The Unlucky Ones by Hannah Morrissey is the fourth installment in the Broken Harbor series. I've read three of the four books, and have found them all to be good mysteries, although not great.

Hazel is back in Black Harbor after eight years to figure out who killed her ex-husband, Tommy Greenlee. With Hazel back in town, Nikolai Kole is hoping that she isn't a suspect because he still has feelings for her. When they reluctantly team up to put all the pieces together, everyone can tell they have unfinished business. They'll have to put everything aside though, because they aren't the only ones looking for answers.

These are all definite slow burns for me, with little to no suspense. This centers more around the characters than on the murder, and I personally like a more plot driven novel than a character driven one. That's not to say that these are bad, they're well written, I just don't think I'm the target audience. If you love a character driven mystery with a little bit of a romance, or crime fiction that's a little less police procedural, then these might be your cup of tea.

All in all, this was a nice addition to the series. If you've enjoyed the earlier books, then definitely give this one a go! With some twists you won't see coming, The Unlucky Ones will keep you guessing.

Thank you to @Minotaur_Books and @NetGalley for a digital copy for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.

Hannah morrissey weaves such a realistic tale. You really feel like you’re part of the story and not just reading fiction. I love her writing and the gritty dark atmosphere she creates. This one was the best black harbor series book yet!

Hannah Morrissey's novels never disappoint. They are always dark, twisty and mysterious, and extremely engaging to read.
I enjoy her writing style, and the residents of Black Harbor that she brought back in this story! And the mystery is one that was extremely engaging, and I did not see the twist/reveal coming.

No one does dark and twisty thrillers quite like Hannah. I recommend having you favorite comfort item with you when you read her books. I use a teddy bear 😂. This book was GRITTY and RAW and now I need to go read Hannah’s other books I haven’t read yet. I need my nerves to calm down though because this one was chilling!

We’re back in Black Harbor Baby! And I’m SO SO SO Happy that HAZEL is back! AND the original narrator from Hello, Transcriber is back to narrate as well! And I’m so happy that I did the audio once again for this series, because this series just sounds better via audio than eyeball reading. ESPECIALLY when the narrator is amazing!

The Unlucky Ones is just as dark and gritty as the previous 3 books, but following the death of Hazels ex-husband Tommy, which brings Hazel back to Black Harbor and reuniting with Cole - ugh that man and the things he could do to me. Anyways, out of my fantasy headspace… This book was amazing, from the cast of characters, returning characters, the twists and the roller coaster of emotions that Hannah put me through, had my head spinning, and wanting more. I binged this book within 2 days -it would have been one day but I started in the morning and then life happened and it didn’t get completed till the next day. This was supposed to be a structured buddy read, but as @thrillerschillersandkillers will tell you, that once i get hooked, i kinda black out and ignore the rules. And also thank you Jess for getting me into this series! I was lost, and now I’m found. And this will forever be one of my favorite series.

I do suggest if you read this book, you read the other 3 first. While it could be a standalone, there is connections from the other 3 in this one.

My only concern, is that the cover doesn’t match the blues of the other 3. So my recommendation is to have the next 2 books in the series (if there are 2 more- looking at you Hannah) are red 😂.

And a big thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the ALC and @stmartinspress and @minotaur_books for the eARC

The story didn’t quite capture my attention, and I had trouble staying engaged. I didn’t read the other books in the series, so maybe I missed some context, but even so, the pacing felt slow and the characters didn’t stand out. Overall, it wasn’t a terrible book, but it didn’t leave much of an impression on me. I was hoping for more, but it just didn’t click.

THE UNLUCKY ONES – Book Four – Black Harbour Series – by Hannah Morrissey

I really like Book One in the Series, HELLO, TRANSCRIBER. Having not read Books Two and Three, I am unaware of what transpired before. Much of what I read in Book Four feels like repetitive or unrelated filler that I skimmed through.

I may dive into the Series again from the beginning, but for right now, this one is a
DNF for me at 36%.

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur Books, for providing me with an eBook of THE UNLUCKY ONES at the request of an honest review.

📚✨ Have you ever felt like you were living in a suspenseful novel? 🤔 Dive into the gripping world of "The Unlucky Ones" by Hannah Morrissey, where secrets unravel and the truth lurks in the shadows. This thrilling read will keep you on the edge of your seat with every twist and turn!

Jo

#BookLovers #SuspenseThriller #HannahMorrissey

Gritty, dark, sad and absolutely captivating. This series is one you love to be back with but can’t explain why because the darkness be dark. The writing is as always excellent and chilling.

Thanks to Netgalley, I had the chance to read this book early. I was already familiar with this series, already in love with this series and the characters before I read this one and glad to say I am still in love after! This was a great addition to the series!

This series always hits the right note when I want a dark vibey read! Such strong atmosphere development and always an intriguing mystery at the heart of the story, the unlucky ones keeps up the high standard Morrissey has set for herself with this series.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for the ARC.
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Hazel, a former police transcriber turned novelist, returns to the eerie town of Black Harbor—a place shadowed by drugs, crime, and a palpable air of despair. Fleeing from a past marred by heartbreak and darkness, she’s drawn back by the untimely death of her ex-husband. Enter Sergeant Nikolai Kole, the determined investigator whose reopening of an old case not only threatens to unearth the town's buried secrets but also rekindles old, turbulent emotions between him and Hazel. As the investigation deepens, the boundaries between past and present blur, weaving a tale of mystery, redemption, and unforeseen connection.
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Hannah Morrissey masterfully creates a world where every alley whispers secrets and every shadow hints at danger. Black Harbor feels less like a setting and more like a character—its grim atmosphere steeped in hopelessness yet strangely magnetic. While fans of The Transcriber will appreciate the rich continuation of complex relationships and familiar faces, newcomers can still enjoy this story on its own, thanks to the careful balancing of backstory and suspense.

The murder mystery itself delivers a reliable dose of intrigue—with twists that echo the intensity of your favorite crime dramas. Although it may not reinvent the thriller genre, Morrissey’s knack for building chemistry between her leads and painting a vivid, dark landscape is undeniably captivating. If you enjoy a straightforward crime thriller with a dash of emotional depth and noir aesthetics, The Unlucky Ones might just be your next compelling read.

A solid 3/5 for those who love a dark, atmospheric thriller—even if it treads familiar ground for seasoned genre fans.

Absolutely amazing – very well written and hard to put down!

Hazel has finally come back to Black Harbor, her ex husband Tommy has been found murdered. Of course drugs surround this town and thus surround the death. Add in missing guns and lotto scratch offs with the same number that are found on other murdered individuals and you have a completely great suspense novel.

This novel, like the rest of Hannah’s was so easy to get into. The details are perfectly placed and keep you wanting to read. This town is full of junkies and drug dealers and yet the books never get tiresome – just more interesting. Highly recommend starting with the first in the series and continuing on. They’re fast reads and will keep you entertained! 4️⃣⭐️❗️

We are back to Black Harbor and it’s darker, grittier, and more addictive than ever!
Hazel thought she left the city and trauma behind but when her ex husband is found murdered, she is pulled back in.
She is reunited with Kole who is working the case. Even though they haven’t seen each other in years, the chemistry is still there. 🔥
I cannot wait to read the other books in the series.

This was the second book I've read by Morrissey, both in the Black Harbour series. I enjoy her writing style and enjoy the call backs of overlapping characters from the series throughout her books. Reading this one made me want to go back and read the first two from this series.

This was more of a crime procedural than a thriller and touched on some topics that aren't a big interest of mine like drug dealing and crime bosses but as I said her writing is really solid so it was still an enjoyable read.

"Each of us was always just one wrong word from the other person walking away. And yet, as if connected by an invisible cable, we inevitably found our way back to each other."

I was really excited for Hazel's return to Black Harbor. When her ex, Tommy, is brutally murdered Hazel gets drawn back to everything she's been avoiding--including Kole.

Black Harbor was just as gross and dirty as ever and the whole book I kept wondering why anyone lives there. Morrissey's writing is so visceral and descriptive that it's easy to picture the depressing city and smell the garbage off-gassing. Drugs, violence and death dominate here and everyone and everything is connected. I appreciate how interwoven all of the Black Harbor stories are even though they can be read as standalones, which is exactly what I want from a series. Can't wait to see what awful things happen in Black Harbor next.

This took me a really long time to get through. I had to force myself to pick it up. It wasn't bad but it wasn't anything special. It was just okay.
Review was also posted on Goodreads

Hazel finally returns to Black Harbour, she swore she’d never come back, but when her ex-husband Tommy Greenlee is murdered, she needs to know what happened. Covering the crime is sergeant Nikolai Kole, Hazel’s ex lover. Hazel has stayed away all this time, knowing that Black Harbour is the type of town that people never get away fromand wonders if coming back will be her downfall.. When Sergeant Kole finds the body. of Tommy Greenlee, everyone assumes that Hazel may have had something to do with it, Kole knows she has ereason but doesn’t think she could do so.

Nikolai Kole has made a deal with Black Harbour, he will stay and try to solve its crimes if the city will be a haven to him. Black Harbour was once a nice community but now drugs and violent crimes are the norm.

When Hazel and Sergeant Kole run into one another, they make a tentative truce to try to get to the bottom of this crime. But Nikolai wonders if Hazel herself is in danger and swears to keep her safe. As the murders accumulate and the bodies pile up, Sergeant Kole knows that he has to work quickly to solve this case before any more lives are lost.

This was a good read. This is the fourth book in the Black Harbour series. I have not read any of the other books, but it did not detract from me enjoying this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house, and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for review based upon my honest opinion.

Is it weird to say it was good to be back in Black Harbor? There's something so gritty about it, so dark and sad yet the way Morrissey writes makes me want to keep returning. I loved the fact that Hazel was back and Kole was his usual seductive self with her. The storyline and mystery was completely engaging, taking me places I've never been and learning things I never thought to learn about secret societies (and not the kind you find at an Ivy League). Overall, this was just another winner in what is shaping up to be a long line of winners by Morrissey!

Sergeant Nikolai Kole responds to a homicide. In the bathroom of a clubhouse lies a body wrapped in garbage bags and doused in bleach. The killer left a calling card. The deceased is Tommy Greenlee.

Hazel, a police transcriber, now a novelist, returns to the cesspool that is Black Harbor when she learns her ex-husband, Tommy Greenlee, is dead. Kole is her former lover.

Hazel wonders who killed her ex-husband (even though he is her ex for a reason and she has nothing to do with him). Hazel finds herself in Kole’s orbit as she investigates who killed her ex-husband (and why she cared is beyond me). Hazel and Kole had a love affair but used each other to their own ends. So they basically hate each other, but also lust after each other non-stop.

The premise sounded good. The mention of a love affair in the blurb didn’t deter me and it should have. Because this isn’t a thriller with an underlying love story or just a spicy whatever. It is a romance with an underlying thriller. I own but have not read the first two in this series and now I know this series is not for me.

A few quotes from the book that sealed the deal for me that this book/series was NOT for me:

“His heartbeat pulses in his neck and I want so badly to press my lips to it.”

“Kole’s stare is dead and deadly. He wears a rueful expression.” Which was it? Deadly? Or rueful?

“He turns to look at me and I feel our irises lock into place, like a combination.” Wut?

Lines like these made this book feel very YA and super cringe.

The almost non-stop violence and/or law breaking by Kole as he investigates is not a good look. I realize rules may be bent once. Maybe twice. They shouldn’t be, but they are. But Kole is just a bad guy, parading around as a cop. His anger may be warranted, but his constant rule breaking and violence are exactly what give law enforcement a bad name.

It looks like this author is well liked and her books have high ratings. Reading is subjective and my opinions are my own. This book just wasn’t for me. I would usually DNF a book like this but I wanted to see who the kingpin was. I still can't find a single good reason Hazel returned to Black Harbor.

I received this book as an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to the author and the publisher for the opportunity.