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The Lantern Man
Shortly after her brother, Stormy, is convicted of the brutal murder of a classmate, seventeen-year-old Lizzy Greiner is found dead in an abandoned mountain shack, the result of an apparent suicide by fire. Next to Lizzy’s charred body, investigators find several of her journals, safely stored inside a fireproof box. It soon becomes evident that these journals contain a narrative that Lizzy wanted the police read, the truth that she wanted them to know.
Detective Russ Buchanan is tasked with determining the veracity of her narrative, including Lizzy’s belief and obsession that the mysterious and murderous Lantern Man is haunting the mountains near her family’s house. He interviews family members, teachers, and classmates; he studies her psychologist’s extensive case notes. And he learns that Lizzy isn’t the only one who believes in the Lantern Man. After generations of ghost stories, is it possible that the Lantern Man actually does exist, a real-life boogeyman? Did he have something to do with the murder? Or is he simply a figment of Lizzie’s deluded imagination, an attempt to rationalize her brother’s brutality? The further into the investigation he delves, the more Buchanan questions everything he thought he knew about Lizzy’s death and the murder for which her brother was convicted.
Eschewing a conventional narrative, The Lantern Man is told through newspaper articles, encyclopedia entries, artwork, police interviews and notes, and, most importantly, a dead girl’s journal. While bearing similarities to House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, Night Film by Marish Pessl, and The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, The Lantern Man stands alone in the genre of contemporary mystery/suspense. It is at once a mystery, a family drama, and a ghost story, the type of novel that is sure to keep you flipping pages deep into the night.
Detective Russ Buchanan is tasked with determining the veracity of her narrative, including Lizzy’s belief and obsession that the mysterious and murderous Lantern Man is haunting the mountains near her family’s house. He interviews family members, teachers, and classmates; he studies her psychologist’s extensive case notes. And he learns that Lizzy isn’t the only one who believes in the Lantern Man. After generations of ghost stories, is it possible that the Lantern Man actually does exist, a real-life boogeyman? Did he have something to do with the murder? Or is he simply a figment of Lizzie’s deluded imagination, an attempt to rationalize her brother’s brutality? The further into the investigation he delves, the more Buchanan questions everything he thought he knew about Lizzy’s death and the murder for which her brother was convicted.
Eschewing a conventional narrative, The Lantern Man is told through newspaper articles, encyclopedia entries, artwork, police interviews and notes, and, most importantly, a dead girl’s journal. While bearing similarities to House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, Night Film by Marish Pessl, and The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, The Lantern Man stands alone in the genre of contemporary mystery/suspense. It is at once a mystery, a family drama, and a ghost story, the type of novel that is sure to keep you flipping pages deep into the night.
252 pages, Paperback
Published March 9, 2020
8 people are currently reading
2325 people want to read
About the author
Jon Bassoff
16 books316 followersJon Bassoff is the author of nine novels. His mountain gothic novel, CORROSION, has been translated in French and German and was nominated for the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere, France’s biggest crime fiction award. His psycho-noir novel, THE DISASSEMBLED MAN, has been adapted for the big screen with a filming date set to begin within the next hundred years. He also wrote the screenplay for BIZARRE LOVE TRIANGLE, which was named semi-finalist at the New York Cinematography Awards and a finalist at the Seattle Film Festival for best short film.
His novels have been lauded by authors like Craig Johnson (LONGMIRE series), James Grady (SIX DAYS OF THE CONDOR), Rob Hart (THE WAREHOUSE), Paul Trembley (A HEADFUL OF GHOSTS), S.A. Cosby (RAZORBLADE TEARS, Ramsey Campbell (THE HUNGRY MOON), Tom Piccirilli (LAST KIND WORDS), and Marcus Sakey (BRILLLIANCE Trilogy). His work has also been featured several times in New York Magazine. For his day job, Bassoff teaches high school English where he is known by students and faculty alike as the deranged writer guy. He is a connoisseur of tequila, hot sauces, psychobilly music, and flea-bag motels.
His novels have been lauded by authors like Craig Johnson (LONGMIRE series), James Grady (SIX DAYS OF THE CONDOR), Rob Hart (THE WAREHOUSE), Paul Trembley (A HEADFUL OF GHOSTS), S.A. Cosby (RAZORBLADE TEARS, Ramsey Campbell (THE HUNGRY MOON), Tom Piccirilli (LAST KIND WORDS), and Marcus Sakey (BRILLLIANCE Trilogy). His work has also been featured several times in New York Magazine. For his day job, Bassoff teaches high school English where he is known by students and faculty alike as the deranged writer guy. He is a connoisseur of tequila, hot sauces, psychobilly music, and flea-bag motels.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 30, 2020
Many moons ago, a horror fan (me) decided to read a genre icon called, HOUSE OF LEAVES. If I remember correctly, I was into it about fifty pages when I decided to quit. The execution on the experimental, interactive format felt gimmicky and overly complicated. I was not enjoying my reading experience, not even close, so I quit.
I mention that now because THE LANTERN MAN employs some similar literary devices; specifically footnotes, newspaper clippings, letters, photos, documents and more. In this review, I will hopefully be able to convince horror fans why Bassoff's novel is a far superior novel than HOUSE OF LEAVES.
This story is a family drama at its core. A single mother raising twin girls and a brother. Dad disappeared. Mom is riddled with issues. The teenage kids are pretty screwed up for various reasons, primarily because one of the twin girls drowned and the surviving twin has an unhealthy obsession with her brother. Her name is Lizzy and the story starts with a news clipping of her death (suicide by incineration) and begins the tall order of unraveling the events leading up to the suicide through a series of her journal entries with a detective's footnotes on the bottom. It's the reader's opinion that interested horror fans should *not* read the back of the book and just go straight in with your "true crime" brains turned all the way on. Prepare to challenge yourself to read between the lines. Allow all the possible theories to get worked out while you read--take in all the clues and breadcrumbs. Bassoff has created the perfect game for lovers of police procedural thrillers, true crime junkies and horror hounds. My only complaint was that sometimes, I felt like certain points that felt important to the author, were hammered on a little too obviously. Like maybe he didn't trust the reader to pick up on it the first time, so it was repeated a few more times. There were a couple police interviews that felt like they were doubling down on a narrative that was already shared-like an unnecessary info-dump. Small grievance though.
Back to HOUSE OF LEAVES. As soon as I started growing impatient with all the footnotes and found footage, I flipped through the book and saw pages upon pages of haphazard writing styles all over the pages, text moving in a spiral formation or only read in a mirror's reflection. *shaking my head* I have no time for that nonsense. I'm sure others thought it was fun or cute, but I did not. A better comparison to THE LANTERN MAN might be THE TROOP by Nick Cutter in the way that he included medical documents and scientific reports, newspaper clippings and such? I love that! This book even had creepy drawings from beyond the grave--I found that I was getting excited to turn the pages to see what clues I would find there.
Mother Horror Blurb: Bassoff wanted to tell a creepy urban legend intermingled with a murder mystery and an unreliable narrator through innovative, experimental literary devices that play out like a true crime Netflix documentary in book form. VERY entertaining.
I mention that now because THE LANTERN MAN employs some similar literary devices; specifically footnotes, newspaper clippings, letters, photos, documents and more. In this review, I will hopefully be able to convince horror fans why Bassoff's novel is a far superior novel than HOUSE OF LEAVES.
This story is a family drama at its core. A single mother raising twin girls and a brother. Dad disappeared. Mom is riddled with issues. The teenage kids are pretty screwed up for various reasons, primarily because one of the twin girls drowned and the surviving twin has an unhealthy obsession with her brother. Her name is Lizzy and the story starts with a news clipping of her death (suicide by incineration) and begins the tall order of unraveling the events leading up to the suicide through a series of her journal entries with a detective's footnotes on the bottom. It's the reader's opinion that interested horror fans should *not* read the back of the book and just go straight in with your "true crime" brains turned all the way on. Prepare to challenge yourself to read between the lines. Allow all the possible theories to get worked out while you read--take in all the clues and breadcrumbs. Bassoff has created the perfect game for lovers of police procedural thrillers, true crime junkies and horror hounds. My only complaint was that sometimes, I felt like certain points that felt important to the author, were hammered on a little too obviously. Like maybe he didn't trust the reader to pick up on it the first time, so it was repeated a few more times. There were a couple police interviews that felt like they were doubling down on a narrative that was already shared-like an unnecessary info-dump. Small grievance though.
Back to HOUSE OF LEAVES. As soon as I started growing impatient with all the footnotes and found footage, I flipped through the book and saw pages upon pages of haphazard writing styles all over the pages, text moving in a spiral formation or only read in a mirror's reflection. *shaking my head* I have no time for that nonsense. I'm sure others thought it was fun or cute, but I did not. A better comparison to THE LANTERN MAN might be THE TROOP by Nick Cutter in the way that he included medical documents and scientific reports, newspaper clippings and such? I love that! This book even had creepy drawings from beyond the grave--I found that I was getting excited to turn the pages to see what clues I would find there.
Mother Horror Blurb: Bassoff wanted to tell a creepy urban legend intermingled with a murder mystery and an unreliable narrator through innovative, experimental literary devices that play out like a true crime Netflix documentary in book form. VERY entertaining.
May 29, 2020
This creative and fascinating novel blends murder mystery, horror, small-town rural legends, and family secrets into a highly satisfying tale coming in just over 200 productive pages. It tells the story of a small-town detective named Russ Buchanan driven to reopen the cases of recent violence in his Colorado town, including the fire-suicide of a girl named Lizzy Greiner. As Buchanan investigates, the story is told with a variety of narrative conventions, including Lizzy's journal, Buchanan's footnotes, articles, photographs, etc. All of this provides an absorbing tapestry that builds as the story unfolds.
"I was not looking for a confession. I only wanted her soul to be freed."It was awesome getting sucked into this short novel. The epistolary and multiple-point-of-view style it's presented in makes everyone an unreliable narrator and you never quite know what's true and what's not as you're reading. And while it has elements of horror and crime, it ultimately tells a story that shows the tragic disintegration of a family and tackles mental health issues like depression and obsession. The author's innovative style lends an interesting mood throughout the novel and a tense, uneasy reading experience. This is my second novel by author Jon Bassoff and while it couldn't be any more different than the first one I read, it's further proof of how much of a singular talent he is.
"It's only flesh my darling. And flesh is meant for the fire."
July 2, 2023
Wow. Just wow. All I'll say is read the publisher's description and then wait for so much more. The mythos of the Lantern Man is only the backdrop for the story Bassoff has to tell. At less than 200 pages, this one packs a wallop to which many books twice the size only aspire. I really liked Bassoff's Beneath Cruel Waters but this is even better. Thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. Very highly recommended.
March 15, 2020
A disturbing read that left me questioning my own sanity. Jon Bassoff’s newest novel embodies his disconcerting and remarkable writing abilities. We are left following Lizzy, an unreliable narrator, and her tumultuous life. Murder, hallucinations, it has it all. Would highly recommend for anyone who needs a little darkness in their life.
April 18, 2020
My review of THE LANTERN MAN can be found at High Fever Books.
Jon Bassoff is an author that's not afraid to take chances, and he has a particular talent for crafting stories in unexpected and unusual ways. Each subsequent book of his that I've read has been nearly a complete 180 from what came prior, and in this regard The Lantern Man couldn't be more different than his recent bizarro book, The Drive-Thru Crematorium. Where the latter was an engaging oddity in the vein of David Lynch and Franz Kafka, the former is certainly this author's most straight forward work, although the structure of it maintains Bassoff's insistence toward the unusual.
The Lantern Man is a twisty, psychological thriller, and if I must maintain Bassoff's status as the David Lynch of weird prose (going through past reviews, I see that I've oft compared him to the filmmaker in discussions on Factory Town and The Drive-Thru Crematorium), then this is the author's turn at Twin Peaks. While it doesn't have those brief glimmers of cosmic horror, it does have plenty of family drama, occasional and deliberate detours into highly artificial and overly melodramatic dialogue, and a highly engaging and compelling mystery about a murdered girl.
Where The Lantern Man distances itself from typical noir mysteries is in its presentation, which stylistically may remind one of House of Leaves or Night Film. Our lead narrator is the dead girl, Lizzy Greiner, and her story unfolds through a series of journal entries recovered after her murder. The investigating officer, Detective Buchanan, charts the progress of his investigation through a series of footnotes, confirming or refuting portions of Lizzie's story, as well as raising new questions and inconsistencies in the narrative. Their stories are further supplemented with additional case notes, interviews, newspaper clippings, photographs, and illustrations.
Various suspects come and go over the course of the mystery, but the biggest question mark is the titular Lantern Man himself. The Lantern Man, you see, is little more than urban legend and the subject of stories Lizzy's father told her to scare her. Lizzy, however, maintains the Lantern Man is not only real, but hunting her and is the most likely culprit for the death she knows is awaiting her.
Looking at some of my past reviews for Bassoff's books, aside from comparisons to David Lynch, I see that I've frequently called his stories puzzle box narratives, and it's as fitting a description as any of not only his work in toto but of this particular book, as well. While The Lantern Man doesn't delve as freely or as deeply into the surreal, dream-like states of The Factory Man or The Drive-Thru Crematorium, it is a solid reminder of just how innovative an author Bassoff really is, one that is layered and speculative enough to keep readers guessing, even after the final line.
Jon Bassoff is an author that's not afraid to take chances, and he has a particular talent for crafting stories in unexpected and unusual ways. Each subsequent book of his that I've read has been nearly a complete 180 from what came prior, and in this regard The Lantern Man couldn't be more different than his recent bizarro book, The Drive-Thru Crematorium. Where the latter was an engaging oddity in the vein of David Lynch and Franz Kafka, the former is certainly this author's most straight forward work, although the structure of it maintains Bassoff's insistence toward the unusual.
The Lantern Man is a twisty, psychological thriller, and if I must maintain Bassoff's status as the David Lynch of weird prose (going through past reviews, I see that I've oft compared him to the filmmaker in discussions on Factory Town and The Drive-Thru Crematorium), then this is the author's turn at Twin Peaks. While it doesn't have those brief glimmers of cosmic horror, it does have plenty of family drama, occasional and deliberate detours into highly artificial and overly melodramatic dialogue, and a highly engaging and compelling mystery about a murdered girl.
Where The Lantern Man distances itself from typical noir mysteries is in its presentation, which stylistically may remind one of House of Leaves or Night Film. Our lead narrator is the dead girl, Lizzy Greiner, and her story unfolds through a series of journal entries recovered after her murder. The investigating officer, Detective Buchanan, charts the progress of his investigation through a series of footnotes, confirming or refuting portions of Lizzie's story, as well as raising new questions and inconsistencies in the narrative. Their stories are further supplemented with additional case notes, interviews, newspaper clippings, photographs, and illustrations.
Various suspects come and go over the course of the mystery, but the biggest question mark is the titular Lantern Man himself. The Lantern Man, you see, is little more than urban legend and the subject of stories Lizzy's father told her to scare her. Lizzy, however, maintains the Lantern Man is not only real, but hunting her and is the most likely culprit for the death she knows is awaiting her.
Looking at some of my past reviews for Bassoff's books, aside from comparisons to David Lynch, I see that I've frequently called his stories puzzle box narratives, and it's as fitting a description as any of not only his work in toto but of this particular book, as well. While The Lantern Man doesn't delve as freely or as deeply into the surreal, dream-like states of The Factory Man or The Drive-Thru Crematorium, it is a solid reminder of just how innovative an author Bassoff really is, one that is layered and speculative enough to keep readers guessing, even after the final line.
February 4, 2022
I couldn't put this down at the latter half. So many plot twists and curves, cryptically well written to the point I couldn't figure out who did it and what was happening and usually I can.
The framework was seamless and the ending was, I don't even know what to say. I had a hard time deciding if I liked it, but as a writer it was definitely up to the reader to decide and that is genius.
This is the best one I've read by Bassoff so far. My other favorite is the Disassembled Man.
Just go read it because I'm not about spoilers or "telling" the entire story in a review. Takes the integrity away from the writer's work.
The framework was seamless and the ending was, I don't even know what to say. I had a hard time deciding if I liked it, but as a writer it was definitely up to the reader to decide and that is genius.
This is the best one I've read by Bassoff so far. My other favorite is the Disassembled Man.
Just go read it because I'm not about spoilers or "telling" the entire story in a review. Takes the integrity away from the writer's work.
May 6, 2020
I won this book through Goodreads and received it yesterday. I flipped through it and thought it looked pretty interesting, but set it aside.
Spent some time cleaning my house today, then figured I would take a break and read a few pages this afternoon and... I just finished it. I know it's a cliche, but, truly, I could not put it down. So many twists and turns, you'll spend a lot of time trying to figure things out.
An afternoon/evening well spent.
Thank you Goodreads and Jon Bassoff! Well-done!
Spent some time cleaning my house today, then figured I would take a break and read a few pages this afternoon and... I just finished it. I know it's a cliche, but, truly, I could not put it down. So many twists and turns, you'll spend a lot of time trying to figure things out.
An afternoon/evening well spent.
Thank you Goodreads and Jon Bassoff! Well-done!
June 15, 2020
More like 3.5
This short novel follows the story of a young Rocky Mountain girl who thinks she is being pursued by a spectral miner (did anyone else keep thinking of the Miner 49er from Scooby Doo? No just me?). The style is of a found-footage type -- largely relying on the girl's diary and excerpts from police reports.
In style it reminds me most of Paul Trembley's "A Head Full of Ghosts", which is really too bad because AHFoG is one of the better horror novels I've read in a long time, so that's an unfairly high bar. Lantern Man has some of the same questions at its core -- crazy or supernatural? The possibility of a really unreliable narrator, and enough turns to keep you guessing right up until the end.
This short novel follows the story of a young Rocky Mountain girl who thinks she is being pursued by a spectral miner (did anyone else keep thinking of the Miner 49er from Scooby Doo? No just me?). The style is of a found-footage type -- largely relying on the girl's diary and excerpts from police reports.
In style it reminds me most of Paul Trembley's "A Head Full of Ghosts", which is really too bad because AHFoG is one of the better horror novels I've read in a long time, so that's an unfairly high bar. Lantern Man has some of the same questions at its core -- crazy or supernatural? The possibility of a really unreliable narrator, and enough turns to keep you guessing right up until the end.
September 23, 2020
When I bought this book I thought it was a mystery/thriller with perhaps a paranormal twist. Now that I have read it, I would say it is a mystery/thriller with a tinge of horror. The best part of this book is how the author wrote it and put it together. It is filled with newspaper articles, drawings, letters, a diary, photos, and police interviews - all in between and amid the chapters. None of this distracts from the story at all, in fact in enhances it. The book moves very fast, I never had time to get bored. Good read.
March 31, 2021
Ahhhhhh where do I start?!?!?! I was not kidding when I said that I needed more Jon Bassoff in my life. There are few books that once I finish, I have the urge to immediately reread and savour every page all over again. The Lantern Man was that book!!! I don’t even know how to classify this one. It captivated me with it’s puzzling mystery and beautifully written story. This is the second book I have read by this author and both times he blew my mind. I need everything he has written, he will not get out of my head. I both love and hate him for this.
June 19, 2024
Hard book to review. I loved the style. The style really engages you, grabs you by the balls and doesn't let you go if you will. I read other reviews describing this book as a decipherable House of Leaves. I agree with this description, it uses the elements from HOL but you don't have to give up half way through.
However, for me, the ending was a let down. So if you can enjoy a book for the ride more than the destination then give this one a shot. I'll definitely try more books by Mr. Bassoff.
However, for me, the ending was a let down. So if you can enjoy a book for the ride more than the destination then give this one a shot. I'll definitely try more books by Mr. Bassoff.
July 27, 2024
The “true crime” setup of this novel is well done, as we watch Det. Buchanan attempt to sift through bipolar Lizzie’s journals about her life, and the girl her brother supposedly killed. She insists it was the fictitious Lantern Man, but might this local boogeyman actually exist? Great narration and you’re left guessing until the end. Traber Burns, Lauren Ezzo and Alex Boyles do a spectacular job for Audible.
December 31, 2022
3.9/5
A very interesting read.
The story unfolds through newspaper articles, interviews and a diary.
The character(s) have some depth and there is a twist that I was rather expecting.
Although it is noted as horror, it is not so spooky.
In overall, I enjoyed it.
A very interesting read.
The story unfolds through newspaper articles, interviews and a diary.
The character(s) have some depth and there is a twist that I was rather expecting.
Although it is noted as horror, it is not so spooky.
In overall, I enjoyed it.
July 26, 2020
Eerie legend woven into psychological horror - well done.
Read
August 3, 2022I don’t remember ever even starting this book! OH - I read one with a similar title - must have gotten mixed up.
Read
June 11, 2024DNF 50% could not engage with the story and felt pretty bored while trying to get into it.
May 24, 2025
Just dreadful. Read like CHAT GPT is basic mode wrote it.
June 24, 2025
A very intriguing book, though I found it even more impactful as an audiobook. The narration truly elevates the atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience exponentially.
May 16, 2020
Outstanding blend of thriller, horror and true crime
cleverly built around local legend, ‘The Lantern Man’
Last year I was mightily impressed by Jon Bassoff’s wonderful and decidedly weird The Drive-Thru Crematorium which ended up one of my favourite novellas of 2019. This time out Bassoff expands from the 160-page novella into a shortish, but perfectly formed, 226-page novel. Some of the very cool quotes, which are worth revisiting, about Bassoff initially attracted me to his work include; “Bassoff is the Kafka of Colorado, a writer who spins feverish nightmares out of the insane realities of modern life” and “Toss Kafka, David Lynch, and a pinch of Flannery O’Connor in a blender, and you might end up with The Drive-Thru Crematorium”. Now having read The Lantern Man, these outlandish quotes ring truer than ever before.
The Lantern Man is another strange book, but not to the surreal levels of The Drive-Thru Crematorium, and clearly illustrates the diverse writing ability of the author, with a different blend of ‘crazy’ this time out. If you’re expecting more of the same, think again, this latest work follows a blueprint which heads into true-crime territory. It is presented in the form of newspaper clippings, interview transcripts, photos, drawings and other documents pertinent to a concluded police investigation. However, the most crucial document is a diary of a young woman, who apparently, committed suicide which takes up most of the book page-time, with the other documents dispersed throughout the very twisty narrative.
The diary recovered was titled ‘The Lantern Man by Lizzy Greiner’ and was retrieved close to the burned body of a young woman. The book was closely scrutinised by Detective Russ Buchanan, who believed the investigation into the circumstances of the death of Lizzy was flawed and that the case should be reopened. The Lantern Man opens with a letter from Detective Buchanan to Chief Mickel of the Leadville Police Department, requesting they take another look. Although most of the book is told via Lizzy Greiner’s diary narrative, it has numerous footnotes written by Detective Buchanan who often questions or debunk what Lizzy is saying, and his voice is as entertaining as the young woman. But is he really the voice of reason? A lot of the fun is had in reading between the lines of these contrasting narratives.
The reader has no idea where The Lantern Man is going and that holds a lot of attraction in a novel which cleverly blends horror, thriller and true crime as it slowly reveals that the Greiner family had more than a few issues. It drops breadcrumbs all over the place, many are red herrings, and you have to decide yourself whether you want to believe Lizzy Greiner’s narrative, which Detective Buchanan does his best to debunk; Lizzy was seeing a psychiatrist and had a whole heap of emotional problems is an obvious example he drops. Lizzy was a classic unreliable narrator, so how much could she be trusted anyway? Could you believe anybody who would deliberately sets themselves on fire? Jon Bassoff has previously been compared to David Lynch and there is most definitely a slice of Laura Palmer in Lizzy Greiner. Twin Peaks was all about secrets, and what lay below the surface, The Lantern Man is no different.
Lizzy has a great voice and as you follow her narrative the whispering Detective Buchanan is never far away giving his slightly different versions of events. She is an odd girl for sure, seemingly obsessed with her brother Stormy, his relationships, and struggling to get over the death of her sister from an earlier drowning accident. Being inside the head of Lizzy is very convincing and so the notes provided by Buchanan are very jarring and combined they keep the readers on their toes as things play out very slowly in what was a cleverly plotted story with Buchanan’s voice becoming more prominent as the story spins on.
Who is ‘The Lantern Man’? you may be asking and what is his role in proceedings? All small towns have their own local legends and ‘The Lantern Man’ is a local boogieman tale used to scare little kids. Reputedly he was a miner who died after becoming trapped in a blocked cave who came back from the grave and haunted the local area, close to where he died. Lizzy has an unhealthy interest in this story and believes he was involved in both the drowning of her sister and other crucial plot developments which play out deliciously. Detective Buchanan, of course, investigates further….
It is not going to take you long to read The Lantern Man, which was very fine company for a few hours. I must also compliment the author on his very clever ending, which I really did not see coming, but once it dropped lots of other things became considerably clearer. Mixing genres is never easy and Jon Bassoff nails the cross between mystery, crime and horror in some style with this clever and sneaky read which will keep you on your toes until the final page.
cleverly built around local legend, ‘The Lantern Man’
Last year I was mightily impressed by Jon Bassoff’s wonderful and decidedly weird The Drive-Thru Crematorium which ended up one of my favourite novellas of 2019. This time out Bassoff expands from the 160-page novella into a shortish, but perfectly formed, 226-page novel. Some of the very cool quotes, which are worth revisiting, about Bassoff initially attracted me to his work include; “Bassoff is the Kafka of Colorado, a writer who spins feverish nightmares out of the insane realities of modern life” and “Toss Kafka, David Lynch, and a pinch of Flannery O’Connor in a blender, and you might end up with The Drive-Thru Crematorium”. Now having read The Lantern Man, these outlandish quotes ring truer than ever before.
The Lantern Man is another strange book, but not to the surreal levels of The Drive-Thru Crematorium, and clearly illustrates the diverse writing ability of the author, with a different blend of ‘crazy’ this time out. If you’re expecting more of the same, think again, this latest work follows a blueprint which heads into true-crime territory. It is presented in the form of newspaper clippings, interview transcripts, photos, drawings and other documents pertinent to a concluded police investigation. However, the most crucial document is a diary of a young woman, who apparently, committed suicide which takes up most of the book page-time, with the other documents dispersed throughout the very twisty narrative.
The diary recovered was titled ‘The Lantern Man by Lizzy Greiner’ and was retrieved close to the burned body of a young woman. The book was closely scrutinised by Detective Russ Buchanan, who believed the investigation into the circumstances of the death of Lizzy was flawed and that the case should be reopened. The Lantern Man opens with a letter from Detective Buchanan to Chief Mickel of the Leadville Police Department, requesting they take another look. Although most of the book is told via Lizzy Greiner’s diary narrative, it has numerous footnotes written by Detective Buchanan who often questions or debunk what Lizzy is saying, and his voice is as entertaining as the young woman. But is he really the voice of reason? A lot of the fun is had in reading between the lines of these contrasting narratives.
The reader has no idea where The Lantern Man is going and that holds a lot of attraction in a novel which cleverly blends horror, thriller and true crime as it slowly reveals that the Greiner family had more than a few issues. It drops breadcrumbs all over the place, many are red herrings, and you have to decide yourself whether you want to believe Lizzy Greiner’s narrative, which Detective Buchanan does his best to debunk; Lizzy was seeing a psychiatrist and had a whole heap of emotional problems is an obvious example he drops. Lizzy was a classic unreliable narrator, so how much could she be trusted anyway? Could you believe anybody who would deliberately sets themselves on fire? Jon Bassoff has previously been compared to David Lynch and there is most definitely a slice of Laura Palmer in Lizzy Greiner. Twin Peaks was all about secrets, and what lay below the surface, The Lantern Man is no different.
Lizzy has a great voice and as you follow her narrative the whispering Detective Buchanan is never far away giving his slightly different versions of events. She is an odd girl for sure, seemingly obsessed with her brother Stormy, his relationships, and struggling to get over the death of her sister from an earlier drowning accident. Being inside the head of Lizzy is very convincing and so the notes provided by Buchanan are very jarring and combined they keep the readers on their toes as things play out very slowly in what was a cleverly plotted story with Buchanan’s voice becoming more prominent as the story spins on.
Who is ‘The Lantern Man’? you may be asking and what is his role in proceedings? All small towns have their own local legends and ‘The Lantern Man’ is a local boogieman tale used to scare little kids. Reputedly he was a miner who died after becoming trapped in a blocked cave who came back from the grave and haunted the local area, close to where he died. Lizzy has an unhealthy interest in this story and believes he was involved in both the drowning of her sister and other crucial plot developments which play out deliciously. Detective Buchanan, of course, investigates further….
It is not going to take you long to read The Lantern Man, which was very fine company for a few hours. I must also compliment the author on his very clever ending, which I really did not see coming, but once it dropped lots of other things became considerably clearer. Mixing genres is never easy and Jon Bassoff nails the cross between mystery, crime and horror in some style with this clever and sneaky read which will keep you on your toes until the final page.
August 22, 2020
It can be difficult to craft a compelling story when we already know the main character's fate from the beginning. But Bassoff does it perfectly. Lizzy's tragic fate is handed to the reader in the opening pages, but the true mystery still needs to be unravelled by a detective. The vast majority of the book is made up of journal entries written by Lizzy when she was younger, and detail a most tragic life full of terrible happenings. As we read the book, we are often interrupted by brief footnotes from the detective, clarifying some statements made by Lizzy, or often even contradicting our very unreliable narrator. Perhaps "interrupted" is the wrong word to use; as I was reading it on a kindle, the footnotes were easy to click on, read, then close. In this way, they simply became a part of the narrative, even though they were seemingly added by a second person after the narrator had written the original text. A very clever device.
The story weaves and winds and messes with the reader until the very end. It's a very entertaining read.
The story weaves and winds and messes with the reader until the very end. It's a very entertaining read.
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