I've been Team Kole since the first book and this book gave me everything I needed! As usual Black Harbor is bleak and depressing and dealing with a never ending war on drugs and crime. This was a well written novel that kept me invested into the very end.

I was so excited to be back in Black Harbor. It’s like meeting up with old friends.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this standalone series of thrillers set in the same town. This one did not disappoint. The tension was there. It was fast paced. When I wasn’t reading, I was constantly thinking about this book. Learning the fate of Kole’s brother was a nice addition. I can’t wait appreciate that he did get some closure. I low key felt really bad for Hudson. Hazel was…Hazel. She did get on my nerves towards the end, but I’m happy she and Kole are back together.

The one thing that didn’t work for me, the mystery was solved, but like he’s dead. Justice wasn’t really served. But it didn’t undermine story.

I highly recommend this series. It’s by far one of my favorites. I’m kinda sad we may not get another Black Harbor book but I’m looking forward to more from Hannah.

I rated this 4.75 stars on StoryGraph, rounded up to 6.

Something and/or someone stinks to high heaven in Black Harbor. The question is who because there is so much filth and crime in this city, that it could be anyone.

Hazel escaped Black Harbor and her abusive husband, Tommy Greenlee. She was a police transcriber who is now a successful novelist. She does not want to ever go back to Black Harbor. However, someone has viciously murdered Tommy, and she needs answers.

Sgt. Nikolai Kole is called to the scene of the murder, and is shocked to see the man, whose wife he had affair with, is lying dead on the cold, hard floor. When he realizes that Hazel is back in town, his heart and head are fighting over what to think and/or do. But he knows, more than anything, that she needs protection.

If you are looking for a quick fix mystery, this one is not for you. If you enjoy a mystery that builds with a plot that escalates with each chapter, you will enjoy this one. This author starts out by giving you little pieces of the pie, and then you get more. But, at first, none of them make sense. However, she knows how to bring those pieces all together for a stunning, explosive ending. There are definitely some dark characters who haunt the pages of this this book, but this makes this mystery even more interesting because it is a fight for good vs. evil as the police of Black Harbor struggle to regain control of this crime ridden city.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

2.5 rounded up to 3. I really enjoyed the tension that lingered between Kole and Hazel. I enjoyed the dual POV as their experiences were drastically different and it was nice to hear things from each MC. I felt like the story with Tommy was really drug out and didn't match the fast pace/intensity of the previous Black Harbor book. Overall, it was just an okay read!

The Unlucky Ones is book #4 in the Black Harbor series, by Hannah Morrissey. I had not read any of the previous books and not really sure that would have made a huge difference. I just didn't connect to any of the characters in the book like I like to do. Having said that it was a decent read, just not a great one for me. I would still recommend to others, because I know not everyone enjoys the same writing styles.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

THE UNLUCKY ONES by Hannah Morrissey is a clear view of the dark side of a city. It is a thrilling mystery that is not for the faint of heart. Her descriptions are so vivid and lifelike, but under the filth and grime, there is a budding romance to hold the reader.

The author does a great job with character development, especially of Kole.

I enjoyed returning to this world. It was great to catch up with Hazel and Nik. Both slightly messed up souls. Would they heal together? Good mystery. Like how everything is connected to the previous books. Sad to think this is the end of the series.

I wish I had read the other books in the series to better follow the characters. This one was a bit slow at times, but I ended up enjoying it. The story follows Hazel, whose ex-husband has been shot and killed. She returns to find out what happened, and her ex is on the case. They decide to work together to solve the murder.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the advanced e copy in exchange for my honest review.

Publish date: March 25, 2025

Didn’t realize this was part of a series, I started it and felt a little bit lost. Guess I need to read the first 3 books to be totally into it

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the gifted early galley.

This was a return to Black Harbor featuring characters from Hello, transcriber that fans waited for. I loved the way author reminded us of who is who and why we should care, but reading book one is an absolute must from my perspective.
This book gets really dark and what I categorize as "gross descriptions". It is not bad, just not for me because I picture everything I am reading and had to skip through paragraphs a lot with this book.
Having a crime novel with a large romance love story plot line is unique and I think author does very well in here. If discussing organs and dead animals in between very slightly spicy scenes and catching the killer is your thing, this book will be perfect.
I wish I loved it more but objectively this just wasn't for me.

The Unlucky Ones is Hannah Morrissey's new book and the fourth entry in her Black Harbor series.

We met Hazel in the first book. She was a night transcriber for the police department in Black Harbor. She fled from everything - her lover, her husband, her job, the crime and the pull of the dark water at the bridge. Eight years have passed and Hazel needs answers. But she doesn't know what the questions are. There are a number of characters from book one returning in this latest.

The setting is dark and dangerous. Menacing and gritty. Morrissey has done a wonderful job bringing it to life. Grit lit.

Just as good is the plotting. It could have been ripped from the crime section of the newspaper. But Morrissey puts her own stamp on things. I had no idea what would happen next. I couldn't put the book down.

I really, really hope we see Hazel again. And if that's not in the cards - Black Harbor again. A five star read for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. I could not put it done and had to know what was going to happen. I would definitely recommend this book.

Coming back to Black Harbor after 8 years, Hazel arrives after her ex-husband is murdered. Now a novelist, she took true crime she saw as a police transcriptionist and novelized it. Is she there to try to find out who killed the ex, to get ideas for her next novel, or is she there to reconnect with Nik, the detective she had a relationship with way back then? None of the above?

This is a thriller that takes you right into the gutter that is Black Harbor As I was reading I could 'feel' the grime, the heat, the stickiness of the humidity, and it was great. I have never read this author before and did not know this was part of a series. It is absolutely a standalone although I think I would have understood the characters a bit more if I'd read the previous 3 books.

If you're a fan of gritty police procedurals, this is the book (and series) for you.

The Unlucky Ones is the fourth book in the Black Harbor series. In this installment, Hazel is back in Wisconsin after the violent murder of her ex-husband, Tommy, and the detective on the case is her former lover, Nikolai Kole.

Hazel left Black Harbor eight years ago, trying to put both her abusive marriage to Tommy and her affair with Detective Kole behind her. But when Tommy is found murdered, she finds herself pulled into the investigation.

The Unlucky Ones, like all the previous Black Harbor novels, is filled with Gotham City-level descriptions of seediness and crime. Since Hazel hasn’t appeared in the last two books, I was looking forward to seeing her back on the page, and the tension and chemistry between her and Nik jump off the page. This is a dark and gritty police procedural about a town overrun with drugs and crime and the dedicated police department that stands between the criminals and absolute chaos. I recommend it to readers who enjoy dramatic stories, and I look forward to future books in the series.

Hazel is enjoying her life as a writer in Brooklyn, NY, having escaped a terrible marriage in Black Harbor. She has vowed never to return there. Then that is exactly where she finds herself the day after her ex-husband, Tommy Greenlee is found murdered in the bathroom of the Mineshaft; an afterset in the town. Why would she turn up at that exact time...she is determined to find out who killed him. Hazel is renting an AirBnB appt. and the manager gives her creepy vibes, but she doesn't think he knows who she really is, as she goes by her maiden name now. But, he does know who she is and he reports this information to someone who will use this information to his own advantage. The detective in charge of the murder investigation, Nikolai Kole also has a past with Hazel. And it is troubled as well. When they discover each other it is not exactly a happy reunion. But, they are forced to work together to find the murderer and also to keep Hazel alive as another person who was close to Tommy is found murdered in a horrible way, so Hazel could be next on the list. Good series.

4.5/5 rounded up

Thank you Minotaur Books for the advanced reading copy!

Another excellent black harbor mystery! This one was extra fun with so many characters from previous books coming together. While I do think all the books in this series can be read as standalones, this one is definitely better if you have read the previous books! I read the series out of order — 1, 3, 2, 4 (lol) — and think that reading Hello, Transcriber & The Widowmaker especially matter for this book.

As always, Hannah’s writing is so dark and atmospheric, it grips you right away. Being back with Hazel was great, too. I love listening to these on audio and always find it fun to hear “Finlay Donovan” — aka Angela Dawe — narrating a dark character like Hazel. Hannah does a great job of creating mysterious, dark and complicated women in her stories, particularly Hazel! Her relationship with Kole is so… bizarre and yet so powerful.

Like I said, the connection in this one between all the former characters came together to create a wild, well thought-out and inventive mystery. I was truly shocked by some of the webs woven in black harbor, this time around especially!! Can’t wait to chat with the book club and the author this weekend!

The 4th novel in the Black Harbor series has Hazel Greenlee coming back to Black Harbor after she made her escape from her ex-husband and former lover, Nikolai Kole.
Her ex, Tommy, has been murdered and Hazel needs closure. Black Harbor is suffering now more than ever; a new drug on the street, the heat rising and drug lords waging war on each other and the city.
Hazel finds herself caught in the middle of the investigation into Tommy's murder and her feelings for Kole.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this digital e-arc.*

Black Harbor calls and I go running!

It pulls you back not only for our beloved charters but for this town that’s a character in its own way! I love when you get both of these in a story! Our favorite transcriber Hazel is back, something she thought she would never do! Her abusive ex-husband has been murdered and she just has to know why. The tension between Hazel and Kole is just so freaking good! So much was left unsaid with them and now they are kinda working together to figure this out! The twists and turns they have to deal with kept me hooked as Kole, his team, of course Hazel tried to piece it all together! There’s so much danger and sketchy characters it feels so tense and has you wanting answers! If you preordered The Unlucky Ones you get a Hazel bracket that makes appearances, and just adds to the angst of their relationship! I loved how it ended and wrapped up!

Thank you to @minotaur_books , @hannahmorrisseywriter and Netgalley for my #gifted copies!!

This was the second Hannah Morrissey book I've read from the Black Harbor series. I feel you can read these as a standalone that there is enough character development to understand the back story. I was pulled into The Unluck Ones right from the start. The first third of the book flew by for me. Then it slowed down. I started to get bored with the story line and there were so many characters I was trying to remember who was who and how they all played into the storyline. This is definitely a slow burn police procedure.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for an ARC of The Unlucky Ones by Hannah Morrissey for an honest review.

𝑨𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒍𝒍, 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆 𝒖𝒔 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒖𝒔?

I'm kicking myself for getting a late start on this series, and if you haven't read it, you should be kicking yourself too! Black Harbor is a gritty, seedy underbelly of a town where hopes and dreams go to die. Most people never escape its grip, but police transcriber-turned-novelist Hazel did. There are only a handful of things that could lure her back, and one is the murder of her violent ex-husband Tommy.

Her return puts her back in the crosshairs of former lover Sergeant Nikolai Kole. Their relationship did not end on good terms, but can they put their personal lives behind them to solve Tommy's murder?

Black Harbor is a bleak, despondent fictional place, but sadly, I know far too many real places just like it. Poverty, addiction, the decline in mental health, and the shockingly access to drugs make this fictional town a reality. With razor sharp prose and genuinely crafted characters you're invested in and care about, this is a series every thriller fan needs to read. Thank you Minotaur Books for this early copy. This title will publish March 25, 2025.