Amy Tucker is struggling to put her life back together following the death of her mother. The loss has left the eighteen-year-old heartbroken, and she doesnât know if her world will ever be whole again.
Meanwhile, in Seabrook, a small town famous for its haunted lighthouse, Ryan Porter lives a simple but busy life, maintaining the ranch which he shares with his father.
Separated by hundreds of miles, yet drawn to each other by forces they canât understand, Amy and Ryan spend a magical day together and quickly forge a deep connection. But all is not what it seems in Seabrook and when strange events begin happening around town, they question if their meeting really was an accident at all.
Trusting in themselves and in each other, they attempt to unravel the mystery of why fate has brought them together, and in doing so they embark on an unforgettable journey of self-discovery, a journey that leads straight to the heart of Seabrookâs mysterious lighthouse where they uncover the most shocking secret of all⌠a secret that will change the course of their lives forever.
Amy Tucker is struggling to put her life back together following the death of her mother. The loss has left the eighteen-year-old heartbroken, and she doesnât know if her world will ever be whole again.
Meanwhile, in Seabrook, a small town famous for its haunted lighthouse, Ryan Porter lives a simple but busy life, maintaining the ranch which he shares with his father.
Separated by hundreds of miles, yet drawn to each other by forces they canât understand, Amy and Ryan spend a magical day together and quickly forge a deep connection. But all is not what it seems in Seabrook and when strange events begin happening around town, they question if their meeting really was an accident at all.
Trusting in themselves and in each other, they attempt to unravel the mystery of why fate has brought them together, and in doing so they embark on an unforgettable journey of self-discovery, a journey that leads straight to the heart of Seabrookâs mysterious lighthouse where they uncover the most shocking secret of all⌠a secret that will change the course of their lives forever.
âAmy, where on Earth have you been?
Amy didnât know what had given her awayâthe security light, the creak of the gate, or the sound of her footsteps as sheâd snuck along the pebbled path. The truth was that she hadnât meant to come home so late. She had been visiting her mother and simply lost track of time, a mistake she instantly regretted when she discovered her father anxiously waiting for her on their front porch.
âWell?â he growled. âSpeak up.â
Amy stuck her head down and tried to squeeze through the narrow gap between him and the door. âIâm sorry,â was all she could say.
âYouâre sorry? Thatâs it?â
âIâm tired, Dad. I just want to go to bed.â
Amy pushed her way inside and made straight for her room, desperately hoping that he would save his interrogation for morning. But considering her fatherâs line of workâhe was a detective in the Criminal Investigations Division of the Oregon State Policeâthat seemed highly unlikely.
âI asked you a question. Where were you?â
âCan we do this tomorrow? Please?â
âNo, we canât.â He chased Amy down the hall and into her bedroom, his tone growing more tempestuous. âDo you have any idea how worried Iâve been?â
Amy drew her curtains shut, plugged in her phone, switched on her lampâwhatever she could do to avoid eye contact.
âAmy, are you hearing me?â
âYes,â she snapped. âI hear you.â
âWell? Will you tell me where you disappeared to?â
âI didnât disappear. I was visiting Mom.â
âYou canât be serious. You mean to tell me youâve been at the cemetery this whole time?â
She turned to face him. âIs there something wrong with that?â
âAside from the fact that you should have called to let me know? Why havenât you been picking up your phone?â
âThe battery died. I didnât realize it was so late. I didnât know youâd be so worried. Iâm sorry, all right?â
âSorry isnât good enough, Amy. Youâre eighteen years old. I know you miss your mother, but itâs completely irresponsible for you to be wandering around the cemetery by yourself at this ridiculous hour.â
And there it was again, thought Amy, the beginning of yet another lecture. Heâd been like this since the day of the funeral: critical of almost everything she did. If he wasnât micromanaging how much she was eating, or fussing over how much sleep she was getting, then heâd be second-guessing her every decision, just as he was doing tonight, or like yesterday when heâd urged her to âtake some more timeâ and not to âjump the gunâ after sheâd announced her plans to withdraw from college. Theyâd sparred over it for the better part of the day, and Amy wasnât even sure why. The decision wasnât permanent; it was, as the university soberly called it, a âspecial dispensation for life-changing event,â which meant she could return to her studies whenever she wanted, and yet the most her father could offer in response was a resigned, âAll right, Amy, whatever you think is best.â
On the one hand she shouldnât have been surprised. The two of them werenât close, hadnât been for a long time. Still, sheâd never thought theyâd end up like this, that they would become so ⌠distant. It was as though the death of her mother had left a crater so wide and pushed them so far apart that neither one of them knew who the other was anymore.
âDo you know what I was about to do?â Her fatherâs rising voice urged Amy back to the present. âI damn near called this in. I was this close to sending out a patrol to look for you.â
She shot him a stunned glare. âYouâve got to be kidding me.â
âWhat did you expect? I couldnât reach you.â
âI expect you to trust me, not order a citywide police hunt whenever I leave the house!â
âThis isnât about trust, Amyâitâs about me having some clue about where you are.â He paused to take a breath. âLook, Iâm not pretending any of this is easy. Iâm still trying to come to terms with the loss of your mother, just like you are. And, yes, I realize Iâm doing a damn poor job of it. But despite everything thatâs happened, I am still your father, and I donât appreciate being treated as though I donât exist.â
Amy resisted the urge to fight back and instead marched across the room and swung open her door. âWould you mind just leaving me alone? Please?â
âWhy wonât you talk to me?â he said, making no effort to move. âAll I want to do is help.â
âWhatâs the point, Dad? Itâs not as if you can fix whatâs happened.â
âI canât fix anything if you wonât let me try.â
Amy rattled the door hard and pointed to the hall, a stampede of tears building behind her eyes. âI said you canât, okay? This isnât another case for you to solve. You canât help, you canât fix thisâand Iâm pretty sure you canât bring Mom backâso will you please just leave me alone?â
âAll right, Amy, fineâif thatâs what you want.â
With his arms raised in surrender, her father turned and trudged out of the room.
And as soon as he was gone, Amy slammed the door.
Struggling with the loss of her mother, Amy Tucker finds herself with her father following a case in the mysterious town of Seabrook. There, a chance encounter with Ryan sets in motion a chain of events. The long dormant lighthouse which is the centerpiece of the town comes alight much to the fascination and joy of the local townsfolk.Â
Ryan, a ranch owner who also takes care of his ailing father is on the verge of financial ruin. Fate unites Ryan and Amy who look to each other to forget their woes in the festivities of the town. Their intense relationship within a short period of time culminates in a meeting of the hearts where unrevealed secrets spill out of overflowing cups.Â
A series of eerie events in Seabrook leads Amy to the lighthouse where she uncovers a truth that shakes the foundations of her reality. The plot gets increasingly more layered and nuanced, brushing with themes of love, betrayal, relationships, death, and the afterlife. The enduring figure of the lighthouse is used as a metaphor for the theme of this book. Beloved yet haunted for the townsfolk, the lighthouse serves as the center stage for many pivotal moments in the story. The Lighthouse is a thrilling page turner written by debut author Christopher Parker and will keep you interested until the end.Â