Thank you to Minotaur Books, Netgalley, and the author for the complimentary advance readers’ edition of THE WIDOWMAKER by Hannah Morrissey for an honest review.
Publication Date: 12/6/2022
Rating: 3.5 / 5
THE WIDOWMAKER follows a couple of mysteries. Twenty years ago, Clive Reynolds went missing, a man well known in business circles. His wife was accused of the crime and has long been thought of as a murderer. Morgan has recently returned to her hometown of Black Harbor, reinventing herself and her photography career. One of her first jobs is to photograph the Reynolds family holiday party. While she is aware of the family’s reputation, and they certainly don’t try to hide it, she is drawn to the allure of the family occasion and the people who seem to welcome her warmly.
On her way back home after the party Morgan Mori makes a stop at a gas station where she is witness to the murder of a police officer. Not only does she see this murder, the murderer takes off with her car, her photography equipment, the Renyolds’ photos, and her entirely livelihood. The officer killed has been working on solving the cold case involving Clive. Morgan has been through a lot in her life, and this just adds to the family intrigue and secrets and darkness that surrounds her.
I really enjoyed Morrissey’s HELLO, TRANSCRIBER when I read it last year, so I was excited to get the opportunity to read her sophomore book. This book is set in the same city of Black Harbor but it is entirely a standalone novel. It definitely has the same dark, gritty feel of the prior book with characters and a place that has been through a lot of trauma. In this case we are following Morgan’s POV and that of Ryan Howard, the murdered man’s partner who is now determined to solve both crimes, past and present.
I will say that this book took me a little bit longer to get into than the previous novel, but that could have been a very me type of thing. By about the halfway mark (and this is a fairly short novel, under 300 pages) I was very invested in wanting answers. I guessed at a few things, but the author managed to surprise me with some of the twists in the end.
I am very glad to have had the opportunity to read THE WIDOWMAKER! Pub date is on 12/6/2022! I will be looking forward to reading what Hannah Morrissey brings us next!
DG Reads 