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The Lamplighters

the mesmerising Sunday Times bestselling mystery, inspired by true events

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The Lamplighters

By: Emma Stonex
Narrated by: Indira Varma, Tom Burke
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This audiobook is narrated by Indira Varma and Tom Burke.

As recommended by the BBC Radio 2 Book Club
'A mystery, a love story and a ghost story, all at once. I didn’t want it to end' - S J Watson

They say we'll never know what happened to those men.
They say the sea keeps its secrets . . .


Cornwall, 1972. Three keepers vanish from a remote lighthouse, miles from the shore. The entrance door is locked from the inside. The clocks have stopped. The Principal Keeper’s weather log describes a mighty storm, but the skies have been clear all week.

What happened to those three men, out on the tower? The heavy sea whispers their names. The tide shifts beneath the swell, drowning ghosts. Can their secrets ever be recovered from the waves?

Twenty years later, the women they left behind are still struggling to move on. Helen, Jenny and Michelle should have been united by the tragedy, but instead it drove them apart. And then a writer approaches them. He wants to give them a chance to tell their side of the story. But only in confronting their darkest fears can the truth begin to surface . . .

Inspired by real events, The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex is an intoxicating and suspenseful mystery, an unforgettable story of love and grief that explores the way our fears blur the line between the real and the imagined.

Fiction Genre Fiction Ghosts Historical Horror Literary Fiction Mystery Psychological Sea Adventures Thriller & Suspense Fantasy Magic Adventure Exciting Heartfelt Tear-jerking
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Critic reviews

I loved The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex – lighthouse keepers, ghosts, warring widows. It’s a wonderfully smart and atmospheric story
The novel I've enjoyed most this year (Hilary Mantel)
Outstanding. Literary and insanely gripping. (India Knight)
A remarkable book, through every page, every character, the writing resonates with the dark, powerful presence of the sea (Raynor Winn, author of The Salt Path)
Stonex’s story has the mesmerism of a churned winter sea
Superbly accomplished . . . The Lamplighters is a whodunnit, horror novel, ghost story and fantastically gripping psychological investigation rolled into one. It is also a pitch-perfect piece of writing
An intoxicating and beautifully written mystery about love and loss, as moving as it is suspenseful (C.L. Taylor, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Missing)
Full of atmosphere and dread, it’s the perfect way to escape right now
Atmospheric and suspenseful . . . Part psychological drama, part mystery, part ghost story, The Lamplighters is a triumph
Beautifully written and evocative, this is a mystery, a love story and a ghost story, all at once. It kept me gripped throughout, and I didn’t want it to end. Wonderful. (S J Watson, bestselling author of Before I Go to Sleep)
Riveting . . . Stonex’s clever slow reveal is as much keen psychological drama as it is an intriguing thriller
The Lamplighters transported me effortlessly to the mysterious Maiden Rock and life on the Cornish coast. Stonex creates a most engaging collection of voices and perspectives that unveil what happened in true pager-turner fashion, a mystery told through vivid prose that had me completely absorbed from start to finish. Haunting, harrowing and heartbreaking, this is a novel that will stay with you. (Ashley Audrain, author of The Push)
The Lamplighters draws you in and keeps you utterly gripped, with Stonex's writing particularly excelling in her gorgeous and evocative descriptions of the sea. A haunting, hugely atmospheric book
Beautiful, absorbing and utterly riveting, The Lamplighters is a hymn to loneliness, to the sea, and to the stories we allow ourselves to believe when we are alone. I treasured every moment of this dazzlingly accomplished and completely unforgettable novel. (Rosie Walsh, author of The Man Who Didn't Call)
A really enjoyable literary mystery. Stonex's descriptions of the storms and the sea are wonderful (Claire Fuller)
All stars
Most relevant
This is a gorgeous book - lyrical and emotional in its depiction of a small group of people damaged by grief and by an unresolved mystery, with their secrets and the solution to that mystery slowly revealed. Beautifully narrated, with deft touches revealing whole hinterlands to the characters, while the unravelling of the plot grips like a thriller.

A beautiful book with the pulse of a thriller

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When this book first started I didn't think it was going to be for me, but I kept going and actually really enjoyed it.
It was well narrated by Indira Varma and Tom Burke and the characters were flawed, well rounded and totally believable.
A really interesting, informative 'whodunnit' which kept me on my toes until the end.

Really Interesting Story

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Didnt find this very gripping but it was ok to listen to whilst doing household chores etc and there were some interesting insights into the way of life of the lighthouse keepers.

Won't make my favourites list

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Not a bad storyline but some of the narration nearly sent me over the edge

Not a page-turner

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Must admit I struggled with this. Given the quality of narrative, narration, and characters I'm so often used to listening to things on here this heat felt a few stars short in each department. Stuck with it, but only cos I'm a finisher.

Didn't see the light

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