Humans are always drawn to the unexplained and mysterious. Perhaps because it is a reminder of our own frailty and the transitory nature of an individual’s experience on Earth. The idea that humans may somehow escape and outwit the fate of everyone else is a compelling one. Emma Stonex explores this through her debut ‘The Lamplighters’ which is a fictional exploration based on the real-life disappearance of three lighthouse keepers from Eilean Mor, one of the remote islands in the Outer Hebrides. She offers multiple suggestions as to the fate of these three men and their absence in December 1900.
Reading this novel during the days between Christmas and New Year was timely as this was the same time, over a 120 years ago that these men disappeared. Although now it is largely assumed the men were washed out to sea whilst attempting to secure equipment, over the years lots of other theories have emerged ranging from being captured both by other humans or supernatural entities to the men themselves elaborately crafting their own escape. Certain details remain unexplained such as the doors being bolted from the inside and the clocks stopping at the same time. Ultimately, we will never know with absolute certainty the fates of these men or their last movements or thoughts and so the desire to complete the puzzle will always be a compelling one.
Even though this event drives the narrative, I felt that Stonex’s writing was more concerned with the exploration of the psychology of loneliness. The writer changes the dates of events splitting the narrative between the 1970s where we meet the three lightkeepers and then the 1990s where we are introduced to the lightkeepers’ partners who are all still struggling to come to terms with what happened. Each character is isolated and lonely in their separate ways, whether it be a physical, emotional or a psychological sense of entrapment despite being a ‘populated’ book communication and connection are missing for all of them. This is particularly poignant and stark next to the vastness of the ocean which felt like a character itself along with The Maiden, the name of the lighthouse, which stands ominous and foreboding in the ocean itself. Stonex deftly shows both these elements to be both unforgiving and uncaring. That despite the trials and tribulations of the human characters around them they, with their water and stone, will continue and endure whilst all else will be swallowed up by the passage of time.
Thank you to Pan MacMillan and Net Galley for my ARC.

The Lamplighters is inspired by a true life mystery when three lighthouse keepers disappeared from a lighthouse without a trace in 1900.

The action however in this book, takes places around 1972 when three lighthouse keepers disappeared from a lighthouse known as Maiden Rock and then to twenty years after their disappearance in 1992. The characters in this novel are entirely fictional.

In 1972 there are chapters about each of the lighthouse keepers. Principal Keeper Arthur, Assistant Keeper Bill and Supernumerary Keeper Vince. These give us an insight into the realities of life in an isolated lighthouse and how that interacts with the mindset of each man. We are also given an insight into the relationships that the lighthouse keepers have with each other and with their wives/partner back on land. Each man is carrying secrets that are slowly revealed over the course of the book to give the reader a full picture of what happened in that lighthouse.

In 1992 an author appears in the book to uncover the truth behind the mystery of the men’s disappearance and we are introduced to the wives/partner of the men; Helen, Jenny and Michelle. Similar to the men’s chapters set in 1972 the view from each woman helps to set the scene of what the relationships between each of the men were like and the secrets that are revealed gives an insight into the strained relationships between the lighthouse keepers.

The book is quite slow paced and particularly in the middle when it becomes tedious and the reader is thrown of course as to what truly happened. Early in the book this was enough to hold the reader's attention but not as the book progressed.

I also wasn’t particularly enamoured with the attempt in the book to bring in another dimension which attempted to relate to the supernatural element and whether or not it bore any relationship to a mysterious character that showed up on the lighthouse late on in the read. This addition didn't add to the story and it was not very easy to follow, not adding any merit to the storyline.

However, because I was so interested in hearing about the book beforehand, I wanted to finish the book and to see how it turned out. Net Galley had generously allowed me to read this book and the publishers and author have made an excellent story out of a true story, although the middle part could be reduced by 25 pages! The end was quite weak and could have been much stronger.

I will give this book 4* as there were good descriptions and the author had done a lot of research into what might have happened in the original story.

I look forward to reading more books by this author.

A story told over two time periods, set in 1972 and 1992, it explores the mysterious disappearance of three lighthouse keepers from a lonely lighthouse in 1972, and impact that this has on their families in the future. All of the men were keeping secrets - was there something in the past of one of them that caused the disappearance? Did one of them go mad and kill the others? Or were they swept out to sea in a freak accident?

This was a very interesting story premise and I was excited to read it. I’m quite intrigued by lighthouses, being a lighthouse keeper is an important job but one that would only be suited to a very small category of people. Long, lonely stretches of time away from home, cooped up in small spaces with people that you may or may not get on with. Even though you’re away for long periods of time, you’re not guaranteed to get home as planned, as getting to and from the lighthouse can be so affected by the weather. This was a good story, I liked the layering of all the characters and finding out their backgrounds and how they ended up in the situations that they were in, and what made them turn to this kind of job, or make their wives marry them. It was an interesting examination of how small, unconscious actions can reverberate like ripples in a pond and have unpredictable effects, and you can never really know anybody else.

I did find the books ending to be slightly unusual - there were some turns in the story that I wasn’t particularly keen on, but it did have a proper resolution which I was happy about!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is probably my top read for 2020! I was carried away by the intrigue surrounding this story, the way in which the author developed her characters and the way it was paced. The settings and drama were so compelling, at times I felt a chill when reading and was absorbed by the narrative from start to finish. I absolutely recommend this novel to anyone who likes twists, a great use of descriptive language and a story that will stay with you for a long time after the closing lines.

The storyline is set in 1972 and 1992 and you follow all the characters as they build up to the fateful events that led to the disappearances of the lighthouse men and the aftermath for their wives and families. It's a murder mystery set in one of the best 'locked rooms' imaginable - a lighthouse built on stone out at sea, no way on and no way off. The suspense was well drawn out and there was a hint of the paranormal that ran through the book too, that I enjoyed. The lives of the lighthouse keepers when they were working had clearly been very thoroughly researched and brought the tensions and claustrophobic feelings of working and living so closely to the fore. Intriguing, atmospheric and compelling; I really enjoyed it.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this Netgalley ARC. I'm a sucker for ghost stories and lighthouses, but the "based on a true story" bit worried me.

It's Cornwall in 1972 and three lighthouse keepers have vanished from their remote lighthouse, The door is locked from the inside, so where did they go? Twenty years later, the wives they left behind are still struggling to move on, so when a writer approaches them, inviting them to tell their side of the story, they hope they can find "closure" and perhaps some answers. The blurb describes the book as a mystery, a love story and a ghost story - which it probably is, albeit not in equal measures.

Mostly, the book is told from the perspective of those three lighthouse keepers, plus the wives, across the two time periods. The former is well done, and you do see inside the minds of those troubled men. But the wives story is "bitty" and frankly, annoying in places, as they relate their stories to the writer. The characters are perhaps not ones you'll be drawn to much.

The book is probably best described as a slow-burner; it's not an easy read, with a lot going on, and secrets, damaged relationships and anxieties explored, and at times just too much going on, which made the story feel a little disjointed (alternate chapters switch between '72 and '92). It's undoubtedly an atmospheric book and the descriptions of the lighthouse, the isolation, the weather, and the sea, are well done. It considers the things that haunt us all; loss, fear, regret, and having the ability to forgive and forget.

Overall, I was left a little underwhelmed by the book, certainly a case of enjoying the journey rather than the destination, but I'm sure it will appeal to fans of psychology, human nature and what motivates us. Definitely worth a look, anyway.

I wanted to love this more than I did. It felt very slow and there wasn't quite enough build up of tension. Hard work.

I was really looking forward to reading this book after reading the blurb. I was slightly disappointed I thought with it being a true story it would be gripping and suspenseful. I'm afraid it lacked that, It didn't keep me interested.

The premise for this title is so good! I so wanted to like it…

Three lighthouse keepers disappear from a lighthouse; the doors are locked from the inside, both clocks have stopped at the same time, and the weather log reports storms that no-one else on land has experienced. The story is divided between two timelines – the men in the lighthouse just before the disappearance, and the women they left behind whom we meet twenty years later. Both subplots should be fascinating in different ways, with mystery, tragedy, loss and expectation providing both action and reflection. However, this isn’t quite what you get with this one…

The thread with the lighthouse keepers is the more intriguing storyline, and I was interested in getting to know the characters for a lot of their story. I was far less keen on the story of their wives and girlfriend twenty years later, though. The way in which it was written was probably a large part of it, as I found it frustrating to read one half of a conversation, with them answering questions from a journalist that we don’t hear, or breaking off to feed the dog and then apologising once they’re back. It’s very distracting and not necessary. I also found the characters unsympathetic at best – awful at worst. To be honest, the more I learned about the lighthouse keepers, the less I liked them too. This made me care very little about what happened to them and why, and how their families dealt with the aftermath.

While I expected a clever mix of genres, I think this one suffered by not knowing quite what it was, and we end up with a mishmash of styles that left me confused. The ending seemed to introduce elements of a completely different genre that rendered me even more baffled. I’m sure a lot of people would enjoy this one, but it wasn’t for me I’m afraid.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

Mystery, love story and truth. An amazing book that gripped me from the start. This is such a great read that when working I couldn’t risk reading it at lunchtime because I would not have been able to put it down to go back to work. Three men disappear into thin air in 1972 and many years later a writer wants to interview the three wives to retell the story and solve the mystery. This book is so well written it gets 10/10 and I highly recommend it.

I love a good mystery and knowing this was based on a true story made this book stand out to me.

Three lighthouse men have disappeared whilst on shift at the lighthouse, the building is empty and they have vanished without a trace.

The story alternates between 1972 before the men disappeared and twenty years later where a writer is seeking to find out what happened to the three missing men.

The mens wives are interviewed and it soon becomes apparent that secrets have been withheld.

This book kept me intrigued as I tried to work out what happened to the lighthouse men and I loved reading about their jobs and what working on a lighthouse would be like.

Definitely an author I will look out for!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

I loved this book so much that I went to bed early two nights running so I could finish it uninterrupted. I was so drawn in by the isolation of this lighthouse, that it was just standing directly in the sea and no one could come on or off until the relief boat came. Inspired by true events, the story is set in two time frames. In one we learn that a writer is researching a book on a famous disappearance of three lighthouse keepers. In 1972, miles off the coast of Cornwall a relief boat arrives at the Maiden, to find the door locked from the inside, the clocks stopped and no sign of the Principle Keeper or his two assistants. He contacts the women left behind by these men: Helen, wife of the Principle Keeper, Arthur; Jenny, wife of Bill his deputy; Michelle, girlfriend of the new recruit Vince. They have all received money from Trident, the company who employ the keepers, but with that came a directive, not to talk about the events surrounding the mystery. At the time, Vince came under the most suspicion. New to the area and with a criminal past, he seems the likely candidate to have harmed the others. Yet, why would Arthur write of a huge storm in the log, when seas had been calm all week? What became of the small boat rumoured to have sailed near the Maiden? There were also whispers about a mechanic sent to carry out repairs at the Principle Keeper’s request. It’s hard, years later, to distinguish between rumour and truth. Will any of the women speak to the writer and will they finally solve the mystery of what happened to the men?

This felt like an intriguing mix of mystery and love story, with a hint of the supernatural. There was a real difference between the sections on land and those at sea. As we meet the women, there is a grounded reality about their stories and their lives. Whereas the sections out in the sea are surprising, although there’s routine in the keeping of a lighthouse, it still feels like an escape, cut off from the real world. As they look out surrounded by waves they could be in any time and the struggles of the world can’t reach them. The sea narrative has a disjointed feel at times, they shift and turn, we’re sometimes unsure what is reality and what is fantasy. The women’s recollections feel more based in fact, they’re relating their own history whereas the keepers seem firmly in their present- only reacting and dealing with what is in front of them. This shows the huge disparity in how these couples were living their lives back in 1972. I could really imagine that jolt of having the person you spend your life with leave for several weeks, then just as you’re used to their absence they return again. It made me think of military marriages that often flounder because of this. Just as the home has a routine, it’s disrupted by someone returning again, changing the dynamic and wanted to do things differently. I felt particularly for Jenny, who has children to cope with in this remote area with little support and I could see how resentment might build.

These have not been easy relationships and living with the uncertainty of what happened to their men has affected them differently. Helen has experienced so much loss, losing Arthur after losing her only child who drowned when he was a toddler. The sea has claimed everything she loved and while she is matter of fact in stating the men must be dead, her certainty is brittle and she hasn’t fully let go of the events at Maiden. Helen feels that even when Arthur was home, he wasn’t fully present. Something of him always stays out on the sea - in fact perhaps, it’s the only place he truly makes sense. The Maiden is always there, towering between them like a mistress. Arthur does love to be out there, but for reasons Helen hasn’t realised. There is a sense that this couple have stopped talking and just below the surface there are secrets, some that perhaps explain Jenny’s animosity toward her. Jenny can’t seem to accept that her husband Bill has gone and welcomes someone trying to find out the truth. There is a hatred of Helen that runs deep, but it takes some time to find out whether she has reason to resent her so much. Michelle has moved on and is now married with children. She is very pragmatic about her life choices, she knows she doesn’t love her husband as she loved Vince but it can work and they have a family. Although there were so many rumours, Michelle is adamant in her defence of her first love. Yes, he had committed a crime and had often mixed with the wrong people. She could believe the rumour of the mechanic, despite Trident claiming they didn’t send anyone. Perhaps this was Vince’s past catching up with him, dressed in a mechanic’s overalls?

I loved the descriptions of the sea, and how it was a character in its own right. Sometimes calm, deceptively so, until a sudden swell could catch you by surprise. There are storms where waves batter the tower almost all the way up to the light itself. The sea is capricious, relentless and must be respected. The little touches of the supernatural add to the puzzle and intrigue the reader. Arthur’s sighting of something glinting silver in the sea or the little sail boat that passes by. Bill’s strange story of seeing the same man twice as he’s driving along and has to stop for him to cross - somehow he knows this isn’t a lookalike, it is exactly the same man. Is there a link between this strange story and the mechanic who turns up and seems to know all about them? This is where I started to wonder what was real? I wasn’t sure whether one of the keepers was having a mental health crisis and we were privy to his inner thoughts and delusions. Bill also has a strange attachment to Helen and I wasn’t sure whether his affections were returned or whether he was obsessed. Just enough little creaks, bangs and noises about the place are also making Vince jumpy. Could the isolation have proved too much for him?

The author weaves an unsettling tale and I wasn’t sure we would ever know what really happened. I was surprised, but incredibly satisfied by the ending. I thought the depiction of complicated grief in all the women felt real and honest. The glimmer of hope for their future was very welcome. I was left though, with an eerie feeling and a sense that the lighthouse might still be holding some secrets. That perhaps if you sailed nearby on a clear day you might see a father and his small boy looking out to sea, together forever in this one place outside of time.

This will appear on my blog this month and again on publication day.

This book wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I thought it would be a ghost story of a kind. I suppose in some ways it was. As it moves back and forth in time between 1972 and 20 years after the event, we can see how those who are left behind – the wives, are still left with ghosts from the past. Not just losing their husbands but also the secrets they have been keeping and the feelings they have tried to bury for so long.

The story is told in alternating chapters. Starting with the writer who wants to hear from the wives their side of the story and what they thought happened to their husbands twenty years before, the wives start to relate their thoughts to him. Throughout the book we never hear any dialogue from the writer himself, he just gives a platform for the characters Helen, Jenny and Michelle to talk through the events, to tell us the reader what life was like for a lighthouse keepers wife. In other chapters we hear from the keepers themselves as they work on the lighthouse before their disappearance.

It is an atmospheric book with descriptions of the eeriness of the lighthouse, the isolation, the being away from home for weeks at a time and not seeing another living person apart from the two other people they share the lighthouse with. Descriptions of the weather, the storms as well as the sometimes calm seas all add to the atmosphere.

It was a sad story in the end, very poignant. So much time over the twenty years since their husbands vanished is wasted, especially for Jenny.

I messed around with this book too much. Because it wasn’t what I thought it would be, because I felt it a little slow to get going I abandoned it half way through. Not with the intention of never finishing it but to squeeze two books in between because as a reader, as in life, you always think the grass will be greener in the next book or the book after that. I regret that because when I went back to it to finish the rest, I really got into the story and enjoyed it very much and wish now that I’d read it through from beginning to end without stopping in order to fully appreciate it. Time and again with books I’m shown that patience reaps rewards.

All I can say is don’t have any pre-conceptions of what you think this book might be, just read it and give it time to unfold and I think you will enjoy it very much. Definitely a book I think you could read a second time and get more from it, perhaps see it from a different perspective.

*Review to be added to goodreads now and to my blog closer to publication date or on publication date.*

I read this entire book, to the last page, not really certain whether I was enjoying it or not ... and that's a great thing! It is unusual, a whodunnit unlike any I've read, set in a world I knew nothing about. Great characters, well drawn.

All of the blurb related to The Lamplighters highlights that it is based on the true story. A true story of lighthouse keepers who go missing from their posts on lighthouse, with no trace. How interesting, this highlighting of the link to a 'true story' when what is actually so interesting about this book is its questioning of belief, truth and the space between them.
The richly descriptive, poetic prose build a detailed, claustrophobic sea-centric world both in 1972, the year of the disappearance of the three keepers and in 1992 where we follow their partners as they continue to question, or avoid questioning what really happened to the men on that fated morning thirty years earlier.
I really enjoyed the structure of the book, both the flitting back and forward in time, to the changes in perspective which for me really enhanced the story-telling, giving a real 360 to the mystery.
Ultimately, it is a story about what haunts us, memory, regrets, loves-lost and about letting go of that, letting those ghosts sleep for otherwise we risk being as isolated as the tower itself.
This is a debut with great craft and I can't wait to read whatever Emma Stonex writes next.

I expected a lot from this book. It’s based on a true story, and it sound like an interesting story. However, the execution did not work for me at all. The writing itself is good, but I didn’t like the constant shifting of time, place, and people. I also didn’t warm up to a single one of the people in the book.

I am sure this book will be liked by many, but it just wasn’t for me. I never got into the story, and I kept on looking for the real mystery, but couldn’t find it. Have to say that I am interested in the lighthouse keepers in general, and wouldn’t mind reading more about them.

I loved the premise of this novel and the fact that its based on a real life story. But I found the execution just didn’t really draw me in. It lacked the direction I thought it needed. Or at least, I was expecting a mystery and didn’t really get one.

Whilst I wasn’t as gripped by this book as by some others, I was very curious about the story and keen to get to the end to find out what happened. It was very atmospheric and I was quickly taken to the lighthouse but struggled a little bit to find a character that I could warm to.
Worth reading and I would recommend.

The Lamplighter is a wonderful book based on a true story ,the unexplained disappearance of three keepers on a remote lighthouse.Arthur,Bill and Vince all have their own stories and reasons for being a lighthouse keeper .Twenty years later we hear the stories of the wives they left behind.. This is a clever .atmospheric,creepy story which leaves you wondering .I thoroughly enjoyed it .Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

I was really looking forward to reading this book and really did want to like it. However, I just struggled to get into the way it is wrtten and the premise of an author trying to solve the mystery of how three lighthouse men seem to just disappear into thin air. I didn't sympathise with the wives or the men I'm afraid and even though I really hate to give up on a book, I did with this one - sorry! It wasn't for me I'm afraid which is disappointing.