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.

“What happens to darkness when it’s exposed to the light?”

Hazel is back in Black Harbor and it’s a scorcher 🔥

If I haven’t already convinced you that you need to read this thriller series then this is me insisting you read the series that has me in a chokehold and will forever be a favorite of mine.

I could not have been more excited for this book!

This is one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and I was so excited to be able to receive an ARC to read early & enjoy the audiobook before pub date.

The Unlucky Ones is book four in Hannah Morrissey’s Black Harbor Series and the story takes place almost a decade after where it all began in book one Hello, Transcriber.

This reunion was everything I wanted and needed🙌🏻 I loved every easter egg, every character appearance and reference to the past.

The prologue alone had me sweating.

These books can all be read as a stand alone novel but trust me you’re going to want to start at the beginning!

Hannah does what she does so well. Her writing is always *chefs kiss* The setting and characters leap off the page in front of you like a movie from her descriptions. Her style is truly unique.

Black Harbor - a grim, violent, decaying, and crime infested city comes to life as a character itself.

The narrators for the audiobook, Angela Dawe (a favorite of mine) and Rob Moreira were excellent. 👏🏻 If you’re a fan of audiobooks I highly recommend.

Thank you @minotaur_books & @netgalley for the e-ARC and @macmillan.audio for the advanced listening copy!

The Unlucky Ones by Hannah Morrissey is the fourth book in the Black Harbor series. In this book, “the transcriber” (Hazel) comes back to Black Harbor to help solve her husband’s murder. While there she also runs into a former flame….

While this is the fourth book set here, I had only read the first and was worried I would be missing a lot. Thankfully that was not the case. In reading summaries of the middle two, it appears those books focus on some of the characters who are secondary in this novel. I definitely liked this book with Hazel and Kole more than the first and will continue to read more by this author.

Another stellar release by Hannah Morrissey. We are back in Black Harbor and time has only made the already dark and seedy city that much worse. With a new drug on the streets that is literally eating its customers alive we follow Sergeant Nikolai Kole as he navigates the tinderbox that his city has become. The author weaves a story that you can't look away from. There is a heatwave in Black Harbor and as the temperature rises so does the tension to bring down the kingpin flooding the streets with this new drug.

No-one really escapes Black Harbor. Hazel thought she fought her way out only to be drawn back in when she hears about the murder of her ex-husband. It's been 8 years and she finally feels strong enough to face her fears and the past she ran from. You may remember her from Hello, Transcriber. This is where Hazel and Kole first crossed paths, now he is looking into the murder of her ex-husband. Their paths are bound to cross again and they do. It isn't a warm reunion when the love affair they had ended with feelings of hurt and betrayal, but they decide to put those old feelings aside to work together in order to solve this murder. When they begin to unearth secrets and unravel the web of secrets behind this murder and others that may have the same calling card they also have to face their own pasts and the part they play in all of this. Not everyone is who they seem to be.

Hannah Morrissey is an exceptional story teller that grabs you by the throat and drags you into the raw and wasting city that is Black Harbor and holds you there while she weaves her story. With descriptive writing you will feel the heat emanating from the asphalt and smell the stink of a rotting city in a visceral way. The plotting and pacing was perfection. I loved that we got a second chance to watch Hazel and Kole work together and face the unfinished past. This is the authors best work yet!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This author does a good job at painting a picture of what is happening . I did not find the characters likeable and found things to be slow.
Thank you St Martin’s press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

You’ll never leave Black Harbor.

Another amazing installment in the Black Harbor series. A story so dark & grim it can only be the work of Hannah Morrissey.

This novel follows the same bleak storyline as the first 3 in the series. It too is brilliantly executed with short chapters that keep it going at a fast pace. Hannah sure knows how to create a gritty, gruesome & grotesque atmosphere with a plot that is brutal, raw, unsettling & unforgiving. Her vivid descriptions will make you want to look away, but you won’t be able to.

If you are a fan of the previous 3 novels in this series, (HELLO, TRANSCRIBER, THE WIDOWMAKER & WHEN I’M DEAD) then you need to get your hands on this one ASAP. You won’t be disappointed.

Favorite Lines:
“Guilt is a wasted emotion.”
“I never left Black Harbor. I brought it with me.”
“Living in Black Harbor “ is an oxymoron. No one lives here; you survive it.”

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books & Hannah Morrissey for an ARC in return for an honest review.