The Unlucky Ones
- Judith D Collins
- May 24, 2025
- 6 min read
By: Hannah Morrissey
Narrators: Angela Dawe, Robb Moreira
Series: Black Harbor #4
ISBN: 978-1250369741
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Minotaur Books
Publication Date: 03/25/2026
Format: Audio
My Rating: 4 Stars (ALC)
A police transcriber-turned-novelist returns to Black Harbor to help solve the case of her ex-husband’s murder in the next riveting Black Harbor, featuring the return of characters from Hannah Morrissey's breakout debut, Hello, Transcriber.
Black Harbor is a tinderbox. Temperatures and violent crime have both risen to all-time highs, a new drug razes the city, and the scene to which Sergeant Nikolai Kole responds is anything but a rote homicide. In the back of a clubhouse lies a body wrapped in garbage bags and doused in bleach.
It isn’t just any body. Tommy Greenlee, the ex-husband of Kole’s former lover, Hazel, has been shot several times and left for dead. What’s more…the killer left what appears to be a calling card.
Elsewhere, Hazel is haunted by her memories of Black Harbor. Lured there after eight years, she returns to find out who killed Tommy and why. Now back in Kole’s orbit, their love affair can hardly pick up where it left off. They both used each other to their own ends before, which begs the question: would they do it again?
With the atmosphere growing more volatile by the second, Hazel and Kole call a truce, and as they work together to solve this murder, they will not only unearth Black Harbor’s deepest, darkest secrets—they’ll each have to face their own.
A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.
Black Harbor Series
THE UNLUCKY ONES #4
WHEN I'M DEAD #3
THE WIDOWMAKER #2
HELLO TRANSCRIBER #1
My Review
THE UNLUCKY ONES is the highly anticipated fourth installment in Hannah Morrissey's compelling Black Harbor series. This gripping novel delves into a dual-perspective narrative, intricately weaving together the experiences of former lovers Hazel Greenlee and Sergeant Nikolai Kole.
As they navigate the complexities of their reunion, the two are drawn into a shared investigation that uncovers dark secrets and hidden motives within their enigmatic coastal town. Their tumultuous past adds depth to the present as they confront not only the mysteries at hand but also the unresolved feelings that linger between them.
With its richly developed characters and gritty atmospheric setting, THE UNLUCKY ONES promises an enthralling blend of romance, suspense, and psychological tension.
About...
The Murder of Tommy Greenlee: The plot is set in motion when Tommy Greenlee, the abusive ex-husband of Hazel Greenlee, is found brutally murdered in a local clubhouse. His body is discovered wrapped in garbage bags and doused in bleach, a signature that includes a specific calling card left by the killer.
Hazel's Return: After eight years away, Hazel—now a successful novelist who formerly worked as a police transcriber—is drawn back to the gritty town of Black Harbor to uncover the truth behind Tommy's death.
Kole's Investigation: Sergeant Nikolai Kole is assigned the lead on Tommy's case. He is simultaneously grappling with personal grief following the death of his brother, Evan, a former police officer whose death was officially ruled a suicide but may be linked to the current case
The "Zombie" Drug Crisis: The town is currently ravaged by a new, highly dangerous designer drug called "Zombie," which is fueling a spike in violent crime and adding urgency to the investigation.
Connection to Cold Cases: Kole discovers a suspicious lottery ticket on the body of Cam, Tommy's best friend and a subsequent murder victim. This ticket matches one from an unsolved case dating back nine years, suggesting the current murders are part of a long-running sinister plan.
Kole’s confidential informant, Harriet, identifies an individual known as "Buddha" as the likely architect behind the deaths of both Tommy and Cam.
Serial Killer Hunt: As more bodies are discovered, the investigation shifts from a standard homicide case into a hunt for a serial killer.
Personal Stakes: Hazel is initially placed under house arrest due to her proximity to the victims, but eventually works with Kole to solve the mystery. Their history is characterized by mutual manipulation, leading to a central conflict over whether they can trust each other again.
My thoughts...
The intense investigation leads Hazel and Kole to confront deep-seated corruption within Black Harbor’s "underbelly," exposing secrets that are both systemic to the city and personal to their own pasts.
The sweltering summer heat of Black Harbor acts as a metaphor for the city’s volatility, contrasting with the frigid winter settings of earlier books in the series. The resolution of the murder mystery is tied to a revelation that has been "years in the making," involving a high-stakes scenario where Hazel's choices put both her and Kole in extreme danger.
The takeaway message of THE UNLUCKY ONES centers on the inescapable nature of one's past and the internal resilience required to survive systemic corruption.
The protagonist, Hazel, returns to Black Harbor after eight years, realizing that fleeing did not truly sever her ties to her abusive marriage or her former lover. The novel suggests that some secrets and emotional wounds must be faced directly before one can truly move forward.
The "Unlucky Ones" are the residents trapped in Black Harbor’s cycle of poverty and violence. The narrative underscores that individual efforts by law enforcement often only treat the "symptoms of a much larger disease" that consumes the city.
Characters in the novel frequently use one another for their own ends, highlighting a theme of survival over pure morality. The "truce" between Hazel and Kole illustrates that in high-stakes environments, cooperation is born of necessity rather than simple trust.
Through Kole's grief over his brother and Hazel's recovery from abuse, the book explores how trauma shapes an individual's identity. A central takeaway is that "some feelings are only meant to be felt, not explained".
The novel emphasizes that a person's environment—particularly one as bleak as Black Harbor—becomes a part of them. Even those who leave carry the city's "grit" within them. The title serves as a thematic label for the residents of Black Harbor and the inescapable trauma that defines their lives.
The audiobook....
I was overflowing with excitement as I delved into the audiobook version brought to life by the remarkably talented duo, Angela Dawe and Robb Moreira. As a devoted admirer of Angela Dawe's work—particularly her captivating narration in Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan Series—it was a unique experience to hear her voice in a radically different genre. Transitioning from the lighthearted realms of comedic mystery and satire to the shadowy depths of a dark, gritty thriller felt both exhilarating and intriguing. Their performance effortlessly captivated me, weaving a spell that kept me anchored to the story until the final moments. I was spellbound by how they evoked the haunting mood, intricately crafted settings, and complex emotions that enveloped the mystery and suspense, making each twist and turn all the more thrilling.
Recs...
Readers who enjoyed the gritty atmosphere, complex characters, and small-town secrets of Hannah Morrissey's The Unlucky Ones might also like other works of small-town crime fiction and psychological suspense. Here are some similar books:
~Hello, Transcriber by Hannah Morrissey (first book in the series)
~Long Bright River by Liz Moore
~All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
~We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
~Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
~Faithful Place by Tana French
~One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner
~The Lost Man by Jane Harper
Special thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for sharing an advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest thoughts
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Mar 25, 2025
My Rating: 4 Stars
Praise
"Dark, gritty and addictive . . . this is Hannah Morrissey at her best."
―Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author
"Morrissey's talents take center stage here: moody, razor-sharp prose; a scrupulously plotted chain of events; and a cast of characters so real they leap off the page."
―Kimberly Belle, internationally bestselling author
"Smoldering with suspense and teeming with grit."
―Kimi Cunnigham Grant, USA Today bestselling author
"A tense, twisty thriller with Morrissey's razor-sharp, vivid prose."
―David Ellis
"The Unlucky Ones is not for the faint-hearted, weak-stomached, or easily shocked, but for those who enjoy their murder mysteries dark, terrifying, tense, and traumatic, it's just the ticket." ―Booklist
About the Author
Hannah Morrissey is the author of the Black Harbor suspense series which includes Hello, Transcriber, The Widowmaker, and When I’m Dead. 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, three pugs, and a TBR pile that never seems to get
any smaller. WEBSITE
