Granite Harbor by Peter Nichols is an immersive, dark and unnerving page-turner filled with complex characters. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. A huge thank you to Celadon Books, the author and NetGalley for the advanced electronic copy of the book.

Granite Harbor is a quaint, idyllic town that is rock to its depths when a teenager is found savagely murdered on the town’s historical site. Detective Alex Brangwen has his hands full trying to navigate life as a single parent and now dealing with his first murder case. Tensions are running high as the town’s people are terrified and looking to him to quail their fear.

Isabel a single mother trying to take care of her family has just started working at the historical site, and now finds herself thrust in the middle of the murder investigation. When another murder occurs in the same vein as the first one. She starts to worry for her own son, Ethan. He and Detective Brangwen’s daughter, Sophie were both best friends of the victim. Will Ethan and Sophie be the killers next fatalities? Can Alex and Isabel figure out who this killer is, or will the many held secrets be the undoing of this clannish community?

A brilliantly written, vulnerable, highly absorbing, harrowing thriller that slowly builds up to the intense ending. If you are looking for a compelling mystery then you’ll definitely want to read Granite Harbor.

A gruesome murder of a teen in Granite Harbor, Maine, leads to the former novelist turned detective Alex Branwen to try and solve the case. This was an interesting read. We get the perspectives of the detective and a resident who’s son is the friend of the murder victim, as well as chapters that detail the murderer’s past. At times, it is quite gruesome in the graphic descriptions of murders and animal cruelty. I will also say that some aspects were a little too detailed and information heavy, making it drag. I found it slow to read and quite boring at times, however, I did enjoy some of the characters were and the small town dynamics. Overall, it’s a very creepy and twisted read, and I did enjoy it, but just felt it dragged too much, and there were some plot holes that made it feel unrealistic.

Fun quick thriller, I enjoyed this one and the setting in Maine. The animal abuse scenes were thought to get through for me. A

Granite Harbor by Peter Nichols is a through and through a crime novel. It is a slow burn crime thriller. If you like Law and Order: SVU, I think you will like this. But think a little more graphic. This book is out now.

Alex, a detective in Granite Harbor, a settlement, is investigating a brutal murder case. A teenager has been found dead. There are a whole bunch of characters in this book, but the main characters are Alex, Sophie, and Ethan. Can't reveal more, or else it would be a spoiler.

First and moremost, this novel has a lot of graphic detail that might not be for every reader, so please see the content warnings. It's slow, and I did figure out who the killer was midway. However, I did finish the book. I am still not sure what I feel because my head is still trying to grasp the graphic details. I am neutral at this point.

CW: body mutilation, sa, animal cruelty, blood, and a whole bunch of other things.

I loved this dark twisty police procedural. It took a few chapters to really get into this one, but then I couldn't put it down. Well developed characters and setting contribute to making this much better than your average serial killer book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book.

The premise for this story was intriguing but it took a little while for me to get into the storyline. I was expecting that there would be more interactions between Alex and Isabel. There is an interesting mix of characters in this story, a serial killer who appears to be one of the members of the small town, and a gruesomeness to the killings. The story does move back and forth between the killer's upbringing and the present circumstances with some twists at the end.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. The writing style was too detailed with what I felt was extra info. I read this book a week ago and already have forgotten it.

I enjoyed this book about teens being murdered in a very small town in Maine and a police detective that was an author. It was a pretty fast book to read and kept my interest through out. Police procedurals can sometimes be a turn off with the stereotypical characters and formula writing but I liked this one. Not over the top when it comes to the finale with the bad guy.

This was a police procedural about a serial killer in a small town.

I typically don't love police procedurals, but this one was well done. There was far more graphic violence than I was anticipating. Usually violence doesn't bother me, but at one point I had to close the book and take a few minutes before I could continue. Just be warned if you are sensitive to that kind of thing.

It was fairly slow at some parts and I found it a little hard to follow with all of the characters and timelines, but by the middle of it, I was engaged.

Overall, I enjoyed it, and I think people who really like police procedurals will like it more than I did.

I thought this had such an interesting premise, but unfortunately it did not work for me overall. There is animal cruelty in here which I usually stay away from, but on top of that there were intimate scenes with teenagers written as if they were adults that was too much. All of this on top of the slow burn until the very end where it finally picked up was a lot to get through, and I'm not sure the buildup was worth it. I was not the biggest fan of the narrator either for this audio, so unfortunately this one was a miss.

Thank you to Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for the copies to review.

This was certainly a roller coaster of a story.
Some parts were gruesome. It started off slow but picked up towards the last part of the book.
Many thanks to the author, Celadon Books and Netgalley for the early copy

There is a serial killer on the loose in a small coastal town in Maine. It starts with the body of a teenage boy found on a historical settlement reenactment site. Alex is the only detective in the small town and it’s his first murder case. His daughter, Sophie, is friends with the victim.

This was a slow paced police procedural murder mystery with an atmospheric small town vibe. I enjoyed the serial killer aspect and the writing was good. It is a little graphic but that doesn’t bother me personally. I didn’t like the clairvoyance aspect involved and that took away from the story for me. I also knew who the killer was pretty early so I didn’t get any surprise or twists. The mind of a serial killer is a crazy thing and learning the backstory and childhood events of this one was intriguing and I enjoyed that part of the story. I enjoyed this one but it wasn’t as good as I had hoped.

I really enjoyed this crime novel set in Maine. I still don’t know how I feel about the ending (the ending made this 4 stars instead of 5 for me), but this definitely kept me reading! I would recommend going in blind, so I don’t want to say too much, but the following two books are great comps for GRANITE HARBOR. So if you loved those, I highly recommend you try Granite Harbor!

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

Granite Harbor by Peter Nichols offers a gripping portrayal of a small town rocked by a series of brutal murders. Set against the picturesque backdrop of coastal Maine, Nichols skillfully weaves together the narratives of Alex Brangwen, a detective grappling with personal and professional challenges, and Isabel, a single mother navigating her own struggles while being drawn into the investigation.

The novel excels in its atmospheric depiction of Granite Harbor, capturing the tight-knit community and the sense of unease that permeates the town in the wake of the murders. Nichols adeptly builds suspense as secrets unravel and tensions escalate, keeping readers on the edge of their seats throughout.

However, while Granite Harbor boasts strong character development and an intriguing plot, it occasionally falls into familiar tropes of the crime genre. The pacing can be uneven at times, with certain plot points feeling rushed or underdeveloped. Additionally, the resolution of the mystery may leave some readers wanting more complexity or depth.

Overall, Granite Harbor delivers a solid crime novel that will appeal to fans of small-town mysteries. Nichols' evocative prose and vivid setting make for an engaging read, even if the story treads familiar ground.

I've had a lot of firsts this year. First time reads that is. Another new to me author that I will be looking out for. This book was great.

This is a dark story but it has a lot of things that I didn't expect. From fear to laughter to holding my breath. Yes there is a serial killer out there murdering teen boys. Cutting them open. Yes the killer is evil to the core. Yes he went through a lot in his life. Not an excuse for what he is doing though. I have to admit that I laughed in parts in a scene close to the end. I could not help it and believe anyone reading will do the same. Though I felt bad for the woman and I kind of felt bad for the killer during that scene. It didn't last long though. The feeling bad for him. I also had the killer narrowed down to two people, him being one of them. I was right and it did not at all in anyway take away from the story.

This town is rocked by the murder of a teenage boy. A boy who wasn't even missed by his so called family. "Aw he's just staying with a friend." Yeah right. What mother does not know where her child is. Well obviously this one didn't. I did not like her at all. My heart broke for Shane. He did not deserve anything that happened to him. Most importantly being killed. He had a horrible life at, well I would not call it home, that house. He was well loved by his friends though.

When Shane's body was discovered the other teens in his life were scared. Who could have done such a horrid thing. Who might be next. Though they should maybe have taken it a bit more series. A killer was among them. When the next boy is murdered the two remaining, Ethan and Sohpie, are truly terrified. Ethan is convinced that he will be next. Sohpie's dad is a detective and her mother is a nut. She is still so afraid though. She and Ethan decide to stick together. To leave town and find a safe place but it's not meant to be....

This book is a story of such deep loss. You will see what makes a serial killer. Or at least this one. The depths a mother will go for her child. To keep that child protected. The people in the town of Granite Harbor, Maine are faced with something dark and sinister. Why is this happening in their small town. Who's child is next???

Thank you #NetGalley, #PeterNichols, #CeladonBooks, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

FIVE big stars and I highly recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley, Peter Nichols, and Celadon Books for this ebook! This was a serial killer gone wild book in the setting of Maine (Maine girl here). Some parts were really hard to read, not sure if there are trigger warnings but just be mindful! This story really delves into the many lives of those effected. A twisted web!

This was certainly a twisted little story.
It’s a bit gruesome in parts too. It does seem to start slow but picks up towards the last part of the book.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

While the writing of this book was excellent, the plot was quite gruesome and veered into the horror genre for me at times. Had I known that ahead of time, I might have managed my expectations better. The violent, mystical nature of the murders coupled with the detailed descriptions of child abuse were too graphic for me. While I did enjoy the character development and the small town setting, everything was overshadowed by the fantastical/horrific elements of the crimes and killer’s past.

The first chapter had me really intrigued about where the story was going to go. I liked the dynamic between the boys and I thought the suspense from getting the killer's POV as he's trolling the streets was high. However, it went downhill from there. I found myself not to continue.
There were quite a few things that I had a hard time with in this book. There is some animal abuse that I definitely didn't feel necessary to be included, and for the most part, I felt like those characters were one-dimensional and very stereotypical. That wouldn't have bothered me if it were just one of the characters but I felt that way about every. single. one. These things made it very hard for me to get immersed in the story or really care about what was happening to the characters.

Thanks to Celadon Books for the gifted copy. All opinions above my own.

Small town Maine, a body is found at a reenactment site and the town detective has to solve his first murder. He is a single father, trying to balance his desire to be an author with need to provide for his daughter. Things get all tangled up when it turns out the boy went to school with his daughter and that the murder resembles a cold case.

This was a great police procedural where the characters were all really well fleshed out. I really liked the lead detective and the interwoven nature of a small town relationships. I always love to give us the killer’s POV, and this one was super creepy. I would have liked a little bit more about the settlement itself, it felt weird to have the story named after it and yet it didn’t play as much of a role as I had hoped. But that is a minor criticism. Definitely fell high on the unique story scale. I think this would make a good TV miniseries or movie.

Read this one if you liked The Chestnut Man.