This review is for the Audible version; I also have a Kindle version and of the two, I really enjoyed the the narrated version. The two narrators added depth and nuance to the story and their performances are faultless. I found the written version a little difficult to engage with and was surprised that another format made such a difference to my enjoyment.

The story is based on real events. A long-standing mystery as to what happened to three lighthouse keepers who literally disappeared from their isolated lighthouse station. I love stories set in the wild and this has a real feel for the power of the sea and the harshness of landscape. The setting is, at times, almost visceral and I could feel the waves lashing and the wind howling. Powerful writing.

The narrative moves between past and present and the switches are seamless. Whilst it’s a story based on a mystery, it’s very much a multi layered exploration of the nature of relationships and the aftermath of tragedy. It’s a different and truly engaging.

My thanks to the publisher for an Audi review copy via Netgalley.

I thoroughly enjoyed this nautical thriller that’s inspired by real events. The story is told in a dual timeline, in part we follow an author writing book about the events that happened 20 years prior, alternating with the story as it happened with the men in the lighthouse.

The book is eerie, suspenseful and full of mystery. The characterisation is great and we are taken on a real journey exploring not only the plot, but the setting and relationships and interconnectedness of the characters.

Here’s some of what I really loved:

The fantastic narration of this audiobook. It’s probably one of the best narrated audiobooks I have listened to. This is narrated by Tom Burke and Indira Varma, I will definitely look out for any other books they have narrated

The setting of the sea, it almost becomes a character in itself, a dangerous character at that, and the threat of it is always looming. This creates a great feeling of suspense

This isn’t a typical thriller and not really what I expected, BUT in a good way. it’s intense and you can really get lost in it, it's a good length, especially for audio

The interview style of the narration, we are left to deduce the questions with only answers to them being shared, it’s unlike anything I’ve read before and worked really well in audio

I really enjoyed this and would recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First things first, I listened to the audio and it is fantastic. Narrated by Tom Burke and Indira Varma, its one of the best narrated audiobooks I've listened to. This book was a pleasant surprise as I'd gone in expecting a gothic, historical fiction, mystery and we kind of get that but it's much more an exploration of the people left behind when tradegy strikes. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but its wasn't an interview style narration, but this does lend itself wonderfully to audio. Emma Stonex's writing is a real treat and the claustrophobic lighthouse and the threat of the ocean is really well realised. I loved it and look forward to seeing what she does next.

The Lamplighters
By Emma Stonex

An audiobook narrated by Indira Varma and Tom Burke

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I explained to you about light and how it works, how it isn’t just a question of light and dark. There are spaces in-between, those spaces, the shape and size of them matter more.”

💡Set on the Cornish coast in 1972, three lighthouse keepers go missing. There’s a table set for two. The clocks are stopped at the exact same time as each other and nothing looks to have been disturbed. In the weather log a storm has been recorded but there hasn’t been one all week?

20 years later the women they left behind are approached by an author who wants to cover the story. Can they piece together the story? What secrets will emerge? Are they able to move on and forgive?

Drawing inspiration from real life events Emma Stonex has created a suspenseful, atmospheric tale of love, mystery and grief. 💡

Okay I’m going to be honest here - I was only attracted to this book because of the cover - I didn’t even properly read the blurb! And wow.. I’m glad I gave it a go! Mystery isn’t usually my thing but this audiobook was AMAZING. The narrators are just simply perfect. I really felt as if they brought the book to life. I found myself listening to it at every spare opportunity, eager to find out what would happen next.

This book is filled with layer upon layer of secrets filled with darkness and light, misunderstandings and unspoken feelings. I really enjoyed the way ‘the Maiden’ and the sea were told almost as characters of their own and the completely different voices and point of views of the 3 men and 3 women left me guessing right up until the very last moment.

10/10 would recommend!

Thanks to Net Galley Uk and Macmillan Audio Uk for this gifted audiobook.

As soon as ‘The Lamplighters’ arrived at the bookstore It fell on my to-read list. What a great delight to listen to the audio version, which was so wonderfully narrated by India Varma and Tom Burke. This is the first novel Emma Stonex has published under her own name and it is certainly worth reading.

In 1972, three light keepers Vincent Bourne, Bill Walker and Arthur Black disappear from the Maiden Rock lighthouse. Their absence is an unexplained mystery that deeply impacts the lives of their loved ones. Using multiple points of view, the story unfolds combining the men’s experience at the lighthouse in their last few days together and the contrasting perspective of the women they leave behind.

A slow burn narrative, peppered with some incredible descriptions of the ocean and atmospheric throughout.

An unusal choice of "listen" for me, but would really recommend it.
Intriguing and engaging - a great mystery narrated well.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publishers Macmillan UK Audio for the audioARC of this book.

Wow. Wow.

This book is BRILLIANT! I rate it a 4.99 out of 5 stars. I listened to the audiobook and that alone, is a work of art. Emma Stonex is a brilliant writer who is able to conjure up the loneliness and cabin fever at sea, along with the mystery of what happens in a lighthouse and the people left behind.

The book takes inspiration from a case in 1900 where three men working on a lighthouse went missing. This story is based in in the 1970s and the 1990s, which to me, used to be worlds apart but now being a mature(!) 37 year old, is as if something happened in 2000 and 2020. To me, there haven't been many changes since but there clearly have.

In 1970, three men on a lighthouse go missing. The rescue mission finds nothing, no hint of these men is found on the lighthouse or anywhere else around. The lighthouse door is locked from the inside so where these men have gone is a total mystery.

The book is split between 1972 (I believe) and 1992. 1972 is the year the men go missing and each chapter is told from the viewpoint of one of the three men. In 1992, an author rocks up and wants to tell the story of the women who were dating/married to the men who went missing. One woman is very cautious of this man whilst the other two are open with him.

As the story progresses, it splits between how the men are feeling on the lighthouse in the 1970s and then what the women are going through/what they feel happened in 1992.

Throughout the book, there is weaved a sense of mystery which I can only commend. I finished this book in three days (it is eight hours long) and I was constantly connecting dots in my head. Sometimes what the men think was happening isn't what happened and sometimes they mis-heard things or they see things that cannot be explained to them but are explained easily by the women.

The conclusion is fantastic. Emma Stonex is a powerhouse of an author, I cannot wait to read more material by her.

4.99 out of 5

Many thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan UK Audio and Emma Stonex for the audio version of this book. I was intrigued to read this book when I first heard about it and it didn't disappoint. It's a fascinating, gripping and suspenseful story. The characters are so well drawn and I was hooked right up until the end. The sense of place is so evocative and I could really picture the tower in detail as it was described. Extremely well narrated as well. Emma Stonex is a talented writer so I hope this book was the first of many. Highly recommended.

The Lamplighters is one of my most favourite audiobooks ever. This raw and gripping novel had me enthralled but it's the talent of the narrators that give it teeth. I must give a shout out to Tom Burke and Indira Varma for their faultless portrayals of the characters within this novel. I loved, and was horrified, by the flawed characters based on the skill with which they made them flesh and bone. Raw is the best way to describe it, that's why I say it again. The Lamplighters is a raw, unhealing, open wound that captures the imagination with its mystery. How could three keepers vanish without a trace leaving the tower locked from within and a troubling trail of breadcrumb clues for all to ponder over after they have been labelled missing?

Unflinchingly personal, painful and reflective the thoughtful musings of Arthur, Bill and Vince, in the seventies just before they disappeared, added to the sense of mystery surrounding their fate. Twenty years later the women they left behind are approached by a writer keen to solve the mystery. Each woman has her own pains and struggles with what transpired years before and knows more than she may wish to impart.

The dynamic, poetic writing was as hypnotic as a siren's song. I could not put The Lamplighters down. Filled with heavy emotion and a deep love and respect for the sea, there is a darkness lurking in the shadows unwilling to part with its troubling truth. Quite possibly one of the most gripping books I've read in a while. I was completely enveloped by this narrative and there in the claustrophobic tower with PK and his crew. Spellbinding and creepy, heartbreaking and yet hopeful, too? Magical storytelling, honestly.

The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Don’t forget to check my top picks out at the link in bio.

Review:

This novel is inspired by Eilean Mor lighthouse mystery on the Flannan Isles in the outer Hebrides in 1900 where the lighthouse’s keeper disappeared. In the book Emma Stonex changes the setting to Cornwall, Maiden Rock in 1972, and this time three lighthouse’s keeper’s disappear, in what look like abnormal circumstances, the inside locks are on and the clocks have stopped at 8.45. The rumours have these men swept by the sea, but no one knows if that’s actually the case. Until in 1992, 30 years later, a famous writer decides to interview the wives and girlfriends of the men; Michelle, Jenny & Helen, who rather then grieving together have grown apart.

Constantly shifting between a timeline and the other, the author centres her narrative on the psychological impact of the lighthouse, the isolation that comes with the role and the grief of a lost loved one.
Therefore narrative is character driven and full of “dark secrets” to uncover, however I felt the women timeline, 1992, didn’t work as good as the one set in 1972. It felt too detached and the characters never really developed.
The men’s life, instead, was wonderfully described, and you could really understand the solitary life the keepers must have experienced, how remote and cut off the lighthouse was from home, yet could still be seen by the houses on shore, reminding the men of a normal life. This sorts of solitary life for months on end, especially when keeping secrets and dealing with a troubled past, could make the strongest man’s mind turn.

Original review: I was so excited by this book's premise. Who doesn't love a locked room mystery, and one set on a creepy lighthouse in atmospheric Cornwall? Sign me up!
However, the book was a disappointment for me. The constant change of character viewpoint and timeliness without clear enough distinction of either just made this book very hard to get stuck into. The paragraphs were very literary and I found myself skimming them to get to the actual substance of the mystery itself. The mystery was intriguing and gripping, but it was a battle to get to. I know I'm in the minority, so I'm glad other readers could enjoy it.

Updated review after listening to the audiobook.
This was much more engaging, and this must be down to the narrator. She did the accents superbly and the personalities shone through.
I am still undecided about the mystery though, I still feel it was very vague in Stonex's verdict on what happened on the lighthouse, and maybe that was her intention. Very intriguing, but a little frustrating. I now have a much better opinion of the book.

Wonderful and well written. I found the audio version very atmospheric and engaging. Took a little while to get into, but once the story took hold I was captivated.

I enjoyed this historical fiction based on a true story of three missing lighthouse keepers. Very well written over two time lines from different characters perspectives. I learnt a lot about lighthouses and lighthouse keeping and am intrigued to read more books on the subject. I’ll be looking out for more from this author. I also enjoyed the narrators.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the audioARC of this book.

This audiobook was completely engrossing! One of the ones that makes you ignore all other tasks until you're done, or makes the worst of chores bearable when you have it playing at the same time.
The mystery of the missing men and their lives unfolds beautifully and the atmosphere of both living in the lighthouse, but also the triangular relationship of the lighthouse, the sea and the mainland are expertly written. The narrators were excellent. Highly recommended.

I was initially drawn to this book by the startling cover, and then an extremely intriguing blurb – 3 men go missing on a lighthouse, and no one can work out how.

After the exciting first chapter, I settled down fully expecting an dark, locked room murder mystery. However what I got couldn’t be further from the truth.

Sadly, the book completely fell away after the first chapter, and just seemed to be a collection of recollections of the lives of the wives of the missing men. It was bland and boring. I didn’t care for the characters, or the story itself.

I don’t believe the story I read was a reflection of the blurb in any way. Such a let down sadly.

The idea was good, and I feel at points the writing was very good, just not a book for me I’m afraid.

1972 - the relief crew for an off shore lighthouse arrive to find all three lighthouse keepers missing and the door locked from the inside. An investigation is launched but there are no answers for the wives and families left behind.

20 years later an author decides to write a book about the event and conducts interviews with the wives and girlfriends of the three missing men.

Moving between the voices of the men at the time and the interviews 20 years later, Emma Stonex builds the tension as we begin to put the pieces together and uncover the tragedies, lies and secrets behind the incident.

This is a fascinating concept for a book, inspired by true events which makes it all the more thrilling. The way the book moved between the different accounts kept it interesting, although occasionally I got confused about who we were hearing from.

The narration and production of this audiobook were excellent and it was very enjoyable to listen to.

Going back and forth between 1972 and 1992 this is the story of three lighthouse keepers that vanished without a trace. Both fascinating and melancholy, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the narrators did a wonderful job with this audiobook. It was so compelling that I got through it less than a day

A haunting audio experience - this story was made for listening to, so I’m glad I reviewed the audio version! Like the best ghost stories, it is the perfect fodder for a (COVID-safe) gathering around the campfire. It inspired me to look up the news reports behind the real disappearances that the novel is based on - that to this day, uncertainty remains in relation to the lighthouse keepers’ fates.

I thought the narrators were fantastic for this audiobook. A really brilliant book made even better by perfect narrators that bring the characters to life. Easy to follow even on audio, would really recommend for a great character driven mystery.

The moment I heard the premise of this one I knew it was going to be one for me. I love historical fiction, and I love mysteries, they are my two favorite genres and this promised to be a perfect blend of the two.

This novel is inspired by a true story, three men disappeared from a lighthouse on a remote Scottish island in the early 20th century, and this reimagined version depicts what life might have been like for them, what circumstance might have led to their disappearance, and what could have happened to them that night.

I found the setting and the atmosphere stunningly portrayed, the power of the sea, the isolation of the lighthouse, the oppression of the conditions the three men were living in. I also adored the stories of the women these men had left behind, and the impact of the disappearance and the lack of answers, the ongoing threat of the unknown.

I listened to this as an audiobook and I think it is beautifully done. Some stories benefit from being told out loud, and I think this is one of them. The two voice actors do an outstanding job.

A spectacular debut, and an author I will be keenly looking out for more from!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Picador/Macmillan Uk Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 captivating stars