This book did not really work for me. I quite liked the style of writing, with each character narrating in turn, and the descriptions of life on a lighthouse were interesting, but I did not find the plot entirely plausible. The 'supernatural' element (silver man?) didn't really work, and I was not convinced by the characters or their relationships.
Perhaps others will enjoy it more.

The inspiration for this novel is interesting, taking a real-life mystery and building a novel around it. I really wanted to be intrigued but I was irritated by the many hints at the characters' secrets. There is one point in the novel where two of the women meet specifically so that one can reveal something to the other, but the information is not forthcoming.

I appreciate that a close connection with the sea leads to superstition, but I really could not make any sense of the silver man/ghost who resurfaced, I think, as the maintenance man who was an extremely odd and unbelievable character. Whether or not he visited the lighthouse was just confusing..

I could engage more with the keepers' stories than those of their partners as theirs were told in a straightforward way, whereas in many chapters the women were supposedly talking to the writer who never said a word, never asked a question, so what should have been a dialogue was in fact a monologue revealing far more than would have been disclosed to the writer, given the women's caution about speaking to him.

The final explanation of the men's disappearance was convincing, but unfortunately the getting there did not excite my interest.

I was expecting The Lamplighters to be full of intrigue and mystery. After all three keepers vanish from a remote lighthouse miles from the shore. The door is locked from the inside, the clocks have stopped and the log mentions a might storm even though the skies have been clear all week, so what happened? Sadly I found this book to be lacking any page and didn’t feel going between 1972 and 1992had that much impact. I couldn’t gel with any of the characters either. I’m sure others will love this book but for me it was disappointing. Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and the author for the chance to review.

The Maiden Lighthouse, miles from the Cornish coast. In 1972 , the three lighthouse keepers vanish. The tower door is locked. On the inside.

Two clocks are stopped at the same time. The table is laid - for 2 places. The Principal Keeper's log tells of a storm, but the seas have been calm.

What happened to them?

On the mainland, they leave 3 women behind.

Through the eyes of all 6 people (the men in 1972, the women 20 years later), we discover what happened in the tower out at sea.

A well-told tale which draws you in and holds your interest

Such a beautifully written book. The kind of book you just don’t want to end. Even though just very loosely based on an actual event in 1900 (the characters etc are made up by the author and the novel is set in the 1970s) I am now inspired to find out a bit more about the real life event in 1900, I throughly recommend this book....a wonderful storyline with beautiful prose. Thank you for letting me read an early copy.

Thank you so much for this review copy. As a lover of all things nautical, I had been interested to read it! It was a bit different to what I was expecting - I thought it would be literary but instead it was more like a 'nautical saga', character-driven, and with a formulaic prose structure. However, I thought the prose was well-written and mimicked that 'gossip' or 'interview' style, and there were some really tender and touching moments. I also loved her research which really shone through - it made the book very unique and interesting. It was evocative and very easy to imagine. I thought she did well to discuss the issues the men were facing in their personal lives as well as giving a voice to the wives.
Overall, I thought it was very well researched and will be a great book to publish in March. I can't wait to see the cover!