Publisher: 3rd August 2022 by Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA
Pages: 320 pages
Genre: historical fiction
My Rating: 5 cups
Synopsis:
A lonely windswept lighthouse island in Bass Strait hides a dangerous secret hundreds of years in the making ... Secrets and sabotage keep readers guessing in the new novel from Australian author Kaye Dobbie.
1882
Laura Webster and her father are the stalwart keepers of Benevolence Island Lighthouse, a desolate place stranded in the turbulent Bass Strait. When a raging storm wrecks a schooner just offshore, the few survivors take shelter with the Websters, awaiting rescue from the mainland. But some of the passengers have secrets that lead to dreadful consequences, the ripples of which echo far into the future ...
2020
Nina and her team of volunteers arrive on Benevolence to work on repairs, with plans to open up the island to tourists. Also on the expedition, for reason of his own, is Jude Rawlins, a man Nina once loved. A man who once destroyed her.
But the idyllic location soon turns into a nightmare as random acts of sabotage leave them with no communication to the mainland and the sense of someone on the island who shouldn't be there.
The fingers of those secrets from the passengers lost long ago are reaching into the present, and Nina will never be the same again ...
My Thoughts
I am such a fan of Kaye’s work having thoroughly enjoyed her previous historical fiction tales. Her latest, Keepers of the Lighthouse is no exception, in fact, I think it might be her best yet as it was such an intriguing mystery (twice over) that I found hard to put down!
‘…neither Laura nor her father could leave the lighthouse. There were lives at stake out there on the wild water. Lives that were in their hands.’
This dual time narrative just oozes with atmosphere in both the historic and contemporary tales. On a lonely isolated island stands a lighthouse where storms and secrets, dangers and revelations come to pass. Based on a real island in Bass Strait, you will be sure to feel the wind whipping through your hair and watch helplessly as ships become wrecked on the ragged rocks. Could there ever be a more perfect setting for mysteries, past and present, to arise and fill the occupants' lives with drama and danger? The two timelines: 1882 and 2020 (with occasional flashbacks to 2010) work so well together with the final connective revelations fantastic! You will be on the edge of your reading chair, furiously flipping the pages to see how all the pieces of this puzzle will fit together. And it does …. and I loved it!
Both timelines present tales of fortitude and dedication on the one hand with greed and jealousy on the other. There is romance (both past and present) but it fits in so well with the events unfolding. I loved Laura’s character with her love for the island and its way of life. Lonely? Bored? Never!
‘There is much to do here, but apart from tending the light, I make my own decisions. I value my freedom.' 'Is it freedom? You live on an island far away from the rest of the world. Many people would see that as effectively a prison. Aren't you lonely? Bored?'
Keepers of the Lighthouse is a fabulous tale full of mystery and intrigue set against the wonderful backdrop of a lighthouse on an isolated island. With rich and vivid descriptions, characters to cheer and characters to curse, this is a tale that truly captivated me.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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