Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Lamplighters

I picked up the book as I have an interest in the Flannan Isle Lighthouse mystery. I felt satisfied with the way in which the book dealt with the mystery of three missing lighthouse keepers and I thoroughly enjoyed the resolution of the mystery.

With the nature of the book being a mystery, I found that it was occassionally difficult to keep up with the events to which the characters were alluding that were only revealed later on in the story. Now having read the book, I feel I could go back and better understand a lot of it if I were to reread it, however I don't believe I would gain much more enjoyment from it.

On a personal note, I did not enjoy reading many of Jenny and Michelle's passages, however I do not see this as a fault of the book itself and instead as a result of my own personal tastes. I thought they were interesting characters, but I found their passages dragged on.

I think having numerous narrators made it difficult to really engage with some of the storylines, as some of the passages lacked some detail that would have fleshed out the story more.

After finishing the book, I was a bit confused by one element.

The incorporation of the ghosts slightly confused me, as I felt they were a bit out of place. I understood the inclusion of Arthur's son's ghost towards the end, but I remain confused as to who the ghost that Bill saw when he was younger was supposed to be? I know he was the ghost that later appeared in the lighthouse, but that still lacks meaning to me. I would have understood it more if the ghost was meant to be Bill's father or someone else with a connection to the trio, but otherwise I felt it was out of place. I absolutely recognise that this is my own lack of understanding, but I would have appreciated more clarification. Perhaps there is something I am missing, which I am open to hearing about.

Nonetheless, I think it is an interesting story and I would definitely recommend this book for those who enjoy a good mystery with supernatural elements.

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rach22's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

Enjoyable read.
I enjoyed getting to see the story and the lives from every characters’ point of view. Well written.
I did not expect that ending.
I felt that it started to drag a wee bit near the end and then unravelled very quickly. Good setting, interesting take but I also did not completely understand the end. Sort of random but enjoyable read. Quite dark at times. Lighthouse was interesting. Bit depressing at times.

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frietje9's review

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emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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awebofstories's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This is one of those books with so many pieces that I like, but they just didn't come together.

The premise of this story is fascinating, and I loved the atmosphere that Stonex created. However, jumping between two time periods hurt this story as I never felt I could become invested in either plotline. I also had trouble connecting the two different timelines together. Obviously, I could see how they fit, but they never felt like they were in the same universe.

As for the pacing, I felt this book spent too much time idling. There was always a promise of some development, but payoffs were few and far between. There just wasn't any earned suspense here.

I will give Stonex credit for her writing style, which was quite lovely. I'm willing to chalk this up to a book that just wasn't for me and give her another chance.

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katiewhocanread's review

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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isobelk_18's review

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mysterious slow-paced

3.0

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laurataylor's review

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adventurous mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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