The Sunshine Man by Emma Stonex is a stunning literary thriller that explores the raw edges of grief, guilt, and redemption. For those who loved The Lamplighters, this follow-up feels even more assured, sharper, bolder, and emotionally deeper.

The novel opens with a jolt: “The week I shot a man clean through the head began like any other.” It’s a line that grabs you instantly, and Stonex doesn’t loosen her grip. The story follows Birdie Keller, whose life was shattered when her younger sister, Providence, was murdered. Eighteen years later, the man convicted of the crime, Jimmy Maguire, is released from prison. Birdie, convinced of his guilt and consumed by long-buried rage, sets out to exact her own justice.

While the premise might suggest a straight cat and mouse chase, The Sunshine Man is more layered than that. The narrative shifts between past and present, Birdie and Jimmy, gradually revealing the events leading up to the crime and the impact it had on everyone touched by it: Birdie, her grandmother, and Jimmy himself. Some readers may spot the twist coming, but its emotional resonance still lands with power.

Stonex’s prose is luminous and poetic. Her descriptions never overwhelm; instead, they elevate the emotional landscape, peeling back the characters’ defenses with elegance and empathy. What emerges is not just a thriller but a compassionate portrait of people shaped by tragedy, two damaged individuals circling the same grief, each with their own fractured truth.

This isn’t a story about simple justice. It’s about what happens when the truth is murky, when the past won’t stay buried, and when pain seeks resolution in unexpected ways. With its richly drawn characters, lyrical writing, and emotional depth, The Sunshine Man is a standout novel from an author in full command of her craft.

Highly recommended.

'The week I shot a man clean through the head began like any other.'

With an opening line such as this, reminiscent of Orwell and Marquez, I'm already invested.

The book opens showing the mundane happy and typical life of a family in Wiltshire: the father getting ready for work, the children for school, having breakfast - yet that first sentence keeps jabbing. Then the news comes though that the man who murdered the narrator's young sister is being released from prison. There is a revenge killing already planned.

From here, the trail moves back to rural Devon, to the village,fields and moors, where the murderer and victim have been brought up. However, as this tale remains tense, the sense of a vengeful thriller morphs into a distressing vision of neglected children who yearn for love and connection yet only find abandonment and exploitation.

Beautifully written in a dual timeline (childhood and the present) from the perspective of the two central characters. Stonex's skill at picking out unique details is exceptional, making people and scenes memorable. The only negative point is that the swearing was blanked out, possibly because the text was reported script, perhaps, but it was distracting and spoilt the flow.

A powerful story, deeply psychological, demonstrating how perpetrator and victim are searching for the same things, such as belonging, compassion and justice. A very talented writer.

Thanks Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for ARC.
This hinges on the events of a lifetime ago - a young girl is brutally murdered and her half-sister Birdie grows up in the shadow of that awful event. When the convicted killer is due to be released, she is set on tracking him down and confronting him for purposes of her own. What elevates this from the average revenge journey/thriller is that the story is told from two perspectives from the outset and Jimmy tells his own story as well as he can. He's always asserted that he wasn't guilty, but it's complicated. Beautifully told and carefully placed this unfolds like an antique map to show the relationships between all the key players and the journeys they've taken to get to the final denouement.
Outstanding in every way.

A story split between Birdie and Jimmy. As Jimmy is released from prison, Birdie follows him determined to kill him. As she follows him they are both remembering her younger sister Providence. Birdie and Providence lived with their grandmother, they tried to help Jimmy as a child with devastating results.

I normally enjoy a dual narrative, a 1980s setting and a murder based mystery. There are some interesting themes about nature Vs nurture and whether 'evil' children are beyond hope, also about poverty and parent influence. Despite that however it's quite a bleak novel.

The opening line of this book will grip you from the start. It is very emotional, a story about a woman who follows a man after he is released from prison for killing her sister. Lots of strong language, written in two parts over different timelines. I was really looking forward to this and I wasn't disappointed

I enjoyed the dual aspect of reading both sides of the story- from James as he adjusts to leaving prison and getting to know his daughter and from Birdie as she seeks to find him. However for me the flow of the story was marred by the redacted swear words- represented by lines, in much of James dailogue. I think the story would have flowed better if the words were writtne in full, or left out altogther and a differnt way found to get the character of the man across to the reader.
The different timelines were skillfully written however and the insights into the childhoods of both characters lent weight to the actions in the present.

From a writer intent on telling both sides of the story comes this tale of revenge, loss and redemption. For years, Bridget has waited for the man responsible for killing her sister to be released, so that she can come to terms with the past.

James Maguire is now free. But for how long? This is a story that deals with some memorable themes, delivered in a haunting, elegiac tone. It will remain with you for a long time. It gets 3.5 stars.

“The week I shot a man clean through the head began like any other…”

I don’t think it’s possible to read such a haunting opening line and not feel desperate to devour the rest of the book. I know I was powerless to resist, staying up until the wee hours in an anguished need to know the conclusion. Dark, unsettling, heart-stopping and thought-provoking, Emma Stonex had me in her thrall from the first page of this magnificent cat-and-mouse revenge thriller.

The story opens with Bridget describing her ordinary morning with her family before she sets out to kill James Maguire, the man convicted of murdering her sister, Providence, eighteen years earlier. The juxtaposition between her mundane actions and her murderous plan is striking, creating an overwhelming sense of dread that increases with every step she takes. The story then moves between timelines and narrators, following James as he adjusts to life outside prison, and Bridget as she travels towards him…

Exquisitely written and expertly choreographed, Stonex shows no signs of the dreaded ‘sophomore syndrome’ with this superb story. An unforgettable tale of murder, vengeance, love, family and redemption, this isn’t for the faint heart. Despite its sunny title, there are heavy topics on these pages, and while Stonex doesn’t shy away from their brutal truths, she also writes with compassion and sensitivity. It is powerful but also delicate, finding its strength in its layered gossamer threads. Stonex skillfully teases her reader by choosing not to reveal the full picture, exploring themes of memory, asking how much we can trust our recollections, and what we choose to forget; the truth lying in that space between what we know and what we think we do.

It’s easy to root for Bridget. To feel her anger and understand her need for revenge, even if it isn’t something we would do ourselves. It is harder to root for James, and it is in him that Stonex forces us to confront the humanity and shades of grey that exist even in those we want to villainise. It would be easy if it was black and white, if he was evil and Bridget was good. But by hearing his story he becomes human, we gain compassion and it is hard to blindly hate him. Providence is brought to life in the flashbacks, making her feel as vivid and three-dimensional, allowing the reader to connect with her. It gives us an emotional response to her death, a desire to know the truth and a wish to see justice served. And as we finally approach the night of her murder, Stonex moves between flashbacks and current events, keeping me on the edge of my seat as I awaited the big reveal and Bridget’s moment of vengeance. There’s a rising sense of dread that gets under your skin and makes your heart race. I couldn't have stopped reading at this point even if my house had been on fire.

The Sunshine Man is a masterpiece. A moving, nerve-shredding and addictive thriller that is impossible to forget. Read it now!

Great book. I recommend reading this one ASAP. Great storyline, kept me reading all night ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"The week I shot a man clean through the head began like any other." From this opening line the tension within the story is a constant undercurrent. It pushes the reader through a read that doesn't deliver at breakneck speed, but it does deliver. A perfect exploration of guilt and retribution, The Sunshine Man is a brilliantly written thought-provoking read.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillian for an early read.

A young girl Bridie is abandoned by her mother Mary and left in the care of her grandmother (Mrs D). A few years later Mary arrives with another baby Prudence and shortly after leaves and again leaves her mother in charge of the girls. .Bridie dotes on Prudence and looks after her for years.In the meantime Mrs D has been given a piano and Prudence becomes proficient in playing.
When she is about 13 Mrs D gives shelter to James , who comes from a tough background.He and Prudence become inseparable much to Bridies disgust.Eventually James is found guilty of her murder after she is found badly smashed up in a field near their home, although James blames his friend Floyd.
Whilst in prison James finds out he has a daughter, Donna, from a relationship he had with the daughter of a rich family.
18 years later he is released from prison, being collected by Donna , and Bridie leaves her husband and children to track him down for revenge for Prudence.
Jamie goes with Donna to find people from his past, his mother and brother , but eventually needs to go back to where Prudence was killed, where he is confronted by Bridie. An unexpected twist at the end.
Unfortunately although the story was good I found the writing style hard work to bond with , in particular the lines in vocabulary spoken by James signifying swear words ,in order to show the type of man he was.By the way I am no prude and think it would have been less annoying using the words themselves.

This book is phenomenal and I loved everything about it. The writing is superb, story, perspectives, and setting, I couldn’t put it down. Now I need to go and read The Lamplighters!

A really powerful story from the author of the Lamplighters. I loved her first book but I have to say that I enjoyed this one even more.

Birdie wakes up to discover that Jimmy, the man imprisoned for her beloved sister's murder has been released from prison, and she sets out on a journey of revenge, to kill the man who devastated her life.

the novel is gripping from the start as we discover the truth about the events surrounding Jimmy's crime and the impact it had on him and those around him.

Utterly brilliant storytelling. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

After a promising start which engages the reader immediately, the story loses momentum due to its timeline and perspective leaps. I found the characters of both Birdie and James difficult to empathise with and the revelation about James’ accomplice predictable. An accomplished but slightly uninspiring novel

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

The Sunshine Man absolutely needs an ITV mini series adaptation. Stonex writes with so much character and empathy. While the claustrophobic atmosphere of The Lighthouse may have been more evocative, The Sunshine Man is eerie and haunting in a way that will keep you turning the pages and equally as engrossed as her debut.

Birdie has been waiting for this day for a long time, nearly two decades. In January 1989, Birdie took her children to her mother-in-law's and drove to the nearest coach station. She gets to London in time to see Jimmy Maguire exit Wormwood Scrubs prison. Birdie has waited for this, as she has a gun in her purse and anger in her heart. Jimmy Maguire had killed Birdie's teenage sister twenty years ago, and now Birdie is going to kill him.

But Jimmy claims it was not he, he was there, but it was Floyd, his friend, who had killed her. But no one believes him. Now he has come out of prison into a world he does not know or understand, and it is going to take its toll.

This book is told from Biridie and Jimmy's perspectives, both past and present. It is a story of loyalty, family, grief, tragedy, and redemption. It is haunting and sad, but beautiful also—a great mystery thriller.

It took me a REALLY long time to get into this book. Many times I nearly gave up but I loved The lamplighters so I kept the faith. Glad I did as I got really into it by the end.
Birdie / Bridget has been waiting for many years for the man that was convicted of her sisters murder to be released…. To go and kill him. And this book starts with the release of James McGuire and Birdie on his tail,

A bleak book which starts well but I am not a favourite of differing perspectives and (many) timeline shifts.

At times I just did not know what was going but remained keen to learn more about Birdie and Jimmy. Sadly, I didn't.

Thanks to Net Galley and Pan Macmillan/Picador for the chance to read and review.

This is pretty unusual in its style. Beautifully written and atmospheric.
The characters are finely drawn and believable. You felt the author had first hand experience of the situation that the lead character was involved in.
A good read, I enjoyed it .

I adored Lamplighters and this had such a great premise but I gave up at 35%. It just felt like it was going nowhere and I was really not eager to pick it back up.

Stonex's writing is undoubtedly exquisite, but this was a struggle.