The Lighthouse Witches
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4.5 • 19 Ratings
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- £12.99
Publisher Description
Don’t miss this chilling gothic thriller from the bestselling author . . .
’Cooke has creatively interwoven the darkness of reality with a magical realism that will truly have you gripped’ Woman & Home
‘Fascinating and enthralling’ Prima
‘Wonderfully atmospheric and compelling’ Rosamund Lupton
‘A flawless read’ Elizabeth Lee
‘Seething with gothic menace’ Caroline Lea
‘This ghost story is a perfect mix of propulsive plot and shivers-up-the-spine spookiness’ Good Housekeeping
Upon the cliffs of a remote Scottish island, Lòn Haven, stands a lighthouse.
A lighthouse that has weathered more than storms.
Mysterious and terrible events have happened on this island. It started with a witch hunt. Now, centuries later, islanders are vanishing without explanation.
Coincidence? Or curse?
Liv Stay flees to the island with her three daughters, in search of a home. She doesn’t believe in witches, or dark omens, or hauntings. But within months, her daughter Luna will be the only one of them left.
Twenty years later, Luna is drawn back to the place her family vanished. As the last sister left, it’s up to her to find out the truth . . .
But what really happened at the lighthouse all those years ago?
Reviews
‘Right from the start, I was hooked on this eerie, cryptic novel’ Samantha Downing
‘This book is SO good! … Multiple narrators and time frames, family dynamics, siblings, witches; eerie but not scary. I mean, what is there not to love? This is C.J. Cooke’s best yet! A fascinating and enthralling read’ Nina Pottell, Prima
'A gripping modern gothic thriller that is also a haunting depiction of witch trials, it is a wonderfully atmospheric and compelling novel’ Rosamund Lupton
‘This ghost story is a perfect mix of propulsive plot and shivers-up-the-spine spookiness’ Good Housekeeping
‘An intricate story about women and witch trials but with a delightful timeslip element that really works. It’s a compelling story and very satisfying how the threads are woven together’ Kate Sawyer
‘With characters that feel like they live and breathe, an atmospheric setting and a plot that kept me guessing, all delivered in luminous prose, this is a flawless read. Underpinned by a story of the Scottish witch hunts, the themes remain starkly relevant today’ Elizabeth Lee
‘Seething with gothic menace … interweaves myth, superstition and history in a way which feels strikingly relevant and gripping’ Caroline Lea
‘Wonderful writing with a beautifully haunting tone. Gothic at its best’ Rhiannon Ward
‘Beautifully crafted’ Constance Sayers
‘Cooke manages to set a compelling timeshift mystery in a very real world, where believable people navigate authentic problems … surprising and inventive’ Sarah Burton
‘Like a lighthouse roving atmospheric waters, its secrets are revealed glimpse by tantalising glimpse’ Cari Thomas
‘A gripping meditation on terror and superstition’ Sara Sheridan
‘A complex and haunting story, beautifully told … Tense, unsettling and ultimately incredibly moving’ Amanda Mason
‘Utterly enthralling, original and atmospheric’ N.J. Simmonds
‘An atmospheric beauty of a book, with a feminist voice that rang clear from every page’ Anna Day
Customer Reviews
Read the blurb so you know the story premise before reading to keep track in the early stages
4⭐️
A new author to me. I had the audiobook version 🎧which has a cast of authors. The voices are great,especially Patrick.
It’s difficult to know where to start describing this story as it has 3 intertwined time lines. One in the 1620’s at the time of King James VI and the witch hunts with one of the witches children being a main character.
1998 Liv is commissioned to paint a mural in an old lighthouse in a remote Scottish island. She is a single mom with her 3 daughters Luna,Sapphire, and Clover.
2021, 22 yrs later when one of Luna’s 2 missing sisters turn up. She has been searching for her missing sisters and mother. The problem is Clover is still 7, the age she was when she went missing.
The locals tell the myth of wildings supernatural beings who are created by witches for revenge which mimic human children. They are said to be dangerous.
The lighthouse is the thing that ties the 3 threads together as the witches were jailed in a cave beneath the lighthouse.
Because the time frame jumps it takes a little while to figure out what’s happening in the story. But it soon comes together. To get the most of the book read the book blurb as you start reading. It gives the premise of the book so you can follow what’s going on. I often go into a book blind. I like that there’s no duplication of the story in the different time frames which is a testament to good planning.
I know with this genre you have to suspend your logical thinking. I bought into the supernatural elements.
The characters are likeable. Liv was a favourite.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I love it’s originality.