This book is not for the faint of heart. I didn’t realize how truly graphic and messed up it was until I was too far in and then I had to finish it! Although it was a tad predictable, it didn’t take away from the suspense and there were still many twists I didn’t see coming. If you’ve got the stomach for it, this was a solid serial killer book that actually made my mouth hang open more than once. Thank you to @celadonbooks and @netgalleyfor my copy!

This book had an interesting premise but ended up not being something I enjoyed. On a sentence level, this book was written well. Past that I didn’t like it very much. There was a lack order foreshadowing who the killer was and there was a lot of unnecessary filler information (repeated mentions of brands of clothing that were completely irrelevant for example). I also really disliked the chapters from the killers POV but I think that was more personal preference than anything else.

If you like gruesome thrillers this may be for you but it just wasn’t my favorite!

This book was ok. A slow start that I almost put down, but pushed through. I'm curious to see if there will be another book.

This was an awesome book! This book would make an excellent screen adaptation! I loved this story, the characters were good but the plot drives this one. It’s definitely one that hooks you in and has you thinking WHO is responsible for all of this. It wasn’t a super crazy stretch/twist but I was definitely into the story and had an excellent experience reading this one!!! Celadon puts out some really good thriller/mystery stories!!!!

A slow paced thriller. Something about the writing style prevented me from getting into this read. I also did not connect with any of the characters.

Thank you @celadonbooks for this complimentary copy.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the early copy of this book.

I have seen people say how dark this book is, and they were not joking. It has many trigger warnings and graphic scenes I had to skim. I definitely could not snack while eating it. With that said, this book shook me in all the good ways.
It is a rural town in Maine, with interesting history, teenagers being teenagers, and a crime novel author turned detective as your main character. The chapters are relatively short, but the pace choice was interesting. it is a fast-paced story in our current timeline, but a slow progress when we are in serial killer past which I think was perfect because it only added the creepy factor.
I guessed the "whodunit" but it did not make my enjoyment any less. The bread crumbs laid out were carefully placed and you must pay attention to understand the killer's identity.
The reason why this is not a 5-star read for me is the ending. I did not like the scene in which the detective learns about the killer's identity, it made no sense and took me out of the story completely. I wish the author went in a more regular direction. The second reason was a weird "redeeming" arc that Sophie's mom got at the end. It was not necessary and maybe if we had a little more after-the-fact exploration of her character I would have liked it more.
Overall, I can see this could be the beginning of a new series and I would read more.

This one was so so for me. I felt like the book was really slow and it was pretty obvious who was “it” so there wasn’t really enough to keep me interested in the book. Thanks for the ARC!

This was very ok for me. Definitely slow in some places. Also the writing or language usage felt very weird to me. Sometimes I would be like oh wow this is cool it takes place in the seventies and then they would talk about cell phones and I would be so confused.

Interesting story but a little slow moving for me.
Alex is the detective /only detective/ in Granite Harbor and its only published author.
When a teen boy is found murdered, he is the investigator trying to fit the pieces together,
The boy also happens to be a friend of his son's which brings the whole case closer to home for him.
As he works to untangle the strings of suspicion and motive, a second boy of another teen is found and all of a sudden the hunt
is running out of time.
Characters are well done but the plot unravels at a slow pace and does not have the "un put downable"
thread running through it.

Thank you so much to Celadon Books and netgalley for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book was not for me and it was a DNF. I felt like the pacing was just so slow and there were so many characters. It was hard for me to connect with anyone or the story. I also felt like the violence and gore was just a bit too much for me.

I hope others love this book but it was not for me!

I received a free ARC ebook of Granite Harbor from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This us an unsettling mystery. A Maine high school student is found hanging from a stand with a toad in his abdomen. The elements of the murder quickly lead to an earlier case and a local suspect who knew both victims. But for the local police detective, a British novelist and father of a teen girl, something just doesn't fit.

The author describes the origins of the murderer's obsession with great detail. For this reader, the only element that did not fit is the psychic connection between a local mother and the disturbing events.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

Granite Harbor is a thriller set in costal Maine. We follow several characters.

This book was unfortunately not for me. One, I got the feeling this author does not like women very much., The stereotypes and the overall treatment really made this almost unbearable. There should also be a trigger warning for animal abuse.

I didn't mind following many different charters. I just wish I enjoyed those characters more. It moved at a decent pace and the whodunit aspect was not bad.

Granite Harbor by Peter Nichols. Pub Date: April 30, 2024. Rating: 2 stars. The premise of this novel seemed intriguing, but the execution was anything but intriguing. I had a really difficult time reading this story, partly because of some graphic scenes mixed with a horror vibe. I am not a huge horror reader, so I was surprised when parts of the book appeared to be horror in nature. Also, I am not one to read books with animal abuse and this book had that in it. I liked the idea of a police procedural novel, but the execution just was not for me. Thanks to #netgalley and #celadonbooks for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great read. The plot moved along nicely and was super engaging. The plot was very interesting and rather original. The characters were well devleoped.

While it isn't terrible, I do not understand the hype around this book. It is a decent read, but I feel like it has been hyped up more than was necessary for it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Granite Harbor.

I'm always on the lookout for a good serial killer story so this was right up my alley.

I've never read the author before so I was open minded about what to expect.

Sadly, this didn't meet my expectations which I think had to do with the writing style.

The author provides exposition for nearly every character we encounter.

There's a way to offer info on minor and supporting characters without copious background info but paragraphs of back story drags the narrative down and made reading this very dull and tedious.

Second, I didn't know a person could become a cop just by attending a course, or does this only happen in small towns in Maine?

Third, the author suddenly gives Isabel the ability to have visions? Where did this come from? Just from touching the victim's possession?

This was completely out of left field and added another hard to believe subplot for readers to suspend disbelief in.

I guessed the identity of the serial killer pretty easily, though I don't think it was ever explained why he did the things he did to his victims. Because he was taught those methods?

I didn't like or dislike Alex or Isabel; I just didn't care about them.

I enjoyed the police procedural aspects of the story as Alex interviewed witnesses and suspects but the narrative was bogged down with Alex and his domestic drama with his ex-wife, and the numerous backstories from the supporting and minor characters.

Such an exciting and wild ride. If you enjoy stories about drama and mystery in a small town, this is the book for you!

Thank you to @CeladonBooks for an ARC of Granite Harbor in exchange for an honest review.
A terrifying serial murderer rocks a small town. Teenagers are being targeted, and Alex, the town detective, is worried for his 15-year-old daughter and her friends. As the investigation continues, we see the depth of the connections between people in the town. Every once in a while, a chapter shows a piece of the murderer’s childhood; let me tell you, it is twisted. I have included some trigger warnings at the bottom of the review.
In this novel, there are probably about ten main characters for which you get a varied number of scenes. The character development was so thorough that I felt these people belonged in my neighbourhood. They felt authentic, with flaws and complications. This fantastic character development made me feel deeply connected to these concerned citizens.
The downside to this much development was that the start of the book throws you into the action but then slows down considerably to learn these characters. Once the second half of the book starts, it’s go-go-go. It was a crazy, wild ride with many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming!
I also loved the snippets from the murderer’s past to understand what they went through to bring them to this breaking point. I felt sympathy sometimes for the tragic upbringing, but that doesn’t make it okay to torture and murder people, ya know? Some of these scenes are graphic and upsetting and will stick with me for some time.
If you’re looking for a new thriller, this one might be for you! Hitting bookstores on April 30, 2024!
TW: animal abuse, child abuse, murder, suicide.