I'm going with four stars instead of three because there is nothing objectively objectionable. It dragged hard though, for me.

4.5 rounded up to 5.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Unlucky Ones is the 4th installment in Hannah Morrissey's Black Harbor series. While all the others can be read as standalones, and technically this one could be as well, I would highly recommend reading the previous three novels before jumping into this one. There are definitely spoilers from all three books mentioned, and honestly it just helps knowing the background of the characters and their histories before getting into this story.

While Hazel and Nik Kole are the main focus of this installment, many previous characters from the other two books are heavily included. In fact, while I'm not sure if this will be the final book in the Black Harbor series (even if temporarily), this one definitely felt like a potential conclusion to the series, as it tied some of the loose ends or side stories from previous novels together. I did not see this coming at all, and the way everything came together was absolutely brilliant and extremely clever. Kole, Hudson, and Axel all got lots of closure from situations that had haunted them from the previous novels. I really loved every moment, especially when everything started coming together so beautifully.

I do think this was a bit of a slower burn compared to the other books, with much more emphasis on the mystery and police procedural portions, and less into the relationships between the characters (mainly Hazel and Nik). Without reading the other books, I feel like those connections might feel like they were lacking in this one, but only because these relationships were all strongly established in the previous novels, and the focus was more on the actual plot. I personally wasn't bothered by this, but if you read this as a standalone, then you might find the chemistry between the characters a bit lacking.

Overall, this book tied the series thus far together really well, and was another solid installment. Fantastic job!

Wow. I love this book. Be sure to read hello, transcriber first before diving into this five star read. I really enjoyed the character development and plot. I was hooked from page one. I flew through these pages waiting to find out what was next.

This fourth book in the Dark Harbor series is another good slow burn mystery. Eight years ago Hazel left Dark Harbor, her ex-husband Tommy, and her lover Detective Nikolai Kole to become a writer in New York. Upon hearing that Tommy was gunned down in a notorious club, Hazel returns to Dark Harbor to help discover what happened to Tommy and to face her unresolved issues from the past. The town is once again being overrun with drugs and criminal gang wars. How was Tommy involved and how will Hazel handle working with Kole again? Morrissey does a great job of creating a dark and sinister atmosphere in this series and the story kept me turning pages to see who would be left standing after the final violent confrontation. #NetGalley #TheUnluckyOnes

As with all previous Hannah Morrissey books, excellent writing style and pacing. Lots of characters who are dark and largely unliveable. This series is very dark and deliciously awesome!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. Liked the wiring style of the author. Wanted to keep reading this book.

I love this author's writing style. She draws the reader in. Her characters are flawed and relatable. They are both frustrating and heroic. The story is a gritty, police mystery. I couldn't put the book down.

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

The Unlucky Ones by @hannahmorrisseywriter

Despite her narrow escape in Hello Transcriber, Hazel is back in Black Harbor to find out who murdered her ex-husband and why. In a town full of crime and drugs, there are nearly endless possibilities for who killed Tommy - but if someone wanted him dead, do they also want Hazel dead?

Hazel tries to fly under the radar, but it doesn’t take long for her former lover - and police investigator - Nikolai Kole to find out she’s back, and he’ll do anything to keep her safe. Nik also quickly realizes Hazel isn’t leaving until she gets to the bottom of the murder, so despite their past, they pair up to uncover the truth.

I really enjoyed this book! Hannah’s descriptions of the people and places in Black Harbor were dark and slimy, which made it easy to immerse yourself in the story. There were twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end, which made it a super quick read.

Thank you for letting me be an early reader of this book! I can’t wait to host an author talk with Hannah in Oshkosh, WI in March to talk more about this book. Get tix in the link in my bio, where you can also preorder!

The Unlucky Ones by Hannah Morrissey is a dark, gritty crime fiction novel and the fourth installment in the Black Harbor series. It’s the first book that I’ve read in the series and by this author.

I really appreciated Morrissey’s writing style—sharp, concise sentences and short chapters created a strong pace and the dialogue enhanced the novel’s somber, melancholic atmosphere. While I enjoy dark storylines, I find they need a touch of lightness to provide balance; otherwise, they can feel overwhelmingly heavy. Unfortunately, none of the characters stood out as particularly likable, and the atmosphere remained relentlessly bleak, making it difficult for me to fully engage.

Overall, this was an okay read for me.

I really enjoy Hannah Morrissey's books. I read The Widowmaker and enjoyed that also. I need to go back and read the other 2 books in this series.

Black Harbor is a dark place; crime ridden and drug filled. Hazel, a former police transcriber escaped the town and her abusive ex husband, Tommy, eight years ago. When that husband is killed, she returns to help solve his murder. Or was it some other reason?

Dark, gritty and full of suspense.

My thanks to Net Galley and St Martin's and Minotaur for allowing me to review this arc.

This was my first book of the Black Harbor series and I didn't think it was bad. Hazel Greenlee returns to her old town to find that her ex husband was found murdered and wrapped in plastic. What begins is an dark and gritty investigation into the drug world.

Well written. Good story.

The Unlucky Ones is a dark, gritty murder mystery set in the underbelly of a city that reeks of drugs and rot. But within the pages, a romance tries to bloom between two past lovers. Morrissey teases us with a bit of lightness to offset the ugly. Black Harbor is a dark place; crime ridden, derelict, drug filled. Hazel, a former police transcriber escaped the town and her abusive ex husband, Tommy, eight years ago and wrote a successful book based on Black Harbor. When that husband is killed, she returns there, but why? Is it just to find out what happened to Tommy or to re kindle something with her former lover, police sergeant Nikolai Kole. Morrissey paints a grittily atmospheric picture of Black Harbor, a town that most people long to leave. Well written and plotted, with strong character development, this was an engrossing read. There are rays of light in this dark tale. I did not read all three previous books and I was still able to enjoy this.

“The Unlucky Ones” by Hannah Morrissey takes another deep dive into the brutal and haunting atmosphere of Black Harbour. Sergeant Nikolai Kole and Hazel are once again at the center of another chilling and disturbing crime scene that might tear them apart for good if they manage to survive the carnage left in its wake.

Black Harbour is worse than it’s ever been before. Crime rates are increasing and trying to reign in some semblance of control over the situation seems impossible. To add to the mayhem, a body’s been found at the back of a clubhouse. And it just had to be Tommy Greenlee, Hazel’s ex-husband. Whoever killed him left what appears to be a calling card.

Hazel, upon hearing about her ex-husband, returns to Black Harbour for the first time after eight years. Despite her history with her ex, she’s determined to find out who may have killed him and why. This means run-ins with Kole despite their rocky relationship. But when threats ensue and it becomes clear this murder is more than it looks like, they may only have each other to rely on if they want to catch Tommy’s killer.

What a fantastic return! The atmosphere of Black Harbour is much like the first: dark, dreary, haunting, and full of violence and crime. Not the kind of place anyone with a shred of sanity would want to live. Yet, something is compelling about the darkness hidden in Black Harbour, which makes it the perfect place for a murder mystery. It’s impossible to trust any of the characters because they all have something to gain or lose, so they’re all hiding something. And the setting makes murder so much more complicated because it’s impossible to know if the death is connected to something larger than a hate-fuelled killing.

Morrissey is skilled at making the reader feel like they’re onto something and then turning everything on its head, taking the reader completely off guard. Those are the best kinds of murder mysteries! Being unable to predict the ending and always having to question everything creates disorientation. There is no certainty to be found in anything. This makes the story easy to read and the pages fly by in the eagerness to discover answers.

Kole and Hazel have great chemistry, even when fighting. Having them work together (and against each other) adds to the enjoyment of reading such a dark and violent story. Both characters continue to develop and grow throughout the story, which is brilliant to see as they both have a lot to face and own up to. A lot of what felt unresolved in "Hello, Transcriber" felt like it came together in this story. The only thing that took me out of the story was Hazel’s naivety and her lack of trust with Kole. Having lived in Black Harbour, I felt she should’ve been wearier in trusting people and revealing information than she was. It felt like most of that was aimed at Kole, even though the things she accused him of doing felt contrary to Kole’s personality and morals. At points, it grated on my nerves, but at the same time, I could see where she was coming from. Still, it took away some of my enjoyment from the book.

“The Unlucky Ones” by Hannah Morrissey is an incredible return to Black Harbour and the main characters. Those who loved “Hello, Transcriber” will fall in love with this one, too. And any reader who loves a good crime will find this the perfect read to snuggle under the blankets with! The expected publication date is March 25th, 2025. Be sure to be on the lookout!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (Minotaur Books) for providing me with an e-arc of this novel and giving me the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.

This is a dark and twisted read. Hazel is lured back to town.it has an explosive scene towards the end of the book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I devoured this book in a matter of days! It really pulls you in from the first chapter and it’s easy to dive right back into the lives of those in Black Harbor. I had an inkling of the outcome, but I did not have everything right! That’s for sure!! The way the author, Hannah Morrissey weaves everything together is truly interesting. I enjoyed my time in this book and I would definitely go back to Black Harbor if given the chance! Please check your trigger warnings — I did personally have to slide by a couple animal related situations for myself!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, Netgalley, and the author for the complimentary copy of THE UNLUCKY ONES by Hannah Morrissey.

THE UNLUCKY ONES is the fourth book in the author’s Black Harbor series. This series follows Hazel, a transcriber in Black Harbor, though she has moved away and become an author before the start of this book. Detective Cole, who once was romantically involved with Hazel, has discovered the body of Hazel’s ex-husband.

The fact that the dead man wasn’t quite an ex when Hazel and Cole were involved muddies the water a bit, as does Hazel’s return to town at this moment in time. With the drug trade in Black Harbor still on the rise with new dangerous products in the mix, there are many questions that need answers.

I have really enjoyed the previous Black Harbor books, HELLO, TRANSCRIBER, THE WIDOWMAKER, and WHEN I’M DEAD, so I was looking forward to being back in Black Harbor for the latest installment. The series is very atmospheric with a very bleak backdrop in this town that has so much drug abuse and crime that it keeps our main characters very busy. Even as the dead body they’ve found is central to the story, there are a lot of other moving parts.

This book deals with some heavy topics including suicide, drug abuse, violence, and spousal abuse. I think it handled these topics well, but do take care going in. I think this worked well at developing the characters, dealing with the aftermath of the previous books, and fleshing out the relationships between characters.

I do think this book would work well as a standalone if you aren’t caught up on the rest of the series. The author does a good job of catching you up on the important points. That said, it will give some spoilers for the mysteries in the previous books.

I really wanted to like this book. I was hoping that I would be able to get into it despite not having read the other books in the series. I liked the main characters and I enjoyed the setting. I found the story uninteresting so I couldn't get into it. It was well written.

irst and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Hannah Morrissey, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

After discovering the Black Harbor series a few years ago, I cannot get enough of it. Quaint, yet mysterious, those who live and work here see other things lurking in the shadows. After the body of Tommy Greenlee is discovered, old faces return to make themselves known, while the crime has no solid leads. Working angles as best he can, Nikolai Kole must find a killer before everything implodes and goes up in smoke. It's sure to be a tough job, but someone has to keep things seeming bucolic to outsiders. Hannah Morrissey does well to slice another portion of Black Harbor up and present it to the curious reader.

Black Harbor was once a lovely place to live, but all that has changed. Violent crimes and racial clashes have left the community struggling to know itself, with a drug business that has turned things upside down. Police Sergeant Nikolai Kole makes his way to a crime scene and discovers it is anything but a straightforward murder. The victim has been killed and the body is put in a position to ensure it disintegrates swiftly.
The body is that of Tommy Greenlee, which adds new concerns for Sergeant Kole. This is the ex-husband of Kole’s former love interest, Hazel. The body had also been shot and evidence points to Hazel potentially having been involved. Sergeant Kole knows there is more than enough reason for Hazel to have wanted her ex dead, but could she have gone this far?

After a long hiatus, Hazel is back in Black Harbor. The memories are anything but pleasant. Still, Hazel wants to know what happened to Tommy. The interactions with Sergeant Kole are inevitable, but the love affair has long gone cold and there is little chance they can warm it up after so long and a great deal of history. A dead body and a history that does not provide Hazel an alibi, Sergeant Kole will have to work quickly to make sense of it all and the evidence that is before him. Hannah Morrissey delivers another strong book in the series with this piece!

A story of this nature requires patience and determination to write, as the pieces must slide in together perfectly. There's something to be said of the abilities Hannah Morrissey offers to her reading base, while crafting a well-paced narrative. The story flows with ease and keeps the reader enthralled from the outset, with multiple mysteries that keeps Black Harbor all the more intriguing. I could not get enough of the quick writing and swift chapters that meld into one another as things progress with ease from start to finish. Characters emerge to offer their own perspectives, as some take the helm of narrative various parts of the book. This leaves the reader to sense things in a number of ways and keeps the story from getting too predictable. This is also found in the numerous plot twists that Morrissey provides the curious reader, taking things up a notch or two. The reader can bask in the nuances and there is much to discover. I cannot wait to see if there is more to come and how Morrissey presents it. 

Kudos, Madam Morrissey, for a great addition to a series that has never let me down.

Please note that this ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Weirdly enough, I’ve read books 2 and 3 in this series, but not the first one. I’ve always thought that I need to go back and read the first one. As I read through this one, I had the same thought again! I like Hazel a lot, even though she’s clearly struggling with some mental stuff about Black Harbor (and who could blame her). I enjoy the dynamics between her and Nik a lot, and I’m glad that they seemed to find their way back to each other.

That said, what I didn’t like about the book was ALLLLLLL the moving pieces. In a town full of drug dealers and users, keeping the who’s who straight was pretty confusing.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Admittedly, this was my first jump into the Black Harbor series and I found that Hannah Morrissey has a way of thoroughly describing the setting in a way that had me unsettled and at the edge of my seat. Hazel, a former police transcriber and now a novelist is thrust into solving the mystery of her ex-husband’s murder along with her former lover Kole. Understandably, tensions are high and it is only after the two agree to work together to solve the murder that they are able to put their past behind them.

Morrissey is an excellent story teller, I love the detail and descriptions throughout. I do feel as though it would have been helpful for me to have read the previous Black Harbor books (which I am doing now that I’m finished with The Unlucky Ones!!)

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this advanced reader copy!