“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!

Thanks for the early copy of When I’m Dead. I’ve been dying (pun intended) to read this author.

I was a bit bummed to see it was the third book in a series - the Black Harbor series. NO worries though this can be read as a stand alone.

I loved this popcorn thriller and binged it in one night! I will be going back to read the first two for sure.

When Im Dead is a great fast read.
Part procedural and part murder mystery (in the worst town in history) makes this one right up my alley.

High school girls are dying and Rowan (medical examiner) and her husband Axel (detective) are on the case. It gets complicated when their own daughter Chloe goes missing and the clock is ticking. Who’s the murderer? Suspects are everywhere!

Loved it.

One girl murdered...another one missing...and a medical examiner desperate to uncover the truth in When I'm Dead, the latest Black Harbor mystery by author Hannah Morrissey.

When I'm Dead is a good addition to this series and really keeps you guessing. There were multiple POVs, but the author did a good job executing this, which held my interest. I liked the Halloween setting. There were some good twists to the story.

Overall, it is a good read and a good addition to the series. I would read more by this author. A 3.75 rounded to 4 (out of 5 stars).

#NetGalley @StMartinsPress

A great addition to the Black Harbor series! Hannah Morrissey has a talent for creating dark and spooky, atmospheric prose. The gloominess and fear elicited by this story wrapped around me like a wet blanket and hung there well after I finished reading. The town, the murders, and the creepy characters were perfectly executed, and the timeline takes place in October right before Halloween, which made this even more enjoyable for me. The writing is a little overly descriptive at times, but it didn't stop me from racing through this page-turner. I loved that there were lots of red herrings that threw me off from guessing the killer. I don't mind reading a predictable plot if the story and writing are good, but I would much rather be smacked in the face with an ending I never saw coming. This book did that for me. I really enjoyed it!

When I'm Dead is book three in the series. I read the first book, Hello Transcriber, and really enjoyed it, but I didn't realize that there was a second book. I'm bummed that I missed The Widowmaker, so I will definitely have to go back and read it. It's a great series and I recommend that you start reading now!

Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for emailing me the widget and granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

I was so invested in this one. From page one I was hooked on this thriller that I could not put down. I need to go back and read book one and two but this one was so amazing. The story was so engrossing that I could not put it down for a second.

I hope they gave Hannah a big bouquet of black roses for this one! I’m not normally a reader of typical police procedural books but I was intrigued by the medical examiner aspect. I thought “ooh I bet this gets gruesome” and I was not disappointed.

When I’m Dead does a phenomenal job at keeping you on your toes while introducing and handling emotions and pressures we feel as adults.

I really thought I had the ending but when 80 twists were thrown at me, I quickly realized I did not have it all figured out. And the ending was perfect.

I did not expect THAT. And when I say that I mean how good it was. I thought it would be fine. Another run of the mill thriller. But no it was so much more.

Started out great, really pulled me in.
The middle took a lot longer to get through than I'd anticipated, but the end was a shock and I'm glad I powered through.
Loved the Halloween/Beetlejuice vibes with this one.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an arc of this book written by Hannah Morrissey, who is a new author to me. This review is my honest opinion.
A girl is found dead, another is missing and rumors abound. Secrets are slowly exposed and possible suspects are quick to be accused. There is drama, bullying and gruesome murder scenes in this small town mystery. If these words hit the spot for you…then happy edge of your seat reading.

I was really excited to give this book a read! However, I soon discovered I am not a fan of the author’s writing style. I find she is overly descriptive with details that could be avoided. It reminds me of being in school when you have to write a certain amount of words, so you use every adjective you can think of. I am just not a fan of that & it makes me want to DNF.

With that being said, if you enjoy that type of writing, the plot of this book could be intriguing & suspenseful.

3.5/5 stars rounded up

Black Harbor is a place where murder calls home. Someone is killing teenage girls, and one is missing. Rowan and Axel will stop at nothing to find Chloe, even if it costs them their jobs. But is Chloe the one hunting her classmates for bullying her?

This was a fast paced thriller that is the third on a series. I have not read the other two, and still followed this one easily.

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martins Press, Minotaur books, and the author for the chance to read this book early, in exchange for my honest review.

Book releases oct 31/23, which is fitting as it takes place during Halloween!

This book sucked me in and didn’t let go. I devoured this book. It was full of twists and turns. I kept going back and forth in who I thought the murderer was. The writing was wonderful and I just really loved this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I was a big fan of this one! It was my first book from this author but it definitely won’t be my last. I really enjoyed all the elements of the story and found the pacing to be quite good.