No one expected them to go there. The question is: will any of them leave?
Six friends travel to a remote island north of the Scottish Highlands for an old school reunion. They’ve rented The Lighthouse – a stunning, now abandoned building that was once notorious for deaths at sea.
On the first evening, someone goes missing. The group search all through the night to no avail. But when the five remaining friends return to the lighthouse early the next morning, they are shocked to find James inside. He’s looks terrified – but won’t say a word about where he’s been.
The party vow to put the strange night behind them and enjoy the rest of their stay, but when more unexplained things begin to occur, tensions escalate. It’s clear James knows something, but nothing will persuade him to give up the secrets of the island. Is he protecting his friends from a terrible truth, or leading them into more danger?
A chilling, gripping and powerfully atmospheric suspense novel with a gothic edge.
My Review
It’s a bit tricky to review this one without giving too much away, but I’ll do my best! If you absolutely hate reading even the hint of a spoiler though, just read the blurb I’ve included above.
This is a great read if you want something a little spooky that’s not actually a horror story. The island setting is atmospheric and terrifyingly isolated, with treacherous weather adding to the sense of imminent danger throughout. The narrative is scattered with hints that something big is just about to happen, through one of character’s research and strange events during their stay, which kept me in a state of unrest all the way through.
The characterisation is realistic, and you get a real sense of the friendship’s history, although a little more about each character may have prevented me getting them all muddled up.
Personally, I would have liked a little more of the supernatural in this book (my ARC featured a distinctly ghostly-looking girl on the cover), and I felt that there was perhaps a missed opportunity to exploit this further.
If you’re a fan of mystery stories, or like the idea of something a little creepy, then this may well be the book for you.
‘The Light House’ is published on 3rd February 2022. Thank you to NetGalley UK, Fran Dorricott and Avon Books Uk for this ARC in return for my honest review.
Wordy Witterings 