Thank you to Minotaur Books, Netgalley, and the author for the complimentary advance readers’ edition of THE WIDOWMAKER by Hannah Morrissey for an honest review.

Publication Date: 12/6/2022
Rating: 3.5 / 5

THE WIDOWMAKER follows a couple of mysteries. Twenty years ago, Clive Reynolds went missing, a man well known in business circles. His wife was accused of the crime and has long been thought of as a murderer. Morgan has recently returned to her hometown of Black Harbor, reinventing herself and her photography career. One of her first jobs is to photograph the Reynolds family holiday party. While she is aware of the family’s reputation, and they certainly don’t try to hide it, she is drawn to the allure of the family occasion and the people who seem to welcome her warmly.

On her way back home after the party Morgan Mori makes a stop at a gas station where she is witness to the murder of a police officer. Not only does she see this murder, the murderer takes off with her car, her photography equipment, the Renyolds’ photos, and her entirely livelihood. The officer killed has been working on solving the cold case involving Clive. Morgan has been through a lot in her life, and this just adds to the family intrigue and secrets and darkness that surrounds her.

I really enjoyed Morrissey’s HELLO, TRANSCRIBER when I read it last year, so I was excited to get the opportunity to read her sophomore book. This book is set in the same city of Black Harbor but it is entirely a standalone novel. It definitely has the same dark, gritty feel of the prior book with characters and a place that has been through a lot of trauma. In this case we are following Morgan’s POV and that of Ryan Howard, the murdered man’s partner who is now determined to solve both crimes, past and present.

I will say that this book took me a little bit longer to get into than the previous novel, but that could have been a very me type of thing. By about the halfway mark (and this is a fairly short novel, under 300 pages) I was very invested in wanting answers. I guessed at a few things, but the author managed to surprise me with some of the twists in the end.

I am very glad to have had the opportunity to read THE WIDOWMAKER! Pub date is on 12/6/2022! I will be looking forward to reading what Hannah Morrissey brings us next!

I received this book from the publisher through netgalley.com I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a complex mystery. Morgan returns to her home town as a photographer. Lured by a mysterious note and a skeleton key with no knowledge of what it opens. Ryan Hudson is a cop with a secret. When his ex-partner is murdered and Morgan the only witness they find themselves finding clues that tie Morgan and Hudsons partner not only to each other but to the wealthy Reynolds clan.

With chapters that are told by Hudson and some by Morgan this troubled mystery unfolds. The horrors that Morgan endured, the secrets she keeps and the secrets that Hudson's partner kept start to come to light shining light on an old mystery of what happened to Clive Reynolds the patriarch of the clan whose wife has always been the prime suspect.

This is a dark and disturbing tale with triggers of child sexual abuse. The writing is well developed, the characters believable and the narrations held my attention.

Smoldering ashes. A red balloon. A skeleton key with a note. Everything…ruined.

Welcome back to Black Harbor. Crime dominates, life is arduous, and the cold permeates your bones.

Morgan Mori has a dark past. Darker than most and that’s saying a lot in Black Harbor. After receiving a note and a key, Morgan returns home…where it all began. She’s always had an eye for photography — seeing people as they are in a single moment. Raw. Unfiltered. Her luck seems to be changing when she’s hired by the notoriously wealthy Reynolds family to shoot their Christmas party. Although more public than Morgan’s, they have their own dark side. Clive Reynolds went missing twenty years ago and has never been found. The case as cold as a Wisconsin winter.
On the same night of the Christmas party, Morgan is witness to the seemingly senseless shooting death of a Black Harbor police officer. Once the investigation into Officer Garrison’s death begins, Morgan must uncover her past. In doing so, she discovers she may be the key that unlocks everything.

Hannah Morrissey is a queen. The Widowmaker is dark and tense. Brimming with secrets…oh, so many secrets. I jokingly stated I was changing my rating system after reading Ashley Winstead’s The Last Housewife, making a tier above 5 stars and simply labeling it TLH. At 60% in, I realized this is the first book that would get a TLH rating.

If you’ve not read Hello, Transcriber…do it! You just might see some familiar faces on your second trip to Black Harbor.

Xe Sands and Adam Verner did an outstanding job bringing Morgan, Inspector Hudson, and Black Harbor to life. Thank you to MacMillan Audio, Hannah Morrissey, and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

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.

I chose to request this book simply by the cover so don’t judge me! But I really enjoyed this book and the narrator. Do be aware that there are triggers of childhood abuse. This book has a lot of suspense so that was a plus for my likings. I went on completely blind with no expectations and I will say I really liked this story. I don’t want to say to much no need spoilers but you should def give this a try it’s well worth it. If you’re reading this and feel like you’re at the point where you want to DNF don’t put it down you’ll thank me later. Yes the audiobook was long but I wish it was longer!

I listened to this on audio and would recommend doing the print version. The story was interesting with some good twists but also quite disturbing in its content at times.

However, the male narrators voice did not work for me at all. His voice was too high pitched at times, especially when portraying tough criminals. It was such a disconnect from the story and brought the rating down a full point for me. The female narrator was great but I’d still recommend passing on the audio version if you’re sensitive to tones matching the book, like I am.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the alc in exchange for an honest review.

I will not be sharing a review of this anywhere but goodreads. I think it’s a good story and don’t want to deter others for trying it.

Thank you #netgalley and #macmillianaudio for the gifted copy of this book!

From the same sweet and dark author of Hello Transcriber comes Hannah’s new book called “The Widowmaker”. Set in the same seedy, gritty town of Black Harbor, Wisconsin this time we follow the old murder mystery of Clive Reynolds. Morgan Mori, a photographer returns back home to Black Harbor to take photos at a holiday party. This event quickly makes it so she weaves her way into the history of this cold case and the secrets of this town.

After the party, she is a witness to a murder of a police officer at a convenience store which leads her to the first clue in this case. At the time, she is unaware what the cryptic code of “I found you!” really means. Ryan, a police officer and partner to the deceased cop arrives at the scene and will stop at nothing to solve his partners murder. As he digs, he uncovers more dark secrets and discovers what really intertwines the characters in this story dating back to Clive’s disappearance.

Thoughts:

Hannah has an uncanny ability to paint a really vivid picture of this town and the darkness lurking in each corner of this city! I enjoyed the pacing of this story and the secrets as they unfolded. I didn’t see the twists coming at all or how the characters were tied together. I thought this story was captivating and enjoyed how the cold case and the current case came together in an intense way. I even enjoyed the police work aspect of this book. This book was dark, atmospheric, entertaining and the perfect amount of thrill. Awesome job Hannah! Looking forward to more stories from Black Harbor!

A stand alone with a LOT of graphic content. Sexual abuse, pedophilia, torture, etc...

Morgan returns to her hometown after receiving a cryptic note and a key. She witnesses a cop being murdered and suddenly finds herself intertwined in a predominant family's secrets.

This was OK. It did get better as it went on, but I really struggled in the beginning. Like a lot. I couldn't connect with the characters and I was often confused about what was happening (likely because my attention kept wandering).

The audiobook is narrated by Adam Verner and Xe Sands. I am not familiar with Verner- his narration was OK. I am very familiar with Xe Sands and typically enjoy her narrations. This time it seemed like she was mumbling at times. She sort of has a style like that, but for whatever reason, it bothered me with this book Not sure if it was worse than usual or because I was not completely into the book.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Morgan Mori has had a traumatic life and has returned to her home town of Black Harbor with a cryptic note and old key that could unlock her past. She has been hired by Mrs Reynolds and her wealthy local family with a dark history of their own. On her way home from photographing their annual Christmas party she stopped by a convivence store where a would be robbery goes south and a police officer is murdered. His last words directed to Morgan, "I've found you". Ryan Hudson was the officer's former partner and he has vowed to track down the killer and the key to finding the killer is tied to the surviving witness, Morgan Mori.
When I read the description of this novel I thought it would be about the strange disappearance of Clive Reynolds but that was more of a throw away subplot. The story is told from both Morgan and Ryan's perspectives but I struggled to connect to either character or their plot line. Overall the story became too convoluted and the ending seemed muddy. In the end I found it just okay. This novel does have some dark themes with graphic violence that could be hard for some readers. I had the audio version read by Adam Verner; Xe Sands who both did a good job.

The Widowmaker is a well-crafted mystery that takes a little bit too long to get interesting.

I wasn't really interested until around the 50% mark. Both mysteries are introduced immediately and then fade to the background as we get to know the characters in the town. No one seemed to be in a rush to solve the mysteries, therefore, I wasn't interested in the story.

Once the true nature of the story started to unfold and characters began spilling their secrets I was hooked. Morrissey expertly wove together all the smaller storylines to create an intricate mystery that revealed the dark secrets of Black Harbor. Ryan and Morgan were the perfect characters to help uncover these secrets. Both had complicated relationships with the small town and secret pasts they were trying to outrun. After the first major reveal, I did not want to put this book down.

I wouldn't particularly recommend reading this via audiobook. There are a lot of elements to keep track of which can be hard to follow via audio. The narrators both put on distinct voices for all of the side characters. I often find this approach a bit cringe and, in this book, they were definitely overperformed. The female narrator's voice is deep and gravelly which is lovely to listen to. However, if you increase the speed of the audiobook at all her narration becomes really difficult to understand. I love reading mysteries and thrillers via audiobooks, but I almost wish I had read The Widowmaker physically.

This was a book I read on my kindle and wanted to read again on audio! Needless to say it was just as much of a hit in the audio version as it was in the electronic form.

The writing was superb, as was the plot and the characters. This book was extremely well written. It was dark, mysterious, and kept me guessing right til the end. The twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat.

I haven’t read anything by this author before, but I will definitely look for more of her work. This is a good I would highly recommend to other readers.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC.

This is a dark, gritty, chilling police procedural read. Filled with lots of secrets and lies that don't stop coming, THE WIDOWMAKER will have you trying to guess all the plot twists again and again.

This book is not for the faint of heart as some of the topics covered are dark and heavy (childhood abuse, some graphic murder scenes).

Overall, this book kept me hooked and entertained and I can't wait to see what Hannah comes out with next!

4.25-4.5 Stars
So many twists and I didn't see any of them coming!

As an avid reader of mystery and thrillers, it's so rare to find a mystery/thriller novel where you have no idea where the story is going. I didn't know who the real perpetrator was or their motive. I had a few guesses, but none of them were right. Not only that but the story was intriguing and entertaining.

***I would like to thank NetGalley, Hannah Morrissey (the author), and Macmillan Audio for graciously sending me an ARC to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

Trigger warnings: torture, child abuse, sexual assault

A spooky, gritty crime thriller. Dual point of view between a woman with a dark past who witnessed a murder, and the cop who is investigating that murder. The flashbacks to the past and the twists and turns kept me engaged. I really enjoyed the suspense.

Thank you to Hannah Morrissey, Macmillan Audio, and netgalley for providing an audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time with this book, but I’m not fully sure if I can pinpoint the exact struggle I had with it.

I didn’t like any of the characters nor could I connect with any of them. I just had a hard time wanting to read about their life stories and mundane activities.

Some of the coincidences were just a little too convenient and implausible. I understand this book is a work of fiction, but it is still supposed to feel a little bit like it is real.

I liked some of the twists, but a couple were pretty obvious, but a few were just a little too bizarre. The book really only got interesting during the last third.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this! It was fast paced and kept me on the tips of my toes! The characters were well developed and I just really liked the story in general!

Being completely upfront and honest, I really struggled to follow this audiobook. Even though it was told between only 2 characters, so many characters were involved and I struggled to keep track of everyone and follow the storyline. I really liked the 2 narrators and their calming yet powerful voices.

THE WIDOWMAKER by Hannah Morrissey felt like modern Gothic filled with suspense and dark drama.

The audio is narrated by Adam Verner and Xe Sands, and for me, the narrators had a big impact.

First, the story: Morgan was sent a cryptic key that has something to do with her dark past. She is currently a photographer called to photograph the Reynolds family, the very family that had scandal with the patriarch, Clive's disappearance decades ago. Ryan Hudson is the lead detective on the cold case involving Clive's newly discovered car, but can't focus when his partner has just been killed...and witnessed by Morgan.

This was a fast paced story with a lot of different directions and subplots. As an audio, this was a bit hard for me to keep track of all that was going on. I enjoyed Xe's narration and she captured the dark edges of Morgan well. Adam's narration of Ryan Hudson felt like I was listening to an old radio drama. It felt too dramatized for me, and I had a hard time paying attention to that POV. Very subjective issue, so don't let this stop you from listening!

Another difficult thing for me was the level of child abuse descriptions given in the story. It was dark and heavy. If I had been prepared for that, it would have helped.

The story itself was a layered, twisty thrill ride that I know a lot of people will be excited to board. The way the story unfolds trickled little drops just enough to keep me guessing and thirsty. There were pieces that I could place, which was helpful given all the was happening. A cinematic suspension of reality is also helpful for the latter chapters, but this is something I expect from fiction like this.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @macmillan.audio for this ALC. For fans of Karin Slaughter, I think this will be a great read! Keep it on your radar for its December 5th release Overall!

Overall, it was a bit dark for me and the narration had me stuck!

So I am brand new to this author and have not read Hello Transcriber. But I was intrigued by the description of this book. An old mystery is reawakened when the car belonging to a man that has been missing for several years, Clive, emerges out of the water. There are two man POVs, Hudson a cop, and Morgan, a photographer. Morgan is given a key with a cryptic note, involving her in the mystery. And Hudson is trying to solve the murder of his partner, while he is assigned to investigate the reappearance of the car.

I really enjoyed listening to this. I need to get to Hello, Transcriber soon.

Thank you netgalley and Macmillan audio for giving me an advanced review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.