Hazel Greenwood is not in a good place in her life. She is stuck in Black Harbor, Wisconsin, a dark and dingy city. She is in a loveless marriage to Tommy, who spends all his time hunting and fishing and drinking with the occupants of the other side of their duplex. Hazel had thought by now she'd be an author but that didn't work out either.
But she can type and gets a job as a police transcriber, working overnights in the deserted police station. She is good at her job and starts to take interest in the cases she writes up and the detectives that solve them. One in particular, Nick Case, catches her interest and he seems interested in her as well.

Nick is working several deaths. The first is a nine year old boy who overdosed on drugs and was disposed of in a dumpster. He suspects a drug dealer nicknamed The Candy Man and it turns out that Hannah's neighbor, Hank, was the one who put the child in the dumpster although he insists The Candy Man made him do it and he refuses to identify him. Then there is another overdose and then the death of Nick's best informant, a woman he is rumored to be having an affair with. As the deaths pile up and Hannah gets more entangled in the case and in Nick's company, she begins to believe she can solve the case and write a novel that will take her away from this life she hates.

This is a debut novel for Hannah Morrissey. She lives in Wisconsin and was an actual transcriber which lends her work authenticity. The pacing in this novel is spot on and there are twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. Hazel makes every mistake a woman in love can make and it almost costs her the life she wasn't sure she wanted. I listened to this novel and the narrator was perfect, raising the tension at the appropriate times. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was a pretty crazy read, i would certainly be willing to read more from this series if i came across it

I absolutely enjoyed this thriller. I absolutely appreciated the storyline and it sucked me in. Highly recommend reading.

Wow absolutely loved the audio for this novel. I loved that the book took place in a small town and that the transcriber was uncovering secrets while she is listening and typing out reports.

Fun and quick thriller, but it just wasn’t for me personally. I couldn’t really connect with the story nor characters but could really appreciate what this author did. Just a decent thriller

Hello, Transcriber was such a good read- I love reading a book from a word nerd's perspective and this one put a fresh twist on that. Part thriller, part police drama, with a twist of dark romance, this book was thoroughly entertaining and unputdownable. I loved all the twists and the way this book kept me guessing. Looking forward to reading more from the author.
I really liked the audiobook version of the story and thought the narrator did a great job with the characters and story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

While I enjoyed the writing in this book, I didn’t like the book itself. It was dark and the subject matter just wasn’t for me. I’m not a fan of infidelity being portrayed so loosely and it probably lost me there, but I would read this author again.

Read and listened to part of this book but kept starting and stopping. I had trouble getting into it and figured it was better to review as is. It was written well just not my cup of tea.

A woman is new to a small and tight knit town as a police transcriber. She is rightfully anxious as it is hard to fit in with small towns, and she already has trouble at home - she could use some friends. Then she finds herself in the middle of the most recent murder investigation with one recently suspended investigator. But will he find out all her secrets? And will she find out his? The end gave me whiplash because I for sure did not see this coming and a majority of the reason for the five starts, in addition to the amazing writing. Notice for domestic violence in this book. Highly recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Some interesting plot elements, some kind of glaring plot holes, but not a bad read overall. Would recommend.

i was very excited by the synopsis but unfortunately the execution really fell flat for me. i was frustrated that the novel basically turned into an exploration of this woman's marriage instead of a mystery?

This is one I wanted to love, and I did enjoy it, but it went to some places that I wasn't expecting.

I felt bad for Hazel and all the shitty stuff she went through with her husband. Their relationship was not healthy by any means. However, I personally didn't agree with the major cheating aspect that takes place through a lot of this book. Of course, I want characters to find happiness and to find a way out of a toxic situation, but I don't think cheating is the right way to go about it. That being such a big part of the story really took away from the crime mystery for me.

Other than that, I did enjoy the story and the writing. I enjoyed the atmosphere and all the detail that went into the mystery of The Candyman. The characters and suspects were interesting and had some dark creep factor that I enjoy from a mystery.

all in all, I would be interested to read other works by this author.

I wasn't able to finish this. It just didn't hold my attention; I wasn't motivated to continue. It needed a more intriguing beginning.

Hello, Transcriber by Hannah Morrissey
Narrated by Angela Dawe
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: General Fiction (Adult)
Published November 30, 2021

Hello, Transcriber by Hannah Morrissey is a standalone crime drama. It is a captivating thriller that I could not get enough of! This book was so much more than I was expecting. This was dark and eerie and I loved it!

At first glance, I was expecting more of a police procedural, but instead I found myself lost inside this dark book filled with suspense. The author did such an incredible job of creating this downtrodden town that I felt like I was there.

This is definitely a "kept me on the edge of my seat" mystery and was filled with the right amount of suspense, mystery, intrigue, and misdirection. I loved how the book was told from Hazel's perspective and how we gleam new information as she does.

I absolutely loved the narration by Angela Dawe. She brought each character to life and brought additional depth to the book!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I flew through this book. It was suspenseful and intriguing, and the storyline wasn't overly filled with unnecessary descriptions. I do wish we had a bit more back story of the protagonist and her husband, but it isn't vital to the story. I did like the characters, but they are flawed. It would be boring if they weren't though. The narrator did an excellent job. I would recommend this to fans of mystery and thrillers.

Loved this audio! Thank you MacMillan, Hannah Morrissey, and Netgalley for this audio in exchange for my honest review. The narration was on point and I loved the book. Kept my interest all the way through! 🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating from me!

Thanks NetGalley for the advance audio book in exchange for an honest review!

This book was terrific for a cold rainy day - very atmospheric and dark at times. I LOVED it!!!

I really liked the characters and their intriguing backstories. I wanted to know more about each and every one of them. There were diverse backgrounds and histories, which was great to see was included. The characters experienced growth and development. I felt like they were people I knew. I love it when a book makes me feel that immersed!

The plot was fascinating and definitely kept my interest. There were twists and turns, but things seemed to be within the realm of reality, adding a realistic flair. It was as much about relationships among the characters as it was about the mystery. Actually, it was more about the relationships than the mystery, now that I really think about it. The mystery was the backdrop but this was most certainly a character driven novel.

I listened to the audio book and the narrator was absolutely fantastic! Every character was distinctly portrayed and she was animated when needed but reflected the general atmosphere of the book as well.

This was my first read by this author and I will definitely have to seek out more of her work. This was a great read (listen) and I definitely recommend it! Happy reading!

This started off as a creepy, lonely look at crime and one woman’s unhappy life. Then it devolves into a torrid affair that is all consuming to the lead character and, apparently, the author. Then, at the end, the author remembers there have been some crimes committed here and we should really wrap that all up. I really didin’t care for the affair part. Why couldn’t we have more alone at night transcribing crimes stuff? I feel like I was baited and switched.

Genre: crime fiction
Pub date: Nov 30 (out now!)
In one sentence: Writer Hazel Greenwood starts a job as a transcriber for the Black Harbor police department - will she be able to use her experience for her writing, or will she find herself swept up in the crime of this small town?

Hello, Transcriber feels like it's meant to be an audiobook - the reader hears the transcription just as Hazel does. I was sucked into the story from the beginning - I enjoyed getting lost in the world of Black Harbor and trying to play armchair sleuth alongside Hazel. Unfortunately, the pacing of the novel was a little off - the strong start was followed by an overly long middle and ending. I was also a little uncomfortable with Hazel's relationships with her husband and officer Nikolai Kole - if you don't like toxic relationships, this is definitely not the book for you. However, I did not guess the culprit(s) at the end, so that was a plus.

If you like a slow burn, dark mystery, you may enjoy this one more than I did!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

As a civilian member of the law enforcement community, I was really excited about this book and its highlight of a civilian police role. But I quickly realized that the story may be a little too familiar to me to actually be entertaining. I guessed every plot detail well in advance, so there was no true build up and it all just fell flat. I also felt that the romantic relationship was nothing more than a law enforcement community cliche. I did, however, find some elements of the story interesting and well done, including the magnetism of the river and the eeriness of the “Candyman.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to review this audiobook!