The Luminaries is a mystery by Eleanor Catton. The story begins with Walter Moody's arrival in Hokitika, New Zealand. Twelve men who are having a secret meeting in the lounge of the hotel where Moody is staying take him into their confidence. The men are connected by strange occurrences, including the death of Crosbie Wells (a hermit who lived outside of Hokitika), the attempted suicide of a prostitute (Anna Wetherell), and the disappearance of a wealthy gold miner (Emery Staines). Since all of these events happened on the same night, the group is under the impression that they are linked. The men believe that Wells was killed by a man named Francis Carver, but they need solid evidence against him. Hoping to find a pattern which, thus far, has eluded them, they turn to Walter Moody.

Moody learns from the twelve men that shortly after Crosbie Wells' death, they had sold his house to Edgar Clinch. Clinch hired Harald Nilssen to clear out Wells' belongings. While working, Nilssen found gold bars. Everything seemed to be working out to the good of everyone, until Mr. Wells’ widow came to town. Her arrival surprised everyone because no one was aware that Wells had a wife. When she claimed that the property was rightfully hers, the men worried that it looked as if they had swindled the widow by selling the property so quickly. However, there was more to Mrs. Wells' background. It was soon discovered that she was a friend of Francis Carver. Furthermore, she had once had an affair with Alistair Lauderback, a politician. The novel continues unfolding as a tale of greed and revenge.