I love a debut mystery, and I love to take a chance on the winners of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel contest. Murder Will Out by Jennifer K. Breedlove is an atmospheric, delightful mystery of found family. The book, and Cameron House on Little North Island off the coast of Maine, captured my attention immediately. Plus it has ghosts! A mysterious house in a remote location is a must for a gothic mystery. Ghosts are an added bonus.

Cameron House is over two centuries old. “The house liked the quiet. Silence made it easier to listen.” And, the house and its dead residents needed to listen carefully to see who would take over the house when Sue Davis died. Sue had inherited the house from Effie Cameron who died at ninety-nine, murdered. And, the killer heard whispered voices calling “murderer”.

Willow Stone receives a letter from her godmother, Sue Davis, dated two months before it arrived in the mail. Willow never understood why her parents yanked her away from the island and godmother she loved. She was only thirteen the last time she saw Sue. But, she drops everything at the university where she was an organist to hurry to Little North Island when Sue said she was getting married. She’s too late. Sue is dead, dying before her wedding. And, Rina, the woman she was to marry is angry and bitter that Willow waited years to return to the island. But, the only known survivor, Geralt Talbot, Effie’s nephew, is happy that he’ll now inherit the estate. Someone should have warned him that death comes in threes.

The islanders are suspicious of Willow. Her lack of social skills and clumsiness do not endear her to the strangers. But, there are figures that seem to welcome her, a child, a lobsterman, several people dressed in old-fashioned clothes who show up at Sue’s memorial service. And, Sue’s dog, a corgi named Finn, attaches himself to Willow. A few women seem to welcome her, despite Rina’s opposition, and they’re the ones she gathers around her when Willow suggests that Effie and Sue, and later Geralt, were all murdered because of Cameron House.

Can you go home again if there are secrets and stories (and ghosts) that you didn’t know about? Geralt tells Willow “This island is a sinkhole full of secrets.” Yes, it is. The place that once seemed to reject Willow is now her refuge, a place where she can find strength.

There are some important facts in the book that are not revelations. Willow’s fate is obvious ahead of time. As a mystery, it lacks some elements of surprise, but it’s a satisfying story, filled will gorgeous details of the island off the coast of Downeast Maine. And, I loved the family ghosts of Cameron House, and the secrets there.

Jennifer K. Breedlove’s website is https://www.jkbreedlove.com/

Murder Will Out by Jennifer K. Breedlove. St. Martin’s Press, 2026. 336p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I downloaded a galley through NetGalley, with permission of the publisher, with no promise of a positive review.