Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy of Hello, Transcriber! It was so terrific to get a taste of Hannah Morrisey's backlist in anticipation of her latest release. She has a new fan in me! The writing is stellar, and her work is haunting and perfectly paced. A new auto-buy author for me.

I am not the target audience for “Hello, Transcriber,” a new novel by Hannah Morrissey. This story is strongly directed towards a certain type of romance with a touch of mystery. Sadly This book was a rarity for me: it was a DNF.

Hannah Morrissey’s Hello, Transcriber is a moody, atmospheric thriller that immerses readers in the bleak, crime-ridden world of Black Harbor. Hazel Greenlee, a frustrated writer stuck in an unhappy marriage, becomes entangled in a dangerous investigation after transcribing a chilling confession. As she grows closer to the enigmatic detective Nikolai Kole, her obsession with the case—and with Kole himself—threatens to unravel her already fragile life. The novel’s strongest aspects lie in its gritty setting and poetic prose, which effectively capture Hazel’s sense of isolation and desperation.

However, the pacing drags at times, and Hazel’s choices—especially her fixation on Kole—can feel frustrating rather than compelling. While the mystery has intriguing elements, the plot doesn’t always deliver the tension or urgency expected from a crime thriller. The book thrives more on atmosphere than action, making it a slow burn that might not satisfy readers looking for a gripping, high-stakes narrative. Hello, Transcriber is a decent read for those who enjoy introspective noir, but it falls short of being truly memorable. Three stars.

I loved Black Harbor's dark and gritty setting, the mystery of the Candyman, and the compelling characters. However, we get actual transcriber stuff, Which when I first started reading I thought it was a really cool thing to include, and I thought it would draw me more into the story but it took me out of it with all the commas here and periods there.

Rarely do I read crime books that comprise a series, but after hearing so many great things about this series and having all of the books as read now on netgalley I jumped for it. This one started off strong, I was really interested in our MC being a transcriber for the police, because what a great way to be involved while still not being an expert. There was quite a bit of backstory on Hazel which added to the depth of her character, and really kept me invested. The mystery was also one that kept me guessing and on my toes, searching for the hidden clues. Im really excited to see what’s in store for the next in this series.

I am completely invested in this book and cannot wait to continue the series. I also have a new career goal.

Go in completely blind, and trust me. Knowing nothing will truly make it more thrilling.

Hello Transcriber is the first book in the Black Harbor series and I can not wait to read the other books from this series. What happens when a female police transcriber tries to solve a troubling case? This had me captivated from the beginning and I was turning pages until the end. The author did such a great job writing this and all of the characters were amazing in it. I liked Hazel the most in the book. Overall, this was an amazing read that I highly enjoyed and would recommend to any reader especially to those who love mysterys or thrillers. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this read in exchange of my honest review of Hello Transcriber by Hannah Morrissey.

This was a very interesting story.

I have never thought of anyone having a job like this.

Thoroughly enjoyed this novel and am excited to read the rest of this series.

I had already read books 3 and 4, so I thought I had a good grasp of the world and some of the details. But going into this one, I quickly realized I had no real idea what I was in for. This book was an intense, even disturbing read, but it was executed so well that it never felt overwhelming—just gripping in all the right ways.

The atmosphere was thick with tension, and the way the story unfolded kept me on edge the entire time. There were moments that genuinely shocked me, even though I thought I was prepared. The author did an incredible job balancing the unsettling elements with moments of depth and emotion, making everything feel meaningful rather than just shocking for the sake of it.

Even after finishing it, I found myself thinking about certain scenes, trying to piece everything together. It’s the kind of book that lingers in your mind, making you question things long after you’ve turned the last page. If you’re looking for something that’s both thought-provoking and deeply immersive, this is definitely worth reading.

Obsessed. Obsessed. Obsessed! I finished all 3 in the series because I could not get enough!! Suspenseful while thinking WTF who did dis the entire time! Hannah bless you I love you!

2.5 ⭐️

I was very intrigued by the synopsis of this story but unfortunately it wasn't a win for me.

Here are the things I liked about this book; I liked the idea of a police transcriber involved in a mystery/police investigation in town. I thought the description of the town as a crime-ridden place added to the spooky atmosphere of this story. I liked how most of the police officers really embraced Hazel when she arrived.

I found the overall mystery a little confusing at times, I wasn't sure what they were investigating for part of this book. I will say the twist at the end did surprise me.

The part of the book that I had a very hard time with was the infidelity. I did not like the insta-love Hazel had with the detective and I did not like the infidelity. I felt like too much of the book was centered on their relationship and less on the mystery. I also did not understand the backstory with Hazel and her husband, he was obviously not a great guy and was very controlling but it seems that there was more to their history than was given in the story. Again, I felt that the story was more focused on the relationships than on the mystery.

This one was kind of a miss for me.

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

Hello, Transcriber By Hannah Morrissey
Publication Date: November 30, 2021
Publisher: Minotaur Books

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
(Rounded Up To 5⭐)

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

📚MY REVIEW:

Hello, Transcriber is a compelling mystery that kept me awake, ferociously turning pages long after my bedtime. This is the first book in the Black Harbor series from Hannah Morrissey, and it was a suspenseful and atmospheric introduction into these reads.

The whole vibe of this book gave me the sense that Black Harbor has a darkness to it that is going to create a series of really good mysterious storylines! The books are all told about people living in Black Harbor, but the characters change with each story as the places in the town remain the same.

This first book in the series focused on our female MC Hazel, who works as a transcriber with the police department and becomes fascinated with the cases about which she's transcribing reports during her overnight shift. She becomes enamored with Detective Nikolai Kole, who invites her to join him on one of his investigations looking into local drug dealers and their connections to a string of recent deaths.

This book has aspects of a police procedural with a suspenseful mystery, small town drama, and even a little bit of a dark love story. It was a fast read that was well-written, keeping my attention and entertaining me from cover to cover. I was so happy that NetGalley offered me this whole series of e-books ahead of the upcoming fourth book's publication on March 25th. So far, Black Harbor is a place I'd never want to visit -- but a place that has me absolutely intrigued to get right into the next book about its residents!!

#HelloTranscriber #HannahMorrissey #BlackHarborSeries #Minotaur Books #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #thrillerreads #thrilleraddict #thrillerlover #thrillerseries #booklover #bookreviews #bookrecs #bookrecommendations

My second read of Hello, Transcriber truly cinched my love of Black Harbor and Hannah Morrissey's writing.

In all honesty, I had planned on transposing my initial review from January 2024 into this space, but it seems that the more I read this book, the more I have to say; my first time I had planned on writing a two-sentence review and here I am again with an overwhelming amount of thoughts to share.

This book is sinister and foreboding. It's dark, raw, gritty... and sexy as hell. It's utterly intoxicating. Morrissey's descriptions, the lust between Kole and Hazel... and the wordage that makes you heady with desire for more words. The title encapsulates it all, from Hazel's position to who she is, to the sexy way Kole says it. (Yes, shameless Angela Dawe plug... see the next paragraph for more.)

I've said that Angela Dawe is one of my favourite audiobook narrators, and this book is why. Dawe takes the soft vowels and the hard consonants of Morrissey's words and brings them to life; melodic in cadence, beautifully musical.

The further I delve into Hazel's psyche, the more I love her - and yes, substantially more than my first read. I am obsessed with characters like her, who you can relate to, empathize with, understand, and side with... even though that character might not be doing the "right" thing by society's standards. (And yes, Kole still has a piece of my heart.)

In short: the sun never shines, but you never miss the light.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for the complimentary copy to read and review.

Thank you to St. Martins Press for my copy of HELLO, TRANSCRIBER.

This book is dark, it's moody, it's so dang engrossing! I really loved this creepy story and its chilling atmosphere. I highly recommend this book and I'm so excited to read the next in the series!!

The fourth book in the Black Harbor series, The Unlucky Ones, publishes this month. I wanted to reread the first three books so that I would be sure that I remembered everything that happened in the series. Hello, Transcriber was where it all began and somehow, I never posted a review…… so here goes.
Hazel is a character that just broke my heart. Her husband is shall we say controlling and you can feel fear radiating off of Hazel. She gets a job working for the police department as a transcriber, typing the details of cases. Black Harbor is a dark place. Overrun with crime and the best description to me is that it is a town that will suck out your soul, day after day. That is if it doesn’t kill you.
Hazel is transcribing detective Nikolai Kole’s cases, and she feels an attraction to him, to his voice. When they meet, well, they are drawn to each other. But every minute of pleasure has ramifications. It is Black Harbor after all. Nothing against Kole,I mean Hazel’s story would not have progressed without him. But it was Hazel who kept me glued to the pages.
Is there any chance that this relationship could lead Hazel to a better place? I was hopeful and yet in the back of my mind, I always thought, only bad things win in Black Harbor. I was glued to the pages. A great start to what I hope will be an ongoing series.

"Hello, Transcriber" by Hannah Morrissey is the first book in the "Black Harbor" series.

I received a digital copy of the book from St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books via Netgalley.
Opinions from this review are completely my own.

This is a mystery thriller full of suspense about a police transcriber and aspiring writer.
The story is told only from Hazel's POV and it makes you feel like you in her mind.
I like the writing style, the pace of the action and the twists in the story.

While working as transcriber for the Black Harbor Police, Hazel gets infatuated with detective Nikolai Kole and they have an affair (she is married).
Hazel is a complex character, that goes through a lot. Even if I do not agree with everything she did, I can understand her.
Nikolai is a mysterious character and we only learn about him through the interactions with Hazel.

Overall I enjoyed reading this book and I will continue the series.

This book was just okay for me.

Hello, Transcriber follows Hazel Greenlee, a police transcriber who gets pulled into the investigation of multiple drug overdoses and the search for the elusive drug dealer Candy Man. She begins working with investigator Nikolai Kole who she falls in love with. Hazel's next door neighbor and husbands friend confesses to hiding the body of one of the young boys who overdosed on drugs and Hazel decides not to tell Kole about her personal connection to the case.

I was really excited to read this book because I thought that being about a police transcriber would be really interesting, especially since this is based off Morrissey's real-life experience as a transcriber. While Morrissey's writing was good and she did a wonderful job capturing the dreary atmosphere of Black Harbor, I did not feel that there was much mystery or suspense while reading the book. I also did not like the insta love that Hazel had for Kole and I really wanted to DNF when she engaged in an intimate relationship with Kole (cheating is usually an instant DNF for me). I decided to keep reading because I wanted to see how the book ended. While there were some twists that I did not see coming, I felt a little underwhelmed when it was over.

I have not decided yet, if I will keep reading more from the Black Harbor series. I may give one more book a try since I already own it and see what happens.

Thank you @minotaur_books and @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the #gifted copy.

• Synopsis
Hello, Transcriber follows Hazel, an aspiring author turned police transcriber in one of Wisconsin's most crime ridden cities. Every night she transcribes report after report detailing some horrific events.
The line between professional & personal seems to fade as the voice of Investigator Nikolai Kole reels Hazel in, then she discovers her neighbor is involved in a serious crime. Soon she finds herself way more involved in the investigating process than she ever anticipated.

• My Thoughts
Haunting, gritty, & dark - this debut into the world of Black Harbor had me hooked from the first page. As poetic as it was suspenseful, with lines had me reaching for my highlighter. The atmosphere is chilling & creepy. The author paints a bleak, frozen, melancholic scene I could perfectly imagine.
Hazel was an odd narrator, but I was rooting for her despite of (or maybe because of) her flaws. Plus the transcriber POV was such a unique perspective. If you like a little spice in your thriller (or a little thriller in your spice) this one is definitely for you! I already can't wait to read the next 2 books in the Black Harbor series.

• Read if you like:
- Police Procedurals
- Wintery atmospheric settings
- Morally grey characters
- Awesome audiobook option
- Unique writing with metaphors galore
- Thrillers with a little spice

Wow this had impeccable dark crime fiction vibes. The town, the atmosphere, the characters were just so chilling and I imagine the whole book happening in the twilight, or a too dark room. I often questioned the sanity of the MC Hazel as she seems unconcerned for her own safety, and I loved that. All of the characters seemed unreliable and I had no idea what would happen at the turn of each page. love the transcriber aspect as the narrator and enjoyed the ride. The ending I read before bed and it was A MISTAKE. Loved it and can't wait for more of creepy Black Harbor.

I will be honest when I say this was absolutely not what I expected. Yes, it’s about a police transcriber, as expected. But wow, it’s more than that. I feel that the main character is somewhat morally grey, which I typically enjoy for my MCs. This definitely kept me guessing!

My reason for four stars is at times the tone was overly melancholic. I did find myself waiting for things to shift a little. But overall, great read! I’ve never read anything quite like it.