Author(s): Emma Stonex

Novel | Crime and Thriller

Cornwall, 1972. Three lighthouse keepers vanish from a remote rock, 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. Black rocks roll 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. Now, they have 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 is an intoxicating, suspenseful and deeply moving mystery, and an unforgettable story of love, grief and obsession.

Review: I loved The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex - lighthouse keepers, ghosts, warring widows. It's a wonderfully smart and atmospheric story. * Observer *
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
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 * Stylist *
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
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
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 gorgeous page-turner that is at once a mystery and a novel about mysteries - about how we all write our own endings and suffer betrayals, but still light the lamps so the people we love can find their way home. -- Charlotte Rogan, author of The Lifeboat
Wise, beautiful and quietly devastating, The Lamplighters gets under the skin in a way that few books do. Weeks on from reading the last page, it still makes my heart ache -- Kate Riordan, author of The Heat Wave
A deeply atmospheric and utterly gripping mystery . . . Superb -- Wyl Menmuir, Man Booker Prize longlisted author of The Many
Compulsive, taut, and unforgettable. The Lamplighters is that rare book which is as exquisitely written as it is page-turning. I'm already telling everyone I know to read it. -- Lucy Clarke, author of The Sea Sisters
A beautifully written, utterly compelling tale. -- Jenny Colgan, Sunday Times bestselling author of Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe
The Lamplighters took my breath away. A cracking mystery, perfectly plotted, and oh-so-beautifully written. -- Lucy Diamond
The Lamplighters is one of the most magical books I've ever read. The writing is dazzlingly good. The mystery is uniquely crafted and utterly beguiling. And it's full of such tenderness and humanity and grace. I loved it with all my heart. -- Emylia Hall, author of The Book of Summers
I can't remember when I last enjoyed a book this much. The Lamplighters is a compulsive, bewitching read. The sea and wind get into your bones, the riddle pulling you through the pages like a tide. Deftly written and atmospheric, I didn't want it to end. Brilliant. -- Tor Udall, author of A Thousand Paper Birds
A brilliant page-turner, a compelling mystery laced with the most haunting descriptions of the ocean and life on a remote lighthouse . . . Stonex gradually illuminates each character's story, until the darkest truths are brought into the light and the full spectrum of love, desire, loss and grief is revealed. -- Hannah Richell, author of Secrets of the Tides
A beautifully written but totally gripping page-turner * Fabulous Magazine *
Gorgeously written * The i *
Stonex's spectacular debut wraps a haunting mystery in precise, starkly beautiful prose . . . Seamlessly marrying quotidian detail with ghostly touches, the author captures both the lighthouse's lure and the damage its isolation and confinement wreak on minds and families. The convincing resolution brings a welcome note of healing. * Publishers Weekly *

Author Biography: Emma Stonex was born in 1983 and grew up in Northamptonshire. After working in publishing for several years, she quit to pursue her dream of writing fiction. The Lamplighters left harbour after a lifelong passion for lighthouses and everything to do with the sea. She lives in the Southwest with her family.