“The Lamplighter” by Crystal J. Bell is an eerie young adult historical horrors, making it the perfect fit for readers in search of a haunting read. Set in a nineteenth century whaling port, the town of Warbler is famous for its lucky ship figureheads and infamous for people going missing in its fog. In such a community, the lamplighter is a valued position that offers protection from the fog. It’s a job that Temperance takes on following the suicide of her father.

After a girl goes missing the same night two of Tempe’s lamps go out, her job thus the means to support her mother and younger sister, hangs in the balance. She is determined to uncover what really happened and prove to the town authorities that she should keep her position as lamplighter. During her investigation, Tempe makes an unsettling discovery about the renowned figureheads and her father’s death. But every time she warns someone about the monster lurking among them, she’s ignored. Tempe must decide whether to look the other way when more of her neighbors disappear or to make herself heard about her discoveries, which might doom herself and her sister to go missing next.

“The Lamplighter” was a haunting tale that perfectly suited the dreary winter weather my area had while I read it. I like a spooky book and this one was almost a little too spooky for me but I still enjoyed it! 

Bell’s main character, Tempe, was a strong girl fiercely determined to protect her mother and younger sister after her father hanged himself on a lamppost after his route. Tempe does regularly face adversity from the townspeople regarding her holding the respected position of lamplighter as a woman, but it genuinely added to the plot and felt grounded without beating the reader down. The constant tragedies did that instead!

It took a few chapters for the plot to really get going, but when that ball was rolling it didn’t stop until the acknowledgements section at the end! I was on the edge of my seat as soon as Tempe made her first discovery about the mysterious disappearances and my jaw hit the floor at the twist ending. Although this is clearly a standalone novel, I would love to know what happened after the epilogue. 

As with most historical books I read, there’s always a section where I say “I’m a professional historian and there was a part that was so inaccurate I couldn’t get over it.” This one is admittedly very petty, but would have been a very easy fix which is why I’m still going to mention it—Tempe references using bobby pins at several times through the book. The book is set at some point in the 1800s, but bobby pins weren’t invented until after World War I (“bobby pin” was originally a trademarked brand name, chosen for the bobbed hair styles of the 1920s and how the pins helped secure those hairstyles! Eventually bobby pin became the ubiquitous name, sort of like Kleenex.). Instead, Tempe should have been using either hair pins or a hat pin, depending on the situation. Does the use of bobby pins ruin the book? No, but I wouldn’t have been pulled out of the story so many times if Bell had used the correct terms. 

Bobby pins aside, “The Lamplighter” is a haunting, atmospheric read. It gives all the autumn and winter vibes and would be a great addition to your TBR. But if you’re reading it after hours, consider keeping a light on…

I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.