The Lantern, the latest offering by journalist-cum-novelist Deborah Lawrenson appeared on several must-read lists in the past year or so. Lawrenson spent her childhood in Kuwait, China, Belgium, Luxembourg and Singapore before settling in England, where she studied and worked as a journalist. She now divides her time between Kent, England, and a hamlet in Provence, which provides the sensual setting for The Lantern.

While traveling in Switzerland, Eve falls for the enigmatic Dom. She allows him to talk her into moving from London to Provence, where he buys Les Genevriers, a crumbling house set among aromatic lavender fields. In love and surrounded by everything she loves–music, books, the French countryside–Eve finds each day more enchanting than the last. Until…summer wanes. The days grow longer…darker. And Dom begins to withdraw. Eve understands he carries the emotional wounds of a failed marriage, but his prolonged silence begins to prick her suspicions. And then comes Eve’s conviction that their house contains another presence, a ghostly one. And she wonders how far she can trust Dom, or whether her life is in danger. 

 Part mystery, part romance, part ghost story, The Lantern is as much a sensual experience as it is a languorously unfolding tale. With a journalist’s eye for detail and a novelist’s flair for the dramatic, Lawrenson dares you to suspend your disbelief and travel with her as she weaves her well-crafted plot. Set in rural France, The Lantern is a bit like Jane Eyre, Rebecca, and Sarah’s Key all spun into one. It’s a luscious, read-by-the-fire-into-the-wee-hours kind of book.

4/5 stars—luscious