocks stopped at the same time? Who was the unknown visitor who arrived to fix the broken generator when Arthur cancelled the repairman from Trident? Will Dan find out what really happened that fateful night?

Based on the true story of three missing lighthouse keepers from an Outer Hebridean lighthouse in 1900, the novel is a historical mystery that flits between 1972 and 1992 and between the keepers and their wives and girlfriends. The tragedy drove the women apart, rather than bringing them together and we learn that everyone, the keepers and their wives and girlfriends, were carrying the burden of keeping secrets.

Beautifully written about a lost way of life (after lighthouses were built but before they were automated), with the sea at the heart, this is an engrossing mystery. Elegant, haunting and complex.

"Lighthouse worlds are small. Slow. That's what other people can't do: they can't do things slowly and with meaning."

I loved the idea behind this book: 30-ish years ago, three men who worked at a lighthouse disappeared and nobody knows how or why. In "The Lamplighters", we explore a possible explanation of what could have happened through the points of view of the three men and their wives/partners (20 years later, as a bookseller writer interviews them to write his own account of the story).
Throughout the story we slowly start peering behind the curtain, and discovering the secrets of the lighthouse inhabitants and their families.

I feel it was well written and the suspense was kept throughout the book, keeping me interested until the end. It was a good read, I would definitely recommend it (although there are some trigger warnings to bear in mind).

Thanks to NetGalley UK and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

This has been heralded as one of the big books for 2021 and it’s clear to see why. Moving from 1972 to 1992, readers learn of how three lighthouse keepers vanish from a remote lighthouse. In 1972, the skies have been clear for a week but the Principal Keeper’s weather log has described a terrifying storm. When the lighthouse is searched, no trace of the keepers can be found – so what happened to them? In 1992, a writer approaches the loved ones of the missing, disappeared keepers, to tell their side of the story. What should have brought the three women together, a mystery and tragedy in equal measure, has only driven them apart. It’s only be reliving their version of events can the truth emerge. This is not just a clever read, it is cleverly written, forcing readers to concentrate so as not to miss a thing. It’s not an easy read – there are moments of true sadness – but you are left wanting to reread it, so clear and crisp is the writing.

Based on a true mystery, The Lamplighters is tense with mistrust on every page. A slow burning novel, it aims to provide a possible answer to why three lighthouse keepers vanished without trace from a tower out at sea. We are given the events at the time from the point of view of all three men, and twenty years later, from their still grieving wives who talk to a mysterious author, determined to find the truth. Of course, all kinds of secrets spill out and we confront myth and hearsay in equal measure. An assured storyteller at work.

I know I'm not going to do this book justice with words. The Lamplighters is an experience that evokes all the senses. The plot. The descriptive writing. The characters. One of the best things to come out of lockdown IMHO.

A fisherman told him once about the sea having two faces. You have to take them both, he said, the good and the bad, and never turn your back on either one of them.

In 1972, fifteen miles off the coast of Cornwall, three men disappeared without trace from The Maiden Rock Lighthouse in the frigid pause between Christmas and New Year. Jory Martin had taken out a relief keeper, the weather such that the boat [was] rocking and bobbing like a bath toy over the wavelets but they were unable to get any response from the Maiden Rock. It was broken into the next day, but there was no sign of the men. The table was set for a meal for two - and the clocks were stopped at 8.45. Contact with the light had not been possible as the radio was broken. No explanation was ever found for what happened to the men.

Arthur Black was the Principal Keeper - or PK as he would have been known in the service - and he was greatly respected. His wife, Helen, often wondered if Arthur was actually happier when he spent his eight weeks on the light than in the four weeks when he was at home. They'd never discussed it. The Assistant Keeper was Bill Walker. It was difficult to say where he was happiest. Home meant his wife, Jenny, and adult children. Everything was done for him including the regular provision of food treats which he had once liked but not any more. It was suffocating. The light meant the sea - and Bill didn't like the sea - but there seemed to be no way out.

Vince Bourne was the supernumerary Assistant Keeper - generally known as the super. Vince was happy: onshore he had his girlfriend, Michelle, but on Maiden Rock, he had the solitude which he coveted. It was the perfect combination and Vince was even somewhat surprised to find that he had ambition. He'd never been in a position to experience this before: his criminal record usually meant that all he had to look forward to was more time inside. Now he thought of making Assistant Keeper, which came with accommodation and possibly even Principal Keeper.

Each year, on the anniversary of the disappearance, Helen Walker made a pilgrimage to her old home but the twentieth anniversary is somewhat different. An adventure novelist, Dan Sharp, is planning a non-fiction book about the disappearances and he wants to speak to the people who were left behind. Although it had seemed that the women had told all that they know of late 1972, there were secrets still to be teased out.

Just occasionally you read a book and before you're at the bottom of the first page you know that it's going to be special: that's what happened with The Lamplighters. I knew I was in safe hands. I had every confidence in the research that had been done to the point where I knew that there was a great deal more that Emma Stonex could have told me, but hadn't needed to. When you read you'll know exactly what it was like to be imprisoned in a tower. You'll understand the simmering tensions which need to be tamped down as there is no walking away from the situation. You'll understand the frustrations which can come from something as simple as your bunk now being quite long enough for you and curved.

The characterisation is excellent: the men and their wives/girlfriend are captured perfectly. Even shadowy Trident (which runs the lighthouses and shouldn't be confused with Trinity House) is a character in its own right. I was stunned by the plot: the clues were all there but I was still uncertain about who was responsible for the disappearances until the very last moment. The book comes with the highest possible recommendation and I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy.

An interesting book but just not for me. A lighthouse at sea is found empty, all three keepers missing. The door is locked from the inside and there are no signs of what has happened. The book tells the story from the stand point of each of the keepers and their wives or partner. The stories jump from the time of the disappearance to 20 years later. I found jumping from one character to the next and between time periods disjointed. None of the characters were particularly likeable. I'm sure many people will enjoy this book especially if they prefer slow burner stories.

I thought this book sounded really intriguing .However I found the pace of the book to be much too slow for me, and too rambling. I am however a very impatient reader, and other readers may enjoy the slower pace more. I hope so.

A slow burn, but I enjoyed the fact that the story was given the space and pace to settle in.

The different point of view of the three wives and their differing approaches to what has happened was interesting and kept me engaged.

The ending was satisfying. A good read.

Recommend

A beautifully written, mesmerising account of a locked-room mystery where three lighthouse keepers have disappeared with no explanation. The door is locked from inside and there is no way off the lighthouse except by boat - not possible due to very stormy weather. Gradually we learn the back stories of the men and their partners on land and we live the life at sea. Eight weeks living with 2 other men, eating, sleeping, working, smoking, shifts covering 24 hours. The book is lyrically intense, how the mind works in such conditions is portrayed very sensitively. A very immersive book - in every way - and I strongly recommend it.

Intriguing tale of a mysterious disappearance of three men from an offshore lighthouse. The plot moves from the disappearance to the men’s shore life and marriages or relationships backwards and forwards without revealing too much. Tends to ramble a little at times but the atmosphere on the lighthouse is beautifully portrayed. An interesting rather than riveting read but probably worthwhile.

The Lamplighters is the ultimate locked room mystery: In the 1970s three lighthouse keepers disappear from the Maiden lighthouse with no clue as to what has occurred. The relief crew find the clocks stopped at the same time and no signs of a struggle. In 1992 an author decides to write a book about the mystery and interviews the partners of the three men for their story.
I really enjoyed the mood building and description of the sea and the rocks, which conveyed the menace and sinister feelings surrounding the lighthouse.
Essentially this is a character piece that gradually reveals the secrets, guilt and suspicions that the three women are living with and this sits juxtaposed with the timeframe leading up to the disappearances, so that revelations link to present day motivations and vice versa.
There is also a flirtation with the supernatural which I loved, that teases the reader as to whether there is any substance to it.

Brilliant premise for a novel which made me want to be enveloped by this book, yet the slow start failed to reach and pace. The author is clearly a skilled writer and uses lots of literary techniques such as streams of consciousness and dual timelines. Whilst these added to the unsettling themes of the story, it was lacking in enough 'supernatural/darkness' to make it truly atmospheric. Little breadcrumbs of plot are scattered as you read, yet these aren't explored to their full potential. All the markers of a great thriller here, but needs a few more edits to make it more than good mini-series material.

The premise and reviews of this book intrigued me, however, I did struggle with the writing style. I found it a bit of a slow burner but made it to the end to find out what happened. Although it was an interesting story it I didn't find it gripping.

I really enjoyed this! I started off not so keen, it seemed a little slow maybe? I’m not sure..anyway, about a third in I started to get really invested in it, and I started to talk to my partner about it which I never do!

It’s a story very loosely based on the true story of three lighthouse keepers who go missing in 1972, nobody knows what happened to them, they just vanished with the door locked from the inside.

I strongly disliked all of the wives/girlfriend , but if anything I think this added to the story, maybe I wasn’t supposed to - they aren’t nice...

As I said above, I really really enjoyed this story, it really captivated me, so many little things going on....

My thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

sorry to say i struggled with this one..and i was really looking forward to it..but the writing style was putting me off....

if it had been more condensed i might have enjoyed it more

but its based on a true story so for some it might be of interest

The beauty of the cover alone excited me, along with the fact that this has already been featured across many book socials, i was excited and intrigued to get hold of a copy of this book.

The book is inspired by real events when the lighthouse keepers disappeared from the ilean Mor lighthouse in the Outer Hebrides in 1900. The book moves between the events surrounding and following the disappearance, and then forward to 20 years when a writer starts investigating the mysterious events - the lighthouse door was locked from the inside and the clocks had stopped.

The women left behind are all struggling as a result of the men disappearing. The reactions of the women leave you feeling a sense of unease, that perhaps there are secrets and unresolved issues beneath the surface. The atmospheric descriptions of the cornish coast, the isolation and remoteness of the lighthouse highlight the grief and the blurring of the lines between the reality and imagined. The relationships between the characters are tense and unsettling between the wives and the keepers as they are isolated in their duty on the lighthouse. As a reader we learn about the life of the keepers and their families.
I was drawn into the disturbing tense atmosphere of the book, and wanted to see some form of resolution to the events of 1972. I enjoyed the character relationships and the unsettling atmosphere of the coast. Read and enjoy.

This spooky tale, set in 1972 and 1992, is inspired by the real life mystery of the Flannan Isles Keepers who disappeared from their lighthouse in 1900. In this fictional reimagining, Arthur, Bill and Vince and their surviving partners Helen, Jenny and Michelle, all have secrets and as the narrative twists and turns, the reader is constantly left speculating - who did what? and who knows what?

This book was atmospheric, mysterious and very engaging. The suffocating and sinister environment of the lighthouse was captured perfectly and the two female characters of Helen and Jenny were really excellent. The hint of supernatural was perhaps not developed as much as it could have been, and I would have enjoyed this as an even spookier read.

A mystery we will never know the answer to.

Three lighthouse keepers vanish from their lighthouse in Cornwall.

...the door is locked from the inside.....

...the table is set for dinner....for two.....

...the clocks have stopped at the same time...

...the log books says there was a dreadful storm...the weather has been clear and calm all week...

It is 1972 some twenty plus years before automation in lighthouses. The story of the missing men captured the news. It changed the lives of a number of people as well as the nearest village to the lighthouse. But only those three men know the story, Arthur; Principal Keeper, Bill; Assistant Keeper and Vince; Supernumerary Keeper. Each with their own story, their own experience of lighthouse work, solitude and the life they live away from the one thing that keeps drawing them back - the lighthouse.

1992, three women who should have remained close are very much estranged. Helen, Jenny and Michelle.  When a novelist decides to step away from his normal oeuvre and write about the mystery then the women are forced to confront some home truths and secrets that should have been said twenty years previous.

Is the truth the real story here? Or is there another one.

This books is very much in the vain on a locked room mystery that many readers can relate to. What makes this book stand out from the rest of them is the use of a real life mystery (1900 Flannan Isles, Outer Hebrides). The location and time has been moved, but the premise is the same. What happened and can you create a novel based on not knowing the answer?

Yes you can and you can build so much suspense into it, through the slow turn of events which mirror the slow way of life on the lighthouse. The isolation not just on the lighthouse but ashore as well. The isolation of the those left behind, the women holding everything together at home.

Told from everyone's point of view, across both timelines gave you such a view of everything and everyone that you can see all the evidence to make your own conclusion. I loved the way each chapter was set differently, the way we read the women's dialogue to the author as a stream of consciousness without the interruption of the possible questions. To what felt like encroaching on the lighthouse keepers that seemed to be talking to themselves when working as we learnt their stories.

Well constructed and atmospheric that the power of the sea, the weather almost overtakes the power of the storytelling.

Will keep you reading long past lights out.

Probably going against the majority of reivews but this book did not really excite and entertain me. What was I expecting? To me a fair comparison would be the 2019 movie The Lighthouse starring William Defoe and Robert Pattinson....2 lighthouse keepers who begin to descend into madness when a storm strands them on the remote island where they are stationed. I could clearly feel the horror of what was happening it was frighteningly atmospheric. The author of The Lamplighters in no way excited me with her storytelling as she rambled on about the lives of the 3 keepers and the women who waited patiently for their return, told in 2 timelines. There was an illicit affair and the sad death of a child but she failed miserably to bring alive the terror that such an isolated setting should produce. This could just as easily have been a story of 3 miners, 3 deep sea divers, 3 murderers.....the list is endless. The Shining by Stephen King and The Silent Land by Graham Joyce are 2 great examples where the respective authors allowed the reader to feel the horror and madness that resulted from isolation and inclement weather. Many thanks to the good people at netgalley for a gratis copy in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written.