Inspired by true events, The Lamplighters is the story of three men who vanish from a remote lighthouse. Twenty years later, the mystery of their disappearance still haunts the heartbroken women left behind. Rich with the salty air of the Cornish coast, this is a sweeping drama that will bring you to tears, even as you can't look away.

The Sunday Times Bestseller

'The Lamplighters is a whodunnit, horror novel, ghost story and fantastically gripping psychological investigation rolled into one.' – Guardian

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 . . .

Rich with the salty air of the Cornish coast, 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.

'A mystery, a love story and a ghost story, all at once' - SJ Watson, author of Before I Go To Sleep

‘Riveting’ – Independent
‘Excellent’ – Observer
‘A triumph’ – Daily Mail

"I loved The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex – lighthouse keepers, ghosts, warring widows. It’s a wonderfully smart and atmospheric story." - Observer

"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" - Guardian

"Atmospheric and suspenseful . . . Part psychological drama, part mystery, part ghost story, The Lamplighters is a triumph" - Daily Mail

"Full of atmosphere and dread, it’s the perfect way to escape right now" - Stylist

"Riveting . . . Stonex’s clever slow reveal is as much keen psychological drama as it is an intriguing thriller" - Independent

"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" - Heat

"A really enjoyable literary mystery. Stonex's descriptions of the storms and the sea are wonderful" - author of Unsettled Ground

"Beautifully written, gripping and haunting . . . This genre-defying, literary mystery has it all, including a haunting look at love, loss and guilt. We loved it" - Woman and Home

"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" - Publishers Weekly

"Stonex’s story has the mesmerism of a churned winter sea" - Sunday Times

"A compelling, deeply evocative mystery" - iNews

"Excellent . . . [with] a satisfying, surprising conclusion . . . An elegant novel that is as interested in the notion of hope and acceptance as it is in murder and revenge" - Observer

"Gripping . . . A haunting mystery in the tradition of Wilkie Collins" - Sunday Express