The Keepers of the Lighthouse

In 1882, Laura Webster lives with her father Leo and stepmother Miriam on a remote island in Bass Strait between mainland Australia and Tasmania. Leo has charge of the island's lighthouse, helped by Laura and a somewhat unreliable assistant manager, Rorie.

During a horrendous storm, the vessel Alvarez is wrecked on the island's treacherous rocks and Laura and her father must do what they can to rescue any survivors. These include the mate and a crew member, also a Mr Jones, a Mrs Munro and an English remittance man, Edmund Bailey. It is not long before strange things start happening, when Rorie seems to recognise one of the survivors. Against her own instincts, Laura finds herself drawn to Edmund. 

In 2020, Nina is project manager of a heritage group consisting of employees and volunteers sent to the island during the Covid pandemic to help with maintenance and conservation. She is dismayed to find Jude Rawlins is among them, her one-time lover. Their break-up was especially traumatic and Nina has never got over it. The mix also includes her good friend, Paul, but also the jealous Lis who knows of her past history with Jude. When a satellite phone, their only contact with the mainland, is found destroyed, followed by further sabotage, it is clear someone in their group may have a hidden agenda.

I am ambivalent about dual timelines as this often means one narrative can be more interesting than the other. In this case, the island atmosphere, stronger characters and mysterious happenings of 1882 are far superior to the contemporary story. This is largely the fault of Nina who seems weak and dithery compared to the stoic Laura and so I failed to be moved by her woes. Also, I found some aspects of the modern story didn't really ring true. It is hard to believe that Nina and her chums had no other way of contacting the mainland other than by one solitary satellite phone. Bass Strait isn't that remote any more!

This author has written some good historical novels - "Sweet Wattle Creek" is one example - so I was a bit disappointed in this one.

Three stars.

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