Lighthouse Burning

Harlan Winter, Book 1

By: Jordan Farmer

Narrated by: Chris Abernathy

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 terrifying: what’s real, or what’s in his mind.

©2023 Jordan Farmer (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Chris Abernathy delivers tones of weary brokenness and mounting horror as he voices this mystery.… Abernathy's performance fits the general dread of this audiobook's progressive terror. He keeps the listener grounded in reality as the story heads into dark territory.”—AudioFile Magazine

Worst Book I have ever listened to.

This is absolutely the worst book I have ever heard. I kept listening to see if it would get any better but it never did.
I hope I never meet the author because he or she must have a sick mind.
Please do not waste your time and money.

One of worst books I have ever read

Gratuitous violence, insipidly repetitious, ridiculous plot. I kept reading because WV (although not genuine) & I hoped for some redeeming quality. It only got worse.

Pointless

Kept waiting for the story to develop into SOMETHING - I finished the book and I’m still waiting.

Went down a different path

The atmosphere, dystopia and setting were good. The narration was very good. The paranormal aspects were unexpected but initially seemed to fit the dystopia. The violence was a sign all would not end well; but what dystopian world does end well? The ending was an off key chord in a story with a very distorted reality. Let’s hope is is only a dream.

Different can be great!!

I loved every min, but the end felt cut off. like they just cut the book in 2. Can't wait till book 2. I kept thinking I knew where this book was going and it would surprise me again. Narrator is fantastic, really brings the character to life. Give it a shot. just know you will be left wanting more.....