I love the Black Harbor series and all things @hannahmorrisseywriter so I was really excited to get an advance copy!
Hannah does such a good job with complex characters and weaving storylines together which I cannot imagine very easy. This installment of the Black Harbor series is no exception. We get to meet Alex and Rowan. Both are so realistic I felt like they were real life people. Their frantic desperation at finding their daughter while keeping their marriage afloat kept me going.
The pacing of this is brilliant. You get lots of small red herrings however, I was so immersed I had no idea where this was going to go. I just went along for the ride with the Winthrop’s and hoped there would be a conclusion. I don’t want to give any spoilers away so that is all I will say about that.
The atmosphere once again comes alive and although I have never been to Black Harbor, I feel like I have after reading Hannah’s novels. Loved that it was set literally around the dates I read it and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Fry (so cute and I know Hannah’s love for a Frenchie) as well as Beetlejuice being the school play. I wish I could see it! Another great installment and I look forward to more from Hannah! Thank you @netgalley for my advance copy!

When I'm Dead by Hannah Morrissey is a highly recommended murder mystery.

It is October in Black Harbor, Wisconsin, Axel and Rowan Winthorp are watching the school play their daughter Chloe has a main role in when they are both called away and instruct Chloe to get a ride home with their neighbor. Axel is a homicide detective in Black Harbor’s police department while Rowan is medical examiner so this isn't the first time the two have had to suddenly leave and Chloe resents this. The scene they are called in to investigate is the death of teenager Madison Caldwell, a good friend of Chloe. The scene is gruesome. Hours later Rowan and Axel discover that Chloe is missing. Now they have a teen murdered, one missing and it looks like the two events are connected making the investigation more complicated and personal.

The narrative is told through the point-of-view of Rowan, Axel, and Libby, the teenage daughter of their neighbor. The characters are pensive, observant, and complicated in this murder mystery. The list of suspects grows exponentially with each chapter as the tension also rises with each new detail exposed. Allowing the plot to develop through the viewpoints of different characters works very well in When I'm Dead. Each of the three perspectives focus on different details and events which lead to new questions.

Although this is the third novel set in Black Harbor, it can be read as a standalone since the town is the connection between the novels. Expect a mean girls vibe, teen drama, bullying, rumors, suspect educators, and distressing self reflection, all set in the Gothic atmosphere of an apparently cursed city. For those sticklers of proper procedures, some disbelief must be utilized since parents would not normally be officially involved in an investigation, although it is explained away as the department being so short-handed.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of St. Martin's Press via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Edelweiss, X, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

When I'm Dead is the third installment of the Black Harbor series but this book 100% works as a stand alone. It tells the story of Axel and Rowan as they try to find their missing daughter in the wake of her friends getting murdered. Will they find Chloe and be able to stop the murderer?

I loved Rowan. I really loved all the characters but especially Rowan as the mom character. There are so many feelings as the mom that Rowan goes through in this story and I just empathized with her so much. This story took me on a wild ride and I had no idea who was doing it for a lot of the book. There was a moment where I had guessed the killer and then I narrowed it down to two. My initial gut instinct was right but it didn't take away from the story because there is a huge 180 in the motive that literally no one could have guessed. I love the medical accuracy and how much research this author does to make sure it is right. Highly recommend this series!!

“You’ll love me more when I’m dead…”

Chloe Winthrop’s words echo accusingly in her mother Rowan’s head as Rowan and Axel leave Chloe’s school play at intermission. Rowan is Black Harbor’s medical examiner and Axel is a detective; parents who get pulled away far too often whenever they get the call via “death phone” that another dead body has been found. This time the body, found in a gully near their neighborhood of Belgrave Circle, belongs to Chloe’s frenemy Madison Caldwell.

“One girl is dead. The other is missing.”

Rowan returns home later that night to an empty house. Chloe’s window is open but the teenager is nowhere to be seen. Did she leave on her own or did someone take her? Is there a serial criminal operating in dangerous Black Harbor, Wisconsin?

Set during Halloween, When I’m Dead is the perfect read for spooky season! Although it’s the third installment in Hannah Morrissey’s Black Harbor series, it can easily be read as a standalone, as the plotlines of each book are not interconnected. Part thriller, part police procedural, and all totally gripping, I read this book in two days! Multiple POVs get us in the heads of Rowan, Axel, and teenage neighbor Libby. The characters are complex and well developed, and the setting is fantastic, with palpable despair in the depiction of gritty Black Harbor.

I alternated between the ebook and the audiobook, and they are both fantastic ways to read this book! The audiobook is very well done with a full cast giving each POV its own narrator, making it easy to keep track of the different perspectives. Many thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Since I have read other books by Ms. Morrissey, I was looking forward to reading When I'm Dead. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. There was a lot of repetition especially regarding how horrible the town of Black Harbor is. Bring it up when needed but not in almost every chapter. The characters were flat. The story line did not hold me with the drama of a thriller. There were many times I wanted to put it down and move on to something else.

2 1/2 stars upped to 3.

Initial Thoughts
I had a fantastic time reading this book! This is the third book written by Hannah Morrissey that I have read and I am most definitely a fan. This is listed as the third book in the Black Harbor series but it reads as stand alone. All of the books in the series occur in the same town but contain a separate mystery. In this story, Rowen, the town's medical examiner, and Axel, a detective, must leave their daughter's play to investigate the murder of another teen. Their daughter doesn't make it home after the play and things don't look good. The story had a lot of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. I listened to the audiobook and thought that the cast of narrators did an amazing job of bringhing this story to life.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Full review to be posted soon.

The third in the Black Harbor series and I’m more addicted than before. By far, book three is my favorite. I love seeing Kole return to the story and the addition of more characters.
Suspense, spine chilling descriptions. I loved it!

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books and Hannah Morrissey for the ARC.
Bring in book four!

This was a great addition to my October reading list, it kept me guessing until the end, and was a quick read that I just couldn’t put down.

I started off listening to the audio and within a few chapters had to switch to the ebook.
The audio is far too monotone for the depth of emotions the characters are moving through. Once I switched to the ebook version those started to bleed through more.
This is an emotionally charged combo of a psychological thriller and police procedural.
I really enjoyed the attention to detail Hannah Morrissey put into this and the fact that she was able to surprise me a few times even. Well done!
I do wish that there had been additional POV from Chloe & Madison. Felt like we missed out on some layers by not getting those POV. Might just be me though *shrugs*.
Much love to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for my ARC & ALC.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook and reader copy of When I'm Dead by Hannah Morrissey in exchange for an honest review. Chloe's parents are a homicide detective and the medical examiner, so they are gone a lot. When she goes missing her parents have to come together to find out what happened. This book kept me guessing till the end.

This was my third and favorite book of the series so far. I think I may be getting use to the over the top plots but this one was just fun. There is never any real sense of tension because…well, when you read it you’ll know the thing you were meant to question was never in question. The couple at the center are a mess of contradictions and are better off apart. Minor characters were major characters before. I think it was the sense of familiarity with the town that made me start to get comfortable. It’s like Buffy moving to the Hellmouth. Bad things happen. Accept it ad then just go along for the ride.

When I'm Dead is an exhilarating and gripping read, it's twists and turns will have you dangling helplessly from the edge of your seat the whole way through! My plan was to read a chapter or two before bed, and I had every intention of sticking to that, but once I started reading I found it impossible to stop. I got so wrapped up in the words that I wound up reading well best my bedtime. Then I picked it up the next day and devoured the rest because I couldn't stop thinking about the characters, I had to know how it would all end!

This book was such a nice surprise for me, I am new to this author so I wasn't quite sure what to expect, what she packed between the pages here left me completely beside myself. I was not expecting this for sure, her writing and story line were pure perfection, she had me second guessing myself the whole way through and completely obsessed with her words...it was definitely one of the best suspense reads I have taken a chance on this year!! If you are a suspense lover you HAVE to read this one, it is nothing short of amazing!! Highly recommend!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.

I did not want to put down When I’m Dead by Hannah Morrissey! I loved this fast paced thriller!

One teenager is dead and the daughter of a local detective and medical examiner is missing. As secrets come to light, many suspects emerge. When another teenager’s body is found, no one knows who to trust and nerves are quickly fraying. Is Chloe still alive?

This story grabbed me from the first chapter and didn’t stop until the last chapter. I loved the twists and turns with each clue that was introduced. I enjoyed the character development, alongside the plot twists—the story was very engaging. I would definitely love to check out another book by this author!

Another killer thriller from Hannah Morrissey. Returning to Black Harbor is always like returning home, well, because I live where Black Harbor was based off of. Morrissey never fails to keep me on the very edge of my seat, and I love it.

The cover and the title drew me in but didn’t find out until after approval that it was a series. So I went back and borrowed the first two from the library to ensure I could follow the storyline! Good News is that all could actually be standalone, just all occur in Black Harbor with very little overlap!
Rowan can’t leave her past behind her and feels that she will be punished forever for an accident! When her daughter Chloe goes missing, she thinks this must be Karma! She also questions if she even knows her daughter, if the rumors are true or just the fabrication of teen girls!
So I figured out who the murderer was about halfway through but the reason behind it was quite a shock and not at all what I expected!
Good read all around and I am definitely looking forward to more books from this author, be it Black Harbor or something else!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was an interesting psychological thriller with a complicated parental situation and I wasn't really sure where it was headed. The parents seemed quick to think the worst of their own child. There were suspicious moments with just about all of the characters and with several points of view it was hard to tell if there were unreliable narrators. I enjoyed the mystery though and was surprised by the killer. The audiobook was well done and a great way to enjoy the novel.

Wow what a mind blown book! Will keep you up and guessing for hours!! I kept putting it down to only just pick it right back up! Highly recommend

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the chance to read an advance copy of When I'm dead by Hannah Morrissey. I was unaware that this was the third book in the Black Harbor series, but I decided to take a chance and read it anyway. The book itself was a great thriller, with lots of twists and turns. I had a couple of issues, that the parents of Chloe, the ME and Detective were allowed to work the case of two teenage girls, and their daughter who was kidnapped. The other was just a personal one. I felt a disconnect with the main characters, Chloe's parents. This might be resolved reading the first two books, which I will do.

This is a great dark thriller to be published on Halloween! Chloe has the lead in her high school play. It is the part her best friend wanted. Chloe's mom is the medical examiner for the small town of Black Harbor and her dad is a detective. They are always called away for work and Chloe is alone quite a bit. The night of the play they are called away to investigate a death. Unfortunately the body is Chloe's best friend. She was murdered. When the Winthrop's arrive home they realize that Chloe has not come back from the play and is missing. While the dad is investigating what happened he comes to realize that his daughter could be a person of interest in this murder. The mom is feeling guilty about not being there for Chloe and realizes that there is a lot she didn't know about her daughter. More murders take place and the Winthrop's are still searching for their missing daughter. This book is told in alternating chapters from Rowan, the mom, Axel the dad, and Libby, the girl next door who is in the same grade as Chloe. It is a fast paced, action filled book that keeps you turning the pages. You never really know who the killer is until the end. It is a great read that takes place around Halloween.
Thanks to #netgalley, #stmartinspress and @hannahmorrisseywriter for an ARC of this great read.

Thank you to the publisher St. Martin's press for the eARC for review considerations. All opinions expressed below are mine alone.

"When I'm Dead" is the first book I've read by Hannah Morrissey, and although it's part of a series, it can be read completely on its own. I've heard such great praise from many people about Morrissey's writing, and after Steve Erickson from St. Martin's Publishing Group reached out to invite me to read "When I'm Dead" on NetGalley, I just had to see what all the buzz is about. Thank you to the publisher St. Martin's Press for the eARC for review consideration. Also, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Macmillan Audio for the ALC for review consideration. All opinions expressed below are mine alone.

The story opens in the Black Harbor community, introducing us to Rowan, a medical examiner, and her husband Axel, a detective. A teenager's body is found, and Rowan and Axel have to abruptly leave their daughter's school play to investigate. When they finally arrive home, they expect to find Chloe there, but she is missing. Is the murder of the teenager connected to Chloe's disappearance?

I thought this book was just okay. Overall, I had a hard time connecting with the characters, and it was a slow-paced book that was hard to invest in. It also seemed like I was missing something in the story a few times, as if there were some plot holes here and there.
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Overall, you may enjoy this book if you like stories that are very heavy on police procedurals.