Rowan (medical examiner) and Axel (detective) are married and the parents of teenager Chloe. They are called to investigate the murder of Chloe’s classmate. Then the unthinkable happens and it becomes personal. They are faced with difficult questions, but are they ready for the answers?

Enjoyable Book 3 of The Black Harbor Series. I read as a stand-alone with no difficulty. Empathy for teenager Chloe, whose parents are in jobs that require immediate action, and is put second to their demanding career. Also, Rowan and Axel who must drop family responsibilities at a moments notice to do their jobs. Black Harbor is a tough area, but it seems that parents allow their kids to come and go freely, walking thru wooded areas to get to school. Teenage angst is real and relatable. Crime thriller with plenty of twists and turns. Some holes and questions unanswered for me but otherwise a solid read. Anytime children are involved, my blood pressure rises. Author does a good job of leading you down different paths. Would definitely read this author again.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

Why would anyone stay in a city filled with so much bad..

Murder, missing girl, secrets, family drama.. what more could you want from a story?

Was kinda spooked when I opened it to read and it happened to be the same day in the books as the day I was reading.

When I’m desd is Hannah morriseys third black harbor novel, although it can be read as a standalone since the characters always change but location doesn’t. This time the town medical examiner and her cop husband are called to investigate the murder of their daughter’s best friend. While doing so, their daughter goes missing. Rowan (the ME) has a feeling that this is all tied to secrets from her past and she is determined to bury the past once and for all. When the murderer strikes again, it is clear that Rowan is not the only one with secrets from the past and the past plays a large role in the motivations of the current murders. An enjoyable read with a fast-moving twisted plot! It did feel somewhat YA as the murders take place at a high school and suspicion revolves around jealousy of the play. However, aside from that complaint, I found this a fun read and continued morriseys strike of page turning thrillers!

Too much violin playing drama for me. I did not finish this book, though I picked it up several times and really tried to get into it.

Your work investigating deaths takes you from your daughter's school play, but someone has died a death that needs to be investigated now. It turns out to be her best friend, in your own neighborhood. Your daughter does not take the ride home that you told her to take and now she is missing.

She was unhappy with you missing her play and has said things like you will love me more when I am dead, so that is sitting heavy on your conscience.

Up through all this, sure, you can understand a parent being upset beyond words, but it is dragged out way too much. You can hear the violins. You can feel the drama pulling you down. You put the book down, again and say, it's not for me.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Honest opinions expressed here are my own and are freely given.

When I’m Dead was a great read. Intriguing characters with a lot of depth and a plot that kept me engaged.

This is my first Hannah Morrissey read. She is great at detail and really keeps focus and interest. I can’t wait to read more by her!

The third installment in the Black Harbor series by Hannah Morrissey; this one was by far my favorite. And fortunately, if you haven't read the other 2 novels in this series, you don't really need to in order to understand what's going on. The setting is always Black Harbor but the crimes remain different and the cast of characters rotate. The only one that has been consistent is Detective Nick Cole.
Medical examiner, Rowan Winthorp gets called to investigate the murder scene of her daughter's best friend. Then her daughter vanishes and Rowan and her cop husband, Axel, are sure the crimes are linked. But did Chloe kill her mean girl bestie or was she kidnapped? When a 2nd high school girl ends up dead, there is more pressure than ever to solve these murders and find Chloe.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc.*

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and the author for an ARC of When I'm Dead for an honest review.

When I'm Dead is the third book in a series. I did not know this going in and you can definitely read this as a standalone. Axel and Rowan both work for the Black Harbor police force and their daughter Chloe is in high school. When Axel and Rowan are called off to the scene of a murder during Chloe's school play she tells her mom "you'll love me more when I'm dead". Soon after Chloe disappears and girls in her grade are being murdered.

This was a typical who done it book. There were twists and turns that made you think it was one person and then it would end up not being them.

This was a fantastic read! I flew through it and loved the plot. The murders were extreme but I was here for it! I will be reading more of Blackharbor!

Medical examiner Rowan Winthrop and her homicide-detective husband, Axel, are no strangers to death. But this time murder hits too close to home, when a high school friend of their daughter’s is found murdered in their neighborhood. The horror deepens as the investigation gets under way and they realize that their own daughter, Chloe, is missing. When another teen is found dead, Rowan and Axel are faced with the very real possibility that the next body found will be Chloe’s.
Though the plot is sometimes a bit uneven, and the adults are not a lot more than stereotypes, When I’m Dead will strike familiar chords for many readers: teens who daily navigate a world surprisingly removed from that of their parents and home life; the ways that adolescence changes people, relationships, and one’s view of the world; the threat of abuse by adults in positions of power and influence—and of course, those dangers you can’t possibly see coming.
As an entertaining, fast-paced, gruesome, and somewhat macabre weekend read, you won’t be disappointed.

A thriller and teen drama all in one that while the latest in a series will be just fine as a standalone. Rowan, the medical examiner in Black Harbor and her husband Axel, a police detective, leave their daughter Chloe's play because the body of Madison, the girl they believe was her BFF has been found. And now Chloe is missing. And then another teen is found. Oh, and someone is stealing pumpkins from porch. This is told by Rowan, Axel, and Libby, the teen neighbor no one likes and it twists through multiple trope-y situations. While I'm a fan of Morrissey and she does a good job with tension this has issues. Lots of issues. What about Madison's parents? Why are Rowan and Axel working while their daughter is missing? How could they- or multiple teachers- not realize that Chloe has a learning disability until she's a senior in high school? I'll skip the rest to avoid spoilers. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It IS a page turner but....

Very well written, a little disturbing at times but it’s a thriller so not unexpected. This book made me gasp out loud! I figured out who the killer was about halfway through but definitely not the twisty twist!

I didn’t realize this was book 3 in the series but it didn’t make a difference. Can be read as a standalone.

A really good read that is full of twists and turns that I did not see coming. Rowan and Axel are married to each other, and to their jobs with the Black Harbor police department. Their daughter, Chloe, disappears one night and her friend is murdered. As always, her medical examiner mother and her detective father have to quickly leave her school event. She feels as though she plays second fiddle to her parents' careers. When the case seems to involve Chloe, maybe as another victim, or as the perpetrator, their attention turns to her. Rowan's past comes to haunt her and leads down paths she did not want to revisit.

Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC to review.

This story dives into the fear and sorrow parents dread at the thought of having their child murdered or abducted, making it downright creepy. Told from three very different and well-developed realistic perspectives, this story grabs you early on and the suspense builds throughout the story. Once you start reading, it is nearly impossible to stop. Make sure to set aside a good gap of time to enjoy this one. I highly recommend it, and I will definitely be looking for more of Hannah Morrissey's books.

I loved this book. It was well written, the plot was great. Following the characters was an adventure I couldn’t put down. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know who reads.

It’s sad for a child to think that her parent would care more about her if she were to be dead. Because her parents put their work over her and run after dead bodies instead of staying at their daughter’s play, Chloe felt she had to say those words to her mom. Her parents were working to “provide” her everything she needed, but they forgot about providing the support she was looking for.

Black Harbor was rattling with murders of young girls and missing Chloe. There must some someone after their girls. Was it an insider or an outsider? Was it a teacher? Was this teacher abusing their girls? Were the girls after each other? Who was bullying who? Chloe’s father, the detective, and mother, the medical examiner, now needed to answer these questions to find their daughter.

Clues were beautifully sprinkled all over the story, but you need to wait till the end of the book to learn who the culprit was. It was a sad story that led to the tragedy unfolding now. Parents , whatever you do, do not mess up with your children’s future by favoring work over them, or one child over another.

Happy Monday, friends 🖤


A big thank you to @Minotaur_Books & @MacMillan.Audio for these gifted copies!


When I’m Dead by Hannah Morrisey
@HannahMorrisey
Pub date: October 31, 2023
Read by: Andrew Eiden, Caitlin Kelly, Gary Tiedemann, Xe Sands
Duration: 10H 37M


“𝙿𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚊 𝚗𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝙱𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚋𝚘𝚛”


I loved Morrissey’s first two books in the Black Harbor series, HELLO, TRANSCRIBER and THE WIDOWMAKER and I whipped through WHEN I’M DEAD at full throttle. I loved every second I spent back in Black Harbor!


A couple, Rowan and Axel Winthorp, are called away from their daughter Chloe’s star performance in the school play to investigate a murder. It’s Chloe’s closest friend, Madison, and when Chloe doesn’t come home that night from the school play, they’ll be torn apart by the breadcrumb trail of clues. Each one questioning whether Chloe is a victim or a suspect. More murders, more suspects and time is running out …


Alternating chapters are told by three different characters, each with a unique viewpoint into the lives of the victims and the suspects. Each offering a bit more information - who has a motive and who has something to hide – a great way to tell this suspenseful story, leaving the reader with a true mystery to unravel.


🎧I listened when I couldn’t read and it is a stunning multicast narration that was a freaking delight to listen to! Bravo to the narrators!


Highly recommending this one and would like to point out, this can be read as a standalone but I’d encourage reading all of Hannah’s books because if you don’t, well, you’re just missing out.


💭And today’s QOTD straight from Hannah’s book: Would you rather have hair for teeth or teeth for hair?


Stay bookish, my friends 🖤

Thanks very much to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Press for the invitation to read a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review through NetGalley.

When Black Harbor Medical Examiner Rowan Winthorp makes the shocking discovery that the newest body set for her table is her daughter Chloe's best friend, she has no idea that hours later Chloe herself will disappear under mysterious circumstances. And as she and her husband begin the desperate search to bring her home, they unravel a host of secrets that might tear the family apart permanently.

Let me start by saying that Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli & Isles series is a favorite of mine, so I was completely on board with the premise of a homicide detective and a medical examiner being at the heart of this novel. My expectations were high, and I was looking for a new series to settle into.

And I may revisit Black Harbor (though perusing the summaries, they don't all feature the Winthorps), but only under certain conditions. Notably, that they aren't written like this one (and I'm crossing my fingers that my biggest concerns will get ironed out in the final copy).

I read When I'm Dead quickly and with interest, but a few major concerns held me back from really connecting with it and making me want to read the rest of this series right away. First of all, this plot really forces you to put aside all reason and logic. I can't be the only one who's questioning the HUGE conflict of interest in Axel and Rowan taking such a primary role in a case they are so closely connected to.

Secondly, I found myself often frustrated with the repetition of the narrative. This includes both repetitious thoughts (sometimes word for word) among characters and repetition of description. We get it already: Rainbow Row is garishly painted with free government paint. Also, being repeatedly told that Black Harbor is this endlessly bleak, super dangerous predatory town with murders and crackheads galore does not gel with the fact that there's also a ritzy private school at its heart and multiple professionals with the ability to leave willingly stay.

And last, the characters. I was ready for a kick-butt husband and wife team to be at the heart of this story, but that expectation was not met. Rowan spent the entire book wallowing in guilt and self-hate and Axel was hardly a model of professional behavior. And are we just going to gloss over how absolutely inappropriate and creepy Libby is? Does she get a pass on basically stalking Chloe and breaking and entering (and a host of other red flag behaviors) just because she's the "weird fat girl?" Because her mom's the girl Latina not taken seriously as a doctor? Who knows, maybe she's being set up to be the villain of a future book...

Title: When I'm Dead
Author: Hannah Morrissey
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.0 out of 5

On a bone-chilling October night, Medical Examiner Rowan Winthorp investigates the death of her daughter’s best friend. Hours later, the tragedy hits even closer to home when she makes a devastating discovery—her daughter, Chloe, is gone. But, not without a trace.

A morbid mosaic of clues forces Rowan and her husband to question how deeply they really knew their daughter. As they work closely to peel back the layers of this case, they begin to unearth disturbing details about Chloe and her secret transgressions…details that threaten to tear them apart.

Amidst the noise of navigating her newfound grief and reconciling the sins of her past, an undeniable fact rings true for Rowan: karma has finally come to collect.

I’m not sure why I decided to read this after I DNFed the first book in the series, but I did. I wanted to DNF this for the first third of the book, and probably should have, as I just didn’t care for the characters. Man, the setting here is so absolutely bleak and depressing and the characters are, too. This was an okay read, but I wasn’t a fan of the characters.

Hannah Morrissey lives near Milwaukee. When I’m Dead is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 10/31.)

This is the second book I've read in this series, and each can be read as a standalone.
The town of Black Harbor seems to have more grisly crimes than most, and when her daughter goes missing after the daughter's best friend is found murdered Rowan and her detective husband will stop at nothing to figure out how the cases are connected and bring their daughter home.

This dark and twisty case kept me sucked in until I turned the last page. Hannah Morrisey has created the perfect atmosphere for these stories to take place, and each book has kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last. There are plenty of red herrings and suspicious characters to keep you guessing who the bad guy is, and even if you end up figuring out who the killer is, it won't dim your enjoyment at all.

I can't wait to go back and read the first book in this series, and I will definitely be reading whatever Hannah Morrisey comes out with next!