When I’m dead by Hannah Morrissey is the third novel in the Black Harbor series. I did initially know this going into this book, but have not read the other books previously. It reads well as a standalone. I really enjoyed all the different POV’s from the characters we got. I did find it a little difficult at times hearing the narrators when they were speaking, even when the volume was at full blast. I felt like they were whispering at some points which made it harder to hear.
This was a great read for the soooky season!

Hannah Morrissey has once again created a dark, gritty novel set in Black Harbor. In this story, one 15-year-old girl is dead, and another is missing in the days before Halloween. What has happened? Will Chloe, who is missing, be found?

This is the perfect fall read. I loved the story for the spooky vibes and the complicated family relationships.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! This was absolutely my kind of book- fast paced right from the beginning. The storyline kept your attention with interesting characters. The narrator was fabulous and did a great job at portraying emotion. This was a new author for me and she will absolutely be added to my must read! This mystery thriller was one of the best I’ve read in 2023! Easily 5 stars!

‘When I’m Dead’ by Hannah Morrissey is a gripping, well-plotted mystery, but the characterizations of the cast required some suspension of disbelief.

Premise - The newly-goth daughter of two workaholic cops disappears just as her classmates begin turning up dead and mutilated.

The mystery part of this book was so good and kept me reading and engaged all the way through! I did not see the final twist coming until fairly well into the story. For the mystery alone, it’s a fun read.

That said, characterization of the cast was not a strength - especially for the main characters, Rowan and Axell. I haven’t read the other books in he series, maybe that would have helped? Sometimes we’re meant to believe that they’re distraught parents of a potential murder victim, but most of the time they’re oddly detached emotionally and they seem waaaaaaay too quick to suspect their daughter as the murderer (and when it turns [ she isn’t, they don’t seem to feel bad about thinking so poorly of her).

Their town is also basically the worst town in America and the explanation for why they stay there with a child doesn’t make sense. Rowan originally moved there to punish herself for a terrible mistake in her past, but when she had a child wouldn’t her child’s safety take precedence over self-flagellation? Axell says they can’t afford to move, but they pay $20k annually in tuition.

Speaking of… they plan to send their daughter back to the same school where a murderer taught!! WHAT. Why do they not move? Why do they not pick a new school, at the very least? These parents’ behavior and thought processes are WILD to me.

Thanks, NetGalley and Macmillan, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great book I read it in one afternoon while completely forgetting all adult responsibilities. I have not read the two books that come before it. It’s a great standalone story.

Medical examiner Rowan Winthrop is called away from her daughters high school production of Beetlejuice, when a dead body is found. Rowan and her police officer, husband arrive on scene to discover the body belongs to their daughter‘s best friend. To make a bad night worse, they return home to find that their daughter Chloe, is missing. As they investigate, they discover they didn’t know their daughter, as well as they thought they did, and rumors about her involvement with the teacher only heighten their fears. What secrets are the teenage girl next door keeping? When another teenage girl is murdered, Rowan is caught between wondering whether her daughter has been killed, or if she is the killer. Loved the book, hated the main narrators, who speak in intense whispery voices that I couldn’t stand listening to

I really enjoyed this one. It had some dark themes. Gave me some criminal minds vibes. (I love that show!)

There were many red herrings and suspected each of them. I liked how the whodunit came about. It wasn’t what i expected!

I really felt for Chloe and Libby. Girls are rough! I did not have fun in high school so i felt like i related to them. Also related on feeling distant from my parents.

I didn’t find the parents of the missing girl working the case to be too realistic but i still liked the story.

I’m definitely interested in more from this author. I think each book gets better and better.

The narration was well done and i liked that it was multiple narrators for the different characters.

. I did want some more character development on our two leads tho. Axel and Rowan. I struggled with feeling connected to them but i felt more for the character who was missing i think. I think i enjoyed the beginning more than the end. I’m definitely interested in more from this author. I think their writing is getting better for sure.

4.5 ⭐️

On a bone-chilling October night in Black Harbor, Wisconsin, the state's most crime-ridden city, Medical Examiner Rowan Winthorp investigates the death of her daughter’s best friend. Hours later, Rowan and her husband, Detective Axel Winthorp, discover that their daughter, Chloe, is missing. As they work together to find Chloe, Axel and Rown question how well they really knew their daughter and begin to unearth disturbing details about Chloe and the secrets she's been keeping—secrets that threaten to tear them apart. As the investigation continues, another teenage girl is found murdered, and Axel and Rowan must race against the clock. If they find the murderer, they will find Chloe. But what if they're the same person?

"When I'm Dead" is the third novel in author Hannah Morrissey's Black Harbor series, but it works well as a standalone. I loved Rowan and Axel's relationship as husband and wife/medical examiner and detective, which reminded me a lot of one of my favorite shows, "Bones." Throw in a missing daughter, two dead teens, and high schoolers with big secrets, and you have a captivating, unputdownable murder mystery and thriller. With its October setting in the creepy, crime-ridden town of Black Harbor, a visit to a haunted house, and even some pumpkin carving, this is the perfect book to curl up with on a crisp fall night. I highly recommend this book, and I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Gary Tiedemann, Xe Sands, Caitlin Kelly, and Andrew Eiden. I loved that this audiobook featured a multicast narration, and I thought that each narrator was perfect for their role, and they made their characters really come alive. This was my first time listening to Tiedemann and Sands, but I have listened to Kelly and Eiden before, who are incredible narrators. My only complaint is that I had trouble hearing Sands's narration. I tried listening on my phone speakers, headphones, and car speakers, and it was difficult to understand, even when I increased the volume or changed the speed. This could be a "me problem," so it did not affect my rating. Overall, a perfect fall audiobook that gave all the spooky vibes!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.