I will always go back to Black Harbor!! Hannah Morrissey never disappoints and this kept me guessing until the end

When I’m Dead is the third book in the Black Harbor series. Two girls end up dead and another goes missing. The missing girl happens to be the daughter of a cop and medical examiner. All three were supposed friends but soon it’s uncovered that after one gets the school plays coveted lead role things get nasty. Is this a case of revenge or something much more sinister? A fast paced well written backdrop of a city rift with crime and a family trying desperately to get out. A definite 5 star. I can’t wait to read the next installment of this series.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc

Review: When I'm Dead by Hannah Morrissey
Swipe for Goodreads synopsis

"You'll love me more when I'm dead" were Chloe's last words to her mother before she went missing walking home from the school play. Now medical examiner Rown Winthrop and her detective husband Axel are desperately searching for Chloe before it's too late.

I have been a big fan of Morrissey's Black Harbor series ever since I read Hello, Transcriber last year. Morrissey's ability to transport the reader to the cold, dreary city of Black Harbor, WI never ceases to impress me, and this book is no exception. Morrissey is a gorgeous writer, and I just love reading every book she writes.

I really liked this new story. I could totally feel for Rowan and Axel and their desperation as they search for their daughter. Although I found the villain to be a bit obvious, at least for me, their motivation was certainly unexpected.

All in all, another solid book from Morrissey, and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next!

Stars: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to Minotaur Books for the eARC!

#whenimdead #smpinfluencer #minotaurinfluencer #thrillerrecommendation #thrillerbookreview #thrillerbook

This story is told in third person following parents Rowan and Axel as well as a neighbor teenager, Libby. This book is the third in a series however I’ve heard that it can be read as a standalone since the characters and mystery are different in each book. I still have the feeling that I may have been spoiled to part of the endings of the first two books. I’m not sure what the purpose of mentioned past characters and their current situations did for this story other than to explain why Black Harbor is such a den of crime and I still didn’t have a feel for that dark ambiance that I was expecting.

Rowan and Axel both work in law enforcement in some capacity and I thought they would be working together to look for their missing daughter. Instead, they often let differences of opinion on certain aspects of the investigation and other personal issues divide their focus, which while understandable, didn’t do their search any favors. This might have worked better for me if they shared information and collaborated on finding their daughter rather than get fixated on one aspect of the investigation. I’m not even going to address the conflict of interest here.

In addition, I thought the perpetrator was obvious the second they appeared on page for me. Still, I enjoyed the characters and their separate journeys to uncovering the truth. Rowan’s reasoning on why this is happening and how it relates to her past gave the story an emotional connection in addition to that of a mother with a missing child.

Recommended to readers who enjoy missing persons cases that are more interested in the emotional repercussions than procedures.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for a copy provided for an honest review.

When a local teenage girl is murdered in the crime-ridden city of Black Harbor, WI, medical examiner, Rowan, is called to the scene with her detective husband, Axel, and they discover that the dead girl is their daughter’s best friend. When they return home, they find their daughter, Chloe, is missing too. A web of secrets comes to light as the couple investigate Chloe’s disappearance and the murder, and they realize there is a lot they didn’t know about their child.

I thoroughly enjoyed When I’m Dead by Hannah Morrissey. I read it in 2 sittings because I had trouble putting it down. This book was a fun, fast-paced ride. As a Wisconsinite, I love reading books set there, even though Black Harbor sounds like a scary place to be. Rowan and Axel were good characters to lead the story and I loved the switching of the POVs. It was a very effective way of unraveling the mystery and the twists. While I was able to figure out who-dunnit before the big reveal, the why was a surprise to me and I still found the ending to be satisfying. Over all, this was a fun, classic murder mystery with a modern flair, and I would love to go back and read the other companion novels in this series.

Although I didn’t realize this book was 3rd in the series I had no trouble following along. I’ll definitely be starting from the beginning. The author did a a great job engaging me and keeping me invested in the characters. I love when subtle hints get dropped helping you guess the perpetrator. I did guess it but the details where so much more than I thought.

This was my first book by the author and while I was invested, I just didn't feel the "pull" to pick this book up after setting it down. I finished and ended up liking it, it just wasn't a favorite.

I loved the setting of this book and it felt SO spooky. I also thought that it was pretty fast paced. I just personally didn't love the characters or care much about them which made it hard to keep reading.

I was disappointed with this one. I had high hopes with it. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and there were times I felt lost and wasn’t sure what was going on in the story.

This is book 3 in the Black Harbour Series. One girl is dead, another is missing. Can Medical Examiner Rowan Winthorp solve the murder and find the missing girl, or will there be more victims in this case for any answers come?

This was my first read by this author. I never read the synopsis, and I always go into books without any expectations. I was pleasantly surprised on how much I enjoyed this thriller. I didn't know this book was part of a series. I wasn't confused and I truly feel like this could be read as a stand alone. I loved the plot build up and I was invested in the story until the end.

I have read Hannah's other 2 previous books in the Black Harbor series and this one was one of my favorites. The Halloween/seasonal backdrop really fit the story perfectly. Right from the start, the book starts with a bang of a teenage girl found murdered. Then, the detective and the medical examiner on the case have their teenage daughter go missing as well. It was very entertaining and kept me intrigued although I figured out who did it pretty early on. Overall, it's a book I would recommend to readers.

Some of this book was really well done - the creepy factor, the horror, the semi-unpredictable ending. But other parts were just ehh. I did not really like the main characters. I found their involvement in the case (given that their daughter was missing) to be unrealistic. I understand they department was short staffed - but it just didn’t make sense. I also found the lack of major emotions to be bizarre. And their marriage and interactions were very fake and just didn’t sit well with me. I also found that some chapters moved very quickly and other parts were incredible slow. The book had a lot of ups and downs. i never read the first two books in the series, and I don’t think i missed anything. But maybe it would have moved faster if i were more invested in the town and characters? Overall and enjoyable read, but not incredible.

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced reader copy.

I was up late into the night reading this one. It grabs you almost immediately and you’re on the hook from there. Another dark, tense and chilling trip down memory lane through creepy Black Harbor. 👀

When I’m Dead can be read as a stand-alone however I highly recommend reading the first two in her Black Harbor series as well because they’re so good. I love picking up on the references throughout each book. Hannah’s writing is like no other, she puts you right into the scene and as much as Black Harbor makes me feel like I never should have stepped foot there..I want to go back every-time I leave.

When I’m Dead wasn’t the thriller I thought it would be. It was just ok in my eyes but I see others loved it so maybe it’s just me? I didn’t read the other books in this series so I don’t know if that had any baring on this one but I’ll give it 3 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this release in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, and Hannah Morrissey for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I have quickly fallen in love with Hannah Morrissey's writing style. I love her kinda dark/gritty style and her stories always hook me right away! I absolutely loved The Widowmaker so I could not wait to dig into this one, and as I expected she did NOT disappoint me! She kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and I could not put this one down! So many twists and turns which I loved! Solid 4 stars for me!

I really enjoyed reading "When I'm Dead." It kept me on the edge of my seat and made me question what I thought I knew as the story went on. Definitely a creepy read!

When I’m Dead was an interesting read for me. I liked that this was a dark thriller where I couldn’t figure out who the killer was. I was not too fond of the multiple POVs, but they grew on me. They did give me insight into Chloe and the facts surrounding her disappearance. They also gave me insight into the people murdered and how the murders are tied to Chloe.

The main storyline is centered around the murders and Chloe’s disappearance. The investigation into the murders did raise my eyebrows, though. The main detective and the medical examiner knew the victim(s) and, later on, knew what they did to their daughter. I know this is fiction, but I didn’t think it was kosher. I also thought that Axel interrogating suspects was against everything I knew about police procedure. The author does attempt to explain why they were both working the cases. There was a shortage of MEs and police officers. Then there is Libby’s role in everything. She didn’t tell Axel or Rowan everything she knew and, most importantly, defaced evidence in Chloe’s room. Her behavior made me think she was a suspect until it was proven she wasn’t (alibi). But Libby was central in figuring out who the killer/kidnapper was and the motive behind everything.

The mystery angle was well written. The author gave a ton of red herrings and had me thinking different people were the killer/kidnapper. Heck, she even had me thinking that Chloe did it and ran away. But when she revealed who the killer/kidnapper was and the motive, I was shocked. That person wasn’t even on my radar.

The suspense/thriller angle was also well-written. I was kept on the edge of my seat, wondering when Chloe would be found and the killer would be revealed. And at the end of the book, I was on edge with everything happening.

The end of When I’m Dead was great. I liked the twists that the author threw in about the killer. As I mentioned above, I had zero clue about the killer’s motive and who the killer was. I felt that the very end of the book was a little anti-climactic due to everything that happened.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and Hannah Morrissey for allowing me to read and review this ARC of When I’m Dead. All opinions stated this this review are mine.

I’ve never anything by this author, but I will continue to do so now. This book was so creepy and so good! It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, and the twist were amazing.

3.5 Stars

*Can be read as a standalone.*

Medical Examiner Rowan and her detective husband, Axel, were summoned last minute to investigate the untimely death of Madison, a classmate of their daughter. Even though their daughter's school play was at the same time, they had no choice but to abandon it to attend to the case. However, tragedy struck when their daughter Chloe disappeared after the school play. The search for their daughter is now a race against the clock. They must find her before it is too late.

It has been a year since I read the second novel, so I essentially approached the novel as a standalone and found it to be easily comprehensible. The plot was intriguing, however, I couldn't build a connection with any of the characters. Further, I was able to anticipate the culprit. Overall, not my favorite by this author, but it was still an enjoyable read.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Hannah Morrissey, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for graciously sending me the E-Book to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

This was my first book by Hannah & I really wanted to love it. I went into it with very high expectations. It was just ok for me though. The first 75% of the book was so slow & drawn out. I normally finish a thriller book in 2-3 days but this just dragged on for a week. We had picked this for our thriller book club pick for November & out of 11 people-only 2 people finished it. I will still read the other Black Harbor books to see if maybe this one just wasn’t for me. I wouldn’t deter someone from reading this I just wouldn’t tell anyone it’s a must read