I really liked Morgan’s character. She was enfolded into the Reynolds family easily, somewhat out of left field. She ends up connected to Ryan through the murder of his partner, and they work together to solve not only that murder but the old cold case of Clive Reynolds.

I like that this book has both murder/mystery and a little romance. I flew through it.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my copy of this book.

Thanks so much for the copy! I loved catching up on the backlog books from this author, and really enjoyed her work. I cannot wait to read more from her!

“The Widowmaker” is the second book in the Black Harbor series. Yet again, Morrissey delivers a heart-pounding, intense, and atmospheric thriller/police procedural. The story is told from the POVs of Morgan Mori, a photographer with a dark past who witnesses the murder of a police officer, and Ryan Hudson, a detective investigating his former partner’s murder. Set in Black Harbor, Wisconsin, the state’s most crime-ridden city, this book is much darker and disturbing than the others in the series. Although I struggled a bit with the graphic descriptions of some of the worst crimes imaginable, I still found myself on the edge of my seat. This was definitely an addictive read, and I could not put it down. I really enjoyed the dual POVs and trying to guess how everything was connected. Unfortunately for me, I read the series out of order, and this is the last book for me. This is one of the best thriller series I’ve read, and I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Widowmaker is book 2 in the Black Harbor series but it can be read as a standalone. From reading the first book and this one, it seems that each book features different main characters with appearances from other characters.

The main characters in this book are Morgan who is a freelance photographer with a dark past and Ryan who is an investigator with secrets of his own. Morgan witnesses Ryan’s former partner being murdered which drags up memories of her horrific childhood. This story kept me intrigued and I had to know what happened next.

When Ryan kept involving Morgan in his investigation into not only his partner’s murder but the cold case he was working, I was a little confused. That part wasn’t realistic at all and I just found it odd that it would happen after Ryan’s superior was involved as well. Other than that I thought it was well written and I look forward to continuing this series.

I enjoyed reading this thriller. This is a new author for me which I enjoyed their ability to pull me into the character's world. I found this story to be well written and hard to put down. I also found this story engaging and kept me turning pages fast to see what happened next. This is a story where the past comes to the present but will that be the key to solving this mystery. I enjoyed all the characters and what they brought to the story. They are strong, connectable and made the story easy to read. This is a fast paced story that you do not want to miss. I look forward to seeing what is next for this author. I highly recommend this book.

I am really enjoying this series.

Morgan is a freelance photographer, she inherited a skeleton key that will unlock the secrets to her dark past. She is the hired photographer for the Reynolds family holiday party where she flirts with the younger Reynolds son. On her way home, she stops at a gas station and while there a beloved cop is shot and killed. As he's dying he looks at Morgan and says "I found you" What does that mean? And why was this cop looking for Morgan?

I really liked how the Reynolds family and Morgan seemed to be intertwined. The police officer that was shot was also investigating the disappearance of the Reynolds family patriarch. Morgan seems to hold the literal key to why he may have disappeared.

I liked how both of these cases were connected and how the police officer investigating the disappearance was also trying to solve the case of his friend and former partner. I liked how he and Morgan seemed to navigate towards each other even though she has secrets.

Morgan's backstory was heartbreaking and a little tough to read at times. I understood her secrecy and why she was keeping secrets. There were so many threads to this story and I liked how they all came together. As with the first book, the setting of this one is its own character, the dark and rough streets of Black Harbor really contribute to the atmosphere of this one.

I liked the Reynolds family mystery a bit more than Morgan's story, even if they were intertwined. The twist was memorable although a bit far fetched.

I’ve been reading this series out of order, so while it’s the second in the series, it’s the third I’ve read now. I still stand by the chaotic reading order and I don’t feel like there were any spoilers revealed by reading the last book before this one.

This book focuses on a different detective than #1 and #4 do, as well as a new-to-me character who is a lead witness to the crime at the beginning. The actual plot was pretty good, I found the mystery somewhat interesting, however I had a really hard time wanting to keep picking it up for one reason or another. I couldn’t understand why these detectives kept trying to brainstorm with their lead witness? I also think I’m getting a little run down from this series, so will be taking a bit of a break before reading #3 (the one left that I haven’t read). I also rarely read crime mysteries so reading 3 books in this series nearly back to back, I feel like I need to switch up and read other genres for a bit.

Say Hello to my new favorite series. I recently read and loved Hello Transcriber, but I enjoyed this book even more. It's hard to review without giving away any spoilers - but I urge you to go in blind so everything is more thrilling.

I love all of the mysteries that happen in Black Harbor as well as the various characters and their stories. I cannot wait to continue this series.

This dark thriller was everything and more!!! Written effortlessly, I was blown away at some parts of this book that had my mind spinning. Loved the main characters and everything was just totally unexpected!!!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion!!

I really enjoyed this suspenseful thriller despite the dark subject matter. The psychological damage that had been done to the main characters brought them together and created the perfect blend of unreliable yet believable narrators of this dual viewpoint story. I listened to the audiobook and I thought Adam Verner and Xe Sands did an amazing job giving them voices. I couldn't stop listening and now I need to get Hello, Transcriber.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy of Hello, Transcriber! It was so terrific to get a taste of Hannah Morrisey's backlist in anticipation of her latest release. She has a new fan in me! The writing is stellar, and her work is haunting and perfectly paced. A new auto-buy author for me.

Hannah Morrissey’s The Widowmaker is a dark and atmospheric thriller that intertwines a decades-old disappearance with a fresh murder in the crime-ridden town of Black Harbor. Morgan Mori, a struggling photographer, finds herself entangled in the mystery of the powerful Reynolds family when a holiday gathering turns deadly. Meanwhile, Investigator Ryan Hudson is desperate to prove himself as he pieces together clues from both past and present crimes. The novel excels in its moody, noir-like tone and its exploration of trauma, secrets, and the cost of ambition.

However, the pacing is uneven, with moments of gripping suspense often slowed down by meandering subplots and a lack of urgency in the investigation. While the characters have intriguing backstories, their development sometimes feels shallow, making it difficult to fully invest in their journeys. The twists are engaging but not always surprising, and the resolution leaves some threads feeling unresolved. The Widowmaker is a decent read for fans of slow-burn mysteries, but it doesn’t quite deliver the high-stakes tension it promises.

Okay, so I already knew I loved Hannah Morrissey's writing to the nth degree, but it's truly The Widowmaker that cinched it!

This book is so different from Hello, Transcriber while remaining the same! Basically, distinct characters make up this dual point of view, which is just as edgy, gritty, and addictive as the first in the series!

Both Morgan and Hudson are so unique that there's no mistaking them from other Black Harbor residents! Hudson really stood out to me, with his character depiction so clear and pronounced! I never could (and still can't) determine what made him so unique... maybe it's just that he's really not Kole (which may have been what I was expecting!?); instead, Hudson becomes almost the antithesis of Kole. As for Morgan, she is unbelievably dark, and I loved every aspect of her!

Morrissey is a master plot weaver with this one, cleverly releasing snippets of information along the way, which caused my mind to constantly be blown. It's an art, and she does it effortlessly!

This ending!!! It was so needed!

And now I must talk about this audiobook! Adam Verner and Xe Sands were outstanding choices to voice these characters! Verner sounded so atypically "cop" and Sands came across as straightforward and uniquely sexy. Whoever is choosing the audiobook narrators for this series deserves a trophy!

I've got a reread of book three - When I'm Dead - lined up next, and I can't wait for my trip back to Black Harbor! (Although, at this point, maybe I should just invest in some real estate there!)

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for the complimentary copy to read and review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for my copy of THE WIDOWMAKER.

I love Black Harbor and all the insanity it contains. I love that this series isn't locked into certain characters but they come back in new books like old friends. I've got her next book, WHEN I'M DEAD all ready to dive into. Do yourself a favor, if you haven't already, snag yourself a copy of HELLO, TRANSCRIBER and start your Black Harbor journey.

This is the second book in the Black Harbor series.

A wealthy family shrouded in scandal, a detective tasked with solving an impossible cold case, and a woman with a dark past collide.

This book starts with a very interesting premise.

Ever since business mogul Clive Reynolds disappeared twenty years ago, the name "Reynolds" has become synonymous with "murder" and "mystery." And now, lured by a cryptic note, down-on-her-luck photographer Morgan Mori returns home to Black Harbor and into the web of their family secrets and double lives. The same night she photographs the Reynolds holiday get-together, Morgan becomes witness to a homicide of a cop that triggers the discovery of a long-buried clue.

I am excited to read When I'm Dead, the third book in the series.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you Minotaur Books for the advanced reading copy!

Loved this one! So excited to dive back into black harbor (albeit out of order lol). Hannah Morrissey’s writing is so dark in the best way — every word oozes with atmosphere and drips with mystery. I liked both of our main characters in this one and enjoyed both POV’s. Xe Sands is the best and creates such perfect vibes for this writing. The mystery was good and unexpected. Gave me A KILLING COLD vibes, which I also enjoyed. Thrilled to pick up her newest — THE UNLUCKY ONES — next!

This book completely consumed me. The atmosphere the author created is nothing short of mesmerizing. From the very first page, I was drawn into a world that felt both haunting and immersive. Every detail, no matter how dark, felt purposeful and deepened the emotional impact of the story. The author's ability to craft such a rich, atmospheric setting is unparalleled—it's as though the shadows themselves were alive, pulling me deeper into the narrative.

Even when the story took me into darker, more unsettling places, I found myself unwilling to look away. It’s rare to encounter a book that not only keeps you reading but actually pulls you inside its world, and that’s exactly what this one did. The tension, the mood, the weight of it all—it's a thrilling experience I can't recommend enough. This is one of those rare reads where you don't just read the story, you feel it, you live it.

If you’re looking for a book that will keep you riveted from start to finish, enveloping you in an atmosphere that feels alive, this is the one to pick up. It’s dark, it’s gripping, and it’s unforgettable.

An amazing winter thriller. Will be my number 1 recommendation for anyone interested in a winter thriller. Loved it!!

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

The Widowmaker By Hannah Morrissey
Publication Date: December 6, 2022
Publisher: Minotaur Books

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
(Rounded Up To 5⭐)

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

📚MY REVIEW:

The Widowmaker is the PERFECT next read in Hannah Morrissey's Black Harbor series! Again, we're gifted with a compelling mystery set in Black Harbor, where secrets linger and cower in the darkest parts of this town. Morrissey really knocked it out of the park with this one, as this mystery was even more fast-paced and heart-pounding than the first book in the series.

This book's story surrounds female MC Morgan, who emerged from an abusive childhood to leave Black Harbor and avenge her abusers in a dark way. But she's back in Black Harbor and living with her parents, forced to face the town of her horrors again. We're introduced to a of new characters in Black Harbor in this read, but we also get reacquainted with many of the characters and places featured in the first book of the series.

While the vibe of this book is just as atmospheric as the first one, I actually think I liked this story even more! There were several plotlines filled with suspense, and I enjoyed trying to connect the dots as I read. Once again, this is a police procedural, but this time there's an investigation into a cold case and current investigations that might just connect with one another. I was so happy to see some of the same police officers featured again, but in a different way, and I loved the little nods to the storylines and characters in book one.

There's no shortage of small town drama and an undercurrent of a new Black Harbor love story - in the dark and chaotic way one is coming to expect in this town. If anybody's wondering, yes, you can read this one as a standalone, but you don't want to. So far, this series is giving me all the things I love in suspenseful thrillers, with strong storylines and character development to love. There's still time to catch up on this series before the fourth installment publishes on March 25th -- and I highly recommend you fictionally visit this dark town of Black Harbor as soon as you can!

#TheWidowmaker #HannahMorrissey #BlackHarborSeries #MinotaurBooks #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #thrillerreads #thrilleraddict #thrillerlover #thrillerseries #booklover #bookreviews #bookrecs #bookrecommendations

"The Widowmaker" by Hannah Morrissey is the second book in the "Black Harbor" series.
Even if it takes place in the same town, the book can be read as a standalone.
Rating 3,5 stars

I received a digital copy of the book from St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books via Netgalley.
Opinions from this review are completely my own.

In this book, a cold case is reopened after a Porsche 930 Turbo 1978 (also called Widowmaker) that belonged to Clive Reynolds is found in the water. He disappeared 20 years before in mysterious circumstances.
Morgan Mori is a freelance photographer hired by the Reynolds family, but becomes a witness in the murder of a cop.
Ryan Hudson is a Broken Harbor cop and he becomes involved in the investigation of his partner's murder.

I liked that the story is told from dual POVs (Morgan and Hudson). This is darker than the first book and more disturbing. Morgan has many secrets from the past and she has a deep connection to Black Harbor.
The writing is good and it keeps you intrigued, but there are triggering parts, including description of child abuse and violent crimes.

The twists were unexpected and also the relationship between Morgan and Hudson was a bit strange.

I am curious about the next book in the series.