I did not expect THAT. And when I say that I mean how good it was. I thought it would be fine. Another run of the mill thriller. But no it was so much more.

Started out great, really pulled me in.
The middle took a lot longer to get through than I'd anticipated, but the end was a shock and I'm glad I powered through.
Loved the Halloween/Beetlejuice vibes with this one.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an arc of this book written by Hannah Morrissey, who is a new author to me. This review is my honest opinion.
A girl is found dead, another is missing and rumors abound. Secrets are slowly exposed and possible suspects are quick to be accused. There is drama, bullying and gruesome murder scenes in this small town mystery. If these words hit the spot for you…then happy edge of your seat reading.

I was really excited to give this book a read! However, I soon discovered I am not a fan of the author’s writing style. I find she is overly descriptive with details that could be avoided. It reminds me of being in school when you have to write a certain amount of words, so you use every adjective you can think of. I am just not a fan of that & it makes me want to DNF.

With that being said, if you enjoy that type of writing, the plot of this book could be intriguing & suspenseful.

3.5/5 stars rounded up

Black Harbor is a place where murder calls home. Someone is killing teenage girls, and one is missing. Rowan and Axel will stop at nothing to find Chloe, even if it costs them their jobs. But is Chloe the one hunting her classmates for bullying her?

This was a fast paced thriller that is the third on a series. I have not read the other two, and still followed this one easily.

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martins Press, Minotaur books, and the author for the chance to read this book early, in exchange for my honest review.

Book releases oct 31/23, which is fitting as it takes place during Halloween!

This book sucked me in and didn’t let go. I devoured this book. It was full of twists and turns. I kept going back and forth in who I thought the murderer was. The writing was wonderful and I just really loved this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I was a big fan of this one! It was my first book from this author but it definitely won’t be my last. I really enjoyed all the elements of the story and found the pacing to be quite good.

When I’m Dead by Hannah Morrissey This is my first Hannah Morrissey book and the third of the Black Harbor thriller series. A girl is found dead and her friend (the medical examiner's daughter) is missing!

This takes a hard look at how well you know your own children. It’s dark, menacing, and twisty and a real page turner. It gives you all the creepy feelings as dealing with a corpse should! The perfect spooky read. It will be on shelves October 31st.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy and an honest review.

When I’m Dead is the third book in the Black Harbor series by Hannah Morrissey. It centres around medical examiner Rowan and her husband Axel, a homicide detective and their desperate search for their teenage daughter Chloe who has gone missing right after a body of another teenager was found. Everyone is suspicious and no one seems trustworthy in Black Harbor, a bleak city in Wisconsin known for its criminal undertones.
Can they find Chloe before it is too late and will their marriage survive in the process?

What I liked about the book
-nearly EVERYTHING!
-the melancholy, grim atmosphere of Black Harbor with its oppressive and sinister crime ridden world
-loved the Halloween setting which was infused throughout the book and gave me major autumnal vibes
-the multi layered mystery and the growing suspect list which creates a tense, untrusting, paranoid atmosphere
-the twists and turns with some red herrings thrown in
-the quirky and creepy Libby which was a fascinating character and her love of death and taxidermy
-multiple POVs with rich character development
-although part of a series, it was a great standalone novel which I hadn’t read the previous ones but now will
-the Beetlejuice play aspect and Chloe channeling goth Lydia Deetz

What I didn’t like about the book:
-Rowan irritated me and I found some of her inner dialogue too repetitive

My rating: 4 ½ out of 5

My final takeaway: this was an excellent domestic crime thriller about a family in crisis. I loved the spooky Halloween vibes and Black Harbor’s slowly crumbling and eerie city backdrop. I got Scandi Noir, The Chestnut Man vibes from this book and think people who like that genre would love this thriller.

Trigger warning: gore, bullying

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press Minotaur Books for this eARC that will be released October 31 2023.

This is part of a series but definitely stands alone. I haven't read the other two so I have no idea if the characters carry over but you get enough detail to understand who you're dealing with.

The crime itself is horrific and just when you think you've read enough books about dead/missing girls this one pops up and the story is macabre but also unexpected. That it takes place around Halloween makes sense (esp when you start seeing some allusions to Halloween classics).

I had two major pet peeves: they didn't treat Chloe's disappearance like a kidnapping and that this town is apparently so horrible and people are raising kids/leaving kids alone there. Like what! It's said over and over again how bad the crime is, details about the killings and drug use and then kids are walking places on their own? Cutting through fields? Guys, no. The setup gives a totally ominous feel but then it's juxtaposed to no one acting like they need to be careful. There's a murder and a potential kidnapping and ppl are still going to Haunted Houses! The only nod to this impacting the town was the play being out on hiatus.

But for murder mystery fans that need a serviceable story with multiple POVs and some spooky psycho vibes, this will fit the bill. 3 stars.

This was such a good read. Again, it was an ARC so I wasn't aware of other books by this author. This grips you from the beginning and has great character development. I requested the first book in the Black Harbor series due to enjoying this one. Medical Examiner Rowan Winthorp has the horrible job of performing an autopsy on her daughter's best friend. Her daughter then goes missing. What follows are tons and twists and turns with an ending you will never see coming. I look forward to reading more of this author.

Wow! What are ride. This is very good hard to figure it out. You'll have really get into heads to understand the how and why. Did she leave on own? Is she dead?

The best of the series!!

Unfortunately, many book series get tired or you can tell that the author has run out of steam but has to produce another to fulfill a contract. Not so with When I'm Dead, the third installment of the Black Harbor Series, she just gets better and better.

A multi-layered story with authentic, relatable characters, outstanding plotting and a very satisfying ending! 5 Stars!

Excellent read. My children kept interuppting me as I read this but had they not, I wouldn't have put it down. This story was so haunting from beginning to end. It felt more like a police procedural than a thriller. There is some graphic gore in this so it is not for the faint of heart. The plot twists happened in all the right places so I never could figure out who was responsible. If you liked The Chesnut Man, you will love this book.

When I'm Dead is an outstanding addition to the Black Harbor Series.

It is my favourite book of the series to date.

Axel and Rowan's teenage daughter Chole has gone missing.

They are already deep into the investigation of her classmate Cloe.

Black Harbor is living up to its name and reputation of being a creepy dark town with fatalities over the years that will have you shaking.

Everyone suspects everyone as the tension mounts.

The police are working as hard and as fast as they can and yet another body is found.

Hannah Morrissey has a knack of writing a dark atmospheric book that has red herrings, twists and turns that makes it hard to put the book down

I for one cant wait to read the fourth book in the series and hope that there are many more in store for us.

Highly recommend you grab your copy and settle in for a nail biting read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review Book 3 in the fabulous Black Harbor Series.

Ebook received for free through NetGalley

Another great book that I had trouble putting down. On edge, heart wrenching, and great.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Hannah Morrissey for an ARC of When I’m Dead. I didn’t realize when requesting this that it was apart of a trilogy, but I saw Hannah’s post that you can read them as stand alone. I will 100% be reading the next two very soon! I would say this book is a slow burn, but it’s not at a snails pace. I enjoyed the journey of this book and seeing how the events trailed out for Axel and Rowan. It was slightly dramatic, but I am here for it. I did wish I felt more of a connection with the characters - everything did feel like at a surface level. But otherwise a great book! This is a great spooky season read 🧡

Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for this ARC!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The characters are dynamic - and untrustworthy at times - and the mystery is multi-layered. I love a story set in a not-worn-out setting and this one fit that bill. Set in a fictious town in Wisconsin - with a murder rate that would make me want to move ASAP - the premise grabbed me right away and I found the missing girls parents interesting and a-typical. I would recommend for anyone who likes missing person murder mysteries and small time crime stories. Great fun!

I didn’t realize until I finished When I’m Dead that it was #3 in a series. This crime fiction novel worked fine as a stand-alone, however. For those who like crime stories with a touch of gothic atmosphere, this book provides a good storyline with plenty of plot turns and possible suspects. The investigation of the murders of two high school girls and disappearance of another captured my interest and attention. I enjoyed the chapters from the point of view of Libby, a high school friend of the missing girl. And though I had a pretty good inkling of who the culprit was when that person was first introduced, I couldn’t guess the motivation for the crimes.

What I found distracting is the way the author manipulates the atmosphere and plot through obvious statements and implausible scenarios. First, she sets up the dismal creepiness of Black Harbor by continually (I mean, in practically every chapter) telling us how violent, bleak, and crime-ridden the town is; it's so bad everyone wants to find ways to escape. But readers are supposed to take the author’s word for it because we don’t actually see examples of the other crimes and acts of violence that make Black Harbor significantly different from any other small town. The author also wants to make sure we realize that the story takes place in autumn. A person could get pretty lit playing a drinking game based on the number of times she mentions the presence of scarlet (and red and brown) leaves.

Second, the author expects readers to believe that the parents of a missing girl would be professionally involved in the investigation of her disappearance and the murders of her friends. Blatant conflict of interest. Apparently, they must be included because there are so, so many murders in Black Harbor--all the time--and the police force needs everyone they can get. And those parents don’t act the way I would expect from people whose daughter is missing and possibly, quite probably, dead. They seem much more concerned with their marital issues and beating up suspects than they do with actively searching for their little girl.

Despite these distractions, When I'm Dead provides an engaging plot with plenty going on to compel readers to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press–Minotaur Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book. My review is voluntary and reflects my honest opinion.

My introduction to Hannah Morrissey's taut, descriptive prose was in HELLO, TRANSCRIBER, the first book in the Black Harbor series. WHEN I'M DEAD is book three, and I'm delighted to say the author's raised her game to yet another level rendering a gripping, highly atmospheric story sure to keep readers up late burning through pages. Strap in for this one, and I advise you to leave the lights on!

WHEN I'M DEAD is a gripping, domestic crime story concentrated around a family in crisis. Rowan, the town medical examiner, and husband Axel, a homicide detective, have demanding professions that command their attention at a moment's notice much to the chagrin and resentment of their moody teenage daughter Chloe. When her parents are called away in the middle of her performance in the school play, they leave Chloe with another thoughtless, impulsive apology and instructions to get a ride home with their neighbor. Heartbroken and in tears over them choosing work over her yet again, Chloe chooses to walk home alone in the dark not realizing her parents are investigating the brutal murder of one of Chloe's friends. Rowan arrives home later expecting to find her daughter asleep, but Chloe is nowhere to be found. It's apparent she never made it home. Someone is murdering teenagers . . . is Chloe a victim? Rowan recalls her daughter's last words to her as they left her crying in the theatre - "you'll love me more when I'm dead." A premonition or warning? They have one dead girl and another missing and as readers soon learn, Rowan has dark secrets of her own. Has her past come calling?

Dark, gritty and highly visual, WHEN I'M DEAD unfolds through multiple points of view via alternating chapters which are riveting. The narrators include Rowan, Axel and Libby, the next-door neighbor's socially awkward daughter who is bullied at school. Morrissey sets the perfect spooky scene with Halloween approaching, haunted houses, and falling blood red leaves adding to a dark tone of malice suffocating a fading, rundown town many people dream of escaping one day. The pace escalates steadily as accusations surface about Chloe and her friends implicating their involvement in some unsavory activities, leaving her parents shell shocked and wondering if they ever knew their daughter at all. The author does an excellent job keeping readers off-kilter by shifting focus to several red herrings as the list of suspects is ever changing. The characters are complex and believable, having little trouble earning readers' empathy with their increasing anxiety and desperation. Morrissey is proving to be an expert at creating highly atmospheric scenes that threaten to swallow characters and readers up as they maneuver all the dark twists and turns on the way to the shocking climatic ending. I'll admit to having the killer on my radar but was never one hundred percent sure until the big reveal.

WHEN I'M DEAD is a well-crafted, heart pounding thriller sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats. The author's ability to strand characters and readers in super creepy, haunting scenes sets off warning bells that increase as the story progresses. Fans of highly atmospheric crime thrillers are going to love this one.