A deeply moving tale set amongst the dreamy Cornish landscape that plunges you into the depths of mystery and the deeper psychologies of human life, specifically those working at a lighthouse, away from their families for chunks of time.

I read the first and last 30% of this book, and listened to the 40% chunk in the middle. I absolutely adored both formats of this book. What I really enjoyed from the reading of the novel was the difference between the stories, the letters and the interviews. Entwine that with the multiple points of view and switching between the past and the present and it really worked as a concept for the novel. Listening to the novel, the voices of the narrators were fabulous, I loved the voices, I loved the easy conversation style of Helen, each had their own uniqueness that I was totally absorbed in.

I am blown away that this is based somewhat on a true story, I have so many questions and just want to dive into the truths of what happened, I understand how Stonex became so fasincated.

And that cover, gorgeous!

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan UK Audio and Emma Stonex for an eAlc copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

The readers of the audiobook do a great job. I really enjoyed listening to this.

In 1972, three keepers go missing from their lighthouse.. The clocks are stopped; the doors locked from the inside. No one knows what happened. Twenty years later, a writer investigates by interviewing the men’s wives. The narrative alternates between the two timelines.

The writing is excellent – atmospheric and emotional – and the plot is intriguing. The author has clearly done a lot of research, because all the details about life on the lighthouse tower are fascinating.

I had heard of the mysterious disappearance of the lighthouse keepers in 1900, so knowing that Emma Stonex had taken inspiration from that for this novel had me instantly intrigued, and it did not disappoint. Suspenseful, mysterious and intriguing, I particularly enjoyed the perspective of the wives being interwoven with that of their husbands stuck in the middle of the sea in the lighthouse. Both types of narrative really bolstered each other, and the ever present sense of isolation felt by the characters.
The audiobook version of this novel was well read, and having different narrators for different characters worked well.

4*
New author to me. A UK author this is a debut writing in her own name. An extreme version of a locked room mystery. It’s based on a lighthouse, a remote tower with no outside space.
Not keen on the book cover, i know in the book it describes the incredible colours found in the water, but it’s not a good choice for me.
🎧audio version with 2 narrators. Indira Varma and Tom Burke who are excellent.
In 1972 three keepers vanish from The Maiden a light house 15 miles off Landsend. The story is told in split time frames between the men at the Maiden and 20 years on with the 3 women left behind still coming to terms with the event. It alternates the story telling between the individual characters.
The surviving women are approached by a writer wanting to tell their story which is the premise for bringing their stories together.
Lamp lighters is a mystery that incorporates the story of life,love, grief and betrayal.
It’s a character driven slow burn.
The inspiration for the story came from an actual event in 1900
The writing style feels like it is based in a time pre 1972, as it has an old fashioned feel to it, even with the 1992 narration. It is quite poetic with its descriptive narrative you really feel the experience of being in a tower in the middle of the sea, the viscous power of nature,the isolation, the relationships and struggles of being in close confinement with 2 other men. Even the practicalities of daily life on the tower is interesting. You can almost feel that the Maiden is a living breathing thing.
I really liked getting to know the 6 characters which all have a great depth to them, and the unusual life style of life on a tower. No outside space so it’s confinement in the extreme. It explores the different beliefs on what could have happened to leave such an mysterious scene at the tower, no bodies, the tower locked from the inside, 2 clocks stopped on the same time,only 2 places set for dinner, the radio not working. The theories vary from the practical to the supernatural to murder.
The in-depth writing style gives the story its strength with the detail, and expression of emotion, but it’s also its slight weakness, with too much detail in areas. The period setting has big appeal for me.
The characters are all engaging.
Helen is married to Arthur the PK ( senior keeper)
Michelle is the girlfriend of ex convict Vince he is her first and most passionate love.
Jenny is married to Bill and they have children.
Sid the boat man is hilarious and annoying in equal measures 😂
I found the end quite slow and drawn out.

The Lamplighters is based on a real life mystery that occurred in the 1900's when two lighthouse keepers in the Outer Hebrides disappeared without a trace. Emma Stonex has taken that unsolved mystery and fictionalised an account set in Cornwall 1972 where three lighthouse keepers are found missing from their lighthouse in very strange circumstances.
The Maiden Rock is a lighthouse bound on all sides by the sea, the only way to get to it is by boat so when the lighthouse keepers begin their watch they are isolated inside the lighthouse for a number of months before being relieved of the duties by the next keepers. The three keepers of this story, Arthur, Bill & Vince have just began their latest watch when things begin to take an unusual turn.
Told in two different time frames we hear of the day to day work inside the lighthouse. The monotony of their days and the longing to be back home with their families. We also move forward to 1992 where the Wives of the lighthouse keepers, Helen, Jennie & Michelle are struggling with the not knowing of what happened to their Husband's on the Maiden Rock and the writer who is looking for a story from them for his new book.
I loved this book so much. What started as a locked room mystery unfolded to be a story of heart felt grief, trauma, longing and what ifs. The wives of these men were left with so many questions after their Husband's mysterious disappearance. How could they possibly have vanished without a trace with the doors to the lighthouse locked from the inside? As the story develops you find out more about the men ensconced on that lonely lighthouse rock. Their wants, their needs and desires and how everyday life is as psychologically challenging as being alone in a lighthouse with only your thoughts as company.
The narrators of this audiobook were fantastic. They really captured the intensity of the setting and the ghostly nature of the tale. I was surprised to find there were only two narrators as their voices were so distinct for all the characters that I thought it was a full cast.
This is a story of how our minds can play tricks, how misunderstandings become legend and the responsibilities felt by men too accustomed to tradition can't to find a way to safety. A sense of misplaced duty and a mystery that had me guessing right until the end.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this one as I do not often read mysteries. Lamplighters is based on a true story, where in 1900, three Lightkeepers vanished from a lighthouse in the Hebrides, and their disappearance has never been solved, with theories ranging from a freak storm to alien abduction. Ever since, this mystery has influenced and been referenced in a lot of popular culture, Lamplighters being the latest offering, setting it 1972 and 1992.

Overall, I found it a very intriguing and compelling story. I particularly enjoyed how the author seamlessly switched between the two time frames, showing how different people interpret things to better protect their opinions and memories. The characters were very well-rounded and it was easy to understand their anger, loneliness, love and longing. I found the prose very vivid, rich in detail, yet not over-written, it created a very immersive and realistic drama, and was a great reading experience.

In theory, this would be right up my street. The mysterious disappearances of three lighthouse keepers in the 1970s and, 1992, an author interviews the wives of two and the girlfriend of the third to try and sold the mystery. A locked room murder mystery with unreliable sources? Where do I sign up?

And yet... this didn't deliver. It was a struggle and, after a certain point, I realised I just didn't care. I didn't care for any of the lighthouse keepers nor the wives/girlfriends chapters when told in their point of view (a one sided conversation, which is interesting storytelling, but feel gimmicky after a while) and when chapters were told in third person, I found the writing a bit purple prose and flowery for my tastes (there's only one author I seem to enjoy reading who writes in this style and that's Laini Taylor in her Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy). Because of all this and me not caring for the characters, I didn't care about finding out what happened.

I know am in the minority but this didn't work for me.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC copy to listen to and give an honest review. This audio book was a delight to listen to. The concept: three lighthouse keepers disappear from their island lighthouse, with no way to get on or off without support. What happened? It’s like the very best locked-room mystery. Will we ever know? The two narrators have a blast. Indira Varma and Tom Burke. He takes the part of the three lighthouse keepers and narrator. She the wives/ girlfriend left onshore. They both have a blast with the accents, each character clearly defined, so you’ll never get lost as to who is who. It’s a collection of reports, thoughts and interviews. Slowly the fact (as each character sees them) emerge, and we get an idea of the tensions and dynamics between the characters. Long held secrets come out, and relationship warm or turn sour. We get to the end wondering if we ever really know the truth, if it’s all perspective and conjecture, but after time has passed, does clinging to anger and resentment even really make a difference? Maybe it is best to just let go? But what, who, when, where and how? I’ll let you read it and see.....

This is based on a true event. Three lighthouse keepers go missing. The door is locked. No signs of a struggle. They just vanished. The story is told from the point of view of the men and also the women left behind. An author is wanting to write a book about the lighthouse keepers and is interviewing the women several years afterwards.

I found this really interesting. It really does keep you guessing what happened. I enjoyed listening to this audiobook.

Thank you so much for approving me for this. Unfortunately I will not be listening as since my request I have read the eARC.
Helen

As a huge fan of mysteries I was intrigued by the premise of The Lamplighters. The setting is certainly atmospheric and the mystery driving the narrative is intriguing enough. Alas, the author's writing device—to position readers into the role of interviewer—is incredibly gimmicky. The women talk to use, recounting these mysterious events, offering us cups of tea of what not reminding us that we are indeed there listening to her story...it was just so on the nose. Their mode of telling the story was repetitive and made me feel really disengaged by the whole thing.

The Lamplighters by Emma Stanex (audiobook)

This is an enigmatic and mysterious tale (based on a true story), which has the most stunning setting - an exposed and remote light tower off the Cornish coast. The men who disappeared form one part of the story while the plight of the women they left behind forms another, as they tell their stories years later to an author of fiction set at sea. It's just as interesting to watch the uneasy relationship between the women as it is the men. I listened to the audiobook and fittingly the men's voices and women's voices had different narrators. However, I couldn't get to grips with the style of the women's sections, with the women talking aloud, as if in a one-sided conversation. I think this might work better in a different format, and so I did struggle while still admiring the other side of the novel and the wonderful setting.

I thought this was a very enjoyable and interesting read. I'd come across the real-life mystery of three lighthouse keepers who go missing before so I was intrigued by this book from the start. It's told in an interesting way, going backwards and forwards between the perspectives of the men on the lighthouse up to when they disappear, and the women they left behind years later being interviewed by an author. I think it worked really well as a mystery as it kept you guessing at what could have happened as more details are revealed, and you get to see it all unfold as it happens from the perspectives of the keepers. It came to a satisfying ending too (I'll say no more...) In terms of the audiobook, the narrators were good, switching from male to female to narrate the different sections. This worked well on the whole although I did sometimes get confused between the keepers at the start!

Overall a good book, and one I would consider recommending - I think it would work well for someone who enjoys mysteries but not necessarily in the crime genre.

This book gripped my from the 1st page. I just needed to know what had happened out on the lighthouse. The story, told from many viewpoints, was cleverly woven together so you don’t know until the last few chapters. It’s a mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly. But the author keeps you guessing throughout. I listened to this as an audio book and felt it really helped to bring the book to life. The different narrators voices worked well to develop the dark tones in the book. Very cleverly written.

This beautifully written book is so much more than the suspense and mystery surrounding the disappearance of three lighthouse keepers in a remote part of Cornwall.

Its a story about their relationships with each other and the sea , its about truth and perspective the loneliness and hardships of being a lighthouse keeper and being a wife to a husband that works away for most of the year.

The book is divided into small chapters each written in the first person, the narrator gives life to each character perfectly portraying the depth and emotion of each individual, it was a pleasure to listen to the audible version and I found myself losing hours as I got caught up in the story.

I loved this book so much that I have preordered a signed indie copy to keep, I hope to see this excellent Cornish tale brought to live as a movie .

I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this Audio Book.

I loved this book! I am pleased that I received the audiobook rather than an e-book as I think the way the book is written lends itself really well to audio. I know that if I was reading the book I would have rushed through it to find out what happened, and in doing so would have missed so much. The audio narration was perfect, with a male and female narrator alternating the parts and it felt more like a dramatisation than a book reading.

The story moves between 1972/3 and 1992, and the voices of the men on the lighthouse and their partners back on the mainland. Sometimes in books I find this jarring, but in The Lamplighters the changes came at just the right time, moving the story forward whilst giving the reader time to reflect and breath through some of the tension! The characters were all well developed, releasing their stories and their secrets gradually. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of life on the lighthouse, the weather, the sea and the lighthouse itself. And the ending was just right.

If I could give this more than 5 stars I would.

The Lamplighters is an atmospheric mystery based on a true story where three lighthouse keepers go missing in suspicious circumstances. In 1972 we are introduced to the three men, Principal Keeper Arthur, Assistant Keeper Bill and Supernumerary Keeper Vince. Background information is given for each of them and is further detailed in 1992 when their partners are involved in interviews with a famous author who is interested in writing a book based on the mystery of what happened to the men.

The book is truly gripping, and keeps the reader guessing about what really happened in that lighthouse. Each character has an interesting backstory with possible motive to cause the demise of the other keepers. There is an underlying suggestion of a supernatural element within the book which I felt added another dimension to the narrative.