This is the 4th book in the Black Harbor series and the second book from Morrissey that I have read. I read Hello, Transcriber and it was just okay for me. This book was better, but I could take it or leave it.

Black Harbor is this dark town full of violent crime and drug addiction. A new drug makes it's way onto the scene and Sergeant Nikolai Kole is on the case to find out what this drug is and who is giving it to people and killing them. When a body is found in the back of a clubhouse wrapped in a garbage bag and doused in bleach. Kole knows that something suspicious is going on. The thing is, it is not just any body. The body belongs to Tommy Greenlee, the ex-husband of Hazel, Kole's former lover. Did Hazel have something to do with Tommy's death. It did something even darker occur.

I listened to this book on audio and I felt that the narrator's did a great job. This book is a dark and gritty murder mystery. Morrissey does not shy away from the darkness that comes with a city like Black Harbor and she really makes you feel like you are in this crime-ridden world. I rated this book 3.5 stars out of 5, round up to 4 for this review because I felt like the plot was a little over the top.

Read if you like:
-Police procedurals
-Murder mysteries
-Crime fiction

Thank you @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the #gifted ALC.

I have read other books in this series that I really enjoyed, but this one felt like it leaned more on the police procedural side than the others and it wasn't entirely for me.

The story itself was intriguing, and I really liked the narration.

The Unlucky One by Hannah Morrissey - I LOVE a Black Harbor novel! This one was no exception. I like how all of the stories are standalone but set in the same town. Hannah Morrissey has easily become one of my FAVORITE authors! Her books always keep me turning pages from the first page to the last page! Her character descriptions, plots and twists - She is an automatic read for me anytime she releases a book!

I really wanted to enjoy The Unlucky Ones, but I struggled to connect with the theme and found the plot difficult to follow. The story had potential, but it never quite pulled me in. The characters felt distant, and the narrative jumped around in a way that made it hard to stay engaged. I appreciate the effort and ideas behind the book, but unfortunately, it just didn’t resonate with me.

I did just do the audio of The Unlucky Ones and wanted to share. It was a dark twisted novel (4th in a series that I haven’t read before - oops) about a police transcriber turned novelist who returns to her former home to solve the murder of her ex-husband. Everything about this book felt gritty. It oozed from the story with such clear descriptions of this decrepit town and creepy residents. It was dark but enthralling and kept me captivated and guessing until the end.

No one stays away from Black Harbor for long. This time, Hazel and Kole find themselves drawn back into its dark, gritty, and haunting embrace. Morrissey masterfully immerses readers in the town’s bleak atmosphere with vivid, visceral descriptions, crafting a setting that feels almost inescapable. Her ability to sustain an air of tension, unease, and trauma is nothing short of remarkable.

Told through a dual narrative, this crime fiction masterfully sustains relentless action and gripping suspense.

Morrissey excels at crafting complex, compelling characters, making this a series you won’t want to miss. While each book can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend starting with Hello, Transcriber, the first installment, for a richer experience before diving into this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for my advance audiobook copy of The Unlucky Ones in exchange for my honest review. My apologies for the delay in the review, I'm behind (as always), but I did enjoy this one!

The book is actually the fourth book in the Black Harbor series, but don't let that deter you from this! I don't feel like I missed out on anything!

We have former police transcriber turned novelist, Hazel, return to a town she said she'd never come back to when she finds out her ex-husband has been murdered. Black Harbor was a place she ran from, it isn't a good town. Black Harbor honestly had a small town vibe for being such a large city, and was the place to be if you were looking for the latest and greatest drug on the streets.

Kole, an officer investigating the murder, happens to be Hazel's former lover...yeah, maybe kinda sorta when she was still married too. They end up joining forces to tackle the case, much to other's dismay, but there's something shady things happening and others ending up dead, so they have to do what they have to do.

I do plan on going back and reading the first three books in this series because I enjoyed it so much. I want their back story in full and see how their relationship has ebbed and flowed.

4 stars. It's a great thriller with a touch of romance thrown in for good measure, I highly recommend this one!

The Black Harbor series just sounds so intriguing, especially with me just going into it the first time with this book. This is a standalone, even though the book does revisit much loved characters with both Hazel and Sergeant Kole. The mystery and the crimes in this one is truly on its own, yet there is a lingering resolve hovering over the book that I felt that maybe perhaps I should have read this from the first in the series.

Not to undermine the plot development with this one, but I felt the FOMO not knowing these characters from before. The author does introduce the river, the town, the relationships and the buildups well enough, but something about the "before" just hovers over and over again. This was an okay read from me, perhaps I expected such a boom with the characters since so many people loved this series so much. I had going through the mystery, going through Hazel's ordeals, and the action packed parts with Kole. But it stayed middle-of-the-road as far as the crimes went. It just didn't shift to the must read threshold by the end, but I enjoyed it just fine. Audio narration was great as usual.

Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

It was a such a pleasure to revisit the little town of Black Harbor in Morrissey's new novel "The Unlucky Ones". As someone who listened to the first three books in this series via audiobook, it was a wonderful opportunity it to hear the new one in the same manor. I liked reconnecting with old characters and getting glimpses back into the lives of those we became well acquainted with in previous books and see their full arc. I did feel the book was very drug heavy and touches on a lot of dark topics, which may not be a topic of interest for all readers. However, for anyone who has been reading about Black Harbor and its grim history, The Unlucky Ones if worth picking up!

The Unlucky Ones is the fourth thriller in the Black Harbor series. Hazel is back in Black Harbor after clawing her way out eight years ago. Her ex husband’s murder brings her back to the place she swore she’d never return to even though it is the last place she wants to be. When her path crosses with Sergeant Nikolai Kole her past is brought back full circle, haunting her. They were once lovers, but what are they now? With things growing more dangerous in town, Hazel and Nik might just need to work together. Will they be able to call a truce or will their pasts come back to haunt them?

I’ve read one other book in this series and enjoy to so I knew I needed to give this newest one a chance. I am not typically into thrillers and at times this book was too gory for me, but I knew what to expect going in and I enjoyed it nonetheless. The town of Black Harbor is a terrible place to be, but described in such a way that you feel like you are there right along with the characters. This story is gritty and dangerous, but it pulls you in and won’t let you go until it’s over. I enjoyed Hazel and Nik together and want to go back to the early books in this series to see how they got their start. If you are a thriller fan, this book is a great one to check out! If, like me, you tend to like cozier mysteries you can enjoy this one if you go in knowing there will be violence and gore. I really enjoyed this book, even though it was out of my usual genres!

Hazel never thought she would return to Black Harbor, but after an incident involving her ex-husband, she feels a pull to return. Once again, she connects with Sergeant Nikolai Kole. Who hasn't been able to let go of memories between them? The mystery around Tommy's death and who is involved draws you in, and one can't help but try to figure out who was involved. There were moments when I grew frustrated with Hazel because her actions were putting her in danger. I believe that Hazel was finally able to put her relationship with Tommy to rest and let go of the terrible memories that haunted her.

I absolutely love the narrators! Robb Moreira is one of my favorite narrators and I love how he brouoght Nikolai to life. Angela Dawe did an amazing job as well. The pacing of the story was great and you could really feel the emotions of the characters.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

"We either bend to your power or we break. And if we're lucky, we are set free."

After loving the first three books in the Black Harbor series, I always hoped that we would see Hazel again. After her role in Hello, Transcriber, I always wanted to know more, and The Unlucky Ones is exactly what I hoped it would be. While it wraps up some of the loose ends from earlier in the series, more are unraveled. This series and dark and gritty, but, as evidenced by the quote at the beginning of this review, there's also hope and resilience. I love this series. It's one of my favorites. I've said it before, but I'm going to repeat it here. I am always fascinated by my visits to Black Harbor, but I definitely wouldn't want to live there.

A bit dark, raw, and totally addictive, this thriller kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. A plot full of twist and turns, the perfect pace to keep you engaged ane well developed characters. If you’re into murder mysteries that are dark and full of tension, this one’s definitely a must-read.

The Unlucky Ones - Hannah Morrissey
Pub Date - 3/25/25
Rating - 3/5
Thoughts - Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for this advanced reader audiobook in exchange for my honest review. The Unlucky Ones is the fourth book in the Black Harbor Series. This latest book focuses back on Hazel, who returns to Black Harbor 8 years after Hello Transcriber when her ex husband is killed. I loved seeing return characters come back into the story as well as new characters that were introduced. I was very excited when I heard my favorite narrator, Angela Dawe, who does an amazing job with voiceovers for the characters.

The overall story I thought was okay -- nothing spine tingling or shocking. It was a fun listen and definitely will be reading/listening to any other Black Harbor Books if she continues to write this series.

The Unlucky Ones was a great mystery. I might have enjoyed it more if I had read the book before this one to get to know the characters better. The narration was great.

Every now and then, I try a police procedural just to see if it’ll stick—and while they aren’t usually my favorite, *The Unlucky Ones* surprised me.

Set in Black Harbor, a fictional city that feels like it could be just down the road, this story dives into a murder that’s gritty, messy, and rooted in real-world problems. A body turns up wrapped in garbage bags, doused in bleach. And not just any body—this one belongs to the ex-husband of Hazel, who used to be involved with the lead detective. Now, Hazel is back in town, facing both her past and the chaos that Black Harbor has become.

The book is definitely a slow burn, but not in a boring way. The layers of the plot are peeled back carefully, giving you just enough to stay intrigued until everything clicks into place. It reminded me a lot of an episode of *Law & Order*, only grimmer and with more emotional weight. The setting, the characters, the crimes—it all felt raw and real.

What stood out most to me was the idea that some people are born into places like Black Harbor and never get the chance to leave. The story doesn’t just focus on the murder—it digs into cycles of poverty, crime, and addiction, and how hard it is to break out. That hit hard.

While I still don’t think procedurals are going to be my go-to genre, I appreciated that this one didn’t drown in police jargon or lose me in complicated twists. It was gritty and honest without being overwhelming. If you like crime shows or stories about broken people trying to piece things together, this one might be right up your alley.

Hello, Transcriber was one of my very first books I read as a reviewer and so The Black Harbor series is always an automatic read for me. I’ve really enjoyed listening to most of the series and so I knew I had to listen to The Unlucky Ones, to keep the tradition alive.

Our main POV Hazel is back for a second time as the lead in The Unlucky Ones. When her ex-husband is found murdered, Hazel can’t help but return to Black Harbor to help uncover his murderer. But going back to Black Harbor brings back all the memories Hazel has stored away for the past decade. Between the memories, the return of Kole her ex-lover to her orbit, and violent crime on the rise – Hazel may not make it out of Black Harbor a second time.

Most detective series you can generally read out of order and still get the jest of the story, and with the first three books in the series that holds true. But for The Unlucky Ones, I would highly recommend reading all three previous books before jumping into this 4th installment and especially paying attention to Hello, Transcriber.

With that said, I was underwhelmed with this one. It relies heavily on remembering details from Hello, Transcriber, and quite honestly I just didn’t remember a lot of what took place from that book almost five years later so I felt lost for parts of the story. There wasn’t a ton of character development either. In the decade that Hazel and Kole have seen each other, they seem to be almost the exact same people but certainly lacked any sort of chemistry this time around.

The plot itself revolves around the gangs and drugs that run Black Harbor, and while we did explore the ‘underworld’ more, everything felt fairly surface level. It’s a decent mystery, especially if you’re looking for a ‘midwestern noir’ type read or already invested in the Black Harbor universe. But I needed more from the story and didn’t entirely connect with a single character.


The Unlucky Ones comes out March 25, 2025. Huge thank you to Minotaur Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my:
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"A headiness comes over him. Lack of sleep and old flames. She is the only person who’s ever had this effect on him. She can make him lose his composure, do things he knows he shouldn’t."

"If all you had to do was one bad thing, and you could leave Black Harbor behind forever, would you do it?”

There are three things you have to know about the tension filled police procedural romance suspense thriller The Unlucky Ones, by edgy holds back nothing in her gritty detailed writing, author Hannah Morrissey; first it takes place in the bleak town of Black Harbor where crime thrives and hope dies. Second is Det. Nikolai Kole fights the crime and prays for hope. Third, he never stopped loving Hazel Greenlee when she left Black Harbor.

In my favorite debut, Hello, Transcriber, Hazel was in an abusive marriage and her solace was transcribing Nikolai's police reports. They hadn't met yet. When they did, I could barely breathe with all the emotions that overwhelmed them. But their story had to take a pause. Now it's 8 years later and Hazel is back to find out who killed her ex-husband, because she has a feeling she may be next...and maybe to see Nikolai.

The supreme voice actress Angela Dawe gives Hazel her subtle vulnerability with her anger and fear. Phenomenal voice actor Robb Moreira lets Nikolai's pain seep through his tough exterior.

Reading and listening to this couple navigate through life and death situations while juggling long held feelings is an intense experience but so worth it. We are the lucky ones for this writer's gift to her fans, more Nikolai and Hazel.

I received free copies of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Another Black Harbor book from Hannah Morrissey that I really enjoyed! This is book 4 in the series but only the second one I’ve read. I loved the main characters, Hazel and Nikolai Kole. Kole is the police sergeant and Hazel is a police transcriber turned novelist who has since moved on from Black Harbor. Hazel and Kole used to have a secret relationship while she was married to Tommy Greenlee and living in Black Harbor. Now Tommy is dead and Hazel is back to try to figure out why. Hazel and Kole must work together to solve this murder as the stakes quickly get higher the deeper they get, uncovering drugs, guns, and dangerous people. The Unlucky Ones was a great read! This has all the elements of a police procedural along with characters that I felt a connection with. I really liked the narrators for this book too! I will be reading more of the Black Harbor series and anxiously awaiting another!

Rounded up because the audio was done well, the story was bingeable, and it propelled the series forward appropriately. I didn't think anything was incredibly special about it overall but I was still addicted! Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for the ARC 🥰