I love any book set in Wisconsin so I rejoiced at having been gifted this from Netgalley. I was not disapointed! Dark, twisty and unputdownable. I devored The Widowmaker in two days. Cryptic notes, cold cases, what more could you want in a book!

Book Title: The Widowmaker
Series: Black Harbor
Author: Hannah Morrissey
Publisher: Saint Martin’s Press ~ Minotaur Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: December 6, 2022
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars

When I finished reading "Hello, Transcriber", my comment was it had me at ‘Hello”!

This story starts when freelance photographer Morgan Mori returns home to the small town of Black Harbor, near Lake Michigan. Black Harbor is a typical small town a Black Harbor where most cannot wait to leave, however Morgan is returning.

It is just before the holidays and she is hired to do a family photo shoot at a Christmas party at Reynolds mansion.
She inherited a skeleton key (such as the one on the cover). This key reveals secrets of the past she is trying to forget.

At the end of the night after taking pictures of the family, she stops to for gas and goes inside to buy candy. She finds she is in the middle of a robbery and Officer Garrison is killed. However, before he dies he looks at her and states, “I found you”. <i> (There is a bit of mystery as to why Morgan went go far out of her to get gas.)</i>

Garrison was the partner of Investigator Ryan Hudson. They are best friends and procedure dictates that Hudson is not get involved in the investigation.

As the investigation continues and the police divers are looking for the weapon, they find a 1978 Classic black 930 Turbo Porsche known as ‘The Widowmaker’ which belonged to Clive Reynolds. Mr. Reynolds was a wealthy man who disappeared twenty years ago!


Story alternates between the POV of Morgan and Hudson.

.Story was disturbing I was anxious to read the author’s notes as to what was her inspiration in writing this story. In the acknowledgements she tells us that the thread that began knitting this story was ~ in many cases the victims of abuse will continue to be victims . . . or become perpetrators in making abuse happen.
I was able to both read and listened to this story. I am a big audiobook fan but some of the disturbing parts were difficult to hear. So in this case, I liked the novel more.
Additionally audiobook usually don’t include the author’s note and/or acknowledgements which provide the inside scoop to the story which is always something I enjoy.
If you like Hannah Morrissey, you may be interesting in knowing that she is working on Back Harbor Book #3, she has a ‘dino' collection, and her husband proposed during a game of charades. If you want to know more, here is a You Tube link of an interview on ‘Mighty Mysteries’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdZU8Sny4F8

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press ~ Minotaur Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for December 6, 2022

photographer Morgan Mori lucks out getting a photography job for the richest family in town, After taking photos of the whole family, she goes for drinks, and becomes friends with one of the Reynolds boys. On Morgans way home that night she is a witness of a crime. This crime triggers something in Morgans mind.

later Morgan finds herself helping to solve a 20 year old crime, that is also connected to the crime she witnessed. In time helping to solve the cold case helps Morgan remember her past.
thanks netgalley for a great read.

Can this mystery be solved two decades later?
Twenty years ago, Clive Reynolds, a powerful and well-known business man disappeared and was never heard from again. Ever since then, when people hear the the last name Reynolds, they automatically think of murder and mystery. Now, Morgan Mori, a struggling photographer, returns back home to Black Harbor where it all took place. Unable to turn down any sort of income, Morgan agrees to photograph the Reynolds's holiday gathering, unintentionally throwing herself into their web of family secrets. That same night, Morgan becomes a witness in the homicide of a cop which also happens to uncover a hidden clue to the mysterious Reynolds case. Wanting to prove himself as a lead detective and crack the age old cold case, Ryan Hudson is willing to do whatever it takes. But can he stop the recent murder of his old partner from distracting him?
This one just wasn't for me. The description had promise and really intrigued me, but overall I'm disappointed. It held my interest enough for me to finish, and I held out hope that it would pick up. The main character was kind of dull and I didn't really care about her all that much, or any of the characters really. It felt like there were a lot of characters and a lot going on, taking a bit of focus away from the story and making it hard to follow at times. The narrators, Adam Verner and Xe Sands, did a great job voicing the characters. After reading The Widowmaker and hearing not so thrilling reviews of Hello, Transcriber, I'm very hesitant to read another book by Hannah Morrissey.

This is a dark and twisty tale of family secrets. The author pulls you in from the very first chapter, which is a bit mysterious and refers to events in the near past that only get clarified later in the book. The female main character, Morgan, has had a terrible childhood and it has affected her greatly. She is now in her early 30s, trying to make a living as a photographer in her home town. The male main character, Hudson, is a young police investigator with a secret in his past. The action takes place in a dismal city in Wisconsin, somewhere on Lake Michigan, called Black Harbor, in and around Christmas time. Hudson’s former partner, Garrison, is killed and we gradually find out all the links between a 20-year-old cold case involving the Reynolds, the city’s richest family, Hudson, Garrison and Morgan.

Content warning: child abuse/sexual assault in the past

The author has written a previous book that also takes place in Black Harbor but this is not being promoted as a series and I have not read the first book, Hello, Transcriber, although I’m interested enough in it now to track it down.

I listened to the audiobook with my husband on a long car trip and re-read some sections in the ebook in the evenings to make sure I understood what was going on - so perhaps reading this one may be better than listening to it. There are a lot of characters and back story to keep straight. Different chapters are told from the point of view of either Morgan or Hudson, and there were two narrators, one female and one male: Xe Sands and Adam Verner.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really like mysteries like this one, where everything ties together so well in the end. The main characters are likable, even though they each have secrets and flaws. I especially loved Hudson’s point of view. He was such an easy character to pull for! Morgan was a lot more complicated, but I was shocked every time I found out something new about her. There were so many unique twists and turns in this one and they all added so much to the story. This was such a good thriller for Christmastime, as it is set around that time. Look out for this one when it hits the shelves!

Thirty-one year old Morgan returns to Black Harbor after the old Chicago mall that housed her creative warehouse business burns to the ground. Morgan takes on freelance work as a photographer and becomes involved with the wealthy Reynolds family who literally may hold a key to Morgan finding out who her father is. Morgan also witnesses a convenience store murder of a police officer and becomes entangled with the investigator. Hannah Morrissey provides readers with many twists and turns in her second novel set on the shores of Lake Michigan.

3.5/5⭐️

I’ll admit I was a bit lost at first as I hadn’t read the first in this series, but caught on eventually.

There’s also a lot to unpack here…the murder of a police officer, the witness, Morgan (who has turned into a vigilante after being horrifically abused as a child (trigger warning) and has secrets yet to be revealed); Hudson, a police investigator out to solve his friend’s murder; the Reynolds family, a wealthy family with lots of misdeeds, both present and past. Greed, jealousy, vengeance…it’s got it all.

Other than being a bit lost occasionally (my fault) and a tendency of the author to overly embellish her characters’ emotional states (which was annoying at times), I liked it (especially the denouement which had chills, thrills, and a twist or two even though it was over-the-top in believability).

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing the free early arc of The Widowmaker for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Hannah Morrissey for the advanced digital copy of The Widowmaker in exchange for my honest review.

I mostly listened to the audio version of this, but I did love having the ability to switch back and forth between listening and reading.

I thought the plot was really interesting, and I love how the two character's individual storylines started to intertwine. I was ultimately satisfied with the ending and didn't see it coming. (Always a huge plus for me)

If you are someone who is triggered by any book content I would definitely check the warnings for this book (I won't include them here because I know some people view them as spoilers). For me personally, I loved how dark this book was.

The Widowmaker will be on US bookshelves December 6!

This book went along smoothly - built the characters, relationships. Starts with a viscous killing and reopening of a cold case - husband of a wealthy matriarch rumored to be a black widow.
Then BOOM! I had quite a few out loud "Oh Crap" moments.
Told via dual narratives - Hudson, Lead Detective; Morgan, called home with a mysterious key.
Lots of suspense. Trigger - childhood abuse. I loved how these characters were woven together.
Highly recommend.

Absolutely loved this one! Hannah has quickly become one of my favorites and I think I enjoyed The Widowmaker even more than Hello, Transcriber (and I loved that one too)! Highly recommend and you don’t need to read Hello, Transcriber first.

Are you looking for a book that is deep, dark, and full of secrets, then this book is definitely it! This was a wild ride with plenty of hints to Morrissey’s debut, Hello, Transcriber. So many mysteries, lies, dark secrets, that will leave you unraveling. Portions of the book made me cringe as the topics were difficult to listen to. If you like police procedural or thriller genre this book needs to be added to your TBR.

***** Many thanks to St Martins Press, Macmillan Audio, NetGalley, and Hannah Morrissey for the #gifted copy as it was provided to me in turn for my honest opinion.

This would have been four stars for me, as this was a compelling story. I enjoyed the two timelines and how the crimes of the past influenced the crimes of the present. But the ending was...weird. Spoiler: a woman gets shot in the chest and is laying on the ground seemingly dying/dead. Cut to a month later when everything's solved and we find she somehow went from there to hopping on a snowmobile and making it to the Canadian border. What? So there was a big logical leap there that threw me off. a bit more consistency would have been nice.

What In The Witches Brew?! 😳😯🤯😯🤯

Holy cannoli! Fluffin' freaks! Uhm.. what the twisted toffees did I just read?! What was that absolutely sensational, satiating and appetizing plot I just savoured!? I'm absolutely stunned & shocked at how this was spun and delivered! Talk about a nail-biting mystery and thriller. I mean this left me utterly shook! Genius is the word that comes to mind when I'm pondering this intense thriller and all the revelations doled out one after another hitting shock wave after shock wave of surprises and jaw drops. You'll be left reeling like a fish on a hook just hanging there after the last page. It's dark, it's lush, it's more twisted than laffy taffy & it will leave you with a need to curl up under your favourite, warm blanket and leave the lights on. Superb!

Mყ 𝐒ყɴ𝐨ρѕιѕ: Morgan is a photographer that does events and recently moved back to Black Harbor. But she's about to enter into something so sinister and dark, when she connects with a very wealthy family, The Reynolds, and all the scandal and mystery they ensue after Clive went missing years ago. To add to her luck, she witnesses a cop murder the same night as The Reynolds's photo family shoot. Investigator Hudson's best friend Garrison, the cop was shot but while out of his jurisdiction, is determined to figure out what happened to Garrison while working on new leads of missing Clive Reynolds. But the connection, the demons, the past & ultimately the truth, may be more than they can handle.

🔴 Trigger Warnings: Mention of Child Abuse ; Physical Abuse ; Mention of Torture

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for this ARC.
Release Date: December 6, 2022

𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 4.5 / 5 Autumn Leaves! 🍂

Your friend is killed in a murder, and now you are having to work his old case, and also try to figure out who took your friend away from you. I really enjoyed this book, and didn’t want to put it down!

I’ve grown up along the shoreline of Lake Michigan my entire life, in a city that started out small during my childhood, and has quickly morphed into a place I don’t recognize. This book may be based in a fictional town called Black Harbor, but all I pictured was Kenosha. The brittle, harsh winters. The clouds that hover low. The lake that is endlessly eating the shoreline. Hannah Morrissey understands exactly how winter is its own entity here, and that spoke loudly through these pages. The sharp wind was as much of a character in this book as Morgan Mori or Ryan Hudson were. I’m not sure what I expected from this book, but wow, what a punch. There was so much going on, and it was all connected. It was dark. What a twisty and brilliant mind Morrissey has.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of The Widowmaker by Hannah Morrissey.

After reading Hello Transcriber, I was very anxious to get my hands on another book by Morrissey. She has mastered the art of the ice cold atmospheric thriller/suspense.

This one smacked hard of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. You have a deeply traumatized young woman, working as a photography to make ends meet, and a wealthy family with a dark past that hires her. She's back in her hometown and knows all the lore surrounding the affluent Reynolds family. But what really adds complexity to her visit home is watching a beloved police officer shot in front of her. What is going on all of these years later, and could any of it have to do with her?

This was a fantastic read, especially during a time that suspense novels are FLOODING the shelves. I love the chilly atmosphere, the suspicious characters, and the occasional ice melting romance woven throughout. This is the perfect rainy fall day read, grab a blanket and a warm drink!

Y’all know I love crime fiction, especially Nordic Noir & I recently saw @hannahmorrisseywriter’s work described as Midwest Noir. I could not agree more and absolutely loved her newest crime thriller, The Widowmaker. It is dark and has some great twists that you don’t see coming. I switched back and forth between the book and audiobook. I have to say that the choice of Xe Sands as the female narrator was excellent. I highly recommend grabbing either the book or audiobook when they publish!

Thank you to @stmartinspress @minotaur_books@macmillan.audio and @netgalley for allowing me to read & listen to this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

This is definitely a book with a very unique premise and lots of moving parts. But it hooked me from the beginning and I would think about Morgan and all she endured when I wasn’t reading the book. A great mystery featuring the homicide of a police officer, a wealthy family whose patriarch mysteriously disappeared, and many characters that wouldn’t cross paths under normal circumstances. A great story!

This book was compelling and kept me interested the entire time. The characters have complicated back stories that the author reveals slowly, drawing you in. My one quibble is that the ending resolution of the mystery or crimes was a little too complex for my brain to hold onto. I look forward to reading more from this author.