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Harlan Winter #1
Lighthouse Burning
In a small Appalachian town, an amateur detective unearths a dark conspiracy and his own haunted past, in a chilling novel about sacrifice, art, and revenge.
Med school dropout Harlan Winter returns to his impoverished West Virginia hometown, where the law is scarce, arsonists are turning everything to ash, and his family’s turbulent history lingers. All he wants is to keep the peace in a community cowering from The Lighthouse, a local cult preying on people’s fears. Harlan’s own fears, too, when he’s hired to play detective and find a young couple gone missing.
The vanished artist and his girlfriend have left behind a series of paintings that enrage The Lighthouse’s Pastor Logan, who believes art can have divine power. It’s not easy to believe for a rational man like Harlan. And impossible to ignore when his investigation is haunted by visions of the dead lurking in the shadows of his own violent past.
Revelations about the disappearances are being unearthed. The Lighthouse’s grip on the community is tightening. And Harlan fears he’s losing control. As the threats against his town, his sanity, and his life begin to mount, Harlan doesn’t know which is more what’s real, or what’s in his mind.
Med school dropout Harlan Winter returns to his impoverished West Virginia hometown, where the law is scarce, arsonists are turning everything to ash, and his family’s turbulent history lingers. All he wants is to keep the peace in a community cowering from The Lighthouse, a local cult preying on people’s fears. Harlan’s own fears, too, when he’s hired to play detective and find a young couple gone missing.
The vanished artist and his girlfriend have left behind a series of paintings that enrage The Lighthouse’s Pastor Logan, who believes art can have divine power. It’s not easy to believe for a rational man like Harlan. And impossible to ignore when his investigation is haunted by visions of the dead lurking in the shadows of his own violent past.
Revelations about the disappearances are being unearthed. The Lighthouse’s grip on the community is tightening. And Harlan fears he’s losing control. As the threats against his town, his sanity, and his life begin to mount, Harlan doesn’t know which is more what’s real, or what’s in his mind.
227 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 6, 2023
2534 people are currently reading
3695 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
May 1, 2024
The Grimoire...
LIGHTHOUSE BURNING by Jordan Farmer
No spoilers. 5 stars. After the Decline...
Coopersville, WV was in the midst of a great economic collapse. The town had deteriorated into a memory of a town...
Harlan Winter...
An unlicensed country doctor and ex boxer is the protagonist and anti-hero of the story who was solicitated by...
Pastor Nathaniel Logan...
... and his gang of religious zealots to help him find his $10,000 as well as a book of spells stolen from him. The book was...
A grimoire...
Titled CONJURER'S GUIDE TO THE ART OF CREATION with all its horrible secrets inside. It was a book of spells...
Specifically for artists...
It was powerful enough to create a work of art, and combined with the appropriate sacrifice, it could cast a great spell to transport the artwork...
From one plane of reality to another...
Harlan Winter, like Pastor Logan, wanted to possess the book for himself...
Meanwhile...
A pyromaniac is on the loose in
Coopersville, causing chaos and destruction for the poor inhabitants...
This was an excellent story, although this story may not be for everyone because there are really no good guys in white hats to cheer for.
This is a modern-day tale of the desperation of a hillbilly town in the midst of an economic decline, where men use canned goods to pay their local bartender.
Excellent story!
LIGHTHOUSE BURNING by Jordan Farmer
No spoilers. 5 stars. After the Decline...
Coopersville, WV was in the midst of a great economic collapse. The town had deteriorated into a memory of a town...
Harlan Winter...
An unlicensed country doctor and ex boxer is the protagonist and anti-hero of the story who was solicitated by...
Pastor Nathaniel Logan...
... and his gang of religious zealots to help him find his $10,000 as well as a book of spells stolen from him. The book was...
A grimoire...
Titled CONJURER'S GUIDE TO THE ART OF CREATION with all its horrible secrets inside. It was a book of spells...
Specifically for artists...
It was powerful enough to create a work of art, and combined with the appropriate sacrifice, it could cast a great spell to transport the artwork...
From one plane of reality to another...
Harlan Winter, like Pastor Logan, wanted to possess the book for himself...
Meanwhile...
A pyromaniac is on the loose in
Coopersville, causing chaos and destruction for the poor inhabitants...
This was an excellent story, although this story may not be for everyone because there are really no good guys in white hats to cheer for.
This is a modern-day tale of the desperation of a hillbilly town in the midst of an economic decline, where men use canned goods to pay their local bartender.
Excellent story!
November 29, 2022
Harlan Winter flunked out of medical school and has returned to his small Appalachian town where he practices as an unlicensed doctor. He is haunted by his violent past. The town is beset by arsonists and cultists. Engaged to find a missing person, Winter encounters bodies buried alive, ghosts in his backseat, and magic through the air.
December 7, 2022
It’s a me issue. I was really uncomfortable reading about all the blood and the details of violence/assault.
Also, for a pretty short book the book felt a little long.
I just wish it was a little fast paced. I like the writing and the character development. However, for a mystery suspense thriller I expect the plot to be more suspenseful and engrossing.
Thank you, Thomas & Mercer, for the advance reading copy.
Also, for a pretty short book the book felt a little long.
I just wish it was a little fast paced. I like the writing and the character development. However, for a mystery suspense thriller I expect the plot to be more suspenseful and engrossing.
Thank you, Thomas & Mercer, for the advance reading copy.
June 18, 2023
I give. DNF at chapter 5. This book can’t decide what it wants to be. Is it dystopia, horror, a ghost story? I went ahead and read the last chapter, and there’s magic and conjurers too! Just all over the place and I didn’t like it at all. I don’t like to give 1 star for something I haven’t finished, but I’d guess that’s where it was headed. Amazon first read.
Read
December 15, 2022I am not entirely sure what I read, but I do know that I was not a fan. I don't think that the description that is given really represents the book in the slightest.
June 25, 2023
First off, I’m not sure if I should turn the spoiler on as I’m going to try to not give away the ending or be too specific. I want to balance some of the negative reviews. If you are one that hates any sort of reveals, you may want to just read it and take a chance. I did based on the negative reviews actually. Not to diss peoples personal choices for liking books, I am going to generalize and say many of the negative reviews must be from people who like more formulaic type books. This is NOT one. It is not uplifting. May make you question choices. This will not be made into a Hollywood movie without major changes. But it is an open book on people with issues and problems. It is a novel that would translate well to a dark anime type book. ( I’m 62 so I may be reaching with this analogy.) There is potential supernatural and supernatural that you have to let it be ok to be ok with this book. Many of the less positive reviews were put off by it. This is not a “fun” read but it is a read that sucked me in and I let the minor things go. After 50+ years of reading serious book, it’s hard to be entertained good or bad with so many predictable books. This one is not.
December 29, 2022
I went into this book completely blind and after finishing it I thought it was a well written book but with flaws. I felt like we were just thrown into the Main Character Harlan’s world with no true build up and all of a sudden he’s investigating the whereabouts of this man linked to a mysterious religious cult. I would’ve enjoyed this so much more if this book was longer and took the time to really build up Harlan’s story and The Lighthouses story.
June 5, 2023
Mystery and a Cult!
This book was pretty good, it takes place in a dystopian time, the economy has collapsed, food shortages, no power and random violence.
The protagonist, Harlan Winter, is deeply flawed, shaped by events from his very disturbing childhood. He's hired to find Franklin, an artist who is very important to the cult leader, by Franklin's siblings, twins Melvin and Miranda...then everything goes south.
It took me a bit to get into this book, but I ended up really liking it. I definitely recommend this book!!!
This book was pretty good, it takes place in a dystopian time, the economy has collapsed, food shortages, no power and random violence.
The protagonist, Harlan Winter, is deeply flawed, shaped by events from his very disturbing childhood. He's hired to find Franklin, an artist who is very important to the cult leader, by Franklin's siblings, twins Melvin and Miranda...then everything goes south.
It took me a bit to get into this book, but I ended up really liking it. I definitely recommend this book!!!
June 29, 2023
spoilers ahead 😎
The blurb is one of the most accurate I’ve ever read. Harlan Winter gets himself involved with a cult disguised as a church that basically controls their impoverished town. People start disappearing and he’s determined to find out why. All the while, visions of his violent past keep appearing and some of the details of past and present start to connect. This is medium paced, beautifully written novel. It has serious themes of poverty and guilt. However, each and every character in this book is flawed in their own way. This is a pretty taboo in books and I assume why it’s been pretty poorly recieved. But I think it’s admirable to write a story like this and realistically show how fear, guilt, and hardship can make us do some really fucked up things. While we may not identity with these characters choices (like...at all), we can no doubt relate to their curiosity, desire for justice, and imperfect childhood (albeit imperfect is an understatement for some of these characters). This is definitely a dark book. So, trigger warning for gore, cults, blood, abuse, kidnapping, gun violence, famine?, hallucinations and probably more. Definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s absolutely an audience for this.
My main criticism is the book feels like it’s trying to do a lot of things. It wants to be detective, then ghost, then cultish. And each of those elements are super interesting, but you can’t focus on one long enough before the adrenaline of that gets dulled by a new antagonist. I think this book would’ve been fine and more cohesive had it just been detective/cult. The paranormal stuff came in waves and did not come together until the relative end the novel. Apart from this, I am still a bit stuck on all the lessons to be learned here. I get the gist of some of them. I feel as though there’s a lesson about karma in there: an eye for an eye. And then that guilt makes us see things that aren’t there, desperately trying to right our wrongs. Even a lesson that suffering or struggle is better than being dead (though, not every character believes this?). But I just can’t wrap my head around what it’s saying about art. Art changes minds and lives. It changes reality. But the visions all these victims were meant to be seeing never arrived. Does that mean only select people can make art that’s impactful? Or is the whole vision thing a sham?And if so, why does Harlan admit to having one at the end of the novel. I guess this just left me with tons of questions. Fundamental questions like, why a character do this or that. But then also abstract questions like I mentioned above. I imagine someone of these could be answered in a sequel. But everything feels too open right now. Not bad, just leaves me confused.
I really enjoyed the jarring relationship Harlan has with guilt and his crime. I think I speak for most people when I say he did not deserve to get away with it so easily. But he's beginning to pay for it. And I think, if a sequel does come, it's important for that payment to be fully realized. And as for the commentary on religion, I appreciated that as well. I think it's really important to mention that the book is not condemning religion in general, but control and torture in disguise as religion. I think one of the messages here though is that leaders are not Gods. If you believe in a thing, the true conversation to whatever your goal is, should be between you and your God. And I say this as a non religious person. Logan is such a well made character because he is a true symbol and conglomeration of cult leaders we've seen before. He's passionate and that passion rubs off on you. But desperate people can find light in anything. Usually that would be a very hopeful thing, but for many characters here, it's a death sentence. I just loved the cult aspect of this, especially with the addition of Carson. His section was the most interesting and probably the most heartbreaking. If I took nothing else from this novel, it's the gruesomeness of cults, though I do think the Lighthouse transcends the definition of cult.
The best component of this novel is its writing. There’s not much to say about it to be honest! Super vivid imagery and sensory detail. And there are some steller memorable lines here too. This is an incredibly ambitious plot. I know it looks horrible how little I'm speaking on what I loved, but the writing really is why I kept reading, what kept my attention. The story was simply written very well. Here are some of my favorite lines:
“Even the most frightening ghosts are just hopeful fantasy, a desire that something remains after our consciousness winks out."
“For some men, unkindness was a sort of foreplay."
“The tiniest squeeze followed, as if he might pull me forward by the throat and conclude our business with a kiss"
This is more like a 3.5 for me, just because I am not really a thriller kind of person. Just thought the first page was good when deciding which Amazon First Reads to choose from. Probably won't read the sequel but I appreciate the work that goes into writing a whole novel (cause I can barely write a short story without wanting to give up)! If you're thinking about starting this, but are dismayed by the bad reviews, it's really important that you know what you like. The violence and gore here seems to be a bit much for some. If you're good with that, you might like this :)
The blurb is one of the most accurate I’ve ever read. Harlan Winter gets himself involved with a cult disguised as a church that basically controls their impoverished town. People start disappearing and he’s determined to find out why. All the while, visions of his violent past keep appearing and some of the details of past and present start to connect. This is medium paced, beautifully written novel. It has serious themes of poverty and guilt. However, each and every character in this book is flawed in their own way. This is a pretty taboo in books and I assume why it’s been pretty poorly recieved. But I think it’s admirable to write a story like this and realistically show how fear, guilt, and hardship can make us do some really fucked up things. While we may not identity with these characters choices (like...at all), we can no doubt relate to their curiosity, desire for justice, and imperfect childhood (albeit imperfect is an understatement for some of these characters). This is definitely a dark book. So, trigger warning for gore, cults, blood, abuse, kidnapping, gun violence, famine?, hallucinations and probably more. Definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s absolutely an audience for this.
My main criticism is the book feels like it’s trying to do a lot of things. It wants to be detective, then ghost, then cultish. And each of those elements are super interesting, but you can’t focus on one long enough before the adrenaline of that gets dulled by a new antagonist. I think this book would’ve been fine and more cohesive had it just been detective/cult. The paranormal stuff came in waves and did not come together until the relative end the novel. Apart from this, I am still a bit stuck on all the lessons to be learned here. I get the gist of some of them. I feel as though there’s a lesson about karma in there: an eye for an eye. And then that guilt makes us see things that aren’t there, desperately trying to right our wrongs. Even a lesson that suffering or struggle is better than being dead (though, not every character believes this?). But I just can’t wrap my head around what it’s saying about art. Art changes minds and lives. It changes reality. But the visions all these victims were meant to be seeing never arrived. Does that mean only select people can make art that’s impactful? Or is the whole vision thing a sham?And if so, why does Harlan admit to having one at the end of the novel. I guess this just left me with tons of questions. Fundamental questions like, why a character do this or that. But then also abstract questions like I mentioned above. I imagine someone of these could be answered in a sequel. But everything feels too open right now. Not bad, just leaves me confused.
I really enjoyed the jarring relationship Harlan has with guilt and his crime. I think I speak for most people when I say he did not deserve to get away with it so easily. But he's beginning to pay for it. And I think, if a sequel does come, it's important for that payment to be fully realized. And as for the commentary on religion, I appreciated that as well. I think it's really important to mention that the book is not condemning religion in general, but control and torture in disguise as religion. I think one of the messages here though is that leaders are not Gods. If you believe in a thing, the true conversation to whatever your goal is, should be between you and your God. And I say this as a non religious person. Logan is such a well made character because he is a true symbol and conglomeration of cult leaders we've seen before. He's passionate and that passion rubs off on you. But desperate people can find light in anything. Usually that would be a very hopeful thing, but for many characters here, it's a death sentence. I just loved the cult aspect of this, especially with the addition of Carson. His section was the most interesting and probably the most heartbreaking. If I took nothing else from this novel, it's the gruesomeness of cults, though I do think the Lighthouse transcends the definition of cult.
The best component of this novel is its writing. There’s not much to say about it to be honest! Super vivid imagery and sensory detail. And there are some steller memorable lines here too. This is an incredibly ambitious plot. I know it looks horrible how little I'm speaking on what I loved, but the writing really is why I kept reading, what kept my attention. The story was simply written very well. Here are some of my favorite lines:
“Even the most frightening ghosts are just hopeful fantasy, a desire that something remains after our consciousness winks out."
“For some men, unkindness was a sort of foreplay."
“The tiniest squeeze followed, as if he might pull me forward by the throat and conclude our business with a kiss"
This is more like a 3.5 for me, just because I am not really a thriller kind of person. Just thought the first page was good when deciding which Amazon First Reads to choose from. Probably won't read the sequel but I appreciate the work that goes into writing a whole novel (cause I can barely write a short story without wanting to give up)! If you're thinking about starting this, but are dismayed by the bad reviews, it's really important that you know what you like. The violence and gore here seems to be a bit much for some. If you're good with that, you might like this :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2024
Unfortunately this didn’t click with me. Is it crime? Horror? Religious cult? It doesn’t really know which one it wants to be and doesn’t commit to any. While normally crime and horror can be combined easily this one didn’t mix quite right for me. The writing is competent and sure but I wish the author had committed to the crime fiction aspect without the supernatural/horror part. I think it would have worked a lot better. 2 1/2 stars.
June 22, 2023
This was a hard book to get in to, but I’m glad I persisted because the ending was totally worth it. I have already pre- ordered the next book. I was looking in his back catalog as well and I’m really interested in reading his first book. I’m
July 11, 2023
Lighthouse Burning is a deeply dark mystery about a small Appalachian town and med school dropout hired to solve the mystery of missing people. With very little law enforcement, arsonists are slowly burning down the town.
This was a difficult one for me to read. I stopped and started several times and finally finished but this book was not for me.
I received an ARC from NetGalley for an unbiased review.
This was a difficult one for me to read. I stopped and started several times and finally finished but this book was not for me.
I received an ARC from NetGalley for an unbiased review.
June 12, 2023
Meh.
I often think about the book I'm currently reading while doing other things: chores, driving, etc. This, to me, means that it's a good, engaging book that I'm enjoying and am curious/eager to get back into it. That was not the case for this book.
I don't mind reading the occasional dystopian novel; that's not the problem. But my engagement level was so low that this was an unbalanced experience for me. I never thought about this book while away from it, so returning to it meant several pages of "What is that reference about? What's happening now?" and "Who was Gabrielle, again?"
So, don't ask me about the plot; I can only give you a general overview. It's dark, that's for sure. Everyone seems to be a "bad guy" in some way. I did finish it, but found it to be forgettable. I could have easily quit, but decided to stick with it.
This was a Kindle First Reads for June 2023. Meh. By the way, I figured out/remembered that Gabrielle appears at the beginning of the book as Harlan's love interest, but she leaves and doesn't return. At the end, he is thinking of her again. In case you were wondering.
I often think about the book I'm currently reading while doing other things: chores, driving, etc. This, to me, means that it's a good, engaging book that I'm enjoying and am curious/eager to get back into it. That was not the case for this book.
I don't mind reading the occasional dystopian novel; that's not the problem. But my engagement level was so low that this was an unbalanced experience for me. I never thought about this book while away from it, so returning to it meant several pages of "What is that reference about? What's happening now?" and "Who was Gabrielle, again?"
So, don't ask me about the plot; I can only give you a general overview. It's dark, that's for sure. Everyone seems to be a "bad guy" in some way. I did finish it, but found it to be forgettable. I could have easily quit, but decided to stick with it.
This was a Kindle First Reads for June 2023. Meh. By the way, I figured out/remembered that Gabrielle appears at the beginning of the book as Harlan's love interest, but she leaves and doesn't return. At the end, he is thinking of her again. In case you were wondering.
June 15, 2023
I have read several months of Amazon First Reads and have enjoyed all of them in one way or another until this one. I gave up at the beginning of chapter 3. My main criticism is 1) paint by numbers writing but 2) more importantly, everything is an absolute and everything within the story is in bad shape, in an economic depression, and there is nothing redeeming about anyone or anything. It is the opposite of Pollyanna. Everything is going badly. The tavern is about ready to be shutdown because it can’t pay its bills and it is one bad situation after another. I tend to read about 5-7 pages of a book each night and the last couple of nights, I was dreading having to read this book. So, going to give it 1 star and call it quits. I hope next month has some better choices.
June 15, 2023
Where is this book going?
Having no idea where this book was going, and not quite sure where it had been, I gave up after about a quarter of the book.
Having no idea where this book was going, and not quite sure where it had been, I gave up after about a quarter of the book.
March 5, 2023
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book.
This is a well-written highly engaging book (especially if you are in the music business).
I had not heard of this author prior to reading this book, however by the time I finished the first half of this novel I was confident enough in the author's talent and ability to entertain his audience that I purchased a second novel by this author.
The concept that keeps echoing in my mind from reading this story is that your scars or "abnormalities" (both external and internal) have equal abilities to impact your life (negatively OR positively) based on how much value and power YOU give them. Our own judgement is much more significant than anyone else's could ever be.
Until next time, remember, one's idea of paradise may be another's embodiment of hell, and vice versa.
Check this writer out!
This is a well-written highly engaging book (especially if you are in the music business).
I had not heard of this author prior to reading this book, however by the time I finished the first half of this novel I was confident enough in the author's talent and ability to entertain his audience that I purchased a second novel by this author.
The concept that keeps echoing in my mind from reading this story is that your scars or "abnormalities" (both external and internal) have equal abilities to impact your life (negatively OR positively) based on how much value and power YOU give them. Our own judgement is much more significant than anyone else's could ever be.
Until next time, remember, one's idea of paradise may be another's embodiment of hell, and vice versa.
Check this writer out!
August 18, 2024
This is a novel that isn’t quite sure what it wants to be. Is it a family saga, a murder mystery, a ghost story, a horror novel? Yes, it is. I’m going to go with ‘horror novel’ because of the many outlandish happenings.
Harlan Winter is a med school dropout residing in the rapidly disintegrating town of Coopersville, WV, a place so ruined and desolate that the state and the county and pretty much everyone doesn’t even know it’s there anymore. Harlan’s family is truly horrible. His felon Dad and uncles made him beat a heavy bag until he collapsed, and then would beat him for collapsing. Harlan took out his subsequent frustration on a local bully by beating him with a bicycle lock, putting the bully into a permanent coma. That’s probably one reason he left town to begin with, and a very good reason for not coming back. But he does. Home is where the heart is, I guess.
Someone is going around town burning buildings that contain pictures or murals drawn by a very strange kid named Franklin. Franklin’s brother and sister, the twins Melvin and Miranda, vandalize Harlan’s vending machines and steal his money and then hire him to find Franklin because, somehow, in a town the size of a postage stamp, he’s disappeared.
A cult called the Lighthouse has set up a church near town and the leader of it, Pastor Logan, hires Harlan to find Franklin, too, because Franklin has a book Logan wants and also stole $10k from the church and, man, look at this, getting paid by two different parties to do the same job. Harlan’s execrable uncle ends up with the cash at some later point and Harlan ends up with the book, which is a grimoire he’s going to use to find the uncle and get the money back. And, oh yeah, the bully Harlan beat into a coma? He keeps showing up, along with the bloody bike lock which can magically show the combinations of other locks. And there’s coffins in basements where people are chained until they get a vision.
What the deuce?
It felt very much like bucketfuls of tropes dumped over my head. Just when you think this is a family saga, then detective work begins, then bloody locks wielded by ghosts, then murdering arsonists, then murdering cult members, then witches and warlocks oh my. Not that this isn’t well written, it is, but you need to decide early on what exactly you’re reading. Because a detective rarely gets assistance from bloody ghosts, and family sagas rarely become a kidnap mystery, and ghost stories rarely involve wizards. Well, they can, but it turns mish and mash very quickly and you’d better decide early on that this is a supernatural story or nothing else that happens makes any sense.
I can see why the state has abandoned this town. Too much weird crap going on.
Harlan Winter is a med school dropout residing in the rapidly disintegrating town of Coopersville, WV, a place so ruined and desolate that the state and the county and pretty much everyone doesn’t even know it’s there anymore. Harlan’s family is truly horrible. His felon Dad and uncles made him beat a heavy bag until he collapsed, and then would beat him for collapsing. Harlan took out his subsequent frustration on a local bully by beating him with a bicycle lock, putting the bully into a permanent coma. That’s probably one reason he left town to begin with, and a very good reason for not coming back. But he does. Home is where the heart is, I guess.
Someone is going around town burning buildings that contain pictures or murals drawn by a very strange kid named Franklin. Franklin’s brother and sister, the twins Melvin and Miranda, vandalize Harlan’s vending machines and steal his money and then hire him to find Franklin because, somehow, in a town the size of a postage stamp, he’s disappeared.
A cult called the Lighthouse has set up a church near town and the leader of it, Pastor Logan, hires Harlan to find Franklin, too, because Franklin has a book Logan wants and also stole $10k from the church and, man, look at this, getting paid by two different parties to do the same job. Harlan’s execrable uncle ends up with the cash at some later point and Harlan ends up with the book, which is a grimoire he’s going to use to find the uncle and get the money back. And, oh yeah, the bully Harlan beat into a coma? He keeps showing up, along with the bloody bike lock which can magically show the combinations of other locks. And there’s coffins in basements where people are chained until they get a vision.
What the deuce?
It felt very much like bucketfuls of tropes dumped over my head. Just when you think this is a family saga, then detective work begins, then bloody locks wielded by ghosts, then murdering arsonists, then murdering cult members, then witches and warlocks oh my. Not that this isn’t well written, it is, but you need to decide early on what exactly you’re reading. Because a detective rarely gets assistance from bloody ghosts, and family sagas rarely become a kidnap mystery, and ghost stories rarely involve wizards. Well, they can, but it turns mish and mash very quickly and you’d better decide early on that this is a supernatural story or nothing else that happens makes any sense.
I can see why the state has abandoned this town. Too much weird crap going on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 18, 2024
Real Rating: 3.25* of five
The Publisher Says: In a small Appalachian town, an amateur detective unearths a dark conspiracy and his own haunted past, in a chilling novel about sacrifice, art, and revenge.
Med school dropout Harlan Winter returns to his impoverished West Virginia hometown, where the law is scarce, arsonists are turning everything to ash, and his family’s turbulent history lingers. All he wants is to keep the peace in a community cowering from The Lighthouse, a local cult preying on people’s fears. Harlan’s own fears, too, when he’s hired to play detective and find a young couple gone missing.
The vanished artist and his girlfriend have left behind a series of paintings that enrage The Lighthouse’s Pastor Logan, who believes art can have divine power. It’s not easy to believe for a rational man like Harlan. And impossible to ignore when his investigation is haunted by visions of the dead lurking in the shadows of his own violent past.
Revelations about the disappearances are being unearthed. The Lighthouse’s grip on the community is tightening. And Harlan fears he’s losing control. As the threats against his town, his sanity, and his life begin to mount, Harlan doesn’t know which is more what’s real, or what’s in his mind.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: This chilling story is very much a genre-blender between amateur-sleuth mystery, small-town gothic, and violent revenge thriller. The magical overtones are both obtrusive (for the resistant) and underdeveloped (for the congregation). I'm down with anti-church stories, though, so I was flipping pages.
It's easier to forgive underdevelopedness than obtrusiveness, so non-horror unsupernaturalizers are warned off. The rest of us need reasonably good #Deathtober reads. Here's one.
Thomas & Mercer say it's worth $4.99...I'd say less, but it's decent enough I wouldn't be mad if I'd spent that.
The Publisher Says: In a small Appalachian town, an amateur detective unearths a dark conspiracy and his own haunted past, in a chilling novel about sacrifice, art, and revenge.
Med school dropout Harlan Winter returns to his impoverished West Virginia hometown, where the law is scarce, arsonists are turning everything to ash, and his family’s turbulent history lingers. All he wants is to keep the peace in a community cowering from The Lighthouse, a local cult preying on people’s fears. Harlan’s own fears, too, when he’s hired to play detective and find a young couple gone missing.
The vanished artist and his girlfriend have left behind a series of paintings that enrage The Lighthouse’s Pastor Logan, who believes art can have divine power. It’s not easy to believe for a rational man like Harlan. And impossible to ignore when his investigation is haunted by visions of the dead lurking in the shadows of his own violent past.
Revelations about the disappearances are being unearthed. The Lighthouse’s grip on the community is tightening. And Harlan fears he’s losing control. As the threats against his town, his sanity, and his life begin to mount, Harlan doesn’t know which is more what’s real, or what’s in his mind.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: This chilling story is very much a genre-blender between amateur-sleuth mystery, small-town gothic, and violent revenge thriller. The magical overtones are both obtrusive (for the resistant) and underdeveloped (for the congregation). I'm down with anti-church stories, though, so I was flipping pages.
It's easier to forgive underdevelopedness than obtrusiveness, so non-horror unsupernaturalizers are warned off. The rest of us need reasonably good #Deathtober reads. Here's one.
Thomas & Mercer say it's worth $4.99...I'd say less, but it's decent enough I wouldn't be mad if I'd spent that.
July 3, 2023
Strange things
This tale, well-written, evokes memories of Stephen King's great novels. What's real, what's not, evil versus everyday man and woman or child trying to survive. This one begins in a squalid community in West Virginia that is struggling for personal survival in a depressed economy across the country which has forgotten their existence. A very end-of- the- world doom and gloom to it with visions and religion - or fake religion - thrown in as superstitious natures start reappearing in the commoner. The story sheds no tears over the main character, and he even calls this story, his telling of this story, his confession, so that you believe what all he's telling you, and is not pretty, about himself. I like that the author also gives the ending a uniqueness and twist from a typical denouement at the end of today's books. He even sets up the second book in the last couple of scenes, depending on how truthful visions or words from deaf people can be, or if the source of those visions can even be trusted. It might even leave you quaking in your comfortable homes to hear his portrayal of people who can afford hotels by those who can't.
So, yeah, this invokes Stephen King horror, and would play well on the big screen. Just no handsome young- skinned actors who look like they couldn't shave if they tried or who live on Nair. And don't make them all scary ugly dudes either. As the author says at one point, monsters look just like me and you.
This tale, well-written, evokes memories of Stephen King's great novels. What's real, what's not, evil versus everyday man and woman or child trying to survive. This one begins in a squalid community in West Virginia that is struggling for personal survival in a depressed economy across the country which has forgotten their existence. A very end-of- the- world doom and gloom to it with visions and religion - or fake religion - thrown in as superstitious natures start reappearing in the commoner. The story sheds no tears over the main character, and he even calls this story, his telling of this story, his confession, so that you believe what all he's telling you, and is not pretty, about himself. I like that the author also gives the ending a uniqueness and twist from a typical denouement at the end of today's books. He even sets up the second book in the last couple of scenes, depending on how truthful visions or words from deaf people can be, or if the source of those visions can even be trusted. It might even leave you quaking in your comfortable homes to hear his portrayal of people who can afford hotels by those who can't.
So, yeah, this invokes Stephen King horror, and would play well on the big screen. Just no handsome young- skinned actors who look like they couldn't shave if they tried or who live on Nair. And don't make them all scary ugly dudes either. As the author says at one point, monsters look just like me and you.
June 25, 2024
I had no idea what I was getting into when I started reading this book. I didn't read the description and assumed that this was a mystery story set in rural West Virginia. Farmer's prose grabbed me from the first page and his character work was exquisite. The main character Harlan gave me pause around chapter three when he went from a "down-on-his-luck" and empathetic character who failed out of medical school and lost the love of his life to a deeply flawed and much darker than I typically enjoy reading morally grey character. Harlan's past actions are deplorable and irredeemable, yet somehow Farmer can make me care about his story and wish for Harlan's success. A good bit of Harlan's struggle was his desire to be a good person battling against his violent nature and upbringing. He had wonderful moments of kindness but when put into a stressful situation he immediately reverted into a man he was ashamed of being. It made for a very interesting character even if he is not someone that I would like in real life.
I also had no idea that there would be ghosts and magic involved in this story, so you can imagine my disbelief when hauntings were introduced. I was in such a strong state of denial that I convinced myself that I had read it incorrectly (obviously I must have misunderstood) and reread the chapter twice. I was not entirely convinced that there actually were any hauntings occurring until Harlan himself was.
While the book was a bit bleaker and (much) more violent than I would normally go for, Farmer's writing was gripping and I will be reading the next book.
I also had no idea that there would be ghosts and magic involved in this story, so you can imagine my disbelief when hauntings were introduced. I was in such a strong state of denial that I convinced myself that I had read it incorrectly (obviously I must have misunderstood) and reread the chapter twice. I was not entirely convinced that there actually were any hauntings occurring until Harlan himself was.
While the book was a bit bleaker and (much) more violent than I would normally go for, Farmer's writing was gripping and I will be reading the next book.
July 9, 2023
Βαθμολογία: 7/10
Τέταρτο θρίλερ-προσφορά της Real News που τιμάω και που διαβάζω τις τελευταίες εβδομάδες, ήταν και αυτό με τη σειρά του αρκούντως ενδιαφέρον και ψυχαγωγικό και διαβάζοντάς το η ώρα πέρασε γρήγορα, αν και ίσως όχι και τόσο ευχάριστα. Γιατί όχι; Γιατί ήταν πολύ σκοτεινό και έντονο, αρκετά βίαιο, κάπως κλειστοφοβικό, οπότε δεν μπορώ να πω ότι πέρασα και χαλαρά, έτσι; Πάντως είναι ένα βιβλίο που με προβλημάτισε ως προς το ποια βαθμολογία να του βάλω, γιατί από τη μια μου άρεσε πολύ η έντονη γραφή (αν και η μετάφραση/επιμέλεια μου φάνηκε ολίγον τι προβληματική σε διάφορα σημεία), η υποβλητική ατμόσφαιρα, τα σκηνικά και γενικά η όλη ιστορία, από την άλλη όμως ένιωσα ότι ο συγγραφέας τα μπέρδεψε πολύ τα πράγματα, σαν να μην ήξερε αν θα γράψει μια δυστοπική ιστορία που διαδραματίζεται κάπου στο κοντινό μέλλον, ένα θρίλερ μυστηρίου, ένα βιβλίο τρόμου με θρησκευτικές σέκτες και φαντάσματα, ένα βιβλίο αστικής φαντασίας με ξόρκια και μαγικά, και τελικά να αποφάσισε να τα χώσει όλα αυτά (και άλλα πολλά) στην ίδια ιστορία. Το βιβλίο έχει μια εξαιρετικά μέτρια βαθμολογία, τόσο στο Goodreads όσο και στο Amazon, και αυτό μου φαίνεται λογικό, γιατί είναι από τα βιβλία που διχάζουν, κι εγώ άλλωστε είμαι διχασμένος, γιατί πολλά μου άρεσαν στο βιβλίο, αλλά κάποια άλλα με προβλημάτισαν. Χμ, θα του βάλω τρία αστεράκια τελικά, αν και υπό προϋποθέσεις θα μπορούσα να του βάλω και τέσσερα.
Τέταρτο θρίλερ-προσφορά της Real News που τιμάω και που διαβάζω τις τελευταίες εβδομάδες, ήταν και αυτό με τη σειρά του αρκούντως ενδιαφέρον και ψυχαγωγικό και διαβάζοντάς το η ώρα πέρασε γρήγορα, αν και ίσως όχι και τόσο ευχάριστα. Γιατί όχι; Γιατί ήταν πολύ σκοτεινό και έντονο, αρκετά βίαιο, κάπως κλειστοφοβικό, οπότε δεν μπορώ να πω ότι πέρασα και χαλαρά, έτσι; Πάντως είναι ένα βιβλίο που με προβλημάτισε ως προς το ποια βαθμολογία να του βάλω, γιατί από τη μια μου άρεσε πολύ η έντονη γραφή (αν και η μετάφραση/επιμέλεια μου φάνηκε ολίγον τι προβληματική σε διάφορα σημεία), η υποβλητική ατμόσφαιρα, τα σκηνικά και γενικά η όλη ιστορία, από την άλλη όμως ένιωσα ότι ο συγγραφέας τα μπέρδεψε πολύ τα πράγματα, σαν να μην ήξερε αν θα γράψει μια δυστοπική ιστορία που διαδραματίζεται κάπου στο κοντινό μέλλον, ένα θρίλερ μυστηρίου, ένα βιβλίο τρόμου με θρησκευτικές σέκτες και φαντάσματα, ένα βιβλίο αστικής φαντασίας με ξόρκια και μαγικά, και τελικά να αποφάσισε να τα χώσει όλα αυτά (και άλλα πολλά) στην ίδια ιστορία. Το βιβλίο έχει μια εξαιρετικά μέτρια βαθμολογία, τόσο στο Goodreads όσο και στο Amazon, και αυτό μου φαίνεται λογικό, γιατί είναι από τα βιβλία που διχάζουν, κι εγώ άλλωστε είμαι διχασμένος, γιατί πολλά μου άρεσαν στο βιβλίο, αλλά κάποια άλλα με προβλημάτισαν. Χμ, θα του βάλω τρία αστεράκια τελικά, αν και υπό προϋποθέσεις θα μπορούσα να του βάλω και τέσσερα.
February 19, 2024
Life style in the Apalachian mountains. A sad story of escape and relationships. An almost doctor, an almost artist...
In a small Appalachian town, an amateur detective unearths a dark conspiracy and his own haunted past, in a chilling novel about sacrifice, art, and revenge.
Med school dropout Harlan Winter returns to his impoverished West Virginia hometown, where the law is scarce, arsonists are turning everything to ash, and his family’s turbulent history lingers. All he wants is to keep the peace in a community cowering from The Lighthouse, a local cult preying on people’s fears. Harlan’s own fears, too, when he’s hired to play detective and find a young couple gone missing.
The vanished artist and his girlfriend have left behind a series of paintings that enrage The Lighthouse’s Pastor Logan, who believes art can have divine power. It’s not easy to believe for a rational man like Harlan. And impossible to ignore when his investigation is haunted by visions of the dead lurking in the shadows of his own violent past.
Revelations about the disappearances are being unearthed. The Lighthouse’s grip on the community is tightening. And Harlan fears he’s losing control. As the threats against his town, his sanity, and his life begin to mount, Harlan doesn’t know which is more what’s real, or what’s in his mind.
In a small Appalachian town, an amateur detective unearths a dark conspiracy and his own haunted past, in a chilling novel about sacrifice, art, and revenge.
Med school dropout Harlan Winter returns to his impoverished West Virginia hometown, where the law is scarce, arsonists are turning everything to ash, and his family’s turbulent history lingers. All he wants is to keep the peace in a community cowering from The Lighthouse, a local cult preying on people’s fears. Harlan’s own fears, too, when he’s hired to play detective and find a young couple gone missing.
The vanished artist and his girlfriend have left behind a series of paintings that enrage The Lighthouse’s Pastor Logan, who believes art can have divine power. It’s not easy to believe for a rational man like Harlan. And impossible to ignore when his investigation is haunted by visions of the dead lurking in the shadows of his own violent past.
Revelations about the disappearances are being unearthed. The Lighthouse’s grip on the community is tightening. And Harlan fears he’s losing control. As the threats against his town, his sanity, and his life begin to mount, Harlan doesn’t know which is more what’s real, or what’s in his mind.
December 23, 2023
Well Written Occult Creepiness
I read many reviews that were very critical of the violence and darkness in this book. Yes. Those things are all true. It is dark, it is violent, and it delves into the occult. That said, I think it is wound really interestingly. Some reviews said the plot was lost in extraneous details, but I feel like they were important to help you feel the darkness like a wet blanket wrapped around you. I feel like the poor reviews show that say it is violent and dark mean Farmer did an outstanding writing job. You can feel the heaviness and ick of it all. This book is not a feel good book. It has no redemption. It has no "good guy" character that you sympathize and root for. It is dark and ugly, and Farmer's writing brings that all to the surface in detail. Harlan Winter is not a character I want good things for, but absolutely one that I want to read about again. I want to understand the darknesses in him and how they manifest. This feels like with a bit more exploration, it could have the sinister appeal of Breaking Bad. I look forward to book 2.
I read many reviews that were very critical of the violence and darkness in this book. Yes. Those things are all true. It is dark, it is violent, and it delves into the occult. That said, I think it is wound really interestingly. Some reviews said the plot was lost in extraneous details, but I feel like they were important to help you feel the darkness like a wet blanket wrapped around you. I feel like the poor reviews show that say it is violent and dark mean Farmer did an outstanding writing job. You can feel the heaviness and ick of it all. This book is not a feel good book. It has no redemption. It has no "good guy" character that you sympathize and root for. It is dark and ugly, and Farmer's writing brings that all to the surface in detail. Harlan Winter is not a character I want good things for, but absolutely one that I want to read about again. I want to understand the darknesses in him and how they manifest. This feels like with a bit more exploration, it could have the sinister appeal of Breaking Bad. I look forward to book 2.
June 27, 2023
The first book of a new series, Lighthouse Burning (2023) by Jordan Farmer features Harlan Winter, a medical school dropout. Harlan returns to his impoverished West Virginia hometown where the locals are fearful of a local cult called The Lighthouse. Harlan is asked to investigate the disappearance of a young couple, one an artist commissioned to do paintings for The Lighthouse. As he investigates, Harlan has to navigate this post-apocryphal environment, where violence is rife with its ever-darkening sinister narrative. Although it’s an engaging tale, the magical realism and dark pseudo-religious subtext and violent scenes require a cautionary content warning for readers. If you like weirdly dark almost hallucinatory stories with an element of gore then this two star rating novel may suit you. With thanks to Thomas & Mercer and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.
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October 7, 2024I've been experimenting lately by reading different genres I normally wouldn't pursue, and this includes horror, which is what I'd classify this as. It's pretty bleak from start to finish, with an overarching supernatural element that doesn't quite get an explanation, but guess that's the standard for most stories of this genre.
I don't understand why horror novels have a requirement to end in an absolute shit show. This was both dark and depressing, yet strangely I'm on the fence as to whether I'll actually read the sequel or not.
I honestly don't know how to rate this. I guess 3 stars because the story does draw you in, a bit like driving g past roadkill; you don't really want to look, but your curiosity gets the better of you. I'm not sure what the expectations are for a satisfying conclusion for a novel like this, but I will say that this one might mess with my nightmares for a few days.
I don't understand why horror novels have a requirement to end in an absolute shit show. This was both dark and depressing, yet strangely I'm on the fence as to whether I'll actually read the sequel or not.
I honestly don't know how to rate this. I guess 3 stars because the story does draw you in, a bit like driving g past roadkill; you don't really want to look, but your curiosity gets the better of you. I'm not sure what the expectations are for a satisfying conclusion for a novel like this, but I will say that this one might mess with my nightmares for a few days.
September 22, 2023
Dystopian fantasy that's possible
I received a copy of the Kindle book through Goodreads. I am from West Virginia and I found so many parts of this book quite realistic and possible even though it was definitely from a dystopian perspective. The plunder of the resources and the struggles to find a new path is quite close to home. The protagonist's struggles with family trauma and addiction and its effects on his daily life aren't so farfetched. The hallucinations/spirits and struggle between science and religion while fantastical definitely touch on struggles many Appalachian people face as they strive for a better life versus the very real brain drain that continues to occur. Frightening possibility of what could happen in some ways.
I received a copy of the Kindle book through Goodreads. I am from West Virginia and I found so many parts of this book quite realistic and possible even though it was definitely from a dystopian perspective. The plunder of the resources and the struggles to find a new path is quite close to home. The protagonist's struggles with family trauma and addiction and its effects on his daily life aren't so farfetched. The hallucinations/spirits and struggle between science and religion while fantastical definitely touch on struggles many Appalachian people face as they strive for a better life versus the very real brain drain that continues to occur. Frightening possibility of what could happen in some ways.
October 11, 2023
Violence and religion.
Good detective story about a man called Harlan Winters who comes from a backwoods town in West Virginia who was raised by a single conniving and viscious father who has sensed passed. Harlan was bullied as a young boy and both his father and Uncle Abbot made him but a heavy punching bag until near exhaustion. Harlan went to Medical school but doesn't finish and goes back home as a failure in his dad's eyes. In town, there are stories of role disappearing and he is contacted to find a brother of one of them. He realizes it is starting at a church called the Lighthouse which is led by a sinister pastor and his huge henchman. Some deep and dark inages, but a comfortable story.
Good detective story about a man called Harlan Winters who comes from a backwoods town in West Virginia who was raised by a single conniving and viscious father who has sensed passed. Harlan was bullied as a young boy and both his father and Uncle Abbot made him but a heavy punching bag until near exhaustion. Harlan went to Medical school but doesn't finish and goes back home as a failure in his dad's eyes. In town, there are stories of role disappearing and he is contacted to find a brother of one of them. He realizes it is starting at a church called the Lighthouse which is led by a sinister pastor and his huge henchman. Some deep and dark inages, but a comfortable story.
July 12, 2023
There were moments of greatness but overall fell a bit flat for me. So many well written lines and scenes but at times felt over-written and there were too many changes - thriller to dystopian to horror to supernatural.
I love a book that doesn’t end with happily ever after. I like reading somewhat unlikeable or flawed protagonists. I do appreciate surprise twists and turns but each twist in this story brought a new genre and there are no redeeming elements or qualities of anyone or anything in it.
I gave it 4 stars instead of 3 for great spelling and grammar, which delighted me and is the reason I kept reading.
I love a book that doesn’t end with happily ever after. I like reading somewhat unlikeable or flawed protagonists. I do appreciate surprise twists and turns but each twist in this story brought a new genre and there are no redeeming elements or qualities of anyone or anything in it.
I gave it 4 stars instead of 3 for great spelling and grammar, which delighted me and is the reason I kept reading.
July 12, 2023
Supernatural Appalachian Noir. It's dark and moody and yet strangely not (to me anyway) depressing. I often find noir strangely comforting because it's often about a person struggling to do the right thing in circumstances that make it nearly impossible. But there's something noble about the struggle. Anyway, this is a dark book and probably closer to horror than mystery, and I really enjoyed it. It does suffer from Multiple Ending Syndrome, but otherwise a very entertaining read. I don't know how there will be a sequel, but I'll probably pick it up.
July 21, 2023
I honestly have no idea how to feel about this book. I was heartbroken, empty, exhilarated, fascinated...all in less than 300 pages. The aunt's PhD here shines thorough...I wish I could write half a well as he can. The book IS about art, and the author's art had an impact on me. What more can one ask? It is akin to me with a song that touches in your soul...it can hurt, but it also matters. This work mattered to me in that it was so...engrossing. I am not one who recommends as tastes differ, but this one I enjoyed.
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