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The Lamplighter

The Lamplighter

by Anthony O ' Neill (Author)

  • Used

    Paperback 2004

    $3.75
Synopsis

In Edinburgh, 1886, two brutal murders and a bizarre exhumation have the entire city on edge. Carus Groves, a conceited and prejudiced police inspector, is assigned the case. Baffled by the superhuman strength required to rip two men apart and drag up a coffin, Groves focuses on an anguished young woman, Evelyn Todd, who claims to have dreamed of the crimes in great detail. Meanwhile, two unlikely friends - Thomas McKnight, a jaded Professor of Logic and Metaphysics, and Joseph Canavan, a compassionate cemetery attendant - are similarly drawn towards Evelyn and her tormented psyche. They discover her extraordinary imagination was violently suppressed in childhood, but in her dreams she retains the image of the lamplighter who brightened the street outside her orphanage each evening. Evelyn now insists the killer is this lamplighter. And as a strange beast gallops through Edinburgh's misty alleys, and Groves' investigation flounders, McKnight and Canavan use the only weapons they possess - reason, logic, intuition, philosophy and sheer luck - to unearth the secrets buried in the dark recesses of Evelyn's mind!

$3.75

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Quantity

2 in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
 Pages: 320
 Edition: New
 Publisher: Headline Review
Published: 02 Feb 2004
ISBN 10: 0755303334
ISBN 13: 9780755303335

Media Reviews
'As terrifying as a child's nightmares - and as wonderful as waking from them' Kirkus Reviews -- Kirkus Reviews 'Stunning...O'Neill delivers one surprising denouement after another in this assured novel...By turns genuinely frightening, thought-provoking, and droll...it's an achievement worthy of Highsmith herself' Book Forum -- Book Forum 'It's a remarkable work, full of erudition and beautifully written. It's also the darkest thing I've read since Peter Ackroyd's HAWKSMOOR' Quintin Jardine -- Quintin Jardine 'O'Neill's chillingly atmospheric story of evil and the power of the imagination adds new terrors to the gothic, gas-lit depths of Edinburgh's past. Follow his tale through these streets only if you dare. You may not come back alive' Stephen Booth, author of Black Dog and Blood on the Tongue -- Stephen Booth '[A] spellbinding tale of a soul divided! O'Neill is a masterful storyteller' Publishers Weekly (starred review) -- Publishers Weekly 20030310 'From the imaginative and eloquent pen of the author of SCHEHERAZADE comes a wonderfully sinister story of evil intent and possession in Victorian Edinburgh: the tormented psyche of a young woman holds the key to murder and exhumation' Bookseller -- Bookseller 20030310 'Anthony O'Neill demonstrates considerable storytelling acumen in this sharply written, atmospheric novel' Publishing News -- Publishing News 20030314 'Part mystery, with the sleuthing seduction of Sherlock Holmes, part fantasy, with the skin-crawling horror of Jekyll and Hyde, but weighing in with the literary resonance of something more profound... A meticulous piece of narrative imagination. Accomplished, fluent and clever' Canberra Times -- Canberra Times 20030322 'Witty and dynamic! O'Neill is a grand storyteller, adept at evoking evil and playing with ambivalence' The Age -- The Age 20030329 'Altogether brilliant!O'Neill's novel is no mere whodunit. Lyrically written, it is a nuanced exploration of the power of imagination, and of the birth of evil out of the violation of innocence' Philadelphia Inquirer -- Philadelphia Inquirer 20030413 'An intriguing and genre-defying mystery which captures a sense of real evil and period atmosphere, both intellectual and geographic! A tightly managed fantasy that combines detective investigation with philosophical speculation. [O'Neill] is a skilled storyteller, with a firm control of his form and a love of richly evocative language. The unravelling of his mystery through the parallel investigations of his amateur philosophers and the dogged Groves is brilliantly done' Sydney Morning Herald -- Sydney Morning Herald 20030418 'A colourful novel fed by fine ideas and shocking bloodshed' Sunday Herald, Glasgow -- Sunday Herald, Glasgow 20030511 'O'Neill's verve never slackens. His narrative panache carries us nonchalantly over tests of our credulity. THE LAMPLIGHTER is poised, elegant, cheeky' The Bulletin -- The Bulletin 20030511 'Timeless and timely. O'Neill has a rare talent for at once frightening and enlightening readers. A chilling page-turner and a thought-provoking inquiry into the true nature of evil' San Francisco Chronicle -- San Francisco Chronicle 20030511 'Evocative and tightly-plotted, THE LAMPLIGHTER is an impressive novel which is unafraid to incorporate philosophical issues into its complicated plot. A very good historical thriller' Chichester Observer -- Chichester Observer 20030522 'His style conjures a fascinating city, and he peoples it with fascinating characters held in gothic suspense' Venue -- Venue 20030522 'A highly original historical thriller. The writer's Victorian backdrop is so infused with eerie atmosphere it is impossible to shake this work out of your mind' Big Issue in the North -- Big Issue in the North 20030522 'Anthony O'Neill's The Lamplighter, an awesome thriller set in Victorian Edinburgh. In terms of style alone, O'Neill's book is in a class of its own; in terms of atmosphere, it has a power redolent of Peter Ackroyd's Hawksmoor' Glasgow Herald -- Glasgow Herald 20030522 'A successful transplantation of the contemporary psychological thriller into a supernatural setting. O'Neill has come up with an intelligent, fluid, faultlessly written and totally convincing novel' SFX Magazine -- SFX Magazine 20030522 'O'Neill displays a great ear for dialogue, a fine sense of humour and an eye for the extra little details... When you read this one, make sure you arenot alone and that the lights are on' Globe and Mail -- Globe and Mail, Canada 20030705 'Anthony O'Neills impressively atmospheric debut is a rich mix of Gothic horror and period detective story' Mail On Sunday, 7/3/04 -- Mail On Sunday 20040307 'As terrifying as a child's nightmares - and as wonderful as waking from them' -- Kirkus Reviews 'O'Neill's chillingly atmospheric story of evil and the power of the imagination adds new terrors to the gothic, gas-lit depths of Edinburgh's past. Follow his tale through these streets only if you dare. You may not come back alive' -- Stephen Booth, author of BLACK DOG and BLOOD ON TH 'It's a remarkable work, full of erudition and beautifully written. It's also the darkest thing I've read since Peter Ackroyd's HAWKSMOOR' -- Quintin Jardine '[A] spellbinding tale of a soul divided! O'Neill is a masterful storyteller' -- Publishers Weekly 20030310 'From the imaginative and eloquent pen of the author of SCHEHERAZADE comes a wonderfully sinister story of evil intent and possession in Victorian Edinburgh: the tormented psyche of a young woman holds the key to murder and exhumation' -- Bookseller 20030310
Author Bio
Anthony O'Neill is the son of an Irish policeman and an Australian stenographer. He lives in Australia, and is a full-time writer.