This is my favorite kind of detective story, solving a cold case... especially one that seems to be weirdly linked to something happening right now.

We are following Morgan who has a very traumatic past and has turned that into a passion for taking down a certain kind of person. However, that ends when her place of business burns to the ground, and the only thing left in the rubble is a balloon, a ticket, and a message to return home. Though the home is definitely not a place that Morgan ever wants to step foot in again. She gets a new job as a photographer for a semi-famous family's Christmas party and has no idea that taking this job is going to shake up her entire life in ways that she can't even fathom...

After the murder of his old partner Detective Hudson is not only determined to be involved in that case, but he is also working on the decades-old cold case of a missing man one that his partner worked on. Morgan and Hudsons paths cross and they travel a twisty turny path that took me on a ride that kept me guessing how all these clues were going to come together and how it's all going to be connected.

I really enjoyed this novel, it was dark and full of characters that felt so real they could jump off the page. I will definitely be checking out this author's other work.

A digital ARC of this book was provided to me by NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books. The opinions are my own and freely given.

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️
Child abuse

Morgan Mori has been hired to photograph a holiday party for the Reynolds family, the wealthiest family in Black Harbor. The head of the family, Clive, disappeared 20 years ago and his wife has been under suspicion ever since. Later that night, Morgan witnesses the murder of a police officer. Hudson, the victim's best friend and fellow officer is out to solve his murder and befriends Morgan. Hudson is given the cold case of Clive Reynolds. Along the way, Morgan, Hudson and Kole, his sergeant, discover that these two are related.

This is told with alternating chapters of Morgan and Hudson. Morgan has a secret, that we do eventually find out about. I was able to figure out why Morgan was drawn to the Reynolds, but I had the "who" all wrong. I didn't want to put this book down and I do recommend. Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Heather Morrissey.

My review is posted on 11/3/22 on the following websites:
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/1317419866
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4817519696
https://www.instagram.com/p/CkgUMkPLhPv/
https://www.librarything.com/topic/338257#7965274
https://app.thestorygraph.com/user_reviews/kuhlreads

I received this from Netgalley.com.

This book was just so-so for me. The characters and the plot never grabbed my attention.

2.75☆

Many thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the second Black Harbor book by Hannah Morrissey, wonderfully narrated by both Adam Verner and Xe Sands - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Twenty years ago, rich businessman Clive Reynolds disappeared. But now his car, a 1978 Porsche dubbed the Widowmaker, has been found submerged with a body inside. New investigator Ryan Hudson has been assigned the case - his first as lead investigator - but he is distracted by the murder of his partner and friend. When a witness to the murder, Morgan Mori, was just photographing the Reynolds Christmas party, the two storylines become entwined. And Morgan is dealing with her own demons.

I was so intrigued with Morrissey's debut novel - Hello, Transcriber - which also took place in Black Harbor. This one was just as dark, atmospheric and powerful with great characters. I really felt for Morgan and Ryan and was intrigued at their past stories and how they are trying to move on. A main character from the first book, Nik Kole, is back with a minor role here. Black Harbor is the perfect name for this town with lots of dark secrets - don't miss this book!

Things I liked:
-Christmas/atmospheric setting (a great December/January read)
-I like the FMC and the MMC
-Fast paced
-Multiple crimes/mysteries to be solved including a cold case(missing people, a dead cop, etc.)
-Lots of twists

Things I could have done without:
-The romance/sex scenes, they’re not long or horribly graphic but I prefer my thrillers without spice.
-The incest vibes from not only one pair of siblings, but two, and a depraved, incestuous uncle.

I think you’ll like the book if you’re into dark thrillers. The book has some heavy material and you should check TW before reading it.
Overall I thought it was an entertaining thriller, but nothing really stood out to me or made me really like it so for that reason I gave it 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

REVIEW

The Widowmaker ~ Hannah Morrissey

READ IF:
* You’re an avid photographer.
* It’s hard for you to go back to your hometown.
* You love dark, atmospheric reads.

SUMMARY: Its a cryptic note that brings Morgan Mori back to Black Harbor but it’s what transpires after her arrival that keeps her there. After photographing the Reynold’s family holiday photos, she witnesses the murder of a beloved police officer. In his pocket is a clue and it whips up a 20-year long web of murder, lies, and deceit.

REVIEW: This is my first Hannah Morrissey read and boy, can she write crime fiction. Not only does she get the police procedural part down, but she does so while creating such a dark and twisted atmosphere - you can almost feel the weight of it as you read. It’s that moody!

Two things to watch for…this one has a lot of names in the beginning. I had a bit of an oh no moment but as the story builds, it all pans out just fine. And perhaps more importantly, this one is dark. Like feel it in your bones mucky darkness. The characters have pasts that they’d like to forget, the setting feels perpetually cold and black, and the crimes are devious and dirty. If you love atmospheric crime fiction, this is it! Add to your list for its December pub date!

"All roads lead back to home"

WOW. This was crazy. It is dark and disturbing, so it's perfect for a twisted "Halloween" read if that's what you're in the mood for. This book was well written, though at times it was confusing to follow. I liked the storyline, and I was on the edge of my seat, but it was also incredibly sad and just hard for me to enjoy. I did really like how the two characters storylines were connected though. This is a story many people will enjoy, however it was too violent for my taste.

TW: child abuse, graphic violence, disturbing content

3.5⭐

Beyond excited to read and receive this book. I love Morrissey and her writing!
Half way through and I'm pissed at myself for not reading slower.... because it's almost over!
More to come about The Widowmaker!
---------------
And here I thought Morrissey couldn't top her debut novel Hello, Transcriber!
Y'all I was wrong! So wrong!

The Widowmaker by Hannah Morrissey is spectacular!
Be ready to go on one hell of a wild ride with Morgan when she returns to her small town of Black Harbor, near Lake Michigan.

I loved being back in Black Harbor but this time with Morgan.
Another very well written and gripping novel by Hannah Morrissey.
The vivid descriptions fitted the setting perfectly.
This authors masterful writing style is perfection. I easily fell in love with her style before.... But this!
This is on a whole new level.
A fascinating and unique mystery and it was one of those "I want to savor every last word"
And one of those "damn does it have to end so soon"
Compelling, atmospheric and downright unputdownable!! I loved everything about this book
Another nail-biter, perfect for an all-nighter.

All I'm saying is Hannah I love you! And thank you for creating such an atmosphere where I can get completely lost inside and forget about everything else around me!
You are a rockstar and totally killed your second novel!
I can't wait to see what you come up with next!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Minotaur Books,
Yall are phenomenal and thank you!
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

Photographer Morgan Morie is given a key that offers her information into her past. She works as a freelance photographer and she is building her own business.

A prestigious family offers her the chance at a photography session which can launch her career.

Several different story lines make this kind of complicated to follow. Morgan witnessed the death of someone, and detective Ryan was a friend. An unsolved murder will connect these two after twenty years.

A dark tale! Trigger warnings: child abuse and graphic descriptions.

I wanted to like this one but it just fell short for me. I feel like it took awhile for the story to get going and I was having a hard time focusing on it. The story is written really well and I think there will be a lot of people who will love it. It just wasn't for me.

This had a little bit of it all!

There was nostalgia with the skeleton key and undeveloped photos…does Gen Z even know what those are?!
There was grit, darkness, cold cases and tireless detectives trying to solve them.

I enjoyed this, but I will admit it creeped me out!

This book just wasn’t for me. I felt it had a lot of potential but I unfortunately was unable to fully get into the story and stay engaged. This one took me a while to read, and was a little too dark and gritty for my taste.

Thanks Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2/5 stars

This is a tense thriller, very atmospheric. It alternates between two main characters, A woman who has been seriously sexually abused and finds her own ways to cope. After losing everything she returns home with some strange clues and strange ties to this wealthy family. The other is a detective, trying to solve the murder of his partner and the cold case of the missing weathy husband. A little slow at times but a satisfying read

I’d been a big fan of Hello, Transcriber, Morrissey’s debut. But I struggled to engage with this one. Morgan gets a cryptic note, along with an old key, that brings her back home. She’s a photographer and has been hired to capture the Christmas party of the town’s rich family, the Reynolds. Their patriarch, Clive, went missing twenty years ago. On her way home, she stops at a convenience store and witnesses a policeman killed.
Ryan Hudson was the cop’s partner and is determined to find the killer, even though it’s not his case. His actual investigation is the cold case of Clive Reynold’s car from 20 years ago being found at the bottom of a lake, with a dead body inside. As is always the case with this kind of books, everything eventually comes together.
The story volleys between the two main characters and goes back and forth in time. Both have secrets and the twists come as we learn more and more about what each is hiding. It’s a very dark story, with serious child abuse which could be a trigger for some folks.
My problem was that I never connected with either character. And while there were some decent plot twists, I found the story overly complicated and unbelievable.
I listened to most of this. While I usually like Xe Sands, this time I struggled with her deep voice, especially when in the car. There were times it sounded like she had a mouth full of gravel. I switched to reading the ending and it made a big difference in being able to track the players and action.
My thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook.

3.5 ⭐️‘sMorgan Mori has come back to Black Harbor after her entire life was reduced to ashes. A photographer by trade, Morgan is hired by the wealthy Reynolds family to capture photos at their annual Christmas gala. Bennett Reynolds seems to take a shine to Morgan and asks her out for a drink. On her way home from the bar, Morgan stops for gas at a convenience store where she witnessed the shooting of a cop. The plot thickens as he whispers words to Morgan before he dies. When his partner, Detective Ryan Hudson, arrives at the scene, he finds a ticket stub in Garrison’s wallet with the words The Ruins printed in the back. Hudson is a wreck after the death of Garrison and only wants to find out who killed him, but the case is not in their jurisdiction. Instead, Hudson is put on the cold case of Clive Reynolds, patriarch of the Reynolds family. Clive has been missing for 20 years, two weeks after his Porsche 930 Turbo (aka The Widowmaker) was stolen and not long after his wife had taken out an 11 million dollar life insurance policy. Many would think that Eleanor killed Clive, but there’s no evidence to back up those suspicions. Hudson’s heart isn’t in his new case as he mourns his partner, but when the cases start to overlap, Hudson digs deeper. Meanwhile Morgan has a skeleton key that fits a lock, a lock that she’s been unable to find. Given a roll of undeveloped film from the Reynolds, parts of Morgan’s younger life start coming back to her. Working together with Hudson, the two are on a collision course with evil, but who will win? The story is a bit on the complicated side with a very dark plot, and with an abrupt ending, this one won’t be going on my favorites list.

I’d definitely recommend reading this one physically instead of listening to it. I think the story had great potential but it just didn’t hit the mark for me.

𝙈𝙮 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)

𝙈𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨:

This book? I didn’t expect to like it as much. I certainly didn’t expect to like it more than 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤, 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙚𝙧. But here we are. And I did.

I love how imperfect, twisty, and morally grey Ms. Morrissey’s characters are. I even love how dark and depressing Black Harbor feels. And I 𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀𝘿 the way she tied the two books together.

I know. Quite the love-fest, huh?

This is a standalone, so you technically don’t 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 to read 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤, 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙚𝙧 first. But I would suggest it. If just for a little background. Both books are excellent (this one is better).

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and Hannah Morrissey for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧 will be available in the US on December 6th, 2022.

I love any book set in Wisconsin so I rejoiced at having been gifted this from Netgalley. I was not disapointed! Dark, twisty and unputdownable. I devored The Widowmaker in two days. Cryptic notes, cold cases, what more could you want in a book!

Book Title: The Widowmaker
Series: Black Harbor
Author: Hannah Morrissey
Publisher: Saint Martin’s Press ~ Minotaur Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: December 6, 2022
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars

When I finished reading "Hello, Transcriber", my comment was it had me at ‘Hello”!

This story starts when freelance photographer Morgan Mori returns home to the small town of Black Harbor, near Lake Michigan. Black Harbor is a typical small town a Black Harbor where most cannot wait to leave, however Morgan is returning.

It is just before the holidays and she is hired to do a family photo shoot at a Christmas party at Reynolds mansion.
She inherited a skeleton key (such as the one on the cover). This key reveals secrets of the past she is trying to forget.

At the end of the night after taking pictures of the family, she stops to for gas and goes inside to buy candy. She finds she is in the middle of a robbery and Officer Garrison is killed. However, before he dies he looks at her and states, “I found you”. <i> (There is a bit of mystery as to why Morgan went go far out of her to get gas.)</i>

Garrison was the partner of Investigator Ryan Hudson. They are best friends and procedure dictates that Hudson is not get involved in the investigation.

As the investigation continues and the police divers are looking for the weapon, they find a 1978 Classic black 930 Turbo Porsche known as ‘The Widowmaker’ which belonged to Clive Reynolds. Mr. Reynolds was a wealthy man who disappeared twenty years ago!


Story alternates between the POV of Morgan and Hudson.

.Story was disturbing I was anxious to read the author’s notes as to what was her inspiration in writing this story. In the acknowledgements she tells us that the thread that began knitting this story was ~ in many cases the victims of abuse will continue to be victims . . . or become perpetrators in making abuse happen.
I was able to both read and listened to this story. I am a big audiobook fan but some of the disturbing parts were difficult to hear. So in this case, I liked the novel more.
Additionally audiobook usually don’t include the author’s note and/or acknowledgements which provide the inside scoop to the story which is always something I enjoy.
If you like Hannah Morrissey, you may be interesting in knowing that she is working on Back Harbor Book #3, she has a ‘dino' collection, and her husband proposed during a game of charades. If you want to know more, here is a You Tube link of an interview on ‘Mighty Mysteries’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdZU8Sny4F8

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press ~ Minotaur Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for December 6, 2022

photographer Morgan Mori lucks out getting a photography job for the richest family in town, After taking photos of the whole family, she goes for drinks, and becomes friends with one of the Reynolds boys. On Morgans way home that night she is a witness of a crime. This crime triggers something in Morgans mind.

later Morgan finds herself helping to solve a 20 year old crime, that is also connected to the crime she witnessed. In time helping to solve the cold case helps Morgan remember her past.
thanks netgalley for a great read.