Thurber's Light

Rating:
Summary: The intriguing tale of a lighthouse and a ghost.
Review: Diana Lee Whatley has written an excellent mystery novel, quickly proving that she is not only a master story teller, but a truly gifted wordsmith as well. Her novel is very carefully plotted. Her characters are well drawn, engaging and very believable. This book has a very unique story line. It involves the sleepy fishing village of Saint Rosabelle,a town with a dark secret in it's past; the long abandoned Saint Rosabelle lighthouse; and a long dead lighthouse keeper named Martin Thurber. Mr. Thurber happens to be a ghost.

Another truly interesting dimension of this novel is that it is told in two tenses, the past and the present. The author very deftly shifts back and forth, from present tense to past tense, in almost every chapter of the book. She skillfully balances two casts of characters-one from the past and one from the present-as she carefully advances her intiguing plot.

The prime protagonist(present tense)is Darcy Vornack, a likeable and intrepid young women. In a wager with her two land-developer friends, Darcy agrees to camp-out on land adjacent to the old lighthouse for 90 days. Soon after she sets up her tent, Darcy has her first encounter with the other chief protagonist(past tense)of the story, Martin Thurber. To be precise, the ghost of Martin Thurber!!!

The stage is now set for a well told tale of interaction and supernatural dialogue between Darcy and the ghost. The story unfolds,with well plotted twists and turns, reaching a surprising and satisfying conclusion.

I enjoyed this book from start to finish. If you enjoy mystery stories, ghost tales and carefully plotted novels, this is book for you. Thurber's Light is truly a great read. I highly recomend it!!