Chalking this one up to “it’s not you, it’s me”. The Widowmaker got great reviews from a lot of my friends but I just couldn’t get into it. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

I loved this book ! I was lucky to have both audio and physical and I must say during work I could not stop listening to it and at home could not put my kindle down. This is my first time reading a book by this author and definitely won’t be the last . This book is super dark and intense and I loved every minute of it .

The Widowmaker
By Hannah Morrissey

I LOVED The Widowmaker and the audiobook was amazing as narrated by Adam Verner and Xe Sands. The voices really captured the tense moments and the characterization perfectly. It kept me gripped unable to stop - was fantastic.

Morgan Mori is a photographer and is thrilled when she received a call to photograph a wealthy family's Christmas celebrations. The Reynolds family is the epitome of wealth in their town, and the family name is associated with a mystery from when Clive Reynolds went missing twenty years prior, and now a cold case mystery. That same night, Morgan witnesses a murder of a cop in a gas station, and her car, her photographs and equipment - all stolen.

Investigator Ryan Hudson is the other point of view in the story - his partner was killed in the gas station robbery and is bound to find the killer. At the same time, he is also assigned to the Clive Reynolds cold case - and he is determined to solve the mystery especially that the car was fished out of the lake - the Porsche also hailed as the Widowmaker.

I enjoy this amazing complex story - at every page, there is more revealed about Morgan Mori and then of investigator Ryan Hudson. The characters are so amazing to read about - there is always something else hidden to find out - which makes this a page turner.

One of the best thrillers I have read for 2022.

The ice crunched beneath her boots as she made her way down the path. She gripped her camera in her gloved hands as she searched for the next subject to capture. She crouched down and zoomed in on the house in the distance. A forbidden structure, falling apart and burnt at the edges. Her camera clicked, immortalizing the building. A building hiding more secrets than she could count.

The Widowmaker is a crime thriller following a wealthy family harboring a bunch of secrets. A twenty year old crime colliding with a present day death of an officer. This book is a dual perspective novel following a detective, Hudson, trying to solve his friend and fellow officer’s murder, as well as following Morgan, a photographer who witnessed the murder and has secrets of her own.

The wealthy family in this story, with mafia-like vibes, really intrigued me and I was curious to see what they were hiding and what the reasons behind a decades old disappearance where. And while I love descriptions and background information… this book was inundated with it. The endless descriptions took away from the mystery and intrigue for me and made the book drag in the middle. I found myself going “get to the point” quite a few times. While most of the story moved slowly, the last 1/4 of the book was fast-paced and I wish it had been that way the entire time.

Overall a good crime thriller and if you like wealthy family drama and murder, this book may be a good read for you!

This multi layered mystery starts with two characters who seemingly aren't related in the storyline. However, nothing is as it appears as a story of a young girl rescued from a childhood house of horrors grown into a young woman. Her path crosses with a police officer during a gas station robbery and the action takes off and does not ease until the end. Child abuse was a difficult subject but vengeance takes over part of the plot. Wealth, ties, vulnerabilities and plenty of plot twists. An author I will say read again.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

I just love Morisseys writing and she's such an exciting voice in crime fiction. Thank you to SMP for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hannah Morrissey and St Martin’s Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t know what to expect with this one since I haven’t read any of this authors other novels - but they were all rave reviews for Hello Transcriber so I took a risk. It took me a long time to get into this one and although there are lots of twists, it seemed a bit hard for me to connect to any of the characters or the story. Just not really for me.

I was back and forth on my rating for this one. The beginning was a bit slow, then things got incredibly good, and then it sort of tapered off again. I wanted a faster pace, but it was still an enjoyable read.

My favourite storyline was definitely Morgan’s. She was so fascinating to me! Learning about her past and The Ruins was so intense, and I loved the darkness of it all.

Hudson was also a great character, but his POV just didn’t draw me in the same (although the truth about his brother was very interesting!).

If you enjoy police procedurals and a slow burn murder mystery, I would highly recommend this one! That type of thriller isn’t always my thing, and I think that’s why I struggled more with this one. Overall, great writing and some solid twists!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my gifted copy.

The Widowmaker by Hannah Morrissey is a Black Harbor mystery in the same universe as Hello, Transcriber. I loved that book, so I almost cannot blame The Widowmaker for not living up to its predecessor.

In this book, readers meet photographer Morgan Mori (great symbolism) who returns home, witnesses a murder, and finds herself in a precarious position.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. Wow! This story starts out at top speed and never slows down! The twists and turns will give you whiplash! The characters are loaded with flaws and they are interesting. I totally recommend this book to readers who enjoy a well-done psychological thriller with action from beginning to end.

This is the second book by this author. The first being Hello, Transcriber, which I haven't read yet. I hope too.

This story is told by Morgan, a photographer, and Hudson who is a cop. It starts out with Morgan fleeing Chicago and going back home to Black Harbor.

Morgan is hired to photograph the Reynolds family's Christmas party. They are rich and Morgan could make a lot of money doing this. She was a gift for the mother from her son Bennett. I wondered for a while just who gives another human as a gift but with this story I found out. Not a gift in an ugly way mind you. The gift of the party being photographed. Bennett knew who Morgan was in Chicago though he had not met her until she arrived at their family home. Morgan is greeted with open arms by most of the Reynolds family but there are a couple who have very sinister feelings toward her.

Morgan had a horrible upbringing. She was left with an aunt who was cruel to her after her mother deserted her. Her dad abandoned her also. Her parents were not married but it seemed they might have loved each other a bit. But did either care about Morgan really? I actually loved how Morgan's aunt died though I think she should have suffered. Maybe she did. Imagination can help here. Morgan is also described in a kind of goth way. The way she dresses and the piercings she has. Or she's just very expressive maybe. She sounded very pretty and tough. I liked her a lot. She was not a whinny type person. She was one that did what she had to to survive.

Hudson we meet at the scene of his best friend and partner's murder. He is a bit sick about it. Literally. Detective Garrison was gunned down in a connivence store during what appears to be a robbery. Hudson and Garrison had been partners for a long time and Garrison was like a father to Hudson. He was determined to bring justice for Garrison's family. Of course he could not work on the case and was put on a cold case, what happened to Hudson Reynolds.. Did he just up and leave or was he dead?

Hudson has, what I found to be, a horrible family. His mother seems to hate that he's a good guy while his brother is the towns biggest drug dealer. Go figure right. Hudson has a history also but not a bad one. He has suffered a couple of losses that are so sad. I felt for him and really liked him. He is described as a bit on the nerdy side. Not that he's not tough but he's not described as your typical buffed up big headed cop. He wants to know who killed Garrison. He wants to know what happened to Reynolds. He won't stop until there is closure.

Hudson and Morgan meet the night his partner is killed. She was a witness in a way. She saw something that will help bring justice for Garrison. Maybe even bring justice for things that happened to her as a child.

There are things in this book about child sexual abuse and just abuse that are not vivid but you get the gest of it. You know what happened. In a way there was a little bit of justice at The Ruin. Just a bit though. I'll never understand how a family member can let these things happen to anyone much less a little child but it does happen. Grownups can be so cruel. Sick grownups. Ugly grownups. Horrible ones. There is also the cop killing. He put his life on the line every single day and right before his retirement he was killed. I felt so bad for him and his family. I did like finding out what his final three words meant. It helped.

This book gives closure with most of what is going on. I did wish it had more about the Reynolds and whether they got to know Morgan better. Or how they felt about what she did to survive. Or what they felt about a family member or members doing things. I also wish the very ending would have told me whether someone arrived. My guess is yes. And only good things happened after that.

This book has some emotion in it. It's sad in lots of places. It's about murder, child abuse, child sexual abuse, family secrets, acceptance maybe. Closure possibly. Closure for two families anyway. Also and by far not least adoption. How one family took in a child that needed a lot of care and patience. I liked this family, especially the grandpa.

Thank you #NetGalley, #HannahMorrissey, #StMartinsPress #Minatourbooks for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

4 stars and I recommend it. It will keep you wondering for sure.

This story from Morrissey is dark and gritty. Morgan has a horrible past of child abuse. The descriptions of Black Harbor are bleak. The characters all seem to be searching for light and unable to find it.

There are family secrets - old and new. Morrissey does a nice job with the slow reveal. You never know who the killer is until the end - and you probably won't guess. Crazy ending to this one.

Some excellent crime fiction from Morrissey.

his is a dark and twisty tale of family secrets. The author pulls you in from the very first chapter, which is a bit mysterious and refers to events in the near past that only get clarified later in the book. The female main character, Morgan, has had a terrible childhood and it has affected her greatly. She is now in her early 30s, trying to make a living as a photographer in her home town. The male main character, Hudson, is a young police investigator with a secret in his past. The action takes place in a dismal city in Wisconsin, somewhere on Lake Michigan, called Black Harbor, in and around Christmas time. Hudson’s former partner, Garrison, is killed and we gradually find out all the links between a 20-year-old cold case involving the Reynolds, the city’s richest family, Hudson, Garrison and Morgan.

Content warning: child abuse/sexual assault in the past

The author has written a previous book that also takes place in Black Harbor but this is not being promoted as a series and I read and devoured her first book, Hello, Transcriber. The WIdowmaker was no different, I loved and devoured it.


Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

when photographer Morgan Mori business burns down she is forced to return home to Black Harbor, the place of her nightmarish childhood. After a Christmas shoot at the home of the town's wealthiest',family she witnesses an armed robbery and the shooting of a popular cop. Detective Ryan Hudson mourns the loss of his friend who he discovers is working on a cold case ... the disppearance of Clive Reynolds years ago. He is drawn to Morgan but finds her statement sketchy. When Clive's 1978 Porche "the Widowmaker" is pulled from the lake the cold case gets red hot. This was a dark, intense twisty read although readers should be warned there is child and sexual abuse and violence. Morgan is an interesting character damaged but strong and resilient despite her past trauma while Ryan is also battling conflict and a dark family history. Their joint effort to get to the bottom of the crimes both past and present is an engaging and compelling narrative. This is the second of the Black Harbor series and my first from this author but plan to seek out the first entry "Hello Transcriber".

3.5 stars

The Widowmaker starts out slow. Morgan just moved from Chicago and starts a new photography business. She is contacted by the Reynolds, a local and powerful family, to photograph their Christmas party. That same night, she witnesses a murder.

Detective Ryan Hudson wants to solve the murder of his former partner. A long buried clue to a cold case turns up during the current investigation. Are the cases connected?

Both MC have secrets of their own and interesting histories. The book kept me guessing and the mysteries were dark and captivating.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for this book. The Widowmaker came out Dec 6th, 22 and makes for a great winter thriller.

Loved this one! Dark, gritty, and compelling. It was suspenseful and it kept me guessing until the end.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going in to this book. On the one hand the blurb appealed to me. On the other hand, I wasn’t overly impressed with “Hello, Transcriber,” the author’s previous work and the first book in this series.

I do admit, this one was a bit better. The characters were ok, if unlikeable, and the premise of the story was interesting. Thought it was a little slow at the beginning and there were moments when it felt like big leaps were happening. Also extra info was included in the story that I felt was unnecessary and just muddled the storyline a bit.

Overall, not a bad book, but not my favorite. May recommend this to others depending on their taste, but might do it with a word of warning on how I felt.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Fairly easy to figure out the bad person in this story but then more to come. Was a fast and okay read. Believability was somewhat lacking but that is what makes it fiction. Family drama at its best or worst. You'll need to read to figure that out.

This book intrigued me since it is a police procedural and investigates a cold case. However, I did find it dragged and was repetitive in some parts. The main character definitely has a dark and horrible past, which to be honest I didn't really see the merit in making it that dark other than for "shock" factor for lack of better words. I also found certain aspects of this story a bit unlikely. Overall, it was an ok story but be warned it has some very dark subject matter.

I switched back and forth between the audiobook and ebook. The narration of the audiobook was good but there were several little twists along the way that I feel I would've appreciated maybe more if I had read the entire thing physically.

Content warnings: Child abuse, including pedophilia (this part was particularly hard to read), prostitution, sexual assault, graphic violence, death.

Thanks to NetGalley and St-Martin's Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This psychological thriller has all the vibes of a dark and twisty Nordic Noir even though it’s set in the Midwest. Morgan Mori is a woman trying to right the ways of her past. When she is offered a photography gig for a well known family’s Christmas party, she believes her situation is finally looking up. Unfortunately, Morgan has secrets and so does the family who hired her, but are these secrets connected?

Ryan Hudson, is a detective, who recently suffered a tremendous loss. He’s been reassigned to a cold case due to new evidence. This new information will connect him with Morgan and cause all kinds of secrets to bubble up! 4.5 stars