This was an ARC from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley. My first from this author and while the writing was fine, the plot of the book just did not pull me in and I found it a bit forced.

Not only is this so good in general, but it is P E R F E C T I O N for this time of year!

Before starting, I didn’t realize that this is actually #3 in a series that all take place in the fictional town of Black Harbor. I did read this as a standalone and it took nothing away from my reading experience.

I’m telling you I was hooked as soon as I saw - One girl murdered. Another one missing.

This is told through multiple POVs and it made this story move along at the perfect pace. The town of Black Harbor is reeling after the popular girl is found dead. Another girl, Chloe, is missing. People don’t know what to think.

The suspense and thrill were so good! I loved how my brain was constantly trying to figure out where this was going. Once the story starts to unfold and things begin connecting this book became nearly impossible to put down. The town of Black Harbor is creepy and almost a character in its own right.

Really, really loved this one!

4 ⭐️

WHEN I’M DEAD
Hannah Morrissey

Have you read a book in the Black Harbor mystery series? I just finished WHEN I’M DEAD and it might be my favorite of the three.

In WHEN I’M DEAD we’re going back to Black Harbor. Back to high murder rates, scary crime scenes, and unlimited suspects. We’re following Rowan Winthorp, Black Harbor’s medical examiner. Rowan was just called to the murder scene of her friend’s daughter only to come home and find that her daughter, Chloe, is missing.

Are the two cases connected? Where is Chloe and will they find her before another body ends up dead?

I love Morrissey’s moody and atmospheric writing. The Black Harbor Books are consistently dark and centered around some of the darker aspects of the residents of Black Harbor. The characters often explore their shadow selves, walk the line between good and bad, and have an ever-evolving quality.

This book is set in October in the days leading up to Halloween, making this entry in the Black Harbor Books the creepiest yet and a perfect book to read this month. WHEN I’M DEAD comes out on Halloween, October 31st. Make sure you pick up a copy!

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy!

WHEN I’M DEAD…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a nail biting thriller with multiple POV's. We follow a Medical Examiner, a Detective, and a teenager who are all in the middle of a murder and a missing persons case. There is a lot of back and forth on who you can trust - which I mean is the best part about a thriller!

I did really enjoy the first 45% and the last 20% but I felt like the middle was a little slow and hard to keep my attention at times, all in all it was a very good read and I recommend it to anyone who loves a small town murder story! Perfect for halloween and this time of year!

When Rowan and Axel are called away from their daughter’s play their lives are completely uprooted. Their daughter’s best friend is found murdered and their daughter disappears while walking home. The book has a lot of twists that kept me guessing and the varying points of view added got eh mystery of the book and made it hard to know who to trust. The author did a great job of keeping the story intriguing and addressing some themes of parental guilt, high school dynamics, and how grief can consume us.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

This was a nice way to kick off my October mystery reads. The inclusion of a goth teenage girl who is missing, the creepy town and it’s oppression on the main characters, and grisly murders all added to the dark suspense that was this book.

This does not have a lot of twists and nothing that took me totally by surprise, but it also didn’t try to lead me down the wrong path. I was definitely involved with the main characters as they tried to solve the crime but I did feel that their actions regarding their own missing child was not realistic. I kept waiting for them to plaster flyers all around town, contact the news media, and have a widespread search.

Nevertheless, the mystery itself kept me engaged. I liked that there were different points of view and each one was plainly stated so as not to confuse the reader. The ending wrapped everything up nicely and left me satisfied but a tad disappointed that this story wasn’t darker.

Disclaimer: I'm originally from Wisconsin and I gobble up everything I can that's set there (Not much, sadly) So I've been reading the Dark Harbor series since Hello Transcriber. This is the third book in the series and I feel Hannah Molrrissey has really found her footing with it.

This is addictive, with a well-developed plot and a creepy setting, it pulled me in from the first page. Morrissey’s brilliant coupling of Medical Examiner Rowan and police officer Axel provides a complicated family dynamic to an already entertaining plot. I need to go back and read the first novel in this series (Hello, Transcriber) and you better believe I’ll be watching for more from the Winthorp pair!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the ARC. Decent thriller by the author. There were some parts I had to skip over but otherwise a decent nail biter!

This book was a perfect serial killer book for spooky season around Halloween time . The book kept me on the edge and I could not wait to get to the end . It looks like it was part of a series but it can be read as a stand alone book . Definitely recommend !

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review

When I'm Dead is another great book by the fabulous Hannah Morrissey. I didn't love it as much as her other books, only because the main characters in this book drove me crazy. It was a fast burn and I had to find out what happened to Chloe. The ending was not what I expected either.

I'm the problem, it's me. Sadly I just didn't click with this book. I love the idea of the story and the mysterious murder and kidnapping elements. I will still recommend it to others who love a good who dunnit!

This was the perfect book to read during October! It was creepy in the best way! Rowan and Axel are a married couple that are also a local town cop and a medical examiner. Quite the pair! Their daughter is missing, and her friends keep turning up dead. The book had a very dark vibe. I felt like I was on edge. It was well written with well-developed characters by a great author. Hannah Morrisey is new to me but she’s now on my radar as a must read author.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

I have such mixed feelings about this book.

Did I enjoy it? Yes, immensely.
Was I hooked? Obviously.
Am I in love with it? I'm not sure.

I thought that the pacing, characters, and overall suspense of the book was on point. The multiple POVs really help to move the story along and piece together the various clues at a rate and order that makes sense. There aren't too many red herrings. Overall, it's an enjoyable mystery surrounding a dark, dreary town in Wisconsin (where, thankfully, I do not live).

However, I figured out the bad guy way too early. I feel like some of the clues were very in your face, rather than lettering the reader get their "ah-ha" moment.

But I mean - I feel like a wicked detective for guessing the bad guy...and getting it right for once!

Honestly, this is a great thriller/suspense! And, from my understanding, it's a little less dark than her other novels, so it might be a good starting point if you're new to Morrissey!

rating: 3.5 STARS (rounded up to 4)
genre: thriller, suspense, mystery
creepy factor: 3/5 creeps

This one was just okay, a solid 3.5 stars. The ending was great. I was hooked from the beginning, then it dragged for a while, and got great again around 80%. There was a lot of fluff in the middle, especially Rowan's inner thoughts, and some passages got really descriptive, which for me don't add much to a mystery story like this. Overall I still recommend for a quick, easy thrill, but will not stand out to me in the future.
The relationship progression between Axel and Rowan was really sweet, and how they were able to come together again. And their realization of leaving Chloe out and how they needed to prioritize that more was a great addition.

This is the third book by Ms. Morrissey that I have read and this was another hit for me. I loved how dark, gritty, atmospheric and twisty the story was.
It was great to revisit Black Harbor, however, I'm very thankful I don't live there.
I highly recommend all of Hannah's books. She is a definite preorder/keeper shelf author for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

When I’m Dead is the third book in the Black Harbor series although could be read as a stand alone (as in my case). A story about murdered teenagers, a missing teenager and two parents in law enforcement trying to solve the crime.

Overall it was a decent read. Some things felt a little unrealistic in terms of how the case was being worked and about half way through I figured out who the killer was but it was a good read for October.

Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Oh, boy…

This is entertaining. Definitely entertaining. Yup. I’m running out of good things to say.

So, the book defies logic. It’s an everything but the kitchen sink plot in a world where cops can investigate the disappearance of their own kid, medical examiners can autopsy a murder victim they know (who is frenemies with their missing daughter), and where high school kids apparently regularly take taxidermy courses where they can practice on their own dead pets. But…it’s supposed to be our perfectly ordinary world!

There must have been hundreds of times when I was reading this when I simply exclaimed, “No. Did not happen.” The author never, ever got me to believe in their world or their characters.

I finished the book just to see what unbelievable thing would happen next – and boy, there were a lot of them!

I don’t mind brain candy and popcorn reads. In fact, my tired brain loves them. I just want the author to…try.

• ARC via Publisher

Hannah Morrissey is a new author to me, hence, “When I’m Dead” is the first book I’ve read in her Black Harbor series. Still, coming into this story not having read the prior installments did not present an issue, as I felt that this book is easily read as a stand-alone. That said, I did have trouble connecting with one of the main characters, and the story felt a bit disjointed at times. But overall, I found “When I’m Dead” to be intriguing and suspenseful, and it kept me guessing right up until the very end.

If you are looking for a creepy, scary, Halloween themed book, you might enjoy this one. Teen-aged Matison Caldwell is found murdered on the path leading to school and her teeth were broken out. Lots of other teens could be considered suspect as Madison was very popular but was also a bully. Madison's former best friend, Chloe, beat her out of the lead role in the school play. Sari Simons, an Army brat, is one of Madison's best friends and also a bully. School outcast, Libby Lucas, is interested in taxidermy and loves working with dead animals.

This book started out really good but then it fell flat for me but then picked back up towards the end. None of the characters are likeable at all. Marnie (Libby's mom) and Rowen (Chloe's mom), are totally clueless about their daughters and what goes on in their lives.

Thank you NetGalley abnd St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book.

This is my first book by this author and it definitely won’t be my last!
While this is book three in a series, I jumped right in and enjoyed every minute!