The Lighthouse Witches - by C J Cooke (Paperback)

About the Book

"Two sisters go missing on a remote Scottish island. Twenty years later, one is found-but she's still the same age as when she disappeared. The secrets of witches have reached across the centuries in this chilling Gothic thriller from the author of the acclaimed The Nesting. When single mother Liv is commissioned to paint a mural in a 100-year-old lighthouse on a remote Scottish island, it's an opportunity to start over with her three daughters-Luna, Sapphire, and Clover. When two of her daughters go missing, she's frantic. She learns that the cave beneath the lighthouse was once a prison for women accused of witchcraft. The locals warn her about wildlings, supernatural beings who mimic human children, created by witches for revenge. Liv is told wildlings are dangerous and must be killed. Twenty-two years later, Luna has been searching for her missing sisters and mother. When she receives a call about her youngest sister, Clover, she's initially ecstatic. Clover is the sister she remembers-except she's still seven years old, the age she was when she vanished. Luna is worried Clover is a wildling. Luna has few memories of her time on the island, but she'll have to return to find the truth of what happened to her family. But she doesn't realize just how much the truth will change her"--

Book Synopsis

A Most Anticipated Novel by Pop Sugar * Book Riot * Betches * Bustle * and more!

"Utterly spellbinding....Witchcraft meets thriller."--Pop Sugar

Two sisters go missing on a remote Scottish island. Twenty years later, one is found--but she's still the same age as when she disappeared. The secrets of witches have reached across the centuries in this chilling Gothic thriller from the author of the acclaimed The Nesting.

When single mother Liv is commissioned to paint a mural in a 100-year-old lighthouse on a remote Scottish island, it's an opportunity to start over with her three daughters--Luna, Sapphire, and Clover. When two of her daughters go missing, she's frantic. She learns that the cave beneath the lighthouse was once a prison for women accused of witchcraft. The locals warn her about wildlings, supernatural beings who mimic human children, created by witches for revenge. Liv is told wildlings are dangerous and must be killed.

Twenty-two years later, Luna has been searching for her missing sisters and mother. When she receives a call about her youngest sister, Clover, she's initially ecstatic. Clover is the sister she remembers--except she's still seven years old, the age she was when she vanished. Luna is worried Clover is a wildling. Luna has few memories of her time on the island, but she'll have to return to find the truth of what happened to her family. But she doesn't realize just how much the truth will change her.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Lighthouse Witches

"Right from the start, I was hooked on this eerie, cryptic novel. I don't know how C. J. Cooke does it, but every time I pick up one of her books, I can't stop reading until the last page."--Samantha Downing, USA Today bestselling author of My Lovely Wife

"Utterly spellbinding....Witchcraft meets thriller."--Pop Sugar

"Truly scary....a new horror novel set on a remote Scottish island."--Book Riot

"This chilling tale weaves a web of superstition and truth that fans of Gothic horror won't want to miss."--Library Journal

"In her deeply atmospheric new novel, Cooke weaves together multiple genres into an intriguing story about longing, lost love, and family....Cooke does an excellent job of bringing together three time periods and multiple story lines. Readers of Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife and students of Scottish history and myth will love this read."--Booklist

"Cooke fuses mystery with horror in this atmospheric thriller....[B]reathless pacing, evocative prose, and a hopeful denouement leave readers feeling gratified. Supernatural suspense fans will be well pleased."--Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Nesting

"A taut, scary thriller that winds the suspense so tightly you can barely breathe. I was rooting for the heroine all the way to the terrifying conclusion. This one will definitely keep you up at night."--Simone St. James, New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel

"[A] hypnotic psychological thriller....Readers will keep guessing what's really going on right up to the surprise ending. Rebecca fans won't want to miss this one."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"An original and haunting thriller, filled with secrets, ghosts, and Norse folk tales. The Nesting is an evocative and chilling tale that will keep you guessing, and is best read with the lights on."--Alice Feeney, New York Times bestselling author of Sometimes I Lie

"A gorgeous, atmospheric book that chilled me to the bone. The perfect escape book into the deep woods of Norway, where nothing is as it seems. C. J. Cooke just became one of my favorite authors."--Samantha Downing, USA Today bestselling author of My Lovely Wife

"The modern and the Gothic collide in The Nesting."--PopSugar

"[A] nail-biting, Gothic suspense novel."--OK! Magazine

"Chilling, totally engrossing and full of intrigue. The pages just whizzed by."--Katherine May, New York Times bestselling author of Wintering

"Norwegian fjords and folktales are beautifully evoked in this vivid and compelling novel."--Rosamund Lupton, New York Times bestselling author of Sister

"A thrilling blend of lore and suspense, The Nesting is a gripping, deliciously tense page-turner that will give you chills."--Rachel Harrison, author of The Return

"Nordic folklore, snowy landscapes, and an ever-turning screw of tension--a fun, Gothic treat."--Kirsty Logan, author of The Gracekeepers

"The Nesting is at once a taut psychological thriller, an eerie Nordic fable, and a thoughtful meditation on stewardship--not only of children, but of friendship, of truth, and of the natural world we take for granted at our peril. Ms. Cooke tells her story with a spare, elegant prose that betrays a poet's ear, and also a poet's discipline. The language is beautiful, but effortlessly so, pushing the story forward in two deftly handled timelines. The characters are heartbreakingly three-dimensional....[A] quick read with a long echo."--Christopher Buehlman, author of Those Across the River

About the Author

C. J. Cooke is an award-winning poet and novelist published in twenty-three languages. She teaches creative writing at the University of Glasgow, where she also researches the impact of motherhood on women's writing and creative writing interventions for mental health.