Author: Jennifer K. Breedlove
Publication: Minotaur Books (February 17, 2026)
Description: Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award winner Jennifer K. Breedlove brings coastal Maine to life in Murder Will Out, a lighter, modern gothic mystery that's as atmospheric as it is heart-warming.
Come for the memories. Stay for the murder...
Little North Island, off the coast of Maine, is so beautiful it could be a postcard. Organist Willow Stone cherishes her memories of childhood summers spent on the island with her godmother Sue... even though her visits ended abruptly, and she hasn't seen or heard from her godmother in over fifteen years. Until a letter from Sue―and word of Sue’s death―brings Willow back to the picturesque island.
The islanders rarely mention Sue without also bringing up Cameron House, and the controversy around Sue’s unexpected inheritance of the sprawling mansion. When Willow overhears someone threatening the next heir to the property, she starts to question whether Sue’s death was really an accident, and can’t help but wonder whether someone on this sleepy island is willing to stop at nothing―even murder―to claim Cameron House for their own.
Through Willow’s eyes, as well as those of others on the island, a mystery unfolds that keeps drawing Willow back to Cameron House and the very real ghosts that walk its corridors.
My Thoughts: Graduate student and organist Willow Stone receives a letter from her godmother Sue which calls her back to Little North Island off the coast in Maine. Willow hasn't seen Sue since her parents took her away when she was thirteen. She never knew why she no longer spent summers on the island. Unfortunately, the letter was delayed, and Willow arrives just in time to play at Sue's memorial.
She interacts with Sue's friends on the island including her fiancé Rina. Mostly she interacts with Cameron House, a haunted mansion on the island. There have been some suspicious deaths centered around Cameron House including Sue's. Sue's letter indicated that there was something she wanted Willow to find.
Willow has to discover a bunch of secrets and find out who is killing the heirs to Cameron House. The island is populated with a number of interesting people. Many of Sue's friends came there after living different lives Away.
I liked Willow who was a young woman who was introverted and needed a lot of quiet time. She was curious and brave. She gradually makes a place for herself on the island. And she could see many of the Cameron House ghosts who tried to help her with discovering what she needed to find.
I enjoyed this debut mystery and will be looking for more from the author.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
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