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When I’m Dead by Hannah Morrissey
Thriller

When I’m Dead

Early Release

This is an early release that's only available to our members—the rest of the world has to wait to read it.

by Hannah Morrissey

Quick take

This twist-filled and visceral chiller will have you wondering how well we can ever truly know those we hold dearest.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_Psychological

    Psychological

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_MultipleNarrators

    Multiple viewpoints

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_Puzzle

    Puzzle

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_Whodunit

    Whodunit

Synopsis

On a bone-chilling October night, Medical Examiner Rowan Winthorp investigates the death of her daughter’s best friend. Hours later, the tragedy hits even closer to home when she makes a devastating discovery—her daughter, Chloe, is gone. But, not without a trace.

A morbid mosaic of clues forces Rowan and her husband to question how deeply they really knew their daughter. As they work closely to peel back the layers of this case, they begin to unearth disturbing details about Chloe and her secret transgressions . . . details that threaten to tear them apart.

Amidst the noise of navigating her newfound grief and reconciling the sins of her past, an undeniable fact rings true for Rowan: karma has finally come to collect.

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Free sample

Get an early look from the first pages of When I’m Dead.

Why I love it

When I’m Dead opens with a macabre crime: a girl has been murdered, her broken teeth scattered across the ground. Soon it’s discovered that her best friend, Chloe Winthorp, is missing. But Chloe’s disappearance is not the only thing that terrifies her parents, both veteran investigators—because it’s not clear whether Chloe is a victim or the perpetrator.

As the story shifts between those who are closest to Chloe, we peel back the intricate layers of her life. Chloe’s parents are forced to question just how well they actually know their daughter, and what secrets she was keeping from them. Then another body surfaces and the investigation takes on new urgency.

The dark heart of this novel lies in its exploration of a young woman’s private world, and of a family that began to fracture long before she vanished. Hannah Morrissey deftly balances emotional depth with a twisting mystery and ever rising tension that had me absolutely in its grip.

And of course, all of this transpires in the bleak and starkly drawn town of Black Harbor, a place that exudes a sense of peril all on its own. With its late October setting, complete with pumpkin carving and a visit to a haunted house, I found it the perfect book to curl up with as the days get shorter and darkness creeps in. If your fall vibe includes graveyards and scary stories, you won’t want to miss this one.

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Member ratings (10,172)

  • Cassandra S.

    Hagerstown, MD

    This book is amazing. I didn’t read the first two books but I jumped right in and couldn’t put it down. This book had me asking so many questions and had an ending that can only be described as Wow.

  • Sami W.

    Greenfield, WI

    The perfect seasonal murder mystery. I loved the different perspectives—and even though I suspected who the killer was as soon as they were introduced—liked how everything came together at the end.

  • Cynthia M.

    Wisconsin Rapids, WI

    The title alone sent shivers down my spine! Who can resist a crime story where a teenager’s haunting words, “You’ll love me better when I’m dead,” hang in the air long after she disappears.

  • Victoria A.

    Pittsgrove , NJ

    I loved this book! I read it with some friends, and we kept second guessing who was the killer! The characters were all unlikeable, yet that's par for the course in Black Harbor. Such a great thriller

  • Virginia D.

    Orlando, FL

    This is a new author for me and I am looking forward to reading her previous two books. I love this style of writing, when it jumps from one narrator to another. The characters the setting in the spoo