Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of The Widowmaker by Hannah Morrissey! WOW! ok, I just binged all of the Black Harbor novels in the last two weeks. Why did I wait so long to read these? Morrissey is an absolute talent for taking words and letting them sink deep into your core. I don’t often highlight passages, but her writing makes me want to absorb every sentence.

The Black Harbor series kicks off with The Transcriber. Each of these books can be read standalone, but are even better if you’ve read the others. Easter eggs galore, the Widowmaker is dark, twisted and deeply unsettling. This one follows the rich Reynolds family and a photographer named Morgan Mori who returns home to Black Harbor and gets sucked into the family secrets.

I will always and forever recommend Morrissey’s books, and I absolutely can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

Hannah Morrissey's *The Widowmaker* is a gripping thriller that plunges readers into a world of secrets and suspense. Set in a small town shrouded in mystery, the story follows a determined detective unraveling a chilling crime that intertwines with her own dark past. The plot deftly explores themes of trust and betrayal, as characters grapple with their own inner demons and the shadows of their history. With unreliable narrators, the tension escalates with each twist and turn. Morrissey masterfully crafts a fast-paced, riveting narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Highly recommended for fans of psychological thrillers.

I was really excited to read this sequel, and I was happy to see that it focused on different characters from the first book yet continued where that one had left off, with references back to it here and there (but nothing that gave anything away about that story). This one is written in a way that, though it's a sequel, you don't really need to have read the first one beforehand, which I appreciated since I read it quite a while ago (and there have been many, *many* books in between).

The various twists and turns of this story kept me on my toes, and the last 100 pages or so went by in a blur, I was turning them so fast. There are lots of characters, especially in the Reynolds family, which can make it a little hard to keep up at first, but the plot itself is paced pretty well and keeps the reader intrigued (though the references to and descriptions of Morgan's history could be triggering for some readers, so proceed with caution). I'm already looking forward to reading the next book in the series whenever I can find the time to do so, because I know I'll get sucked in and will want to read as much as possible in one sitting.

4 stars

**I received a free copy from NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and comments contained within are my own.**

3.5⭐
Genre ~ police procedural
Series ~ Black Harbor #2
Others in the series ~ Hello, Transcriber
Setting ~ Wisconsin
Publication date ~ December 6, 2022
Publisher ~ Minotaur Books
Est Page Count ~ 296 (45 chapters)
Audio length ~ 10 hours 39 minutes
Narrator ~ Adam Verner, Xe Sands
POV ~ dual 3rd
Featuring ~ cold case, murder, child abuse, pedophilia

Morgan is a photographer back in her hometown. After taking pictures of the Reynolds family she stops off at a gas station and witnesses a cop gunned down.

That cop was Investigator Ryan Hudson's partner. He's desperate to find the killer, but it's not his case to investigate. Then a Porsche owned by Clive Reynolds, a man who has been missing for 20 years, was pulled from the lake and he's assigned to the case.

Morgan and Ryan work together on the intertwined cases and I liked them together. Overall, I found it to be fast paced and chilling at times, and not just because it was winter in the blustery Wisconsin. There are some pretty dark elements referred to.

Series notes:
Sargent Kole from Hello, Transcriber makes quite a few appearance, but I don't feel like reading book 1 was really necessary to this story. I enjoyed this book much more than that one.

I didn't like this novel and I didn't finish it. The writing isn't bad and I'm sure the story is okay it just wasn't for me and it was triggering. Thanks to the author , NetGalley and the publisher for this arc

This book is the second book in a series but lucky for me it could stand on it's own. I did not read the first book. I really enjoyed this book. It was a unique read for me. I really like good mysteries and this book was just that. It grabbed me and kept me wanting to read more. *This book was given to me for free at my request from NetGalley and I provided this voluntary review.*

An interesting read.
I,liked the Wisconsin setting.
I thought the mystery part dragged on a bit too long.
I also didn’t care for the ending that much.

This is my second novel by Hanna Morrissey, and the second of her Black Harbor series. I have read these books out of order, but it does not matter. What I have loved most about these books is how much Morrissey makes Black Harbor come alive on the page. She really sets the scene and makes you feel the chill of the place. This book centers on characters Morgan and Ryan Hunter. Their stories merge as Hunter is assigned a cold case that Morgan stumbles into the periphery. Hunter is grappling with the murder of his former partner. For fans of mystery/suspense and police procedurals. Morrissey is a fine writer and her Black Harbor series will not disappoint!

I read the first book in the Black Harbor series a few years back and remember loving the deary atmospheric feel of the book. I was surprised to find that our lead characters in the second installment were different from the first, and that the characters from Hello, Transcriber we hardly mentioned. For such a small town, I felt this to be slightly strange but decided to give this one a go anyways.

While I felt the two storylines/murder mysteries were interesting and I liked how they came together, I had a hard time getting invested in Morgan’s or Hudson’s POVs. I think I didn’t fully connect the characters with the narrator’s voices, as I listened to this one on audio. The audio wasn’t bad, it just didn’t jive with what I would have picked, which is always a risk with audiobooks.

I’ll probably keep reading this series, as it’s well written but it’s just not my favorite page turning series. If you’re looking for a dark, gritty, and atmospheric series though, this one is for you!


The Widowmaker is out now. Thank you to Minotaur Books and MacMillan Audio for my advanced copies in exchange for my review. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books or on TikTok @speakingof.books. This review can also be found at SPEAKINGOF,ORG.

This story has a nice pace, characters that I liked and enjoyed getting to know and a entertaining mystery! Overall it's a good read! Happy reading everyone!

Hannah Morrissey has quite the following on Bookstagram, so I was excited to find out that I could read this book as a standalone in the series. I'm a sucker for books about wealthy families whose scandals and secrets are dug up, as well as police procedurals that follow cold case investigations. However, The Widowmaker fell flat for me. I didn't feel invested in the main character and the story felt like it dragged.

I do think it's important to note that this book is dark (TW: child abuse, sexual abuse).

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC via NetGalley.

Police procedural are hit or miss. But baby this was a hit! I need to go back and read the first book in the black harbor series, but i do not regret jumping right on into this one. Plot was great, characters on point.

I struggled with this book. I had a difficult time connecting to the characters. It’s a well written book just not for me

Favorite Quotes:

Pierced and gangly with a death stare that could intimidate a bull, Morgan didn’t really fit anywhere,

She had to tip her head back to look him in the eye. At five foot two, Miserelli was the personification of a firecracker: small, compact, and explosive. Some people joked that she’d stand taller and walk straighter if it weren’t for the chip on her shoulder weighing her down.

There was something about Eleanor Reynolds. Perhaps it was part of her enchantment that she reminded him of an icicle— delicate enough to shatter, sharp enough to kill.

She’d found Saoirse Reynolds as all people find one another these days: on Instagram.


My Review:

This ingeniously plotted tale kept me guessing throughout the entirety of the book. I developed and cast aside multiple theories but would never have foreseen the story threads coming together to weave these conclusions. Hannah Morrissey is a gifted scribe.

Short synopsis: A cold case comes to light after the murder of a cop,

My thoughts: Book 2 in the Black Harbor series, this one can totally stand on its own.

This is a dark and gritty police procedural that didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I was hoping for a little more but the pacing seemed off which threw me for a loop.

While the main characters were complex, I found myself not really caring about them or what happened to them. That’s not what I want when reading a crime riddled thriller.

I do think this one will work more for others!

Read if you love:
- Dark and grit
- police procedural
- cold case

The Widowmaker by Hannah Morrissey, the second book in the Black Harbor series, is a chilling tale of resentment, betrayal, and manipulation. The story continues the bleak, atmospheric tone but has a much more cohesive plot and significantly better pacing. Unlike the protagonist of Hello Transcriber, Morgan Mori is given a backstory so traumatic, all the events that follow seem character driven. Although the big reveal wasn't surprising, the road to getting there had enough surprises to make the journey satisfying. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the copy for an honest review.

A well written story, with well developed characters. This series is a dark and depressing, you have to be in the right mindset to embrace it.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy that I barely finished reading. I did not realize the book is the second in the series. I never read book one, but I do not think I missed too much as I was hooked from the beginning.

The Widowmaker is another thriller / mystery by Hannah Morrissey and it is again based in Black Harbour. Morgan Mori has recently come back to her home town. Upon arrival, she is invited to photograph the wealthy Reynolds family. After the photo gig she goes to get gas that night and ends up being in the store when a local police officer is shot and killed and his last words to Morgan are I found you. The story goes from here as Morgan re-visists her traumatic upbringing in Black Harbour. She is running from the past that she just left in Chicago. Trying to figure out why she is the center of focus for the enticing Reynolds family members; all of who are very interested in her for their own reasons. Morgan tries to figure out who she can and can't trust as she faces the past and tries to find out the answers. The book is well written and I really enjoyed this second Black Harbour Novel.

I will add that this book should come with a trigger warning as the abuse described in the book is very graphic.

The Widowmaker #jaylammreviews

This is book two in the Black Harbor series but these can really be read as standalones. 

Once again Black Harbor is a character in this book. This town is run down and spiraling. We do get a glimpse into the wealthy side of Black Harbor. The main character Morgan comes back to town and is hired to take pictures of the Reynolds annual christmas party. The Reynolds are well known in town. They are wealthy and have a mysterious past, as the head of the family Clive has been missing for many years...without a trace. 

This book delves into Clive's mystery but it also has a current murder of a cop that dominates the novel. We get the perspective of Morgan and then also the perspective of Hudson, a cop that is trying to solves his friend's murder.
I really enjoyed this. Once again, the writing was fantastic. Can't wait to read more books set in Black Harbor!