Scan barcode
A review by lovelymisanthrope
When I'm Dead by Hannah Morrissey
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I picked this book up because it was a Book of the Month selection, and it sounded very interesting to me.
"When I'm Dead" follows Medical Examiner Rowan Winthorp. One evening, Rowan is called away to investigate the murder of one of her close friend's daughters. When she returns home, she is distraught to find her own daughter, Chloe, missing. Rowan and her husband will not rest until they bring Chloe home, but they quickly learn that they do not know their daughter as well as they thought.
I was really excited to pick this one up, but I was really underwhelmed with the story. Rowan as a character felt frantic and unhinged, which rightfully so, she was because her daughter was missing, but it hindered my reading experience from her point of view. There were additional points of view that I did not think were necessary to the story. I think we could have gotten a stronger narrative if the story was exclusively from Rowan's, or one character's, perspective.
I think the premise that Chloe's parents do not know her as well as they believed is interesting, and especially because her parents are both supposed to be such good investigators in their fields. They can solve murder cases, but they cannot tell you what is going on in their daughter's life. It made Chloe's story more heartbreaking and added to the layers of mysteries.
The great reveal of who took Chloe and why they did was underwhelming, and it felt like it came out of nowhere. I found it a little unbelievable how unstable the kidnapper/murder was, but they walked around town and lived a very normal life without any suspicious activity. I know this is probably more common than I believe, but it just did not feel like a realistic story in this context.
I will probably give Hannah Morrissey another go in the future, if she writes a different type of mystery thriller.
"When I'm Dead" follows Medical Examiner Rowan Winthorp. One evening, Rowan is called away to investigate the murder of one of her close friend's daughters. When she returns home, she is distraught to find her own daughter, Chloe, missing. Rowan and her husband will not rest until they bring Chloe home, but they quickly learn that they do not know their daughter as well as they thought.
I was really excited to pick this one up, but I was really underwhelmed with the story. Rowan as a character felt frantic and unhinged, which rightfully so, she was because her daughter was missing, but it hindered my reading experience from her point of view. There were additional points of view that I did not think were necessary to the story. I think we could have gotten a stronger narrative if the story was exclusively from Rowan's, or one character's, perspective.
I think the premise that Chloe's parents do not know her as well as they believed is interesting, and especially because her parents are both supposed to be such good investigators in their fields. They can solve murder cases, but they cannot tell you what is going on in their daughter's life. It made Chloe's story more heartbreaking and added to the layers of mysteries.
The great reveal of who took Chloe and why they did was underwhelming, and it felt like it came out of nowhere. I found it a little unbelievable how unstable the kidnapper/murder was, but they walked around town and lived a very normal life without any suspicious activity. I know this is probably more common than I believe, but it just did not feel like a realistic story in this context.
I will probably give Hannah Morrissey another go in the future, if she writes a different type of mystery thriller.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail