While this book kept me on the edge of my seat because I was not sure how it was going to end, I really struggled to stay engaged and invested in the characters and the story. The pacing felt off to me. I would have chapters that felt like they dragged on forever and then the storyline would skip ahead due to some extreme event. I did enjoy the ending and how it all came together, but the path I had to take to get there was just a bit too slow and disconnected for me.

When I’m Dead is a book about a married couple, both in law enforcement, and their journey to find a killer and their daughter. It’s written in three main points of view: Axel, Rowan, and Libby, the teenage next door neighbor. Two chapters are in a fourth point of view.

I’ll be honest, this book had a lot of words that just didn’t seem necessary. The author has a gift for showing but explained too much. She also gave every character his or her own voice. Sometimes Rowan and Axel sounded like the same person, but that didn’t bother me. The way they both hounded on the same topics in every single one of their chapters made it drag on.

The plot itself was great. It was original. I guessed the “bad guy” as soon as she/he showed up, but I read way too many thrillers. I wasn’t disappointed.

Axel. Goodness did I dislike this guy. He whines about how he should have spent more time with his daughter and how rumors of an affair between him and his female partner could affect his marriage…but he still neglects his wife. He still spends all of his free time with his partner, even off the clock. The logic there did nothing for me. And then he thinks he can accuse his wife of infidelity with no proof. They guy sucked.

I loved Libby. I would have preferred the book be in her and her new friend Reese’s perspectives. I kept finding myself so excited to read her chapters. Plus these two had better communication than the married couple. This author knows how to write teenagers. I couldn’t get enough.

As far as if I’d recommend this book? I would. It’s interesting and has a great plot. I received this book from Netgalley for my honest review.

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of When I’m Dead by Hannah Morrisey from St. Martin’s Press /NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

Was delighted to get the opportunity to read this book because of how much I enjoyed Hannah Morrisey’s first Black Harbor Book, Hello Transcriber.

But to be fair (to myself), I needed to read the second in the series, The Widowmaker, first. Thus the same Book Report for Nos. 2 & 3 in the series.

I _thought_ that my issues with Book No. 2 had to do with what I consider “sophomore slump” when it comes to series. Unfortunately, although Book No. 3 was a great deal more engaging/faster paced/believable, it still suffered from some of the same issues as No. 2. As in, belabor Black Harbor much, Ms Morrisey? You keep trying to make us believe that this town is beyond redemption, but somehow the emotional resonance is not there. All I can figure out to say here is, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”

And, both of the second and third books seemed to drag on just a bit too long.

So, no more of this particular series for me, although I do applaud the author for her work. And, if you’ve started this and found it not quite to your liking, permit me to suggest that you read the Tana French Dublin Murder Squad books, on which this series seems patterned.

DESCRIPTION
One girl murdered...another one missing...and a medical examiner desperate to uncover the truth in When I'm Dead, the latest Black Harbor mystery by acclaimed author Hannah Morrissey.

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.

Hannah Morrissey is one of my new favorite writers. Her writing is effortless. She is a storyteller. Not a writer. Her books are so vivid they feel like movies. I love her Black Harbor series. Her writing is equivalent to Nordic noir in the US. Her characters are so real and the story is always intriguing. Just read this for yourself! Rowan’s story will draw you in.

Dark, stormy, atmospheric... Hannah Morrissey has an amazing ability to create a gothic like story with contemporary plot points and police procedural components. She is a true genre-blender but all of her books have a haunting tone, where the dark and the unsaid are just beyond the corner.

Black Harbor is a claustrophobic dying industrial town. Those that are stuck there resent it incredibly. We have already met a few of Morrissey's flawed characters of Black Harbor, but in When I'm Dead we meet an entire family.

It's Fall and the town and the weather play their own character in this haunting tale. I thought it was a bit strange that they had such a front seat to all of the action but I still found the novel haunting, gripping and so sharp, I had to take breaks. If you love police procedurals with complex characters, know that no one is perfect or all good, or just want to visit the enticing mystery of Black Harbor again, When I'm Dead is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC! All opinions are my own.

Anyway! I first want to say that When I’m Dead is part of the Black Harbor series, but it can be read as a standalone! I was going to read the other books, but I… kinda forgot about them until after I finished (lol).

This book follows Rowan and Axel as they chase down who is behind the string of deaths in their little town of Black Harbor while also looking for their daughter. They also have just a little bit of marriage trouble, which was a good subplot to read about.

From the first chapter, you're immediately thrown into the action, which was actually pretty cool. This book was hard to put down, but I also found that it sometimes slowed down in parts, if that makes sense. There was more talking than action in some parts of the book. That didn't make it less enjoyable though! I thought it was interesting seeing how the different detectives interrogated the different suspects.

I was invested in who was doing what on that Thursday and I enjoyed the multiple POVs. It felt more integrated than some of the other books with multiple POVs because these characters had something to say to explain their motives for doing what they were doing. The autumn atmosphere was also well executed, which was the perfect backdrop for the mystery to unravel. Morrissey knows how to illustrate where you are with her lush descriptions while still keeping the eeriness of something not being quite right in this town.

A good mystery and perfect for Halloween!

While I really enjoyed Morrissey’s earlier novel Hello Transcriber, I found When I’m Dead to be a chore to read at times. It felt overlong, but I was satisfied at the conclusion.

Once you start this book, you will get swept up in the suspense quickly!! A murder mystery that has a ton of twists and turns. A teen goes missing, two teens die and the race is on to find out who the killer is and save the missing teen. Hannah Morrissey grabs your attention right from the start and keeps you on the edge of your seat from the start. You do not want to miss out on this book!

The cesspool that is Black Harbor strikes again. And this time it’s personal for two people who know the city at its worst, homicide detective Axel Winthrop and his medical examiner wife, Rowan. Dead bodies do not appear at convenient times, which means Axel and Rowan’s family life is often interrupted, leaving their daughter Chloe alone. This time the death phone rings while they are watching Chloe star in the high school production of Beetlejuice.

The victim is Madison Caldwell, one of Chloe’s closest friends, and her face has been mutilated. Rowan is not looking forward to breaking the news to Chloe. However, the nightmare gets worse when she arrives home, and Chloe is missing. The investigation into Madison’s death and Chloe’s disappearance will reveal that her parents did not know Chloe as well as they thought, and that surprising individuals knew her better. Also, Chloe had a motive that makes her a viable, though unlikely, suspect as Madison's killer (and a second murder that will soon occur).

The story demonstrates that appearances can be deceiving, as it is some of the characters who seem the strangest because of their appearance, behavior, and/or hobbies that prove to be the most integral to solve the murders and Chloe's disappearance. The story also amply demonstrates the danger of gossip and rumors, and how such tales can be deadly. In addition, the investigation will uncover a connection to a tragedy that occurred years ago in Black Harbor.

When I’m Dead – Hannah Morrissey

It’s a chilly October evening in Black Harbor, Wisconsin and the long-awaited school play featuring Rowan & Axel Winthorp’s daughter, Chloe, is starting. Chloe was so excited to receive the lead in the Beetlejuice production, even going so far as to adopt a gothic persona, brooding, wearing dark clothes, using black hair dye, and even wearing safety pins as earrings. Rowan misses her sunny, pleasant child, but Chloe assures her she is just method acting to prepare for her performance.

Midway through the production, Rowan, the local Medical Examiner & Axel, a Detective on the local police force, are called to a murder scene. They say their goodbyes to their weepy daughter, who is understandably upset and says so, and head to the scene, where they find the body of Madison Caldwell - a close friend of Chloe’s - by the river’s edge, the obvious victim of a homicide.

When the death assessment is complete, Rowen heads home and quickly realizes that Chloe is not there. Other than her bedroom window being left open, there’s no sign of her daughter anywhere – and Rowan fears a similar fate may have befallen Chloe. Initial searches turn up nothing, but as they dig deeper into Madison’s background, they learn that the girls have had a bit of a falling out. Rumors abound about Chloe having a relationship with her drama teacher, and Madison had been taunting her, out of jealousy for Chloe’s being given the pay lead.

When a second teen turns up dead, also accused of targeting Chloe, the investigation begins to take a hard look at Chloe as a potential suspect, while Rowan, convinced that karma has come to collect for a past misdeed, is afraid Chloe is also a victim. As the couple struggles with this divergent thinking and misunderstanding, they drift apart, only united in their desire to find their daughter.

For the reader, everyone seems suspect as the storyline unfolds, as told from the perspectives of Rowen, Axel & teenaged neighbor, Libby. Slowly, through each point of view, the reader gleans insight into each character, as pieces of their personalities & past experiences are slowly revealed. I found the novel to be more than a bit dark – and sad – with as much an exploration into the human psyche as a police procedural – but a good, solid story and a somewhat satisfying ending, despite the gloom and doom of Black Harbor.

This was my first Black Harbor novel, and from what I understand, the third in a series. I am most definitely intrigued, and will back read the first two novels to get a better sense of Rowan and her family, but I found this good as a standalone as well.

Available October 31st, from your favorite bookseller!

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

** Blog will publish on 10/28

I received a free copy of, When I'm Dead, by Hannah Morrissey, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is part of the Black Harbour Novels. Medical Examiner Rowan Winthrop is doing an autopsy on her daughters best friend, the her daughter Chloe goes missing. Is Chloe still alive?This novel kept me on the edge of my seat, what a read, it upped my anxiety, but was a good read.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’ Press for the copy of When I’m Dead by Hannah Morrissey. I haven’t read the first two books in this series, but it didn’t matter even though there were probably some spoilers in this book. Rowan and Axel’s daughter disappears after her best friend is murdered. While they investigate the murder they are looking for their daughter. The writing is beautifully dark and the characters are a little quirky. If you love twisty, smart stories, try this one. I’m going to go buy the first two books in this series because I loved this one!

As a medical examiner and homicide detective respectively, Rowan and Axel thought they’ve seen it all. But a gruesome murder of a teen girl and the disappearance of their own teen daughter causes them to take a hard look at their lives. Well crafted and fast paced, When I’m Dead is great read.

Hannah Morrissey's "When I'm Dead" is a pulse-pounding thriller that grabs you from the first page and refuses to let go until the very end. With its fast pace and intricate web of multiple storylines, this gripping novel keeps readers guessing with each twist and turn.

Book #3 in the Black Harbor Series, this is my first book by Hannah Morrissey, and I was able to pick up the back stories from prior novels without reading them in advance. That said, I think it would have been beneficial to have read the first two books in the series; one example being the relationship between Chloe and her parents was a little unknown for me, so it took me longer to connect.

Set in a hauntingly atmospheric backdrop, the story centers around mysterious deaths and a missing teenager that rattle a small town to its core. As the plot unfolds, Morrissey deftly weaves together the lives of a diverse set of characters, each hiding their own dark secrets. From the seemingly perfect townsfolk to the troubled outcasts, everyone has something to hide, and it's this complexity that makes "When I'm Dead" an enthralling read.

The tension builds relentlessly, and the stakes are raised as the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. The pages practically turn themselves as you find yourself eagerly racing to discover the truth behind the enigmatic deaths that haunt the narrative.

Moreover, "When I'm Dead" is not just a whodunit. It explores themes of trust, betrayal, and the consequences of one's actions, delving into the complexity of human relationships and the darkness that can lie within us all. This emotional depth elevates the novel beyond a typical thriller and makes it a truly memorable reading experience.

In the end, "When I'm Dead" delivers a satisfying conclusion that ties up loose ends while still managing to leave you thinking long after you've turned the last page. Hannah Morrissey's ability to maintain suspense until the final sentence showcases her talent as a great storyteller.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Hannah Morrissey for an advanced reader's copy. All opinions are my own.

This is apparently the third book in a series, and I haven't read the prior books. I do believe it could stand alone. However, I never really connected with the characters, and therefore, it was hard to care about the outcome. Some parts were a bit unbelievable (like a police department letting the father of a missing child, and he's a suspect, stay on the case). The ending was better than the majority of the book, even though I did figure out the twist prior to the reveal. I* enjoyed the story being told from three POVs. There were some problems with the pacing and a bit too much repetition.



Trigger warning: graphic violence directed at teenagers

When I’m Dead is twisted roller coaster ride of a mystery. As the medical examiner and a detective, Rowan and her husband, Axel are called away from their daughter’s high school play performance to the body of another teenager, their daughter’s best friend. When their daughter doesn’t come after the play, Rowan and Axel uncover bullying and secrets that their daughter has been keeping. They race to find Chloe while disagreeing on the likely hood that their daughter could be a killer. The story twists and turns with a shocking whodunnit. Though part of a series, I did not have trouble keeping up without reading the previous books.

While investigating her daughters best friends murder, medical examiner Rowan Winthrop's world will be turned upside down when her own daughter, Chloe goes missing. A rollercoaster of twists and several suspects make finding her daughter more and more difficult.

Thank you Net Galley and St.Martins Press for an ARC of this book for an honest review.
I didn’t realize this was a series and this being the third book but it seemed to me like a standalone book
I enjoyed this creepy thriller although it did drag out for me some times. I kept reading because there was excitement in it. Who is killing these girls ? I must say I didn’t know who the villain was before it was revealed. This would be a good book to read around Halloween. I would recommend reading this book if you like creepy, scary books.

One girl missing. One girl dead.
Will the body count stop there?
Is someone seeking vengeance?

I really enjoyed this highly charged suspenseful murder mystery and couldn't put it down. It is the third book in the Black Harbor series by this author, but it can definitely be read as a successful standalone.

This story is told in alternating chapters from the viewpoints of Rowan, a medical examiner as well as the missing girl's mother, Axel, a homicide detective and missing girl's father, and Libby, the girl next door who is an overweight, frequently bullied classmate. The suspense of this novel grows and grows like a small snowball rolled from the top of a hill and I soon began to suspect almost everyone of murder. The superb writing made me feel the raw emotions of the characters; the desperation of the parents to find their daughter at all costs and the fear of the neighbor girl. An economically struggling town and lead up to Halloween also adds a dark atmospheric touch to this thriller. There is a lot going on in this story, but ultimately the tense hunt for the killer builds to an exciting crescendo and a climactic ending.

Trigger warning: Graphic death scenes, autopsies, explicit sex, and bullying.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for giving me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third book in Hannah Morrissey’s Black Harbor series. A teenage girl is murdered and another is missing, it’s a race against time for two of the crime investigators, since their daughter is the one missing and the murdered girl was supposedly her best friend. I couldn’t put this book down so many twists that kept me guessing. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this arc.