When I’m Dead by @hannahmorrissey

Many thanks to my friends at @minotaur and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copies of this book.

Dark. Intense. Fast paced.

“You’ll love me more when I’m dead.”

As Rowan arrives on the scene of a new murder investigation, she’s haunted by the last words her daughter said. Rowan and her detective husband, Tom, often struggle to balance family life with the demands of career. When Chloe goes missing, everything, even the job, turns personal.

Not for the faint of heart, this is a disturbing narrative focused on the brutal murders of teenage girls. Set during Halloween, the plot is fittingly dark and gruesome.

The standout element in this book (and the series as a whole) is the rendering of the town itself. A crime ridden, dying place everyone longs to escape, yet within the read, it’s a living component that haunts every part of the plot.

With the storyline revolving around a family—daughter missing, mom and dad working a connected investigation— it’s a tangled web of duty and devotion. The personal connections upped the stakes and amplified the anxiety-ridden search. While this did require some suspension of belief, the emotional complexity heightened the intensity, making it a worthwhile tradeoff.

I read this one around Halloween, and it set the perfect tone. I’m already looking forward to my next trip to Black Harbor.

🎧 Narrated by a full cast, the audiobook was hard to put down. It created a distinction between characters and oozed with suspense and emotion. XE Sands’ performances consistently deliver. Yet within this cast, her sections were imbalanced, both faster and quieter. This was a small frustration, but it interfered with overall continuity.

I have loved each and every one of the books in the Black Harbor series and my goodness I think When I’m Dead is my favorite. You can read each of these as a standalone (but why would you), and both the case and the characters in this one were fantastic. It starts off with a bang as Medical Examiner Rowan Winthorp is called away from her daughter’s event to investigate the death of her daughter’s best friend. But she soon realizes her daughter did not make it home, is now missing, and everything immediately escalates as the race is on to find her daughter as well as learn what happened to her best friend. This was incredibly well developed, suspenseful, and let me tell you I could NOT put this one down. I listened to the audiobook which was fantastic, and followed along with the book and it was just a wonderful experience that I did not want to end.

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series, and Morrissey is firmly on my auto read / auto buy list. Thank you to Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the copies to review.

This was the first book I have listened to by Hannah Morrissey. I think the narrators Andrew Eiden; Caitlin Kelly; Gary Tiedemann; Xe Sands did a good job telling the story. I didn't realize this was the third book in this series but I didn't feel like I missed anything. I will be going back and reading the other two book now. The suspense in this book will keep you on your toes and keep you guessing. I think Hannah did a wonderful job writing this thriller. I highly recommend this book!!


Thank you NetGalley and Macmillon Audio for allowing me to read this ARC in advance for my honest opinion.

Audiobook Narration:
The narration of "When I'm Dead" adds depth to the experience. The narrator's voice captures the essence of the characters well, making them distinct and aiding in the immersion into the story. The pacing is steady, contributing to the tension and suspense of the plot.

Story and Narration Cohesion:
The audiobook successfully combines the author's storytelling prowess with the engaging narration. While the story's strength lies in its suspenseful plot and intriguing characters, the narrator's delivery enhances the experience, making it a compelling listen.

Flow and Unique Elements:
The audiobook's flow is seamless, allowing listeners to delve into the narrative without confusion. While there are no added sound effects or music, the narration alone brings the story to life, maintaining a consistent flow throughout.

Review of the Book:
Hannah Morrissey's "When I'm Dead" plunges readers into a dark, gripping mystery that keeps them on edge until the very end. Set in the ominous town of Black Harbor, the story weaves a tangled web of secrets, lies, and unexpected twists. The pacing, multiple perspectives, and atmospheric setting create an immersive experience, perfect for a chilling read during the spooky season.

Plot Synopsis:
The disappearance of Chloe, coupled with the murder investigation of her best friend, sets the stage for a riveting exploration of familial ties, hidden truths, and the haunting underbelly of a small town. The narrative cleverly peels back layers, revealing disturbing details that challenge the protagonist's perception of her daughter and the community around them.

Recommendation and Critique:
I highly recommend this audiobook for those seeking an enthralling crime mystery thriller. However, there are some elements worth noting. The portrayal of certain biases regarding weight, attractiveness, and class feels uncomfortable and detracts from the otherwise engaging narrative. Additionally, the plausibility of the parents leading their daughter's missing persons case amidst potential conflicts of interest raises questions. The characters' persistent complaints about their situation, despite being highly employable, may strike readers as implausible.

Conclusion:
"When I'm Dead" is a captivating audiobook that delivers a riveting mystery. Despite some thematic inconsistencies and character portrayals, the book stands out for its suspenseful plot, keeping listeners hooked until the final reveal.

Thank you NetGalley

For the life of me I could not get into this one AT ALL. The narrator was so boring, she was making me literally fall asleep, her voice was way too smooth and monotone. I unfortunately did not finish this one.

I didn't find this to be very exciting. I didn't care for the characters and the mystery wasn't that enticing to me, Maybe if I had read the first few books in the series I would have liked this one better.

I received an advance audio copy. All thoughts are my own.

A teen girl is found murdered and her best friend is missing. BUT what I can’t seem to figure out is…is the best friend another victim or the perpetrator? This is Book #3 in the #blackharbor series but you can read it as a stand alone. Now available from your favorite bookseller! Thanks to @netgalley and @hannahmorrisseywriter for giving me a copy to review!

I was let down by this one. I had a hard time connecting the characters and I seemed to get each narrator confused. I couldn’t distinguish whose voice was whose. And it was a pretty gory descriptive story

After not liking Hello, Transcriber, I skipped the second Black Harbor book but thought I'd give this one a try because I really like stories of missing people. I wanted to connect with it, but unfortunately I did not.

This book features police detective/medical examiner husband and wife Alex and Rowan, who are called out to a murder scene at the end of their daughter Chloe's high school play. The murdered girl is one of Chloe's best friends, or so Alex and Rowan thought, but this ends up to be not exactly true. When they return home, they discover that Chloe is missing. As they frantically search for their daughter, secrets come to light about her and those around her.

As was my complaint with the first book in this series, the author tries way, way too hard to make the setting creepy and atmospheric. We are supposed to get a feel of a cursed, dark town and so many of the choices of the characters fly right in the face of that (they let their kids walk alone in the dark along a walking path, most of these teens are wholly unsupervised even after their classmates turn up dead, etc). And there are so many things that are just too much of a suspension of disbelief. There is NO WAY Alex and Rowan would be at all involved with this case in any way, but here they are, right in the middle of it. And a taxidermy class in high school? Who does that?

The identity of the villain is pretty obvious, the clues are dropped in like huge explosions to the reader like "hey, this is a bizarre thing, there must be something wrong about this but in case you missed it I will talk about it a couple more times." Plus it got SO tedious with Rowan thinking that everything wrong was karma due to a death she supposedly caused so many years before, as well as them holding serious resentment for the fact that they were "stuck" in Black Harbor. I could understand if their jobs were specific to the area, but a police detective and a doctor are employable elsewhere. These are not such low paying careers that they are truly stuck and that was super annoying to read over and over.

I listened to this as an audiobook and in general, I enjoy a multi cast narration, but in this case the narrator for Rowan (Xe Sands) mumbled so much it was difficult to understand her. I'm going to put her on my narration avoid list in the future.

Overall, I think this series is definitely not for me. Many people enjoy the writing and the creepy atmosphere, so if the story appeals to you give it a try.

I was hopeful going into this book, but unfortunately this wasn’t the type of thriller for me. I initially liked the set up, but the book started to go off the rails somewhere around the halfway point for me. It was so twisty it could give a reader whiplash and not in a fun way. Unfortunately, I just never connected with the characters or the scenario.

Unfortunately this book did not capture my attention like I would have preferred. I felt a little all over the place while reading and found some of the scenarios very unlikely (without spoilers) in the given circumstances. I also felt that the characters were unlikable, the main people discussed, the police couple, mother and father of the missing girl seemed whiny and irrational to be such well respected professionals. Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!

When I’m Dead by Hannah Morrissey

My rating:
3/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️

In the small town of Black Harbor, a teenager is found dead and another is missing. Told in the perspectives of Axel and Rowan, parents of the missing girl, Chloe, and also Libby, their neighbor, you find out what happened and what led to these events.

I got approved for an audiobook ARC for this book and also picked it up as my October book of the month pick. The title, cover and premise really interested me so I was super excited to listen to this one.

I really enjoyed the narrators for Libby and Axel, but Rowan’s narrator was very hard to hear and mumbled in a softer tone so it was hard for me to listen to her parts. I think if I read this versus listened, I probably would have given it a 4 but I couldn’t get over how frustrated I was with the narration and that took away from the story for me.

I did not predict the twist and overall this one kept my attention but it took a while for me to finish.

I would recommend reading this one, but not listening.

There were times in this book that I felt like it was a little longer than it needed to be and I really wished there was more backstory for the teenagers in this story and more about them that lead up to this story.

While I didn’t love it, I would recommend this one for a small town thriller with spooky season vibes!

Thank you netgalley and Macmillan audio for the ARC! You can read or listen to this one now!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC of "When I'm Dead" by Hannah Morrissey. This was my first introduction to this author and Black Harbor. I really enjoyed the narration style - as an audiobook lover, i found the format used in this book pleasing and made the story really come alive.

The plot was intriguing and complex. It kept me guessing and trying to figure out who was involved in what. I liked the inclusion of the side-mystery on the background of the medical examiner-too. Stories in stories always please me. I would recommend this to anyone, and I have already passed to book along to my dad-he loved it too!

Reading Between the Wines book review #129/115(met goal in Sept!) for 2023:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: When I’m Dead
Author: Hannah Morrissey
Available Now!!

Sipping thoughts: I enjoyed this book and really liked the different narrators and point of views. The major downfall was Rowan’s chapters. I really like audiobook but did not like Rowan’s chapters only because the narrator was VERY hard to understand. The voice was low, mumbly and just hard to really listen to. Most times I listen to an audiobook I can do something else like get dressed. These chapters were so hard to understand that I had to sit still and barely breath just to hear it. I had the ebook as an ARC so I just started pausing it and reading the Rowan chapters. Once I got passed that, the storyline was so good-dark, twisty, and unexpected.

Cheers and thank you to @StMartinsPress, @MacmillanAudio and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @WhenImDead.

#WhenImDead #HannahMorrissey #StMartinsPress #MacmillanAudio #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

I thought this book was fine, a solid reliable police procedural, but it didn't wow me, and some of it seemed superfluous.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy to listen to.

Starting with the narrators. I always appreciate when there are different narrators for different characters, it makes it easier to tell them apart. However, the narrator for Rowan drove me a little crazy. I don't know if she was going for a sad tone, but it just always sounded breathy and raspy like she was whispering and out of breath, it made it hard to focus.

A police detective and a medical examiner's daughter goes missing, and they fear it is a serial killer who has killed multiple other teenage girls in the community. This book was about what I expected.

I don't know if I missed something or not, but there was a whole side story with the teenage neighbor Libby, investigating the crime on her own, and it didn't really go anywhere and seemed very unnecessary in the end. I didn't hate it, but I don't think I will read more of the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for this audio ARC.

I did not love the narration of this one. I listen while driving and even on a 2.0x speed, I was tempted to fall asleep. Very dangerous.

I will be buying the physical book bc I do love the Black Harbor stories.

In Black Harbor Michigan a community is rocked by the tragic murder of a teen while another teen has gone missing that same night. This town knows death and it’s something they have become accustomed to, but death of a teen is different. Who took her life and where is the other missing teen. This book grabbed my attention from the get go and explored various potential suspects. The officials themselves are too involved with the mystery as well because it hits too close to home. They must find answers quickly and solve this before another life is lost. I this novel was entertaining and kept me guessing, but it was a little too drawn out for me. I did enjoy each chapter being from a different characters point of view. Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for the advanced audiobook.

Short synopsis: When Rowen and Axel are called out to investigate a murder, their daughter Chloe goes missing.

My thoughts: This is the third book in the Black Harbor series, but can totally stand on its own. In fact, I haven’t read the other two, and while I’m sure there’s stuff in the other books that overlap I didn’t feel lost at all. I breezed through this one on audio in less than 24 hours and the multiple narrators made the story so great.

This one definitely got dark and gruesome, and the twists and turns just kept coming. The ending wasn’t completely unexpected but I didn’t see it coming.

I can’t wait to pick up the previous books in this series because I’m sure the other stories are just as good as this one.

Read if you love:
- Police procedural
- Multiple perspectives
- Thrillers with missing or dead teens
- Thriller series
- Taxidermy (iykyk 😬)

This is the third book in a series but I read it as a standalone and I felt that it worked perfectly well as such. I loved the investigative side. I connected with the characters and really felt for everything that they were going through. It’s twisty and will keep you guessing. The psychological aspects are dark and evocative. At times, the scenes are gruesome and visceral. It felt quite real to me while I was reading it. I love a small-town, atmospheric, gripping read like this. The tension and suspense build into a compulsive read with an explosive conclusion. I listened to the audiobook and thought it was well done. I don’t know if it’s something I’m likely to remember the details of in a year, but I liked this enough that I’m interested in reading the previous books from this series too. I enjoyed the writing style, she will definitely be an auto-read author for me in the future. I think the hype for this series is well-deserved.

Book 3 in the Black Harbor series. Medical Examiner Rowan Winthorp investigates the death of her daughters best friend. Then her daughter disappears and Winthorp slowly begins to learn things about her daughter she didn't know possible.