The quiet town of Granite Harbor is rocked when a serial killer strikes, killing 2 people ! Author Peter Nichols writes an outstanding novel for anyone who loves some gore of sorts and sickening rituals in their plan to kill. Honesty makes you wonder how he came up with the plot.
Have I intrigued you? Or are you already running?

Family, friends and small community make up the town of Granite Harbor. The towns historical archaeological site, the Settlement is where community members work and tourist abound. Upon the discovery of a teenage death, life in Granite Harbor will never be the same. A one town detective who is also an author and parent is trying to unravel the mystery while keeping his own teenage daughter safe.

A novel of suspense, love and tragedy, all in one. A mother’s instinct, another mother’s intuition of sorts might just save Granite Harbor and the lives of so many other people.
I think this novel was descriptively written and might be quite entertaining for those who seek a psychological hair-raiser and metaphorical twist.
A 3 star for me, there were a couple far fetched parts and just a little too grisly for me but just might be up someone else’s alley.
I recommend this novel for those who are up for it !

Thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for this eARC in return for my honest review

This thriller/mystery based in Maine reads more like a literary fiction novel than an actual thriller. Although the book gives some mystery vibes, seeing that there is a serial killer on the loose in the small coastal town of Maine, it isn't your typical crime fiction novel. It is somewhat of a slow burn, but the writing style flows. It isn't too flowery, but a bit too much of a literary work of fiction for the genre it's categorized as.
I liked the setting of the book as well as some of its characters, especially Isabel. But some of the other cast members were a bit too weird for my taste, and there were a couple of incidents that people should be aware of. If you're easily triggered about animal abuse and descriptive violence, then you might want to skip this one.
The ending felt a bit flat but it was an overall enjoyable read, hence a three stars from me.

I sadly didn’t love this one! I’ve heard reviews go either way- loved it or hated it. My opinion was neutral and leaning towards the later. It was just a bit too much for me and couldn’t connect with any of the characters. The overall tone just wasn’t for me. But I appreciate the advanced copy.

Granite Harbor is my first suspense novel by Peter Nichols. This was a definite slow burn for me, things didn't really heat up until about halfway through, but once they did it went by fast. This was a 4 star read for me.

I will state here at the top that there are trigger warnings for sexual abuse and mistreatment of animals.

Alex, a former novelist turned detective, has his first murder case in the small town of Granite Harbor, Maine. A teenage boy is found in the Settlement, a tourist attraction in the area. Shane and his best friends Jared and Ethan had been out skateboarding, and when Jared and Ethan decided to call it a night, Shane headed out in the other direction. So what happened to Shane in that short amount of time? Alex's daughter Sophie and Ethan become close in their grief for their friend, although their parents aren't really on speaking terms anymore. Alex's ex-wife Morgana can't handle Sophie anymore, and Alex doesn't have time for her drama. When another teenage boy is found dead, and Sophie and Ethan end up missing, Alex and Isabel, Ethan's mom, must work together to save their children.

This was a slow burn with a lot of characters, and the chapters regularly change focus from one to another, which was confusing at times. If the chapters would have had a name or something so that you knew who the chapter centered around, that would have been helpful.

With that said, the writing was good, and once the action started the pacing went quickly with some definite suprises and twists. The characters are likeable for the most part, and the majority of them had good backstories. Some chapters were in the past, skipping through the life of one of the characters, although you won't know who.

All in all, a good small-town suspenseful mystery with twists you won't see coming, family drama, grief, and friendship.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @CeladonBooks for a digital copy for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.

A big thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this novel was very impressive. As a Mainer, I may potentially be a little biased with the setting, but I really enjoyed it! There were so many authentic descriptions of what a Maine fishing town would be like, and it was clear and obvious to me that the author did their research. When a potential serial killer rocks this idyllic town on the coast, local detective Alex struggles to find clue while rediscovering himself in the process. This created a really nice, multi-layered plot line that was a little slow burn but still captivating. This felt very "Mare of Easttown" and I truly enjoyed it. I am looking forward to other Nichols titles in the future!

Read if you like: Silence of the Lambs/ Mare of Easttown vibes, police procedurals, alternate timelines & POVs, the show The Killing, the film The Bone Collector, or Long Bright River by Liz Moore

I could NOT put this one down. I’ve been going through a bit of a slump and this pulled me out. I had forgotten how much I enjoy police procedurals and creepy SK stories. The small town seaside setting along with the historical elements really added to the atmospheric tension of this one. There was a very minimal paranormal element that I wasn’t expecting and could have done without but other than that, this was a perfect read for my personal taste. The writing was more sophisticated than what I’ve come to expect from police procedurals and mysteries in general. I particularly enjoyed the perpetrator’s POV as he progresses through his childhood (unnamed) and trying to determine which adult he was in present day leading up to the reveal.

This book is DARK friends (which you know I love.) Check trigger warnings.

Three friends hang out together, then separate. Two go home. The third whose home is impoverished and unloving, sets out to skateboard late. Into the evening. He meets with an unfortunate end unmissed by family and friends, his body discovered in a historic recreation community next to Maine woods. And so it begins. Who in this very small town is hiding in plain sight the evil desires they act out in the dark of night?

This book won't be for everyone. Some will be turned off by the animal scenes, the narrative descriptions, the lack of fast-paced tension, or the horrific events.

But here is why I liked it-

This is a book to be savored, for the reader to marvel at the writer's imagination, and obvious love of writing and research. The writing bordered on literary but with a thriller flare. The characters were realistic, from the interaction between teens and their parents, and how fearful parents were for their kids, to the townspeople who worked at the Settlement, a historic re-creation. I know someone who works doing interpretive work for a historic museum, and Nichol's grasp of how the actors get in character for their roles was spot on! The small-town flavor, where everyone knows everyone added another dimension, another question about who among them could possibly be responsible for the killings.

I have read enough thrillers to be jaded by dark crimes, but even I cringed a little at how seriously messed up the killings in this book were. At the same time, I was captivated by the psychology behind them. This definitely had Silence of the Lamb vibes for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an advance reader's copy.

Step into the atmospheric world of coastal Maine with 'Granite Harbor' by Peter Nichols! This crime novel promises a thrilling journey through the tight-knit community of Granite Harbor, where secrets lurk beneath the surface and danger looms around every corner. Join detective Alex Brangwen as he races against time to solve a series of brutal murders while navigating the complexities of small-town life.

It’s important to note that 'Granite Harbor' contains themes of violence, including instances of animal abuse, which may be distressing for some readers. Proceed with caution if you're sensitive to such content.

Overall, "Granite Harbor" may appeal to readers seeking a familiar small-town crime drama, but those expecting a riveting thriller may be left wanting more. While it captures the essence of a tight-knit community grappling with tragedy, it ultimately fails to deliver on its promise of suspense and intrigue.

This was described as a setting similar to Mare of Easttown and I think that was my favorite part of it. This was a good, gritty crime thriller, with rough around the edges characters. I figured out who the killer was early on in the book, but still loved it.

Granite Harbor has always been a small town where not much happens until a serial killer is targeting a teen friend group. Since it is a small town, the lives of both the parents and teens are intertwined as the father of one girl is the cop on the case and has dated the mom of another teen. All of the parents are terrified that their child will be next victim as the clock ticks to find the killer.

This was my first time reading the author and while I thought the story was a bit subtle for a serial killer-based thriller, I thought it was generally well written. I think why I didn't love this one as much as I wanted to was because it just didn't feel like that race or immediate need to know who did it like most thrillers, as in I felt I could put it down and pick it back up (which probably isn't a great sell for a thriller) - I wanted to know what happened but it wasn't a page turner for me. In addition, the main male character was British and the audio narrator didn't really use a consistent accent (or hardly one at all) which threw me off. In the end I wanted to know who the killer was but I wasn't dying (pun intended) to know. I would still try another by the author however because I did like the characters and the writing.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for the ARC to review

If you tell me a book has Silence of the Lambs vibes, I’ll stop you right there and ask for the book immediately. Granite Harbor has Silence of the Lambs vibes tenfold and a gloomy gritty feel to it and then couple it with the way it was written I couldn’t put this book down. This was my first book by the author and it certainly won’t be my last.

Alex is the lone police detective of Granite Harbor and when a local teen and friend of his daughter’s is found dead he must navigate conducting his first murder investigation while still being a parent and keeping his daughter safe. Isabel is a single mother struggling to make ends meet while trying to find the balance to giving her son freedom while keeping him safe from harm after his friend is the victim. Alex and Isabel, despite their past, work together to find out what is happening within their tight-knit community while simultaneously keeping their own children safe.

Granite Harbor isn’t going to be for everyone but if its vibes are your jam then you will definitely enjoy the read. This book is going to make it on my favorite thriller/mysteries list of the year for sure and maybe even my overall favorites of the year.



Thank you Celadon Books!!

I had a difficult time staying interested in this book. The scenes with the boy and his cousin in the tent, the coyote, Boon... those were tough scenes for me to read and I was surprised that more people didn't list them as trigger warnings when I read other reviews.
I enjoyed the Maine setting, but lost focus with the multiple POV and timeline jumping. There were several backstories provided for small side characters that I felt didn't add much to enjoyment of the story.

I was excited to read this based on the synposis and a new author to me. Sadly, I was disappointed and had trouble connecting with the storyline. Thorough character development but it was overdone and took away from the actual story.
It is a well written book and the use of multiple POVs is a positive. Some of the “sexual” components and abuse was a negative. That being said, I would definitely try another book by Peter Nichols.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I devoured Granite Harbor by Peter Nichols! I read this fast-paced thriller in just two days!
The writing style is engaging, making it easy to immerse oneself in the story.
The character development is excellent, giving me a deep understanding of their motives and perspectives.
An excellent thriller, well written and equally entertaining. There are many ‘twists and turns’, action-packed and keeps the reader ‘on the edge’ throughout. It is exciting, absorbing and at times stomach churning
Absorbing, wonderfully written, and fraught with tension, Granite Harbor will keep you in its grip until the very last page.
A murder mystery that you will not want to miss!

Thank You NetGalley and Celadon Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Granite Harbor is the name of a small town in Maine that holds tightly to its past. It’s a quiet town where a British writer who has run out of stories can get a job as the town’s only police department detective. Alex Brangwen followed his wife to Maine where they soon divorced after his writing career folded. He stays because they share custody of their teenage daughter Sophie and he is a good father. He’s a decent police detective.

Granite Harbor has a colonial history that is honored by The Settlement, a small historical reenactment village. Isabel, a former teacher digging herself out of the hold she and alcohol dug, has just started working there. It’s one of those towns where people recognize each other on the streets. But then there is a murder, a grotesque murder of a high school student, a close friend of Isabel’s son Ethan.

Ethan is a great kid. He joins Sophie and his friend Jared in mourning their friend. Then Jared is murdered and Alex and Isabel begin to fear their children are next.



Peter Nichols creates a Granite Harbor with streets you can walk down, salt breezes you can taste, and people you know nearly as well as your neighbors. The sense of place and multi-layered character-building are delicious. The setting and the people are perfect for the police procedural that readers will expect.

But things take a turn. The murder is grotesque and the murderer’s back story is bound to traumatize even the toughest reader. This backstory is the sort of thing that is found in horror stories. It was too out of sync with the setting and the characters. It felt like a betrayal.

And then, it violates the rules of The Detection Club. There’s Rule Two: “All supernatural or preternatural agencies are ruled out as a matter of course.” This is especially annoying when old-fashioned police work gets there on its own. There are also too few people who could be possible suspects so you will solve the mystery too quickly.

I am annoyed because the place and people promise so much and it should have been a great mystery if only it were not so horrific.

Granite Harbor will be released on April 30th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

Granite Harbor at Celadon Books
Peter Nichols on Wikipedia

This is the first time I’ve done some of the book via audio and some via print.

While I enjoyed the tone and pace of the narrator, I think I would have enjoyed it more reading full print.

All in all- the premise of the book is solid. Minimal character development though.

Some of the narration was cringey to hear spoken - particularly moments about serial killer’s past or how the women are described. I also did not enjoy listening to the animal abuse or the accidental death of a dog. I did skip a few minutes during a specific scene because it’s too more gore for me.

This was great. I really enjoyed reading it and didn’t want to put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This mystery follows a small town in Maine shook by a sudden strange serial killer. The young men's deaths take the author-turned-police detective from an uncertain place in life to finding a cause. His determination to find the true killer is strong. The relationships between the various parents and teens in the small town and the effects of grief are all underlying themes to the mystery. I was enthralled by the setting and the living history settlement and enjoyed trying to pick the killer out from the red herrings. I would enjoy seeing another story featuring this detective.

Wow! This one consumed my entire weekend!! A teenage boy goes missing in a small town in Maine. The local detective, who is also an award winning novelist, is utilizing all of his resources to solve this case that has likely been committed by a serial killer. The mystery is told so well, without a lot of unnecessary misdirection (which is a pet peve of mine). Nichols paints the portrait of small town life and culture so accurately, it feels like you are there. Like you know these people, immmersed in this horrific and grotesque event together. If you watched Mare of Easttown, you’re going to want to grab this book! Thanks to @celadonbooks and @netgalley for this early copy in exchange for my honest review.