A Black Harbor Novel
Book 2
ABOUT THE BOOK
A wealthy family shrouded in scandal; a detective tasked with solving an impossible cold case; and a woman with a dark past collide in Hannah Morrissey’s stunning new Black Harbor mystery, The Widowmaker.
Ever since business mogul Clive Reynolds disappeared twenty years ago, the name “Reynolds” has become synonymous with “murder” and “mystery.” And now, lured by a cryptic note, down-on-her-luck photographer Morgan Mori returns home to Black Harbor and into the web of their family secrets and double lives. The same night she photographs the Reynolds holiday get-together, Morgan becomes witness to a homicide of a cop that triggers the discovery of a long-buried clue.
This could finally be the thing to crack open the chilling cold case, and Investigator Ryan Hudson has a chance to prove himself as lead detective. If only he could stop letting his need to solve his partner’s recent murder distract him. But as Morgan exposes her own dark demons, could her sordid history be the key to unlocking more than one mystery?
- Publisher : Minotaur Books
- Publication date : December 6, 2022
- Print length : 296 pages
What’s Being Said
“The Widowmaker is absolutely enthralling. It’s moody and dark, with characters that are heartbreakingly real. Hannah Morrissey has become a must-read author for me.” – Samantha Downing, internationally bestselling author of My Lovely Wife
“Welcome back to Black Harbor, where the snow looks like ash and the people are darker than ever. Morrissey’s latest is an electrifying and unnerving exploration of privilege, justice, and the strength it takes to tackle a city’s grit and glitter in one fell swoop.” ―Tessa Wegert, author of Dead Wind
“An instantly compelling main character and unforgettable cast. A propulsive look at family and secrets and desire . . . gorgeously written.” – Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of Her Perfect Life
First Book In The Black Harbor Series
My Thoughts
In Black Harbor police officer Ryan Hudson’s patrol partner is fatally shot during a convenience store robbery. Morgan Mori, who is in Black Harbor for a photo shoot, ends up being an eyewitness to the crime.
The characters are definitely flawed. And as Ryan and Morgan share insights in chapters that bounce back and forth between them, we learn just how scarred they are.
It’s a dark story and one which contains child abuse, a possible trigger for some.
As the two main characters start working together on solving the death of Ryan’s partner, a new mystery weaves its way into the mix. Was Morgan summoned to photograph a prominent family for another reason? My interest was piqued. At this point all is good. Even better than good. Until it wasn’t.
My Concerns
As I mentioned earlier, I had trouble with the flow.
But above all, it lacked believability.
And then the ending? By the time I got there, it was fairly obvious who had done what. But then a large amount of space was spent overexplaining. By the time I closed my Kindle I felt pretty much nothing.
Final Thoughts
I will definitely give the next book in the series a try.
This is probably a book that you’ll whiz through and accept the characters and all the twists and turns. Or you’ll find it lacking.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this ebook and the ability to review it without any stipulations.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hannah Morrissey is the author of the Black Harbor suspense series which includes Hello, Transcriber, The Widowmaker (2022), and When I’m Dead (2023). A three-decade survivor of Wisconsin winters, Hannah enjoys putting her characters (and readers) in bone-chilling atmospheres that permeate beyond the page. Naturally, her books have carved out their own sub-genre of “Midwestern Noir.”
Between roles of bookseller and copywriter, Hannah was inspired to write her debut novel while transcribing reports for her local police department. Far from home in a grim, crime-ridden city, it was her job to sit alone in the dead of night, listen, and type as detectives divulged the city’s darkest secrets. There, she realized that every case was a story, and every story started with the same two words: “Hello, Transcriber.”
Hannah graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison where she majored in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing. She grew up in a small northern town and now lives near Milwaukee with her husband who leads the detective bureau, three pugs who sleep beside her while she writes, and a TBR pile that never seems to get any smaller.
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