The Widowmaker

A Black Harbor Novel

By: Hannah Morrissey

Narrated by: Adam Verner, Xe Sands

Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

"Narrators Adam Verner and Xe Sands provide each character with a unique voice, ably capturing their grief and deep emotion." - Library Journal

"Listeners who appreciate Morrissey's description and attention to detail will be drawn into this dark, multilayered saga."- AudioFile

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?

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.

©2022 Hannah Morrissey (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Listeners who appreciate Morrissey's description and attention to detail will be drawn into this dark, multilayered saga." —AudioFile

“The Widowmaker confirms Hannah Morrisey’s status as one of the brightest new voices in crime fiction. An unflinching look at two damaged people trying to do right in a world full of wrong, told in scalpel-sharp prose with a poet’s eye for detail.” —Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of The House Across the Lake

“The Widowmaker is impossible to put down and even harder to stop thinking about, with characters so fully formed, they walk right off the page, crawl inside you, and stick to your bones.” —Elle Cosimano, USA Today bestselling author of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

Love a good revenge story

I love a good revenge story, and though a lot of the “revenge” aspect of the main character is backstory, it’s a fun and empowering premise. It also felt like all the characters had complex development and emotional arcs, which made it a fascinating web to untangle. Thoroughly enjoyed it

Thoroughly Enjoyable

This book had a different feel to it when told through the voice of the strong, but severely damaged as a child main character. Her experiences reverberated throughout the book, but a healthy ending reassured this reader that her future would be bright.

Was a great read. A new author and from Wisconsin

Loved this story. Great job Hannah. The plot was complex,characters deep and interesting. I’ll be watching for additional novels from you in the future

Good story, horrible voice actor

I find myself truly conflicted by this book. To appropriately critique the writing, I’ll need to reread a physical copy. I think it was a pretty good story but I found myself so severely distracted by the atrocious vocal performance by the male actor that I couldn’t determine if the writing was cheesy or just the performance. He sounds like a grandfather making his first attempt at silly voices while reading a bedtime story to his grandchildren.

I was initially put off by the female lead but as the story and character of Morgan developed, found her casting 100% appropriate.

In terms of the plot itself, fans of Hello, Transcriber may be disappointed to learn that we have a new set of main characters and though Nickolai Kole carries over, his history from HT is a mere footnote in this book. Should Hannah Morrissey continue the series, it will be interesting to see where she takes the characters she’s previously developed.

I liked it

Good book! It was a solid plot just a bit predictable for me. I think I was looking for more psychological type twists but they never came. And that could just be me expecting too much! I did really enjoy the book though. I Recommend!

Xe Sands Only

Had this book been narrated by Xe, only, I would have rated higher. The sample was only Xe. I tried to return it after I heard the males voice. He was reading, not narrating, and it was in a sing song way. Will watch for that name to stay away from.

Amateurish writing

The plot is passable, but the writing could have used massive editing — not to mention a good writing class. Overuse of adjectives and mixed metaphors were laugh-inducing: “His words screwed into her like a bullet….”

Dull

The narration is so boring I kept zoning out. I also had to rewind several times throughout the book from such a monotone voice.

The book cover was better than the story

The only positive about this book is that you will not be lost if you haven't listened to book one. I enjoyed book one and decided to listen to this one expecting a similar outcome. I was underwhelmed and bored. There was so much buzz on social media and so many 5-star that I expected way more. I decided to read a lot of the 5-star reviews online and they are from people that received a complimentary copy.