*Blog Tour: The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex

Today I'm on the blog tour for The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex* which I read via netgalley at the end of last year. 

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.

About the Author:

Emma Stonex was born in 1983 and grew up in Northamptonshire, about as far from the sea as it's possible to be in the UK. Her love affair with lighthouses and the coast began with childhood holidays to Cornwall and the Isle of Wight, which remain among her favourite places to visit.

Before becoming a writer, Emma worked as an editor in publishing. Ahead of The Lamplighters, she wrote several books under pseudonyms, but saved her real name for the story that has always been in her heart: the real-life mystery of three lighthouse keepers who vanished from their rock light in 1900 and to this day have never been found. She lives in Bristol with her husband and two young daughters.

My thoughts?

The story is loosely based on a real life story and is set in Cornwall in 1972. Three keepers vanish from the remote lighthouse but the door is locked from the inside and the clocks have stopped - at a time which has deep meaning to the Principal Keeper - does that mean he's behind their disappearance.... or is something more sinister afoot.... 

Fast forward to the 20 year anniversary and the three women left behind - Helen, Jenny and Michelle are estranged until a writer approaches them wanting the story from their sides for an explosive new book he's writing. Helen is all for it, all she's wanted to do is lay her husband and what happened to him to rest, Jenny, an anxious and curious soul regrets the thing she did in a pique of hurt and Michelle, who was young enough to move on with her life clings on to her one true love. 

It's an absolutely brilliant read which had me totally engrossed from the very first page, I loved the descriptions of the sea, the lighthouse and the secrets which emerge throughout the story. A must read.