I've enjoyed this series and the author's overall work with these books. I love that she doesn't shy away from the crime in cities.

As a police procedural, the book delivers a headline-worthy plot, brimming with characters who each hold their own—though many possess decidedly questionable traits.

The Unlucky Ones plunges readers into a shadowy world of drugs and decay, crafting a dark and gripping mystery. Amidst the darkness, a romance between two former lovers tentatively emerges, offering a glimmer of light to balance the grim setting. Morrissey masterfully blends both tones, creating a nuanced atmosphere.

All in all, this is a compelling police procedural that draws you in and makes you feel as though you’re right there on the streets, piecing together the murder mystery alongside the characters. For those comfortable with raw and unflinching depictions of a crime-ridden world, this novel is a must-read, and I loved the protagonist!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

The Unlucky Ones by Hannah Morrissey is the 4th installment of the Black Harbor series. It is the first book I have ever read in the series, and while I probably would have benefitted from reading the 3 previous books, I was able to easily read this as a standalone and catch up on what was going on.

Hazel Greenlee, former police transcriber turned author, is back in Black Harbor. Although she never imagined stepping foot here again, she’s back to find out who murdered her ex-husband, Tommy. Black Harbor is a crime ridden, drug infested, dangerous town, and Sergeant Nikolai Kole is the man in charge of the investigation. Kole is also Hazel’s former lover, and after eight years apart, when they are reunited they must put the past aside to find out who is murdering people and leaving a card behind, the same card that was found in the pocket of Kole’s brother when he was found after committing suicide years before.

This is a police procedural book with a dark murder mystery at the center. The descriptions of the scenes, the intricate details of the murders are raw and gritty, but will keep you intrigued and wanting more with each page as you read. The characters are well developed, some likeable, some not so much. But the chemistry between Nikolai and Hazel can’t be denied. The author expertly intertwines romance among the ugliness of the crime to give you a small reprieve to catch your breath.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Minotaur Books, and Hannah Morrissey for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange or an honest review.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for advance copy! You all know I am not really a series girlie, but it Morrissey writes it, and I can go back to Black Harbor I am so in!

This is my favorite of the Black Harbor series yet! Morrissey really has a knack for writing dark, gritty and haunting novels. This one is action packed, read like a movie and was so suspenseful. Usually, stories like that lack a bit of character development, but not this. We really have gotten to know our characters within these novels and this one still adds more depth. We still got multiple POVs in this which I think really helps keep the suspense alive!

It is a testament to Morrissey’s skill. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but I was happy with the ending. We got a messy, but realistic ending that was perfection! I will forever be a fan!

This was another great read in this series! It was enjoyable from the beginning until the end. It wasn’t predictable and the plot was well-written.

ARC review - rating 4,5 ⭐️

"The Unlucky Ones" by Hannah Morrissey is the 4th book in the "Black Harbor" series. The books in the series can be read as standalone, but before reading this one you should read at least "Hello, Transcriber".

I received an ARC from St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and ALC from Macmillan Audio (via Netgalley).
Opinions from this review are completely my own.

Publication date is 25 March 2025.

Hazel is a police transcriber turned writer, that returns to Black Harbor after 8 years, to help solve the murder of her ex-husband. The investigation is lead by sergent Nikolai Kole, the man she fell in love with
before leaving town.

I enjoyed all the books in the series, but this my favorite (followed by Hello, Transcriber).
This book has a dual POV, the story is told in 1st person by Hazel and in 3rd person by Kole.
The murder investigation uncovered links to other murders, including the one of Kole's brother and more connections to other crimes are revealed.
The story is dark, violent and filled with unexpected twists.
I also listened to the audiobook narrated by Angela Dawe and Robb Moreira and they did a great job helping me immerse in the story. They both did a great job portraing the characters and enhacing the story.

If you like dark crime thrillers with mystery and suspense I recomand this series.
Hopefully there will be more books in the future.

This was a well-written gritty police procedural!! It’s the fourth book in the Black Harbor series, but I successfully read this as a standalone. 🙌

While it definitely can be read as a standalone (I had no problems understanding the backgrounds/connections between characters), I do think that was my personal downfall. I found myself not invested enough in the characters; had I read the previous books first, I think I would have been more invested. 🤦🏼‍♀️

I’m definitely planning to read the first three books (I mean, they’re all on my shelves right now 😅) and then reread this one! In the meantime, I do recommend checking this book as well as the series out! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

A riveting suspense thriller. Black Harbor sounds like a terrible place.  An excellent police procedural with twists that will please any thriller fan. A very well paced story with great characters expertly written. The dark and seedy setting will have you wanting more.

I'm going with four stars instead of three because there is nothing objectively objectionable. It dragged hard though, for me.

4.5 rounded up to 5.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Unlucky Ones is the 4th installment in Hannah Morrissey's Black Harbor series. While all the others can be read as standalones, and technically this one could be as well, I would highly recommend reading the previous three novels before jumping into this one. There are definitely spoilers from all three books mentioned, and honestly it just helps knowing the background of the characters and their histories before getting into this story.

While Hazel and Nik Kole are the main focus of this installment, many previous characters from the other two books are heavily included. In fact, while I'm not sure if this will be the final book in the Black Harbor series (even if temporarily), this one definitely felt like a potential conclusion to the series, as it tied some of the loose ends or side stories from previous novels together. I did not see this coming at all, and the way everything came together was absolutely brilliant and extremely clever. Kole, Hudson, and Axel all got lots of closure from situations that had haunted them from the previous novels. I really loved every moment, especially when everything started coming together so beautifully.

I do think this was a bit of a slower burn compared to the other books, with much more emphasis on the mystery and police procedural portions, and less into the relationships between the characters (mainly Hazel and Nik). Without reading the other books, I feel like those connections might feel like they were lacking in this one, but only because these relationships were all strongly established in the previous novels, and the focus was more on the actual plot. I personally wasn't bothered by this, but if you read this as a standalone, then you might find the chemistry between the characters a bit lacking.

Overall, this book tied the series thus far together really well, and was another solid installment. Fantastic job!

Wow. I love this book. Be sure to read hello, transcriber first before diving into this five star read. I really enjoyed the character development and plot. I was hooked from page one. I flew through these pages waiting to find out what was next.

This fourth book in the Dark Harbor series is another good slow burn mystery. Eight years ago Hazel left Dark Harbor, her ex-husband Tommy, and her lover Detective Nikolai Kole to become a writer in New York. Upon hearing that Tommy was gunned down in a notorious club, Hazel returns to Dark Harbor to help discover what happened to Tommy and to face her unresolved issues from the past. The town is once again being overrun with drugs and criminal gang wars. How was Tommy involved and how will Hazel handle working with Kole again? Morrissey does a great job of creating a dark and sinister atmosphere in this series and the story kept me turning pages to see who would be left standing after the final violent confrontation. #NetGalley #TheUnluckyOnes

As with all previous Hannah Morrissey books, excellent writing style and pacing. Lots of characters who are dark and largely unliveable. This series is very dark and deliciously awesome!

The Unlucky Ones by @hannahmorrisseywriter

Despite her narrow escape in Hello Transcriber, Hazel is back in Black Harbor to find out who murdered her ex-husband and why. In a town full of crime and drugs, there are nearly endless possibilities for who killed Tommy - but if someone wanted him dead, do they also want Hazel dead?

Hazel tries to fly under the radar, but it doesn’t take long for her former lover - and police investigator - Nikolai Kole to find out she’s back, and he’ll do anything to keep her safe. Nik also quickly realizes Hazel isn’t leaving until she gets to the bottom of the murder, so despite their past, they pair up to uncover the truth.

I really enjoyed this book! Hannah’s descriptions of the people and places in Black Harbor were dark and slimy, which made it easy to immerse yourself in the story. There were twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end, which made it a super quick read.

Thank you for letting me be an early reader of this book! I can’t wait to host an author talk with Hannah in Oshkosh, WI in March to talk more about this book. Get tix in the link in my bio, where you can also preorder!

The Unlucky Ones by Hannah Morrissey is a dark, gritty crime fiction novel and the fourth installment in the Black Harbor series. It’s the first book that I’ve read in the series and by this author.

I really appreciated Morrissey’s writing style—sharp, concise sentences and short chapters created a strong pace and the dialogue enhanced the novel’s somber, melancholic atmosphere. While I enjoy dark storylines, I find they need a touch of lightness to provide balance; otherwise, they can feel overwhelmingly heavy. Unfortunately, none of the characters stood out as particularly likable, and the atmosphere remained relentlessly bleak, making it difficult for me to fully engage.

Overall, this was an okay read for me.

I really enjoy Hannah Morrissey's books. I read The Widowmaker and enjoyed that also. I need to go back and read the other 2 books in this series.

Black Harbor is a dark place; crime ridden and drug filled. Hazel, a former police transcriber escaped the town and her abusive ex husband, Tommy, eight years ago. When that husband is killed, she returns to help solve his murder. Or was it some other reason?

Dark, gritty and full of suspense.

My thanks to Net Galley and St Martin's and Minotaur for allowing me to review this arc.

This was my first book of the Black Harbor series and I didn't think it was bad. Hazel Greenlee returns to her old town to find that her ex husband was found murdered and wrapped in plastic. What begins is an dark and gritty investigation into the drug world.

Well written. Good story.

The Unlucky Ones is a dark, gritty murder mystery set in the underbelly of a city that reeks of drugs and rot. But within the pages, a romance tries to bloom between two past lovers. Morrissey teases us with a bit of lightness to offset the ugly. Black Harbor is a dark place; crime ridden, derelict, drug filled. Hazel, a former police transcriber escaped the town and her abusive ex husband, Tommy, eight years ago and wrote a successful book based on Black Harbor. When that husband is killed, she returns there, but why? Is it just to find out what happened to Tommy or to re kindle something with her former lover, police sergeant Nikolai Kole. Morrissey paints a grittily atmospheric picture of Black Harbor, a town that most people long to leave. Well written and plotted, with strong character development, this was an engrossing read. There are rays of light in this dark tale. I did not read all three previous books and I was still able to enjoy this.

“The Unlucky Ones” by Hannah Morrissey takes another deep dive into the brutal and haunting atmosphere of Black Harbour. Sergeant Nikolai Kole and Hazel are once again at the center of another chilling and disturbing crime scene that might tear them apart for good if they manage to survive the carnage left in its wake.

Black Harbour is worse than it’s ever been before. Crime rates are increasing and trying to reign in some semblance of control over the situation seems impossible. To add to the mayhem, a body’s been found at the back of a clubhouse. And it just had to be Tommy Greenlee, Hazel’s ex-husband. Whoever killed him left what appears to be a calling card.

Hazel, upon hearing about her ex-husband, returns to Black Harbour for the first time after eight years. Despite her history with her ex, she’s determined to find out who may have killed him and why. This means run-ins with Kole despite their rocky relationship. But when threats ensue and it becomes clear this murder is more than it looks like, they may only have each other to rely on if they want to catch Tommy’s killer.

What a fantastic return! The atmosphere of Black Harbour is much like the first: dark, dreary, haunting, and full of violence and crime. Not the kind of place anyone with a shred of sanity would want to live. Yet, something is compelling about the darkness hidden in Black Harbour, which makes it the perfect place for a murder mystery. It’s impossible to trust any of the characters because they all have something to gain or lose, so they’re all hiding something. And the setting makes murder so much more complicated because it’s impossible to know if the death is connected to something larger than a hate-fuelled killing.

Morrissey is skilled at making the reader feel like they’re onto something and then turning everything on its head, taking the reader completely off guard. Those are the best kinds of murder mysteries! Being unable to predict the ending and always having to question everything creates disorientation. There is no certainty to be found in anything. This makes the story easy to read and the pages fly by in the eagerness to discover answers.

Kole and Hazel have great chemistry, even when fighting. Having them work together (and against each other) adds to the enjoyment of reading such a dark and violent story. Both characters continue to develop and grow throughout the story, which is brilliant to see as they both have a lot to face and own up to. A lot of what felt unresolved in "Hello, Transcriber" felt like it came together in this story. The only thing that took me out of the story was Hazel’s naivety and her lack of trust with Kole. Having lived in Black Harbour, I felt she should’ve been wearier in trusting people and revealing information than she was. It felt like most of that was aimed at Kole, even though the things she accused him of doing felt contrary to Kole’s personality and morals. At points, it grated on my nerves, but at the same time, I could see where she was coming from. Still, it took away some of my enjoyment from the book.

“The Unlucky Ones” by Hannah Morrissey is an incredible return to Black Harbour and the main characters. Those who loved “Hello, Transcriber” will fall in love with this one, too. And any reader who loves a good crime will find this the perfect read to snuggle under the blankets with! The expected publication date is March 25th, 2025. Be sure to be on the lookout!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (Minotaur Books) for providing me with an e-arc of this novel and giving me the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.

This is a dark and twisted read. Hazel is lured back to town.it has an explosive scene towards the end of the 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 devoured this book in a matter of days! It really pulls you in from the first chapter and it’s easy to dive right back into the lives of those in Black Harbor. I had an inkling of the outcome, but I did not have everything right! That’s for sure!! The way the author, Hannah Morrissey weaves everything together is truly interesting. I enjoyed my time in this book and I would definitely go back to Black Harbor if given the chance! Please check your trigger warnings — I did personally have to slide by a couple animal related situations for myself!