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Lamplighter
The killing of murderous, notorious criminal Jackie Farrell leads psychiatrist Carla Stinger into a web of horror and obsession when she suddenly finds herself yearning to kill Jackie's husband, Mississippi lamplighter James Starkwell
- GenresHorror
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 29, 2023
I would call this drama/thriller more than horror, but Fawcett marketed as horror in the 80s. Our main protagonist, Carla, is a social worker in Chicago, still smarting after her husband left her for a man. Carla primarily works with parolees (psychotherapy) and one of her clients is a doozy-- Jackie. Jackie's dad was a thief, a second story man, a robber, and when Jackie was 13 or so, he visited his ex-wife and took Jackie away to lead a merry life of crime.
Jackie herself starts the book with a bang. The prologue has cops and the FBI come to a hotel in Memphis where Jim Stark and Jackie are celebrating their honeymoon. Turns out, Jackie had plans to off Stark with a hatchet she had tucked under the bed; seems the popo had their eyes on Jackie for some time! After Jackie got out of jail, she made like her daddy and for several years terrorized several states until she finally got busted. When the novel kicks off, Jackie just got out of jail once again and Carla sees her twice a week. Lamplighter has several parts, each one featuring different aspects of Carla, Jackie and Stark's life until the (cough, cough) explosive denouement.
I really do not want to say more about the plot; this is more of a mystery/drama/thriller than a horror story and I do not want to drop any spoilers. That stated, the mystery is pretty transparent and you just know how this is going to turn out pretty quick. Simmons still manages to build some tension and you kinda feel for Carla even as she loses her mind. BTW, the title comes from Stark's job, lighting lanterns on the banks of the Mississippi something like a low tech lighthouse. 2.5 stars, rounding down as I just cannot round this one up!
Jackie herself starts the book with a bang. The prologue has cops and the FBI come to a hotel in Memphis where Jim Stark and Jackie are celebrating their honeymoon. Turns out, Jackie had plans to off Stark with a hatchet she had tucked under the bed; seems the popo had their eyes on Jackie for some time! After Jackie got out of jail, she made like her daddy and for several years terrorized several states until she finally got busted. When the novel kicks off, Jackie just got out of jail once again and Carla sees her twice a week. Lamplighter has several parts, each one featuring different aspects of Carla, Jackie and Stark's life until the (cough, cough) explosive denouement.
I really do not want to say more about the plot; this is more of a mystery/drama/thriller than a horror story and I do not want to drop any spoilers. That stated, the mystery is pretty transparent and you just know how this is going to turn out pretty quick. Simmons still manages to build some tension and you kinda feel for Carla even as she loses her mind. BTW, the title comes from Stark's job, lighting lanterns on the banks of the Mississippi something like a low tech lighthouse. 2.5 stars, rounding down as I just cannot round this one up!
Displaying 1 of 1 review