I could not get into this book. I didn’t connect with the characters and the story was boring in my opinion. I also didn’t like the narrator.

And just like that, I am thrown back into another mystery in Black Harbor. WHEN I'M DEAD is now the third time I have visited this town filled with death and unfortunate events. Morrissey has a way of developing a story that pulls her readers down the rabbit hole of the investigation while still grounding them in a variety of human emotions.

Sometimes I wonder what keeps bringing me back to the dark and twisty tales that fill my to-read pile. Then, I read a book like Morrissey’s and I remember. There is a macabre enjoyment in getting lost in a narrative that brings the best and worst of people together. The struggles with pain, the desire to recapture what was once lost, the love felt for the people in our lives, and the want for something more than the life currently being led are all front and center with this book. It all works together to build suspense and shock the reader with a perfect ending.

Between the quirky and complex characters brought to life through her prose, this author shows time and time again that emotion, suspense, and expert storytelling can deliver one brilliantly dark thriller.

Audiobook Note: With a cast of characters telling this story, I loved that there was more than one narrator. Andrew Eiden, Caitlin Kelly, Gary Tiedemann, and Xe Sands showcased the distinctive voices within the book in an entertaining way. The pace was just right and the portrayal of each individual felt true to the overall tone of the boo

I realized I don't enjoy the multicast narration as much as I thought I might. I think it just makes it harder for me to figure out who is who in the beginning based on voices alone.

However, I pushed through and enjoyed the mystery and the twists definitely took me by surprise. This was the first book by Hannah Morrissey I'd read and I definitely can't wait to read some of her other books in physical form!

This book.....just didn't work for me. I had high hopes as others seemed to like it, but it came across so strange to me. I want to try her other books, but this one seems to be the favorite among readers, so I dont know that this author is for me. 2.5 stars rounded up.,

Thanks to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC. This is the third installment in the Black Harbour series. I havent read the first two books but this one can definitely be read as a stand-alone. I think I'll go back and read the first two though since I enjoyed this one so much! I really enjoyed the audiobook version of this and thought the narrator really did a great job making the story easy to follow. I thought this book was maybe more police procedural than thriller but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I felt like the first half was a little slow but the second half really was fast paced and enjoyable.

Wow, when tragedy hits close to home Rowan and her Detective husband are forced to look at their own parenting. Chilling and thought provoking, "When I'm Dead" strikes a nerve and serves the suspense.

When I'm Dead is about a daughter whose gone missing and her best friend found dead. A multiple POV that is narrated well in multicast audio and slowly reveals different possible killers and their motives. I didn't realize this was the third book in a series. It doesn't make you feel like you're missing backstory which I like. I wasn't able to connect with the characters and didn't feel their emotion like I felt I should have unfortunately. The plot moved too slow for my interest to really build which made connecting harder too. I ended up DNF'ing at the halfway mark. This series is highly rated and I recommend checking out other reviews if you're a lover of thrillers.

When I’m Dead is the newest installment in the Black Harbour series. As each book focuses on a different couple, these books don’t need to be read in order and can be read as standalones. However, as with many series like this, you get the most out of them when you read them in order. I also listened primarily to this one, and it is an enjoyable listen.

The third installment of the Black Harbour series introduces us to medical examiner Rowan Winthrop and her Black Harbour detective husband Alex Winthrop. The murder of a young girl throws both Rowan and Alex’s lives and marriage into turmoil when they discovery the girl to be their daughter’s best friend. As the investigate deepens, the pair’s daughter goes missing and another young girl is found dead. If they are determined to find their daughter in time, they’ll need to dive into secrets long buried and may even realize they never knew who their daughter was.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first installment of the Black Harbour series a few years ago. I loved the dark and gritty atmosphere and getting to know our primary characters. I’ve liked the two newest installments less and I think it’s 100% because I wasn’t able to connect with our leads as much. With both Rowan and Alex being a part of the Black Harbour Police Department, I found that both their perspectives were filled primarily with police procedure instead of more intimate look into their lives. That’s not to say we don’t get to know them; I just didn’t feel connected as much. In addition, Rowan is constantly referring back to a particular event in her pass, and I thought too much emphasis was placed on that event rather than just stating what happened and moving on. Her guilt from the event felt a bit overdone. It did add some drama to the storyline but it felt forced.

While the story itself was interesting, the ending was slightly predictable for me but even with that it was a solid mystery. The first half of the story was on the slower side, but once the pacing picked up then things really heated up. I’ll continue to read this series as her books are well crafted dark thrillers and I tend to enjoy a grittier mystery.


What Lies in the Woods is out now. Thank you to Flatiron Books and MacMillan Audio for my advanced copies in exchange for my review. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Netgalley, and the author for the complimentary audiobook copy of WHEN I’M DEAD by Hannah Morrissey for an honest review.

WHEN I’M DEAD is the third book in the author’s Black Harbor series. The story begins with Medical Examiner Rowan Winthorp is called to the scene of a death that hits close to home. The victim is found close to Rowan’s home and is quickly identified as her daughter’s best friend. Worse still, when Rowan goes home to check on her daughter, Chloe is gone as well. They must investigate the cases from both ends, looking into the secrets kept by their daughter even as they hunt the killer in order to find Chloe.

I have really enjoyed the previous Black Harbor books, HELLO, TRANSCRIBER and THE WIDOWMAKER, so was excited to get into this newest release. The book starts off strong with the case hitting so close to home which really ups the tension. The department is understaffed which sets up the medical examiner and investigator pair to be able to keep themselves involved in the case in spite of potential conflicts of interest.

This book is very much character focused as we follow Rowan, her husband, and the neighbor girl who is a peer of the dead and missing teens. Each has a lot of emotion and trauma to process and the author does well at making each story compelling. While not always entirely likable, each character was interesting to read from and I thought each added to the overall narrative well.

This works well as a standalone, even though it is third in the series and there are brief mentions of things that might spoil the previous books a bit. I really enjoyed my time with WHEN I’M DEAD!

When I'm Dead is the third book in the Black Harbor series. Although they can be read as standalones, I enjoyed them in order as we see characters from previous novels pop up.

This one follows Rowan and her family. Rowan is the medical examiner in Black Harbor but once her daughter goes missing she is thrust into the newest mystery of this cursed town.

I really enjoyed this one. I like that Black Harbor is really a character in these stories. The town is gritty and nothing good ever comes to it. I liked the search for the missing daughter and twisty murder mystery all intertwined.

As always the audiobook was fantastic.

When I’m Dead
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Hannah Morrissey

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: 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: This is the third book for the Black Harbor series. This was a psychological thriller that was compelling, gripping, and kept me guessing until the end. While this is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. I have read all of the series except the first book. The creepy atmospheric setting mixed with the lies, secrets, multiple viewpoints, the unique plot premise, and the unexpected ending makes for a perfect read. Close to Halloween, when Medical Examiner Rowan Winthrop is investigating the murder of her daughter’s best friend, her own daughter, Chloe goes missing. As the investigation unfolds about both girls, Rowan and Axel being to uncover details about their daughter that they did not know. Will the family be reunited? Or has karma finally come to collect on Rowan?

The story is narrated in multiple POVs. Once you get the characters straight, then you should have no trouble following along. Morrissey has the storytelling ability to weave sub plots into plots in twisty layers that will keep you on the edge of your seat, breezing through the chapters. The author creates a stellar claustrophobic atmospheric setting that is creepy, dark, and disturbing. The characters were well fleshed out with depth, mystery, unpredictably, and were creatively woven. The author’s writing style was complex, intriguing, suspenseful, twisty, and just brilliant. Morrissey writes with such fluidity that switches suspension and creates tension, and creating this perfected web of entanglement. The story starts with a bang, builds the characters, delivers the plot into twisty subplots, and has the most unexpected ending that will leave you stunned, or at least it did me. The author not only captures what it is like to be a teenager (jealousy, mean girls, and hiding truths from the parents) but also captures how the adult feels when their heart (child) is ripped away (desperation, helplessness, and worry).

I had the pleasure of having both the digital and audio book versions. The narrators did an amazing job at voicing variation, voice pitch, tone, and flow of speech. The narrators really gave such detail that it really brought the characters from the pages to my mind, where I could see the story play out. You could really feel the emotion carried by the narrators and the desperation in both Rowan and Axel. I have absolutely enjoyed being taken to Black Harbor with each of the characters providing enrichment and complexity, with the author’s fantastic storytelling ability. I highly recommend this book and the whole series.

I recently had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook version of "When I'm Dead" written by Hannah Morrissey.
The narration of "When I'm Dead" was truly outstanding. The voice actor skillfully captured the essence of the characters, bringing them to life in a way that made the story even more engaging. The tone, emotion, and pacing were all on point, Even though I typically listen to audiobooks at 1.5-2x speed. There were no spot in the book that needed adjusting.
I highly recommend this book, the plot moved along nicely and really kept me sucked in. Listening to different perspectives from different characters just shows how every sees or views things different and how parents can be naive or kept in the dark.

When I’m Dead by Hannah Morrissey (Black Harbor #3) is a thriller that was very interesting. I did not read the first 2 books but this was an easy listen. I will probably read/listen to one and two just to put some pieces together. Rowan Winthrop is the town’s medical examiner and there doesn’t seem to be a day that she isn’t being called into work and leaving her daughter. So much so that her daughter often alludes to her mom that she will have time for her, when she is dead. On this particular night, Rowan is called to the seen of a murder of one of Chloe’s friends. She leaves her daughter’s play and asks her best friend to get her daughter home. But her daughter didn’t go home with her friend and after finishing up at the crime scene Rowan and her husband realize, Chloe is not home. She is seemingly gone. As the crimes are investigated, secrets come out about Chloe. Nobody is talking and it is unclear where this mystery will end. Rowan can only hope they can find her daughter before it is too late. I love a good mystery and this one did not disappoint. I kept listening to see who was guilty. I didn’t piece it together until the end. I want to thank Netgalley, the author & Macmillan Audio for my copy for an honest review. It was my pleasure to listen and review this book. Andrew Eiden; Caitlin Kelly; Gary Tiedemann; Xe Sands all did a terrific job narrating this story.

This is my first book by this author. I really enjoyed this thriller and I am excited to go back and read books 1 and 2 in this series. This book is part of the Black Harbor series but could be read as a standalone. This author writes many different POVs very well, and kept my attention the entire time. I can’t say that I wasn’t expecting the ending, as I thought it would be interesting and something very out of the ordinary. However, the ending fell a tad flat for me personally, I was hoping for a big *gasp* moment that I personally never got. Instead this reads like more of a whodunit / mystery solved book. Still very interesting and I will be reading more by this author in the future!

When I'm Dead was a great read. Imagine being a parent who also happens to be a Medical Examiner but not only are you a Medical Examiner, you're the Medical Examiner investigating the death of your daughter's best friend. With her daughter missing and her daughter's best friend dead, Rowan Winthorp and her husband must face the truth that they may never have really known their daughter. Digging through the past and the present and coming to terms that their missing daughter just may have been the one to kill her best friend, they have to fight to find the truth.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free audiobook of When I'm Dead by Hannah Morrissey in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first book I have read by Hannah Morrissey. I enjoy the story and the characters. It was interesting how the author did the thrills in this story. I did find out this is the 3rd book in a series. I didn't need to read the first 2 books in the series.

This book was a bit out of my normal comfort zone solely because it was a detective based mystery. Those don't tend to do it for me. But I gave it a try and this was decidedly meh for me. I didn't connect with any of the characters, or particularly care what happened to them (besides the natural desire for a happy ending). The characters felt disconnected from one another, and the big reveal of whodunnit felt random and rushed and unreal as a result.

Black Harbor chills again in When I'm Dead, where medical examiner Rowan Winthorp faces two tragedies: a friend's murder and her own missing daughter. As Rowan and hubby Axel, a detective, peel back layers of secrets and Chloe's troubled life, red herrings, twists, and another murder keep you guessing. The bleak town, vivid characters, and gripping plot deliver an atmospheric thriller with a satisfyingly unseen killer. I recommend the audiobook, too, for its stellar narration. Enjoy this in any format!

"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 acclaimed author Hannah Morrissey."

Another great mystery thriller in the Black Harbor series! While this is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone as well. This is the kind of story that keeps you on your toes and guessing until the very end. As someone who prefers plot over characters, I find myself completely invested in the Black Harbor characters. They are so well fleshed out that I feel like I know them. However, the characters do not take away from the well paced plot - the story is the perfect mix of both. I was fully engaged from the very beginning and couldn't turn the pages fast enough.
At this point I think that @hannahmorrisseywriter could rewrite the phonebook and I'd read it (yes, I'm old enough to remember actual phonebooks delivered to your doorstep like a newspaper 😂👵).
Definitely an auto buy author for me!

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 (4.5)

Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the gifted copy of this book.

When I'm Dead is the 3rd book in the Black Harbor series, and the second one I have read. The setting of Black Harbor is bleak, with crime and it's citizens full of despair. Medical Examiner Rowan Winthorp is called to the scene of a crime, the death of her daughter's best friend. Hours later, her daughter, Chloe, is missing. Rowan's husband and Chloe's father, Axel is a homicide detective and demands to be on the case, even though it is a clear conflict of interest. Chole is a very unhappy girl. She is having problems with her friends and bullying at school and is feeling neglected as her parents are constantly being called to work, leaving her behind at special events. When she disappears it is not clear if she left of her own accord, was taken or is even alive.

WHEN I'M DEAD is told through multiple points of view via alternating chapters. The narrators include Rowan, Axel and Libby, the next-door neighbor's socially awkward daughter who is bullied at school. The story is very descriptive with a spooky town, unhappy inhabitants and feelings of fear. As the story progresses, there is a feeling of urgency with various suspects, information that may or may not be true, rumours and then, another murder. Everytime I thought I had things figured out, there was a red herring or a twist that kept me off balance. I wanted to Chloe to be safe, and she was a character that I had a great deal of sympathy for. The plot was well-written and pulled me in from the beginning until the end. I enjoyed this atmospheric thriller and recommend it to those who enjoy a thriller with lots of twists and a killer that I didn't see coming. I very much enjoyed the audiobook narrated by Andrew Eiden, Caitlin Kelly, Gary Tiedemann and Xe Sands. They give the characters individual voices, using expression to add to the chilling feel of the book. I recommend this book in whatever format you prefer.