Book Review: Granite Harbor: A Novel by Peter Nichols-Mystery/Thriller

Hello dear Readers,

My book review of Granite Harbor: A Novel by Peter Nichols.

Title: Granite Harbor: A Novel

Rating:  4/5 Stars

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Author: Peter Nichols

Publisher: Celadon Books

Publication Date: April 30, 2024

Language: English

Hardcover: 320 pages
Meet the Author: Peter Nichols
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

A small town in coastal Maine is shaken to its core by a serial killer in this crime novel from Peter Nichols, bestselling author of The Rocks

In scenic Granite Harbor, life has continued on―quiet and serene―for decades. That is until a local teenager is found brutally murdered in the Settlement, the town’s historic archaeological site. Alex Brangwen, adjusting to life as a single father with a failed career as a novelist, is the town’s sole detective. This is his first murder case and, as both a parent and detective, Alex knows the people of Granite Harbor are looking to him to catch the killer and temper the fear that has descended over the town.

Isabel, a single mother attempting to support her family while healing from her own demons, finds herself in the middle of the case when she begins working at the Settlement. Her son, Ethan, and Alex’s daughter, Sophie, were best friends with the victim. When a second teenager is found murdered, the body left in the same manner as the first victim, both parents are terrified that their child may be next. As Alex and Isabel race to find the killer in their midst, the town’s secrets―past and present―begin bubbling to the surface, threatening to unravel the tight-knit community.

At once a page-turning thriller and a captivating portrait of the social fabric of a small town, Granite Harbor evokes the atmosphere of HBO’s Mare of Easttown with a villain reminiscent of Thomas Harris’s Silence of the Lambs.

My Thoughts

I have to say, I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I love it when that happens.

This was very different from the mystery/thriller stories I usually read. The whole time it felt like a really heavy, dark setting, almost sinister. For a Serial Killer story, not your typical. It felt like a story involving mystery, twists, and death but also some sort of dark magic in it. It has all the elements of a thriller, suspense, mystery, with extra elements that make the story different, and unique.

TW: This book contains a description of animal cruelty in chapter 34.

Thank you to Celadon Books, for the Advanced Free Copy, in exchange for an honest review.

Wendy