The Lamplighters

the mesmerising Sunday Times bestselling mystery, inspired by true events

By: Emma Stonex

Narrated by: Indira Varma, Tom Burke

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.

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)

What a fantastic listen!

This, so far, has been my favorite audible. Everything about this experience was both memorable and captivating. The narration was beautifully done, it conveyed the book so well. The plot still resonates with me and I find myself talking about it in conversation.
I highly recommend. Well worth the credit.

Beautifully written.

Very refreshing to be a witness to a version of life events that may have happened that are lyrically written, embed the related experience of women and children coping with “men’s work,” and avoid the hyper brutal version more recent films have taken.
The fact that the language used is so vibrant and engaging..more painterly, than not, is a bountiful bonus.