The Ghost Women – when a murder occurs at a mysterious art academy in the woods, a deck of tarot cards is a clue in uncovering a hundreds year old secret.
LitStackers! Line up for this one. In presale now, Dutton | Penguin Random House will release The Ghost Women by Jennifer Murphy on Feb 24, 2026. Early word suggests an immersive and exciting novel. While details remain scarce, the publisher’s description and the cover art hint at a reading experience that will linger long after you turn the last page. Here’s the scoop and early praise on this next must-read. Dip into the book fund for this one!
In This Spotlight On The Ghost Women
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About The Ghost Women
On a hot August morning in 1972, the body of Abel Montague, a student in Waverly School, is found hanging from a tree in the forest. A Hanged Man tarot card is found in the back pocket of his pants and his body has been positioned into the exact pose illustrated on the card.
When detective Lola Germany arrives at the academy—a former monastery that once housed a secret order of monks who carried out witch trials and executions—she believes they are dealing with a ritualistic murder. Interviewing school administrators and Abel’s classmates, Lola discovers Abel’s live-in girlfriend, Pearl, seems shaken, but also might be hiding something. Along with her group of friends who call themselves witches.
When more students are found dead, each body arranged like a Tarot card, Lola realizes she is trapped in a web of power and ambition that spans centuries. Soon, the lines between past and present, spiritual and tangible begin to blur, and the only way to survive is to seek answers from places she never imagined.
Praise for The Ghost Women
“An intoxicating brew of murder, witchcraft, and artistic ambition, The Ghost Women is as propulsive as it is addictive. Murphy expertly ratchets up the tension even as she lets the Low Country atmosphere seep across every page and develops a cast of characters any reader would immediately recruit for their personal coven. The result is the southern gothic of my dreams; fans of Liz Moore will devour this one.”—Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author of The Cloisters
“Tarot cards! The 1970s! Witches! And an island boarding school! How could I resist such irresistible elements, especially when they’re in the brilliant hands of Jennifer Murphy? [In The Ghost Women, a] rising body count at an exclusive school jumpstarts a tantalizing not-your-ordinary-by-a-mile mystery with deep roots in the spiritual and the practical, in dangerous lies and an increasingly threatening truth. Magical. Mysterious. Sublime.”—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and Days of Wonder
“Witchcraft, secrets, art, love, jealousy and murder, what’s not to like? Jennifer Murphy’s The Ghost Women has all that and more. In a tale of fifteenth-century deadly games passed down through generations, Murphy explores good, evil and the possibility of the supernatural with a deft hand. A real page-turner.”—B.A. Shapiro, bestselling author of The Art Forger and of The Lost Masterpiece
“Moody, atmospheric, and relentless… Amidst ancient rituals, long-lost tarot cards, and mist-swathed forests, Murphy’s tale of art and murder reveals that the most potent magic of all is the friendship between women. Perfect for fans of Donna Tartt and Rachel Gillig, [The Ghost Women] is dark academia at its finest.”—Leigh Esposito, author of The Tarocco Saga
“This fast-paced novel [The Ghost Women] set in the South Carolina Lowcountry combines magic, mysticism, and mystery into an engrossing and entertaining story that is difficult to put down. Recommended for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Alex Michaelides.”—Library Journal
In The Ghost Women, “Murphy crafts a foreboding atmosphere from the jump and makes the occult elements at the center of the story feel entirely plausible. This is a winner.”—Publishers Weekly
About Jennifer Murphy, Author of The Ghost Women
Jennifer Murphy holds an MFA in painting and art history from the University of Denver and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Washington. She is the recipient of the 2013 Loren D. Milliman Scholarship for creative writing and was a contributor at the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference from 2008 through 2012.
The author of The Ghost Women, I Love You More and Scarlet in Blue, a Michigan Notable Book, as well as the winner of the Nancy Pearl Book Award for Fiction, she lives in Alexandria, Virginia.
You can connect with Jennifer Murphy on her website, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Dutton | Penguin Random House
ISBN Hardcover 9780593474365
Pub Date: Feb 24, 2026
Other LitStack Spots
Along with the book in this LitStack Spotlight, we’ve also spotted a few other books that have sparked our interest. We’re looking at I Love You More by Jennifer Murphy, The Turnout by Megan Abbott, and The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor
Other LitStack Resources
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Also look at our LitStack Reviews, including reviews by Lewis Buzbee, Lauren Alwan, Allie Coker, Rylie Fong, and Sharon Browning.
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