Murder Will Out by Jennifer K. Breedlove: A cozy gothic mystery where the ghosts are watching

Murder Will Out by Jennifer K. Breedlove, releasing February 17, 2026, is the kind of mystery that invites you in with salt air, creaking floorboards, and the promise that something is very wrong behind the prettiest postcard façade. Set on Little North Island off the coast of Maine, this lighter, modern gothic mystery follows Willow Stone, an organist returning to the island she once loved after the sudden death of her godmother, Sue—and it doesn’t take long for memory, grief, and suspicion to start tangling together.

Breedlove excels at atmosphere. Little North Island feels like the sort of place where everyone knows everyone else’s business and still manages to hide secrets in plain sight. The town’s cast of characters would fit right in at Stars Hollow: the super brainy librarian, the attorney-turned-café owner, the pottery shop proprietor, the crotchety church organ player, and the young woman married to the island’s elderly rich man, who is himself a near-parody of greed and indulgence. Willow is very much the Outsider—with a capital O—returning after years Away (also capitalized, as islanders do), and that social tension quietly fuels the mystery.

At the heart of the novel is Cameron House, the sprawling mansion Sue unexpectedly inherited and the source of long-simmering resentment among the locals. If you like the idea of generations of family members lingering in a giant old house long after they’ve died, this book is absolutely for you. The ghosts of Cameron House are not decorative background elements; they have opinions, memories, and a vested interest in who inherits the home next. Add in long-lost children and grandchildren, whispered threats, and a debate over the rightful heir, and you’ve got a cozy ghost story that knows exactly what it wants to be.

That said, Murder Will Out isn’t without its flaws. One character in particular—Rina, Sue’s fiancée—never quite rings true. Her explosive anger toward Willow often feels unjustified, especially when Willow has no real control over the situations she’s being blamed for. It’s hard to believe Sue would have chosen a partner this controlling, or that the wider friend group would tolerate her behavior so easily. The emotional logic just doesn’t land, and it pulls focus at moments when the story should feel most grounded.

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There’s also some noticeable head hopping. Points of view occasionally shift mid-chapter without warning, which can be jarring, and new perspectives sometimes open a chapter without enough orientation to let the reader settle in. It feels like an attempt at omniscient narration, but the execution slips too close to individual characters without clearly signaling the transitions.

Even with those issues, Murder Will Out remains an easy, cozy read with a strong sense of place and a genuinely charming premise. If you’re in the mood for a gentle gothic mystery full of small-town quirks, family secrets, and ghosts who refuse to stay silent about the future of their home, this one is worth a look—especially curled up somewhere warm while the Maine fog rolls in.

Have you read Murder Will Out, or are you planning to pick it up when it releases? I’d love to hear what you thought about Cameron House and its very opinionated residents—living and otherwise—in the comments.

An advance reader copy of this book (ARC) was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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