I was desperate to find out what happened to the men as it seemed an impossibly that all 3 could go missing, hence I read the book very quickly! I was dreading that I would be disappointed with the outcome (or possibly lack of outcome!) but fortunately I wasn't and I never guessed the ending. This is a great atmospheric read that drip feeds little secrets about everyone (and possibly about the parts they play in the mystery) along the way. A great rainy day read.

A mysterious atmospheric novel which is set in two timeframes. During 1972 three lighthouse keepers mysteriously vanished, and present day when a novelist interviews the wives of the men who disappeared.
Descriptions of the raging seas, harsh conditions inside the lighthouse, and work involved by the men was interesting. However, It took me a while to get into the story, which is mainly narrated with little dialogue, especially the chapters written by the wives.
A well researched book with a compelling storyline, but didn’t hold my interest.

The question is great, what happened to the three men in the lighthouse. However, the story is told from 6 different points of view, has so many tangents and is written in a jumbled fashion with so many loose ends. You don't like any of the characters and in the end the conclusion is rather a let down and a bit ho hum.

I really liked the idea of this book. I wanted to know what had happened to the three men. There are a lot of secrets in this book. There are secret lives and secrets that could wreck lives. I enjoyed the story but kept expecting more.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Well structured mystery told from the perspectives of the three lighthouse men who went missing (70s) and their surviving wives (in the 90s). The shifting perspective and style (including interviews, newspapers, first person narrative etc) ensures that secrets - and more than a few red herrings - can be uncovered at a languid pace, with a tinge of the supernatural thrown in for good measure. Suitably atmospheric, especially the sections on the lighthouse itself. Some interesting social commentary on the changing role of women and wives add colour and create a real sense of temporal location as ell as the physical side. Very enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy. This book has such a good concept. Told from the point of view of everyone involved, this book explores just what it means to be on a lighthouse for weeks at a time, and also what it means to be married to the men that worked there. Fascinating from beginning to end, i would definitely pick this book up again for another read.

Based on a true story, The Lamplighters is about three men who disappear from a lighthouse surrounded by sea. The only way on or off the lighthouse is by boat when the weather permits. Two of men, Arthur and Bill are old hands on lighthouses and married for many years, while Vinny younger and with a rather chequered past has a steady girlfriend.
When there's been no communication from the men a boat is sent to investigate finding the lighthouse door locked from the inside and no signs of life.
Told in two timelines twenty years apart by the men and their partners the story is absorbing and full of atmosphere.
I finished the book very quickly and although I sort of guessed what might have happened there was enough to keep me reading. Well worth reading.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and the author for the chance to review.
I really liked the premise of this book when I requested it from Netgalley This is based on a true story, where all three keepers vanish from a remote lighthouse 15 miles from the shore. The door is locked from the inside, the clocks have both stopped at the same time, the log records a mighty storm even though the skies have been clear all week. So, what happened?

I expected “The Lamplighters”, to be full of intrigue and mystery. However, I found this was a novel that divided me, I loved the storyline as told by the men isolated at the lighthouse, with some great descriptions really setting the scene. good making it easy to visualise the isolation and both the power and the beauty of the sea. But when the narrative changed to the women’s viewpoint, back on the mainland it didn't work quite so well, for some reason their characters never really took developed and it felt a little disjointed.

Part of the problem in my humble opinion is that it tries to be a bit of everything. A lot of the writing is truly beautiful the descriptions of the sea, are incredibly emotive. I also found the insights into the lives of the men, captivating and interesting. Unfortunately, part of what made this so wonderfully descriptive is also its downfall. I personally found there was just too many words, far more than were necessary. I’m sure others will love this book but for me it was a little disappointing.

Overall this is a mixed bag. I can't help but feel it just needs a little bit more work on it and it could become something excellent.

I loved this book. For me it ticked all my boxes, it was the story of three men who went missing from a Cornish lighthouse in 1972. What I liked about the book was, that this is a time period I can remember yet I was being introduced to something that felt as though it was from olden times and I knew little about. I can always relate to my own time frame and then get fascinated by what I don't know. A bonus was the fact an incident similar to the one in this book had happened and so after reading the book I can look up something else and that takes away the disappointment of finishing an enjoyable read.
This is a mystery book that delves into the lives of the three partners of the lighthouse men, it also gives the reader a lot of scope to develop their own ideas.
A refreshing read, something different, I will happily recommend this to others or buy it as a present.

Three men disappear from a lighthouse, both clocks stopped at the same time, a table set for two and the door locked from the inside! The isolation, the loneliness, the contrast and contrariness of life within and without the lighthouse is written with such feeling and emotion that the story is an education in itself. I felt for both the wives; they both had my sympathy though perhaps Jenny would have been the more irritating of the two. Her character being a little too obsessive. I found it all quite fascinating and enjoyed the story very much despite the conclusion being perhaps a little too contrived.

I was intrigued to know how a novelist might approach this material, since no explanation has ever been found for the missing lighthouse keepers of Flannen Island. It became apparent that the author had decided that the mystery was the point and presents several possible theories as well as exploring fascinating rumour and gossip.
Using different timeframes, she allows us to see the keepers at work in the days preceding their disappearance. We also have access to the women who loved them and have been left behind. Two decades after the disappearance, a journalist is now snooping about.
The author does voice exceptionally well. There are six povs and each is unique. This is a story of grief and loss and isolation and blame. The sentence level writing is extraordinary – her descriptions of the sea are stunning both for their poetic beauty and also for the sense of power and mystery she imbues the water with. Both a page turner and a beautifully written book..

An interesting story that keeps you involved as you want to know what happened. Tells the tale showing the impact of what happens on each person in their tight community. Recommended to those who enjoy reading this type of book.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review**
The concept of this book really interested me - a mysterious disappearance on a lighthouse? Brilliant!
However, I found the pace too slow and I lost track of the different characters.
I was worried that we wouldn't get a conclusion but we did, at least, get some kind of solution to the mystery.

This book is a must read!! Part history and truth, part mystery. I loved this and this book will remain with me for a long time. This book was absolutely beautifully written.

This one was... a weird one to explain. A non-mystery mystery in a way. Two timelines, 3 men, 3 wives, one lighthouse.

I think what gripped me the most behind this book is the history and the almost unbelievable life of the keepers, the book is so well researched that it feels so real and I really feel like I've come away having learnt new things.. not quite what I expected from a murder mystery but I'll take it!

Its also weird in that there are no formal conclusions, usually that winds me up so much but it worked so well in this. The drama builds quite slowly but it still managed to be a page turner. Id give it 5 stars for chapter 47 alone, the most beautifully haunting poem ever.

It is 1972 -there are three lighthouse keepers working and living together in isolation. When their relief arrives to replace them and bring them back to shore -they have vanished . The door to the lighthouse is locked from the inside -and nothing is out of place -no signs of a struggle . Where can they be and what has happened to them ??
This was riveting stuff right from the off !
The story then moves forward to 1992 -twenty years later -and we slowly unravel the mystery behind the missing lighthouse keeprs . Fabulous .

Thankyou NetGalley for an advance copy in return for an honbets review .

I read this in Cornwall and felt completed transported. It's so atmospheric and richly detailed, like a modern-day Daphne du Maurier.

This is the tale of three lighthouse keepers who disappear from a lighthouse in the middle of the sea without a trace, what was left behind and what could have happened to them. A Famous author hears of the tale and decides he wants to write a book about it, to try and uncover the mystery.

Going in I thought this would be written from the authors point of view but you actually don't hear from the author until the end. I thought it was very clever way that the interviews were written without actually having any questions, just a stream of responses which leaves you to deduce the questions being asked. I think this is brilliant as each person reading it might take something slightly different out of it. The author has an incredible way with words and I was really drawn into the story and desperate to know the outcome. I did at some points get a little lost with all the characters, mainly the actual light house keepers as they didn't have as clear a definition as the wives but overall it came together very well.

The perfect read to curl up and get lost in.

The story starts with an intriguing premise: 20 years ago, 3 lighthouse workers go missing without a trace. What happened to them? Alongside this we learn about what has happened to their loved ones since. Secrets are revealed along the way and you have more sympathy with some characters than others. Some of the writing was done in a stream of consciousness way which I found difficult to read. This was a good observation of human nature and some parts were very sad. The actual mystery never fully took off for me as much as the lives of those left behind.

I was really excited to be given the opportunity to read a digital ARC of The Lamplighters via Netgalley. This book has generated a lot of excitement, and while I hadn't previously learned much about the story behind this novel, I was intrigued by the blurb and cover to learn more.

First I should admit that I'd expected The Lamplighters to have a supernatural element to the story. In fact, there is something supernatural about this novel, a light element if you will (which I won't give away in this review) though it is not what you'd expect. Instead, this novel is more closely focused on the lives and relationships of the characters; on stories, rumour and speculation. In fact, I found these aspects far more interesting than the theme I had initially expected.

The narration of The Lamplighters has - at least for me - a strange rhythmic cadence. Chapters swing from events of the past to the present day; from the events leading up to the disappearance of the three lamplighters, to the impact on those left behind. Yet this does not feel disjointed: instead it flows smoothly, and made me think of stories told by firelight over the course of several winter nights.

Only after finishing The Lamplighters did I set out to explore the true-life story on which it was based. Then I realised how cleverly Emma Stonex had crafted this remarkable retelling, which lingered in my thoughts long after I'd turned the final page. The temporal setting was transported form the turn of the 20th century to a more contemporary decade, at the point which manned lighthouses were on the cusp of being replaced with automation. I found this added a great richness to the story, and more potential for each of the lamplighter's backstory, in addition to the clever twists and turns of the mystery which kept me guessing until the very end.

Do search this book out at your favourite bookstore when it is released next year! I'm sure this novel will be enjoyed by readers who crave well-crafted stories with realistic characters and an element of mystery.