📚 Review: When I’m Dead 👱🏼‍♀️
I picked this as my BOTM choice for October and what a perfect pick it was. It was my first book by @hannahmorrisseywriter. I had seen her books on Bookstagram and always wanted to read them, so I was excited this was an option. This is the third book in the Black Harbor Series, but they are all stand-alones , just set in the same town. So I loved that I could read this book right away, without having to read the others first. And I’m here to say I loved this book. I also was able to get the audiobook version of this from NetGalley and MacMillan Audio and so I did my half read/half listen to this one. Which I love doing. The narrators were awesome! 👏🏻👏🏻♥️
For those who aren’t familiar, this book is set around the murder of a high school student named Madison. Her best friend Chloe later turns out to be missing. Chloe is the daughter of a local medical examiner who is working closely on Madison’s case. Some things come to light, that perhaps she doesn’t know her daughter as well as she thinks. Her daughter may not just be missing, she may be a murder. 😳 This is a twisty thriller that kept me guessing the whole time. There were so many suspects and I kept changing my mind on who was guilty. One twist, had my jaw literally hanging open. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! But that’s all I want to say. I don’t want to spoil anything. If you like murder investigations with many twists, ( I mean let’s be honest, who doesn’t?) then you’re going to enjoy this book. I know I really did. This was a twisty ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for me!

Have you read this book yet? Or any other of the Black Harbor Series books?
* Also, side note, do you follow @hannahmorrisseywriter ? She is gorgeous and looks like such a bad ass I love it! 😝🖤🤍🖤

I want to thank @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for giving me this audiobook it was so nice to read and listen to this book.
Pub Date: Halloween 🎃 🖤👻🧡

This was a great audiobook ! I loved the three different narrators/characters. This is my first time reading a book by Hannah Morrissey and it will not be my last. I liked the setting of Black Harbor. It gives off perfect spooky fall vibes. The book had some good twists and turns to keep you guessing til the end.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan audio for my arc in exchange for my honest review.

One girl is murdered and one girl is missing in this newest installment of the Black Harbor series. In this psychological thriller we are introduced to Rowan, the Black Harbor medical examiner, and her husband Axel, a Black Harbor police detective. When they are both called away to a murder, missing their daughters theatrical performance, they think nothing of it, until they get home that night and realize their daughter is missing. This case gets personal for these two professionals used to dealing with murder and mayhem. As they race against the clock, they peels back the layers surrounding this murder as they narrow in on a suspect. Will they be able to uncover the killer before time runs out?

I have not read any of the other thrillers in this series, but I found this to be a great stand alone. The characters in this series were well developed and helped add to the mystery surrounding this case. Overall I found this to be a well written thriller that was engaging the whole way through. My only problem with this book was some of the gore, but that’s on me since I know what to expect when going into these types of books. I’m much more comfortable and in my element with cozy mysteries, but I do love to visit full thriller mysteries from time to time. This was a very good thriller and I loved the world that was created here in Black Harbor, it was the perfect setting for this murder. If you are a thriller fan, I suggest giving this one a try!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

Black Harbor has a whole lot of dark deeds going on. With the discovery of one dead girl and another one missing, and soon the dead count rises, the town of Black Harbor goes on alert to find out who is killing teenage girls. It hits close to home when Chloe, this missing girl, is the daughter of a detective and medical examiner

It’s the perfect October mystery thriller full of pumpkins, ghosts, and the things that go bump in the night.

Themes: 🔪👣🕵🏻‍♂️🔎🥸🤔🎃

My thoughts: 😀🙂🙃🤓🥸👍🏻

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I panicked when I first started the book and realized it was part of a series. But after looking at some of the reviews I was able to see that I could read it as a stand-alone with no issue.

I like thrillers but they can become redundant. I think this book had an interesting aspect because both parents were involved in the case somehow. Though I don’t think in reality you’d be able to work a case involving your own kid. I’m not sure I would read more of this series just because sometimes thrillers are depressing. And I’m not sure I’d want to commit to a town where bad things keep happening.

The narrators did a great job sharing the task of telling the story. But I must tell you that Xe Sands is my all time favorite narrator. So I was overjoyed when I heard her voice. Her voice is so rich and soothing to me. There are 4 narrators for this book! I love that because you can really get a sense of each character. Sometimes when one narrator does the whole production it can be hard to tell who is who.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hannah Morrissey and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to read When I’m Dead. I have written this review voluntarily.

October is spooky season, and When I’m Dead serves up the creeps in spades.

Medical examiner Rowan and her detective husband Axel, are forced to leave their daughter’s performance in Beetlejuice to investigate the death of their daughter’s best friend. They are horrified by the crime scene and worried about how they will tell Chloe when they return home to find her missing. The last thing Chloe said to her mother was “you will love me more when I’m dead.”

It’s a race against the clock as another teenage girl is murdered in a similar fashion to the first, and Chloe is still missing. Rowan questions how well she even knew her daughter, who has drastically changed in the last few months. She claims she was getting into character for her play, but Rowan isn’t so sure. Rumors about an illicit relationship between her daughter and a teacher just about push Chloe’s parents over the edge.

Full of twists and turns and plenty of red herrings, the reader is sure to be guessing until the very end. Fair warning, the murders are pretty gruesome, and could be difficult for some to read. This is a third installment in a series, but can easily be read as a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author Hannah Morrissey for the advanced copy of the audiobook. When I’m Dead is out on Halloween. All opinions are my own.

I really loved the multiple cast narrators for this ! So well done.

First, I absolutely love this cover. It kind of gives me titanic vibes. ⁣
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This was such an intriguing psychological thriller, with so many different characters and a vast number of narrators who really brought but this story to life. ⁣
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The lies. The secrets. The different points of view and perspectives. So many girls dead. Too many ties between each girl and other people who could’ve been the killer. ⁣
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Just a perfect creepy atmosphere, perfect for spooky season.⁣
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One girl dead. One girl missing. A short staffed police force, in a dark twisted town; leaving the parents to try to find the missing girl but to stay within “protocol” and other bodies keep popping up. ⁣
This was such a unique premises. And an unexpected twist at the end.⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was #3 of a series, but can be read alone.
This was interesting, not in a good way. Not sure any of these things would happen in real life and this book had so many holes - just 2 things, a father is able to work on his missing daughters case and how the town is so dark and scary but parents let their children walk home? Doesn’t make sense.
This was such a slow book as well, it should not be listed as twisty turny psychological thriller. The parents seems only mildly concerned about their daughter missing too.
I listened to this and did not like any of the narrators, the mother had no emotion and it was obvious Libby was older.

I was unaware that this book was a part of the Black Harbor Series when I started, but it can be read as a stand alone, as I read it as. I was intrigued from the very first page. I chose this as my October BOTM pick, but when I saw it offered as an audio book on Netgalley, I had to listen! I am so glad I did. The narrator was delightful. I really enjoyed all of the different POVs. This book has twists and turns that I never saw coming. It gave me all of the spooky Halloween vibes I was looking for in a read this time of year. The plot played out perfectly. I will for sure go back and read the other books in the Black Harbor series.

“You’ll love me more when I’m dead…”

Chloe Winthrop’s words echo accusingly in her mother Rowan’s head as Rowan and Axel leave Chloe’s school play at intermission. Rowan is Black Harbor’s medical examiner and Axel is a detective; parents who get pulled away far too often whenever they get the call via “death phone” that another dead body has been found. This time the body, found in a gully near their neighborhood of Belgrave Circle, belongs to Chloe’s frenemy Madison Caldwell.

“One girl is dead. The other is missing.”

Rowan returns home later that night to an empty house. Chloe’s window is open but the teenager is nowhere to be seen. Did she leave on her own or did someone take her? Is there a serial criminal operating in dangerous Black Harbor, Wisconsin?

Set during Halloween, When I’m Dead is the perfect read for spooky season! Although it’s the third installment in Hannah Morrissey’s Black Harbor series, it can easily be read as a standalone, as the plotlines of each book are not interconnected. Part thriller, part police procedural, and all totally gripping, I read this book in two days! Multiple POVs get us in the heads of Rowan, Axel, and teenage neighbor Libby. The characters are complex and well developed, and the setting is fantastic, with palpable despair in the depiction of gritty Black Harbor.

I alternated between the ebook and the audiobook, and they are both fantastic ways to read this book! The audiobook is very well done with a full cast giving each POV its own narrator, making it easy to keep track of the different perspectives. Many thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Initial Thoughts
I had a fantastic time reading this book! This is the third book written by Hannah Morrissey that I have read and I am most definitely a fan. This is listed as the third book in the Black Harbor series but it reads as stand alone. All of the books in the series occur in the same town but contain a separate mystery. In this story, Rowen, the town's medical examiner, and Axel, a detective, must leave their daughter's play to investigate the murder of another teen. Their daughter doesn't make it home after the play and things don't look good. The story had a lot of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. I listened to the audiobook and thought that the cast of narrators did an amazing job of bringhing this story to life.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Full review to be posted soon.

The narration by full cast was great ! - helped draw you in to each characters narrative better . This is my first book by this author and I didn’t realize that this was from a series — but it could definitely be read as a stand- alone . Great Halloween read with murders , haunted houses and a pumpkin stealing lady from Montreal. This is a physiological thriller mixed with police procedural. My favorite POV was Libby and her interactions were the most telling for the outcome . The main focus is on bullying at school and what it can lead too — as well as the mental health of teens — and that parents should pay more attention to their children. I am looking forward to going back and reading the first two books to learn the back ground of other characters.

I started off listening to the audio and within a few chapters had to switch to the ebook.
The audio is far too monotone for the depth of emotions the characters are moving through. Once I switched to the ebook version those started to bleed through more.
This is an emotionally charged combo of a psychological thriller and police procedural.
I really enjoyed the attention to detail Hannah Morrissey put into this and the fact that she was able to surprise me a few times even. Well done!
I do wish that there had been additional POV from Chloe & Madison. Felt like we missed out on some layers by not getting those POV. Might just be me though *shrugs*.
Much love to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for my ARC & ALC.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook and reader copy of When I'm Dead by Hannah Morrissey in exchange for an honest review. Chloe's parents are a homicide detective and the medical examiner, so they are gone a lot. When she goes missing her parents have to come together to find out what happened. This book kept me guessing till the end.

Started off slow and sadly never really picked up. I didn’t feel any sort of attachment to the characters. I’m not sure if it would help if I had read the first two books previously, but I did not.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This was my third and favorite book of the series so far. I think I may be getting use to the over the top plots but this one was just fun. There is never any real sense of tension because…well, when you read it you’ll know the thing you were meant to question was never in question. The couple at the center are a mess of contradictions and are better off apart. Minor characters were major characters before. I think it was the sense of familiarity with the town that made me start to get comfortable. It’s like Buffy moving to the Hellmouth. Bad things happen. Accept it ad then just go along for the ride.

The twists in this one were so good!

One high school girl is found murdered and one is missing! The missing girl’s parents work within law enforcement and go through so much trying to figure out what happened to their daughter.

This one has several POV’s that switches for each chapter. Sometimes I would forget what happened at the end of a certain characters chapter and when they would come up again I had to think back to what had just happened.

This one is super twisted and little dark (dealing with teenage kids) but the story was really good! I did NOT see the ending being that weird!

Thank you to NetGalley for an early audiobook edition of “When I’m Dead” by Hannah Morrissey, narrated by Andrew Eiden, Caitlin Kelly, Gary Tiedemann, and Xe Sands. The story is told from several characters' points of view, with a new voice for each. This made the narration very entertaining!

This is the story of a parent’s worst fear. Their daughter has gone missing. Alex a detective with the police force and his wife Rowan the county medical examiner are called out to the murder of a local teen in the middle of their daughter’s debut performance of Beetlejuice for the high school. This happens all too often to Chloe, her parents choosing work over her. She has spent much of her life alone with no one there for her.
Who murdered the teen? The evidence is stacking up against Chloe. As her parents investigate the murder and the evidence mounts, the parents start to question what they would prefer; a daughter who is a murderer or a daughter who is dead? What would you choose? The author explores this dilemma which pits Alex and Rowan against each other. It’s a hard question and the author made me think about my own children, The story proceeds to solve the mystery.
The author did a good job with character development and included twists and turns to keep you guessing. It is a little slow in parts and there are a few tangents that I did not feel added to the story, but not enough to make me grade it down. The ending brings attention to the potential effects of mental anguish experienced by teens and how we all need to do better with the next generation in listening to what they need.

This was an interesting psychological thriller with a complicated parental situation and I wasn't really sure where it was headed. The parents seemed quick to think the worst of their own child. There were suspicious moments with just about all of the characters and with several points of view it was hard to tell if there were unreliable narrators. I enjoyed the mystery though and was surprised by the killer. The audiobook was well done and a great way to enjoy the novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher MacMillan Audio for the ALC for review considerations. All opinions expressed below are mine alone.

"When I'm Dead" is the first book I've read by Hannah Morrissey, and although it's part of a series, it can be read completely on its own. I've heard such great praise from many people about Morrissey's writing, and after Steve Erickson from St. Martin's Publishing Group reached out to invite me to read "When I'm Dead" on NetGalley, I just had to see what all the buzz is about. Thank you to the publisher St. Martin's Press for the eARC for review consideration. Also, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Macmillan Audio for the ALC for review consideration. All opinions expressed below are mine alone.

The story opens in the Black Harbor community, introducing us to Rowan, a medical examiner, and her husband Axel, a detective. A teenager's body is found, and Rowan and Axel have to abruptly leave their daughter's school play to investigate. When they finally arrive home, they expect to find Chloe there, but she is missing. Is the murder of the teenager connected to Chloe's disappearance?

I thought this book was just okay. Overall, I had a hard time connecting with the characters, and it was a slow-paced book that was hard to invest in. It also seemed like I was missing something in the story a few times, as if there were some plot holes here and there.

Considering that I mainly listened to this book in audiobook format, let's discuss the narrators: Andrew Eiden, Caitlin Kelly, Gary Tiedemann, and Xe Sands. Having a multicast narration definitely added value to this book. However, I found myself regularly having to adjust the volume between Axel and Rowan because of Rowan's generally quiet voice.

Overall, you may enjoy this book if you like stories that are very heavy on police procedurals.