The Ghost Women - by Jennifer Murphy (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A mysterious art academy in the woods, a deck of ancient tarot cards, a centuries-old secret On a hot August morning in 1972, the body of Abel Montague, a student at St. Luke's Institute of the Arts, is found hanging from a tree in the forest. An ancient 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 St. Luke's-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. While 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"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

A mysterious art academy in the woods, a deck of ancient tarot cards, a centuries-old secret

On a hot August morning in 1972, the body of Abel Montague, a student at St. Luke's Institute of the Arts, is found hanging from a tree in the forest. An ancient 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 St. Luke's--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. While 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.

Review Quotes

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? 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, The 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, this is dark academia at its finest."
--Leigh Esposito, author of The Tarocco Saga

"This fast-paced novel 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

"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 the Author

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 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.