In a town where it feels like the dead outnumber the living, medical examiner Rowan and her detective husband Axel have their hands full. On the night of their daughter's on stage debut, they are called away in the middle to investigate a new murder. Their daughter's best friend. Just hours later - they would come to realize that their daughter is now missing too. And bodies are dropping like flies around Black Harbor. Will their Chloe be next?

This intoxicating novel keeps you sucked in from the very first page as it takes you on a journey to try and see how well these parents actually knew their child. How much does any parent know really? Once you pick this book up - it's impossible to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hannah Morrisey for allowing me to read this amazing book as an eARC.

Wow! What a perfect book to read before Halloween. It's dark and twisty and keeps you guessing right up until the final reveal. I hope there are more Black Harbor books. Both have been great.

Just wow! My first Hannah Morrissey novel but definitely not my last! This book was totally captivating from the very beginning until the very last page. Fabulous characters that kept me flipping pages long into the night. So many factors contributed to this being a 5 star read. It was packed with tension, twists and great reveals. And it played on every emotion I can think of. Highly recommend.
Thank you NetGalley, Hannah Morrissey and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this great book.

Thank you so much to Minotaur Books and Hannah Morrissey for my copy of this book! It was much anticipated and exactly what I needed. The book is about medical examiner Rowan and her detective husband Axel, and their active jobs in Black Harbor. One night they are both called to the murder of their daughter’s best friend, and hours later they discover their daughter Chloe is also missing. Now Rowan and Axel must question how well they know their daughter and the people in her orbit.

Thoughts: This book was gruesome and chilling and EVERYTHING I wanted. This my first book from Hannah Morrissey and even though this is a series, it was perfect as a stand alone. I read this fast-paced police procedural in a few hours and the story kept me engaged the whole time. I loved the setting of Black Harbor and each point of view was unique and interesting to read. There were lots of great suspects and threads to pull on as the story went along.

However, the reveal was so obvious and the killer was clear from the first time they were mentioned. I loved the tension that built in this book and the police procedural elements, as well as the suspicious characters. Even though I knew exactly what was going to happen, it was a BLAST to read and I loved every minute of it. 4.5 stars for this fun story!

Well written, interesting and well developed characters, and an intriguing story

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65213515

This was my first Hannah Morrissey read, even though I've seen beloved bookstagrammer @crimebythebook absolutely rave about this author!

Married couple Axel and Rowen specialize in dead bodies - a medical examiner and a detective. And on the debut of their only child's big school play, they're called away to handle just that. How would they know that hours later, their lives would all be thrown into absolute chaos? Their missing daughter lives in a world they knew nothing about, and as the body count increases, they begin to wonder what exactly they might discover next...

This was an enjoyable, edgy book with a fresh plot and perspectives! I enjoyed the bit of domestic thriller, the bit of teenage drama, the bit of detective procedural...but what I enjoyed most of all was the setting of Black Harbor. I almost felt myself there, in this bleak, cold, crime-ridden town that people can't seem to escape from. The setting was perfection, and it made me empathize so much with Rowan coming to terms with her past that led her to Black Harbor and her future desire to leave Black Harbor. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book, and I look forward to going back and reading Morrissey's other Black Harbor books: The Widowmaker and Hello, Transcriber!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC - all opinions are my own.

When I'm Dead revolves around Rowan Winthorp, a medical examiner in Black Harbor, and her husband, Axel, who is a detective in the same town. Early on in the book, their daughter's best friend is found murdered, and shortly thereafter, their daughter Chloe disappears on her way home from the high school musical she is starring in as Lydia Deetz. The book revolved around their mutual investigation into their daughter's disappearance, as well as the murder of Madison. This is the 3rd book in the Black Harbor series, but the first book I've read by this author, and in my opinion this book is stand alone, and can be read and understood without reading the prior books.

The plotting of this book was well done, and is told primarily from the perspective of Rowan, Axel, and also their next-door neighbor's teenage daughter, Libby. There are plenty of false leads, and misleading clues. However, with that said, the true killer is easy to spot from fairly early on for an experienced reader.

The part of the book that I struggled with is the supposed danger of Black Harbor itself, for a town that is supposedly incredibly dangerous for all who live there, parents seem oddly ok with letting their teenagers galivant all over, unsupervised. Also, for such a dangerous town, the cost of living seems fairly high, and there's even a private high school with 5 figure tuition. The vibes just don't seem to match for me. With that said, I still enjoyed this book overall as it was a sufficiently spooky and autumnal feeling book and rounded up from 3.5 stars to 4 solid stars.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

I was immediately absorbed by this atmospheric page turner. Holy Moley. Black Harbor reminds me of Gotham City. It has that kind of vibe. The story is told from three points of view: Rowan who's the medical examiner; Axel, a homicide detective and Rowan's husband; and Libby, the awkward teenager who lives next door.

The night of the high school play, a teenage girl is found murdered. Rowan and Axel are called to the scene only to find the victim is their daughter's best friend. Things escalate when they realize their daughter is also missing. What follows is a desperate search along a twisted path for their daughter as well as answers to unexpected revelations that come to light along the way.

This book never lets up. Rowan and Axel are thrown into crisis mode and become unreliable narrators of sorts. That's where Libby comes in. You never know what's up with her but her perspective gives you a different take on the action and gives you a break from the turmoil enveloping Rowan and Axel.

Overall, it's a gripping thriller with lots of dark twists and turns. The setting sets the tone. The well done characterizations bring the drama. It's the perfect book to read come October 31st. Definitely check it out if it's your jam.

I enjoyed this book! I don’t think I have encountered a thriller series where each book focuses on a different set of characters. This author seems to be following the mold of a small town romance author, and I kind of liked it. You do not have to read either of the other books in this series before reading this one. I liked the darkness in all of the characters. Their reactions seemed like what would genuinely happen in a marriage if your daughter went missing. It seemed pretty raw. Everything seemed very bleak in this town where murder is synonymous with daily life.

Rowan and Axel are a powerhouse of a couple. Rowan is a medical examiner and Axel is a detective. They work LONG hours. They have a daughter Chloe who is getting ready for her first lead in a play. She has changed her appearance and is learning about method acting. All seems to be going as normal until Rowan and Axel get the call out on opening night of her play. The body is one of Chloe’s friends, or so they think. It is a gruesome. Rowan goes home to check in with Chloe to realize her worst fears have come true- Chloe is missing.

Now we are in the deep dive of the investigation of how the murder and the disappearance are connected. Mean girls from high school are involved. Rumors are involved of a taboo relationship between Chloe and her drama teacher. Rowan and Axel find themselves on other sides of a line of how they think their daughter is involved. One stone overturned leads to another dead body and another. Will they ever find out who is doing this? How is Chloe involved? She couldn’t be the one responsible right?

I liked the way that this was done in dealing POVs (also reminiscent of some romance novels I have read recently). We got to see the different thought processes from the main characters. I liked the twist- I didn’t see the killer being the killer. Overall this was a fast paced thriller, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A dark and gruesome crime thriller that I absolutely enjoyed. Little did I know this was part of a series and I have had the first book sitting in my to be read pile for forever. This one was literally the third in the series. Good thing they can all be read as a standalone. I will definitely be pushing book one, Hello, Transcriber up to the top of the pile as I loved this authors writing. Definitely kept me turning the pages with curiosity and suspense.

Thanks @netgalley and @stmartinspress for read number 127 of 2023: @hannahmorrisseywriter’s newest book to be released on October 31st. Please note that my ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a very fast-paced, but also very graphic read by Morrissey. It was definitely disturbing at times, but I was gripped from the first page and eager to see how things ended. The character development was wonderful. While many of the characters appear in her other books, you could read this is a standalone novel. I did anticipate the ending, but I still enjoyed getting there. A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read in my books. A great one to check out! #avivaandfriendsrecos

I discovered Hannah Morrissey last year on instagram and immediately devoured Hello Transcriber. I ordered The Widowmaker to arrive on publishing day, and when I saw the email from NetGalley inviting me to read early, I immediately jumped!

💀I loved the range of characters in her third Black Harbor novel - the teen angst, the frustration, the drama between the adults - felt like a Halloween movie and we saw more dimension to each character

💀Hannah’s research into the macabre is almost unparalleled. She shares some of her research on IG but it also comes through in her books.

💀This third book also seemed to have more subplots happening and I felt like there was a lot to keep track of, which I loved! Definitely held my interest!

If you haven’t read Hannah’s first 2 books in the Black Harbor series, definitely check them out and preorder When I’m Dead, publishing on 🦇Halloween🎃

“When I’m Dead” is a mystery thriller by Hannah Morrissey. This book is part of the Black Harbor series, but can be read as a stand-alone. What I liked about this book was the general plot - teenage girls are ending up either missing or dead in a town with a long history of odd things happening to people. I did find a few things a bit odd - such as a thrown in sex scene just cause? Additionally, while the police and ME information seemed pretty much on spot, I did find it odd that with their daughter missing that her cop father and examiner mother would both be involved in the investigation. [Yes, this is a small remote town, but even in my small town that wouldn’t happen.] This book was a bit slow to get going, but once it did - things often continued rolling toward the conclusion. Overall, I think this book had really good bones and I liked some of the insight (must admit, I know the BJJ moves as my own child had practiced it). This book was interesting and I may read the previous books, though this one touched a few nerves - as my own child was killed a few months ago and, well, it was a bit of rough reading at times.

Just one more chapter. There is no stopping once you start. Nothing can get in your way.

There are multiple POVs in this crime thriller. Chole is 15 years old and excited to perform on stage in “Beetlejuice” as Lydia Deetz. She died her hair black and has the black boots and outfit that matches perfectly. Her proud parents, Rowan and Axel, are in the audience watching.

However, about half way through, they get a call and both of them excuse themselves. Someone has been killed and sadly, they have to leave their daughter’s performance and investigate. Rowan is a medical examiner and Axel is a homicide detective. Rowan sent a text to her neighbor, Marnie, asking her if she and her husband could take Chole home afterwards.

Then the bad news: they find out that a girl from the school was strangled close to where they live and it happens to be Chole’s best friend, Madison. Marnie didn’t get the text to take her daughter home. Rowan rushes to see if Chole is there. Her bedroom is quiet with the window open but her daughter isn’t there. Her last words to her mother were: “You’ll love me more when I’m dead.” What does that mean?

It's like a puzzle. Each chapter leads to more clues as the suspects are interviewed. Axel said someone always lies. The reader starts lining up who the killer may be: her boyfriend, one of her girlfriends, her teacher or maybe she was the murderer.

The timing is good with all the pieces in place. It’s not too ghastly and tense that the reader won’t be able to sleep at night. The chapters are relatively short. It’s fun and fast like something you’d want to see in the movies.

My thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of October 31, 2023.

This is the third book in the Black Harbor series, but the first one I've read. I will be going back to read the others though, as I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this one.

Description:
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.

My thoughts:
The husband/wife team of Rowan Winthorp, the Black Harbor Medical Examiner, and her husband, Axel, a homicide detective, just worked. Together they make a great team even though their careers keep them away from home a lot and away from their daughter, Chloe. The last words Chloe said to her mom before she disappeared, "you'll love me more when I'm dead", haunted Rowan throughout the book. There were so many suspects in this book that seemed viable i couldn't decide who was the real killer, so the ending was a surprise. This book kept my attention throughout and I look forward to reading more from Hannah Morrissey.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on October 31, 2023.

Review Copy

WHEN I'M DEAD is book #3 in the Black Harbor series. We've got a missing girl and a murdered girl in a small town.

There are so many twists in this novel it's almost difficult to keep all the clues (or nare they red herrings?) in your head. I was sure that I knew what was going on in the first 50 pages. Was I right?

I wish that the ratings allowed 1/2 stars in the reviews. I would give this 3 1/2 stars. A nice read that fans of cop/medical examiner tales should definitely pick up.

I have conflicted feelings about When I'm Dead. Morrissey takes it in a creative direction that the reader may not expect, even though she drops hints along the way. But I also struggled with Rowan and Axel. They're a medical and detective for Black Harbor, and at the beginning of the novel their daughter Chloe goes missing the same night one of her friends is found murdered. Both of them (not unreasonably) quickly spiral out of control and become so focused on what's happened to their daughter that they lose the objectivity they need to have to do their jobs. Except for no one has stopped either one of them from doing their jobs. In some regards it creates unreliable narrators, but it also creates hot messes that are willing to place blame where it may not deserve to be placed. One of the primary suspects in her disappearance and Madison's death is Chloe's drama teacher Mr. Cutler, especially when there is a rumor going around the school that the relationship between him and Chloe is a romantic one. It makes him an easy target for Rowan and Axel even though there isn't anything to substantiate the rumor. The story is also told by Libby, Chloe's classmate, the daughter of Rowan's best friend, and class oddball. It seems like she's also being thrown in as an unreliable narrator. All three want to know where Chloe is, but since they're all investigating separately, they each have information that would be helpful if they shared it. Both great for the reader, because they have more details than each character, but also frustrating because the reader can see it delaying finding out about Chloe. And because they aren't sharing information it leads Axel and Rowan to an epic fight about what outcome they'd rather have - their daughter be behind the death of Madison, or another victim. I haven't read the first two books in this series, which meant there was occasional backstory I didn't have context for, and means that I don't have an idea of what the characters of Rowan and Axel are like when their daughter isn't missing. I hope it's more competent that they are here, because they kind of drove me crazy. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I found this to be a very unusually written novel. Black Harbor is a small city and the Medical Examiner and Homicide Detective are married to each other. Initially the remains of a teen age girl are found and shortly thereafter they learn their daughter is missing. Both are working on the murder and subsequent ones that appear to have the same perpetrator and are searching for their daughter at the same time. The story is told by many narrators and many chapters appear to be fully complete short stories. It is a procedural and also a psychological thriller at the same time. Thanks to Net Galley and Minotaur Books for an ARC for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! Love this author and she's always a one click for me! Thabjs Netgalley for the ARC

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for this Advanced Readers Copy of When I'm Dead by Hannah Morrissey!