This book was dark, twisted, and definitely not what I was expecting. This was my first trip to Black Harbor, and I’ve already purchased two more trips.

Rowan is the Black Harbor medical examiner, and her husband Axel is a member of Black Harbor’s Police Force. They are called away from their daughter’s high school play to the scene of a crime. This begins a story that is scary, haunting, and twisted. And along with a horrific crime to start this story, their daughter Chloe goes missing.

Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character in the story. The reader really gets the opportunity to go inside the heads of all of the major players. This character-driven tale leaves no stone unturned, and all of the major players scarred. It was difficult to read at times, but that was the point. I was so invested in getting to the end that I couldn’t catch my breath at times. I also really appreciated that the town/city of Black Harbor was a character of its own.

This story was brutal at times. It is a true thriller and police procedural with a bit of horror. It reads like a movie in your mind. Hannah Morrissey is a new author to me, and I already have the other two Black Harbor novels on my shelf. I can’t wait to dive back in!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for the advanced reader copy of this story. I love the opportunity to read a new author, and I’m very appreciative! The audiobook has a full cast that is absolutely incredible! I highly recommend this book and audiobook - it’s perfect for a cold, chilly night!

When I’m Dead
by Hannah Morrissey 🩵💙⛓️🦷
4.5 ✨

What a perfect spooky season read - and perfect for the Halloween publication date! I had the opportunity to listen to this title as an audiobook and I could not recommend it more. The different narrators for the different characters were amazing and kept the story moving. I also was kept guessing until the end of the story as to who was responsible. The ME’s parts were my absolute favorite. Once I started listening to this one, I couldn’t stop!

Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this ARC!! 🩷📚

This was an okay read, I didn't really dive deep into the characters, but I stuck with it just to see what happened at the end. Not for me.

This is #3 in a series. Not having read the other 2, I didn’t feel there was carryover from the others that I was missing.
   A quiet little town on the lake that suddenly has 3 murders that puts their community and police staff on high alert. There are many subplots running parallel with the murder mystery within the book.
   Parents of one of the missing girls realize they have been negligent to their daughter because of their demanding jobs. There is a lot of parental guilt discussed which many readers can equate with. The two  are major characters in the story but as a reader, I never connected with them. I agreed they were negligent. They also sounded too laid back for parents of a missing teenager.
   Teenage bullying and angst are portrayed accurately and have a definite role in the murder storyline: backstabbing, oneupmanship, boys.
   Amidst all the finger pointing to all the possibilities of the murderer, it was obvious early on who the killer was but we have to then learn his issues as to why he had trauma in his life. Again, parents.
   There was much eye rolling on my part because was it hard to believe various scenarios would actually take place in a real police investigation. What policeman is part of the investigative team for his own daughter?
   I had difficulty with the various “voices” portrayed by the female narrator. They set a mental image that did not fit with who they were in the book.
   A not unusual murder mystery with not enough “ ah ha" moments.

Initially the beautiful cover and description reeled me in, but once I started reading, the story is what kept me engaged!

I didn’t realize this book was part of a series when I first started it, but I never felt I was missing any important pieces throughout the book.

In this thriller we are met with Rown and Axel, who are parents to teenager, Chloe. Who we find out is missing after the murder of one of her best friends. Rowan who is the medical examiner and Axel, a detective, become very involved in the case and are up against time to find out just who kidnapped their daughter and if in fact she is the one who killed her best friend. There are many moving pieces in this book. I listened to the audio and there are several narrators who did a wonderful job with the many point of views throughout this book.

Now that I’m finished I’m definitely going to listen to the first 2 books in the series, but like I said before, I don’t feel it’s absolutely necessary this book can stand alone on its own.

I would recommend this for any psychological/thriller fans. The writing was on par and this story definitely kept me engaged.

***Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan audio for an ARC copy in return for an honest review***

When I’m Dead starts with every parent’s worst fear: one teenager is murdered and another has gone missing. The parents of the missing girl, medical examiner Rowan and homicide detective Axel, are on the case and soon discover surprising and even shocking things about the young girls. As a rift threatens to form in Rowan’s and Axel’s relationship, they begin to suspect their daughter of terrible actions, maybe even murder.

This was definitely a dark one. I definitely had some weird dreams while reading it. I appreciated Morrissey’s writing, which provided a rich setting and subtly seemed to shift the blame from one suspect to another. There was no way I could have predicted the ending. As the third book in a series, I found that I didn’t need to be familiar with the first two books to enjoy this one. I may put one or both on my TBR, even though I found When I’m Dead a little difficult to believe at times.

In audiobook format, I enjoyed the voice of Libby (another teenager in the neighborhood). the most. The narrator for Rowan’s sections, however, was difficult to listen to, with lots of vocal fry and monotone delivery.

Well this was a wild ride! I hadn't read the previous entries in the series and knew going in this could be read as a standalone. I do think knowing the background might have made me appreciate certain things about the novel more. As a mystery/thriller I enjoyed it. But I had to suspend a lot of disbelief in some people's behaviors especially the Mom's thoughts on why she'd rather have her kid be dead.
I liked the audio production a lot however. Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to listen to the audio in exchange for an honest review.
It says book #3 and I haven't read the others but feel like I wasn't missing anything by not reading them. I gave it 4 stars but the audio is a 3.5- the narrator for Rowan, FMC, really irritated me with the way she narrated. Her daughter has gone missing & she was so nonchalant in her tone & almost wined. Maybe that's how Rowan was supposed to be but it didn't sit well with me. I love different points of view, I was guessing the whole time right up until the end. There's a lot of details and I enjoyed how they all came together at the end.
It's definitely not a happy topic but the book was enjoyable. For me this was an easy listen, other than maybe one or two things it was easy to follow the plot.
I'll read more from this author. I think I would have enjoyed reading a physical book more than listening.

🎧Song Pairing: Dead! My Chemical Romance

💭What I thought would happen:

Honestly, I figured missing woman but had no hope after Widowmaker but this was me giving out second chances like a woman whose partner is having sleepovers with a “just a friend” hottie 😂

📖What actually happens:

Rowan and Axel are a medical examiner and detective duo who investigate the grizzly murders of Black Harbour. When their own daughter goes missing on the same night as a linked gruesome killing they are determined to solve what has happened to their baby.

🗯Thoughts/sassy musings:

Well damn. That didn’t suck! Crushed the audio in a day. Woo hoo *makes lasso party dance gesture* (you can picture this😂)

While the twist wasn’t a shocker it was still good! The info that came with the reveal was like hooo damn. I think rookie thriller readers would like the ending.

I don’t have much to say except caution; the murders in this are dark and twisty mmmmk?!

2 thumbs up from this picky asshole 💋

This was a decent story, but didn't get me excited to read it. Luckily it was an audio book so it was easy to have on in the background. I am not sure that I would have continued to pick up the physical book. The characters were very unlikeable and I was not invested in what happened.

Thanks to NetGalley & MacMillan Audio for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Still trying to decide how I feel about this book. It had some parts that were really good and gritty, and some that were faintly ridiculous. I spotted the killer maybe halfway through (and I'm usually bad at that). Apparently this is part of a series (all taking place in Black Harbor, WI) but I had no idea. Just the name Black Harbor is a bit cringey - it gave Deadwater Fell vibes, and there is a LOT of talk in this book about what a shitty town BH is, how crime ridden, violent, etc. Why would anyone live there, let alone raise a child there (in as hands-off and laissez-faire a way as possible)?

Rowan Winthorpe is the ME of Black Harbor, and doesn't spend much time at home. Her husband, Axel, is a homicide cop, and the two of them are called away from their teen daughter's star turn as Lydia in the school production of Beetlejuice when Madison, their daughter's best friend (who turns out not to be her best friend but her parents have no clue), is found dead on a hiking trail with her teeth smashed out. They arrive home only to find that their daughter, Chloe, never made it home after the play, and seems to have walked home on the same trail instead of catching a ride with a friend's mom. Amazingly, Rowan and Axel are allowed to work the case despite their obvious conflict of interest. Instead of taking time off to deal with this disturbing turn of events, they just work even more and even harder, as Rowman assumes Chloe is dead and Axel assumes that she murdered her frenemy, and they stop talking and being around each other altogether.

Meanwhile, in the run-up to Halloween, life goes on for the town's teens and school weirdo Libby (nicknamed "Neck Roll") is working the case in her own way. Another girl is murdered and the whole town is on edge.

It's hard to connect to these characters; Libby is probably the most relatable, and she's an overweight teenager who spies on her cute popular neighbor and likes taxidermy a leeetle too much. Rowan is engaging in magical thinking, assuming her only child is dead because she caused the death of a child in her previous life. Axel just wants to beat up anyone who might be connected to his daughter's disappearance.

Having Xe Sands narrate Rowan's passages helps A LOT, as she imbues Rowan with an overflowing cup of dread and on-the-edge-of-migraine like no one else could. The other voice actors do fine work, but Xe is the standout and I wish like hell that the producer had amped up her volume, as her performance is subtle and sounds like it was engineered by the ghost of Steve Albini (OK, he's still alive, but maybe you get the idea. It's a quiet storm.).

The ending was ... something else. Ed Gein's estate would like some residuals, please.

I liked the format of this book. It was dark and chilling and captivating. It was a great book to read in October. I cannot wait to introduce this book to some young adults.

When I'm Dead by Hannah Morrissey. After I started reading this book, I realized it was part of a series. I quickly did my research and found the author posted that all of the Black Harbor series can be read as stand alone books. I have to say, after reading When I'm Dead, I will be reading ALL of these books. This book was fantastic. The narrators were amazing. I could not stop listening until I found out what happened. I had a bunch of theories but they all ended up being wrong. Loved the ending. Thanks NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC.

I freaking loved this book! I don’t know how Hannah continues to write such amazing, gripping stories!! I absolutely love black harbor and I love Cole with my whole heart. This book kept me guessing the entire time! I absolutely loved the audio as well!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5! I absolutely love the Black Harbor series but what I love even more is Hannah's dark and twisty little mind that comes up with these fantastic ideas. While this technically the third book in the series, I do think they could be read as a stand alone as they don't spoil any of the other plots. I definitely think this is the darkest in the series so far in my opinion, and I will never look at taxidermy the same way...

Thank you so much Macmillan Audio and Hannah Morrissey for my review copy! Published 10/31 so if you don't get a copy at this point you're really just doing yourself a disservice.

This is book 3 in a series. I haven't read the others, but this worked fine as a standalone.

Rowan is a medical examiner and her husband Axel is a detective in Black Harbor. They are attending their daughter's play but are called out to investigate a murder. Turns out it was their daughter's best friend. Much later when they get home, they find Chloe, their daughter, not home and apparently missing.

As they investigate, they start to suspect and question everyone, even the possibility that Chloe could be involved in the murder.

This one was twisty and gruesome at times. I found myself suspecting different people. When the killer is revealed I was like OF COURSE! But it was a wild ride getting there.

I had both an eARC and ALC so I got through this one quickly. Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This is book 3 in the Black Harbor series. It’s about Rowan, who is the Medical Examiner and her husband Axl, who is a Homicide Detective. Their daughter’s friend is found murdered and then their daughter goes missing.
As always, this author’s writing is dark and raw. It’s another great installment of this series.

I liked the narration for this book a lot more than her previous, The Widowmaker and felt much more connected to all of the characters.

The story is interesting and the small town has a whole mood about it that is intense and a little frightening. Both POV’s were done well and the twist was unexpected. It was a quick listen and lands around 3.5⭐️.

I’m grateful to Macmillan Audio for the alc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hannah Morrissey takes readers back to Black Harbor for the third book in this series and I hope we get to go back to Black Harbor in future books!! The characters who live here are fascinating and lead very interesting lives!!!

One dead body!!! One missing teen. A husband and wife team who work too hard as a detective and coroner respectively. Chloe is their daughter and she is the missing one!! So many twists and turns!! So many secrets!!! Loved it!!

Pick up you copy today and be transported to Black Harbor!!! You will not be disappointed!!!

This was my first Black Harbor book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The story follows Rowan, a medical examiner, and her husband, Axel, a detective with the Black Harbor Police Department. They are pulled from their daughter’s high school drama performance to investigate the murder of a local teenager. She also happens to be a friend of their daughter, Chloe. The parents soon discover that their daughter is missing.

The entire town starts pointing fingers at each other. Was it retribution for a mistake Rowan made in her past? Did their daughter do it? Was it a teacher that has rumors surrounding his relationship with Chloe?

If you enjoy mysteries, this book will be a good choice. It was fast paced and well written. I honestly did not see the ending coming.

Thank you so much to McMillan Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.