A solid 3 star dark crime thriller/murder mystery. There was no shortage of suspects, and I suspected them all at one point, but one stood out as pretty obvious, so it made it a little predictable. It's the 3rd book in a series, but can be read as a standalone. I didn't read the first 2 and I was not confused at all. Although, I did get the idea that the first 2 books were referenced and how the mystery was solved, so if you plan on reading the first 2 in the series afterward, keep that in mind.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this eARC.

This is a book series but this can be read as a stand alone book. That’s what I did. It was a good story but a lot of the events were easy to put together for me. No really big twist that I didn’t predict coming. Maybe that’s me. I do read a lot of thriller and suspense and crime thriller books. It’s still a solid three star book and it was a good read. Perfect for this season with its spooky vibes. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s press for allowing me access to this eARC.

While this is book #3 in the series, it can definitely be read as a standalone (as I did). A dark, twisty thriller with a very atmospheric setting. I enjoyed that the chapters alternated between a few different characters. While this is my first book by Hannah Morrissey, it will not be my last.

"On a bone-chilling October night, Medical Examiner Rowan Winthorp investigates the death of her daughter’s best friend. Hours later, the tragedy hits even closer to home when she makes a devastating discovery—her daughter, Chloe, is gone. But, not without a trace.

A morbid mosaic of clues forces Rowan and her husband to question how deeply they really knew their daughter. As they work closely to peel back the layers of this case, they begin to unearth disturbing details about Chloe and her secret transgressions…details that threaten to tear them apart.

Amidst the noise of navigating her newfound grief and reconciling the sins of her past, an undeniable fact rings true for Rowan: karma has finally come to collect."

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Pub date: 10/31/23
Genre: mystery/suspense
Quick summary: As a medical examiner, Rowan has seen the worst of the worst in the town of Black Harbor. But nothing can prepare her for the examination of her daughter's best friend's body - and the discovery that her daughter Chloe is missing.

This is the third book in the Black Harbor series - you don't have to read them in order, but I've love how Hannah Morrissey has created the dark and mysterious town of Black Harbor, where there's a seemingly unlimited supply of secrets. This book was compelling because Rowan and her husband Axel were so close to the investigation, and the personal element made the stakes feel so high. The middle of the book felt a little repetitive, but I enjoyed the ending because it surprised me. I'd recommend this one for your spooky season or wintry reading list.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stops and says I need to go back to the Black Harbor books now.
I LOVED When I'm Dead, thank you St Martins for the review copy and to the author for a highly engaging police procedural. I can't wait for the next book in this world!

This book has a lot of themes I like: well done police procedural placed in a well developed set of characters and contexts. A focus on adolescents and high school and their messy social lives and relationships. Adults who are still figuring things out as well. And a solid set of clues/reveals that made the story satisfying.

Morrissey has a way of really making Black Harbor a place that is hard to forget about and I loved the complexity of her Rowan character and how this book leaned into her past, her marriage, and her daughter as well. It is dark, esp when you learn what the book title means, but it is so very well done as well. Even when characters or behaviors are unlikable, there is an underlying empathy to the writing and storytelling that really stands out.

This book is also excellent as an audiobook, the multi actor narration is excellent and the story works well for an audiobook.

I really love this series! The town of Black Harbor is like a character all in its own. The multi POV worked well for me in this instance, though I think I would have preferred Chloe’s POV to Libby’s. Overall, I enjoyed this installment of the series

Hannah Morrissey takes us back to Black Harbor in her new book - When I'm Dead.

"On a chilly October night, Medical Examiner Rowan Winthorp is called out to investigate the death of a young girl. A victim that turns out to be her daughter's best friend. And now her daughter is missing. As Rowan and her husband search for their daughter, they're forced to confront things they didn't know about their daughter - things that threaten to tear them apart.

And another girl is found murdered..."

This is a police procedural, without much visible police work. Axel is a detective but he has a conflict. We don't really see how the police investigation is going but family and neighbors stumble into important facts. Morrissey gives the reader just enough clues and reveals to keep them invested.
Morrissey paints a bleak, dismal picture of Black Harbor. There's a malaise that infects everyone. Rowan and Axel are torn apart because of their missing daughter. Neither knows how to handle the other's emotions. Libby is fascinated by dead things and has plenty to hide.
Morrisey hides the killer in plain sight. I guessed it but not the whole story. Halloween is the perfect release day - especially with the haunted house surprise from Morrissey. It's a wild, creepy ending - worthy of Black Harbor.

Some great fiction from Morrissey.

This is book 3 in the Black Harbor series, but it can be read as a stand-alone. The town is really the only constant, the characters change. In this book, a police detective and the town medical examiner, who are married, find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation of their daughter’s school friend, Maddie. But during the last little while, their own daughter has become stand-off ish and difficult lately and some signs are pointing to the possibility that maybe she was the one who killed her friend. That is, until their daughter goes missing, and her last words to them come back to haunt them “You’ll love me more when I’m dead.” because she feels like they care more about their jobs than her, but Black Harbor is a town riddled with crime that just keeps getting worse.
You have to really suspend reality for this one because there are some glaring details that stand out-like that they let the ME and the detective work the case of their own daughter. And that if the town was so bad, and these people were successful in their jobs, why didn’t they just move away? I, thankfully, know that this is what fiction is for, and am able to put this stuff aside and step into the other world and enjoy it for what it is, beside the fact that the killer was fairly obvious from the beginning. Other than that, it is what it is, a popcorn thriller.

A punch in the gut. That's what the book felt like. Wow can this author use her words to give readers a visceral reaction to what they are reading - and she doesn't let up. This book shook me and I had to take breaks honestly because it was heavy and so many dynamics coming into play. The horror of the murders and a missing daughter, the personal horrors within each character, and the intense disruption to the marriage and parental relationship of Axel and Rowan were sometimes excruciating. And the atmosphere of Black Harbor was just poignant and so very well done as the setting for this story. I admit I had some theories that turned out to be true (yay me) because I do read a lot of twisted crime stories (maybe I shouldn't brag about that...). Highly recommend this book and this series!

Medical Examiner Rowan Winthorp and her husband, Police Detective Axel, are called away from seeing their daughter perform in the high school musical in order to investigate a murder. The victim turns out to be her daughter’s best friend, Madison. Later that night when they arrive home they realize Chloe never made it home after the play. Frantic, they call everyone they know and search everywhere for her, but Chloe has vanished without a trace. What is even more haunting for Rowan is that the last words Chloe said to her was "You will love me more when I'm dead." As the body count begins to rise, Rowan & Axel sift through the clues while trying to peel back the layers of their daughter's life, They begin to realize that not only do they not know her as well as they thought they did, but also, there is a possibility their daughter is behind the murders.

This book was SO good. I have never read anything by this author before, but I am definitely going to check out her other books now, after reading this. I couldn't put it down. It kept me guessing until almost the very end, and the suspense stayed ratcheted up to the max for the entire book. Even though this is book 3 of the series, it can be read as a standalone. If you are a fan of twisty thrillers or murder mysteries, then you will definitely want to add this to your TBR pile.

Great fast paced, suspense thriller, kept me guessing , the ending was shocking , Like this type of book that keeps you engaged .

Normally I’m not too big on series (too much of a commitment for my mood reading) but I went into this one knowing I could read it as a standalone and now I’m fully invested and *have* to read the first two to the series.

When I’m Dead is such a fast-paced thriller and written so well that I couldn’t turn the pages quick enough for my brain’s liking. I really liked Rowan and Axel, and liked that it took a while for me to fully figure out who did it. It’s dark, depressing and so atmospheric. Thanks to Minotaur Books for my eARC. When I’m Dead will be published on Halloween!

I love reading police procedurals and When I’m Dead did not disappoint.

This book had some of my favorite things: multiple POVs, plenty of red herrings, just enough clues and forensic detail that helps move the investigation along, and a great reveal and motive. The setting of the fictional town of Black Harbor is atmospheric and dark and does not sound like the happiest place to live. I also really liked the dysfunctional relationship between Axel and Rowen, a married detective and medical examiner couple, and between them and their missing daughter, which gave me all the feels and hopes that everything would work out for their little family.

I have read all the books by this author. I feel she just keeps getting better. Great mystery with a murderer you did not see coming. I am looking forward to the next one

When I'm Dead is the third in a series, but I was unaware of that when I requested this book. Medical Examiner Rowan Winthorp and her husband, Detective Axel Winthrop, are working a crime scene, a murdered high school girl. They receive disturbing news - their daughter is missing and her friends are turning up dead. There a lot of twists and turns but the murderer is caught in the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley, Minotaur Books, and of course, Hannah Morrisey for my advanced digital copy to read and review.
If you're not familiar with Hanna’s writing, I urge you to give her a try. Her Black Harbor series is a blend of police procedural with dark, gritty elements.
When I'm Dead reads as a stand-alone, just like her previous two novels, Hello Transcriber and The Widowmaker. There are small mentions of occurrences from the first two novels, therefore you will not miss important details in order to follow the story. It has more to do with the main investigator's previous relationship rather than the case at hand.
But I find her writing is getting better and better with each book. I liked this one more than the first two books. I find the character development and the way she lays out the story is well done, and it keeps you guessing as to who is behind the crimes.
I definitely recommend it, especially for this time of year.

One girl is murdered and one girl is missing in this newest installment of the Black Harbor series. In this psychological thriller we are introduced to Rowan, the Black Harbor medical examiner, and her husband Axel, a Black Harbor police detective. When they are both called away to a murder, missing their daughters theatrical performance, they think nothing of it, until they get home that night and realize their daughter is missing. This case gets personal for these two professionals used to dealing with murder and mayhem. As they race against the clock, they peels back the layers surrounding this murder as they narrow in on a suspect. Will they be able to uncover the killer before time runs out?

I have not read any of the other thrillers in this series, but I found this to be a great stand alone. The characters in this series were well developed and helped add to the mystery surrounding this case. Overall I found this to be a well written thriller that was engaging the whole way through. My only problem with this book was some of the gore, but that’s on me since I know what to expect when going into these types of books. I’m much more comfortable and in my element with cozy mysteries, but I do love to visit full thriller mysteries from time to time. This was a very good thriller and I loved the world that was created here in Black Harbor, it was the perfect setting for this murder. If you are a thriller fan, I suggest giving this one a try!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

This story follows a medical examiner and detective whose child goes missing. As the story unfolds you get to see the POV of multiple people in the town of Black Harbor. It shows just how cruel kids can be when things dont go their way. I absolutely loved this story! It was such an easy read with short chapters. It kept you guessing till the last 20 pages. Can't wait to read more by this author!

This was a different type of police procedural because the town's coroner and detective were the parents of the "missing girl." I enjoyed the flipping of a typical thriller plot by having the parents directly involved in the town's homicides and the missing person search.

However, in real life, this would not have actually happened due to conflict of interest.

But in this world, the parents both are fighting against their panicked emotions (who wouldn't?) and are trying to solve two other murders of teenage girls that their daughter associated with - only to discover their own daughter goes missing.

WHEN I'M DEAD is a glum read. The town is dark and mysterious and it holds down it's residents. It doesn't seem like many "get out," including the parents in the story.

I really enjoyed the plot overall and it's set during Halloween, so it's a perfect October/November read.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-copy of WHEN I'M DEAD to review.

I give WHEN I'M DEAD four out of five stars.

2.5 stars
When I’m Dead is Book 3 in the Black Harbour Series, but this domestic thriller can definitely be read as a standalone.
I really wanted to like this book, but it fell flat for me. I didn’t feel anything for the parents Rowan & Axel (teenage daughter goes missing) after her friend is found murdered. I should have felt completely gutted for them. How can they be involved in their daughters case??? Very unlikely.
At times I just shook my head at the unlikelihood of such things happening, and there were a few!
The story had a good premise, and it did have a dark, suspenseful atmosphere at times, which I did enjoy. But overall I felt myself pushing to finish it.