3.5 stars*

i overall had a good time with this book. it does get a little graphic, so fair warning for that. while more character-focused, this book was well-written and kept me engaged. you follow 3+ characters in third person perspective but it was overall easy for me to keep track of who was who. even though i wasn't bored while reading, this book is more of a slow-burn mystery than a fast-paced thriller. i absolutely loved the setting and atmosphere of this book--a harbor town in Maine with a historic settlement. it gave all the old-timey vibes while taking place modern day. i will say that i wasn't completely satisfied with the ending and wasn't super surprised by who the perpetrator was. other than that, i thought this was an engaging and quick read. i would read from this author again. i also liked the audiobook narrator.

i would recommend this book if you like:
- atmospheric settings
- small towns
- multiple POVs
- commentary on parenthood

Granite Harbor is out now. thank you to Macmillan Audio, Peter Nichols, and Netgalley for an audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Nichols has put together a slow-burn, atmospheric crime fiction story with Granite Harbor.

This book took me some time to get into, as there is a larger character list that readers need to remember. Nichols does a great job of fully fleshing out the characters and bringing them to life, but it’s an investment that slows down the first half of the book. Once things start to kick off fully, the pacing picks up and this is where I found myself invested in the outcome of the book.

There were two standout aspects to this book for me: the setting and the narration from the killer. First off, the setting is deeply atmospheric and Nichols writes about it in such detail that a reader can clearly envision the town. I loved that it was a small town and how that aided the story as well. The narration from our killer provided great insight into their thinking and had me trying to guess from our list of known characters who might be guilty all the way up to the reveal.

I will say that this book is very dark and Nichols does not hold back in some of his descriptions, so if that level of graphic depiction doesn’t work for you, I would recommend skipping.

I would also recommend skipping reading the synopsis as it gives away plot points that don’t happen until further into the story.

This was a great, atmospheric thriller! It took me a minute to wrap my head around all the POVs, but once I did, I was totally engrossed and I enjoyed that most of the story was from the detective’s perspective. It was well-developed, gruesome, unique and while it was obvious to me who the killer was, I think the point was more whether or not the detective would figure it out. I alternated between the e-book and audiobook and enjoyed both formats. Overall, I’d recommend it if you enjoy dark crime novels.

This book was intense and dealt with a lot of heavy topics (torture, animal abuse, sexual abuse).
I won't lie, it was a pretty difficult read for me. I struggled early on and debated not finishing, but the second half of the book gripped me.

Alex is a small town detective. He followed his wife, now ex, to America, and law enforcement was never his dream job. But he needed to support his family and he stayed to be near his daughter.

He comes across a dead body, who ends up being a teen who went to school with his daughter. Investigation ensues, more bodies turn up. We got some past tense storyline. And I had no idea for a long time where this one was headed.

It is pretty gruesome so be warned of that.

Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio for an ALC and Celadon books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much to @macmillan.audio @celadonbooks and @netgalley for the ALC/ARC!

🔹 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 🔹
This murder mystery is not for the faint of heart! There is a gruesome, dark element to the mystery in this book. A small coastal town in Maine is on edge when a local teenager is found brutally murdered. The new local detective and novelist, Alex, has his first murder case to solve. Alex is divorced and has a teenage daughter the same age as the murder victim.

Also in town is Isabel, who works at the local Settlement where the murder happened. She is a single mother to a teenage boy who was best friends with the murdered teen. Both single parents have something of help to offer in solving this case.

I read and listened to this on audio. The many POVs in this book was a little confusing at times, so I was glad to have the book to flip through when I needed to. The subject of this was a little gruesome for me to read at times, and the story behind the reason the killer and why he was performing these murders in this specific way was a little out there for me to read about. I don’t know if I just didn’t connect well with it or just didn’t like the dark nature of it all.

🎧 𝙉𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 🎧
Peter Ganim did a good job narrating the story. He had an accent, which was great for the POV of Alex, who came from England. Ganim was easy to understand and he made the story flow well in his narration.

🎧 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
🔹 Sinister Murder Mystery
🔹 Ritualistic Murders
🔹 Coastal Maine Setting
🔹 Police Procedural

"Granite Harbor" is a well-written, character-driven thriller, where author Peter Nichols takes readers to the small-town New England setting of a town with the same name of the novel.

The novel opens with three teenage boys skateboarding through the nighttime streets. When one of them splits off from the group, an observer in a pickup truck follows him, and soon we discover the horrific details of a serial killer’s murderous routine. Detective Alex Brangwen, a British novelist turned Maine police detective, finds himself investigating the gruesome murder. As Alex navigates the complexities of the case, he must also contend with personal challenges, including a troubled marriage and a daughter who was friends with the victim.

Nichols skillfully weaves together suspense, character development, and a unique perspective on small-town life. The novel’s ensemble cast is well-developed, and the tension builds as the investigation unfolds. If you have a strong stomach and enjoy crime fiction that combines elements of Silence of the Lambs with a New England backdrop, “Granite Harbor” should be top of your reading list.

There were horror elements here that reminded me of Stephen King's Misery and the plot kept me engaged all along the way. I found all the characters three-dimensional and could identify with each of their unique perspectives on what was transpiring around them. Overall, “Granite Harbor” is an engaging, dark crime novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Peter Ganim's narration was stunning and built the suspense for me. About the highest compliment I can give, being someone new to reading true crime, is that the combination of writing/narration made me interested to read more.

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and feature "Granite Harbor".

Mmmmmm what can I say. The premise of this book was really good! It did have a lot of suspense, but I just wasn’t feeling it. I felt like there were some plots holes and I didn’t enjoy the characters. It was a bit far fetched.

This was an ARC review. Thank you to Celadon books for the opportunity.

GRANITE HARBOR by Peter Nichols and narrated by Peter Ganim is out Today! (Even though you may have gotten one from their LFL drop last week!)

I am not entirely sure how much to say about this plot, so I will only give this: small town Maine, generational secrets, bizarre ritualistic murder. This would make a perfect Criminal Minds episode, if you like comps.

This will not be a story for every palette. I, however, was fascinated and cringing, but could not put it down. The mystery was compelling, the characters engaging, and the pace was solid. I was able to enjoy both the audio and physical, which as you may know, is a favorite of mine. The narration was superb, capturing the increasing dread of the community as clues were discovered. I thought he did the various POV'S were done very well.

Thank you to @celadonbooks @macmillan.audio & @netgalley for this dreadfully good suspense!

Have you read this one yet? Are you wondering, like me, what is so sinister about Maine?! (Just kidding, I want to visit someday, and I am not afraid!)

If you are looking for a good thriller/mystery book then look no further. This got me back into my mystery era and I’m not sad about it.

Granite Harbor
By: Peter Nichols
I read this through NetGalley and followed along with the audio from Macmillan Audio. I gave this book a 3.5⭐️. I enjoyed it, but I felt like it started off okay, then got better, and then fell flat. I also felt like there were too many characters in this story.

This story takes place in a small town in Maine, a single mom who works at a reenactment museum where a dead body of a teenage boy is found. The boy ends up being her son’s friend. Soon after another boy is found dead and the detective on the case tries to find the serial killer of the two murders.

This was a bit of a creepy read with all that putting the frog into the belly and then taking its essence...ewww!! But at its heart, this was a great detective story and I was totally here for it. This was my 1st book by Peter Nichols but will not be my last, I am adding his books to my TBR!

Granite Harbor DNF Rating 2 Stars

Trigger Warning : Trichotillomania (hair pulling). This was mentioned multiple times or referred to the person's shaved head multiple times. Animal rituals

I struggled at times to fully stick with the story as there were times that the POV would change to another person that lived in the town. Most of the time, the POV was Alex's who is a divorced dad that found himself in the role of detective in his small town. His daughter Sophie's friend Shane suddenly gets murdered and it appears that this may be linked to a serial killer that disappeared after doing a similar crime in another state.

There was also some rituals with frogs and bodies that made me sick to my stomach. I stopped listening to it not long after at 58%

Thank you NetGalley for letting me listen to this ARC.

In Granite Harbor Maine, a local teenager has been found brutally murdered. Enter Alex Brangwen! He is a failed novelist turned detective. He is determined to find out who has destroyed his peaceful town.

Alex is a character which is not as tough as you would expect a police detective to be. I mean…he was a novelist in a past life. He also lets his ex-wife run over him. Until…he doesn’t. When his own daughter goes missing, he is a bear!

This story is a bit slow, especially in the beginning…I mean you have got to have a good set up… right?!?! And these characters really pull you in to this guessing game! And to be honest, I did not figure out who the killer was until the author wanted me to know.

Now, this has some pretty gruesome scenes in this tale. So, if that is a trigger…you have been warned.

The narrator, Peter Ganim, is one of my favorites. He has been a narrator of quite a few books I have enjoyed.

Need a good thriller…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I was provided both an audio and print ARC of the book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this mystery thriller, it kept me on my toes and invested in the storyline until almost the end. There were a few elements that took this from a really great thriller to just an OK thriller for me. They all happened toward the end of the book, so I have mixed feelings about it. I thought it was a solid thriller for the most part, but there were a few character and plot things that occurred that really didn't work for me. There are some things that are far too convenient and I had to suspend a little too much belief for this to work.

Granite Harbor is a small Maine Town with a local historical settlement, where many of the townspeople work and demonstrate how life as an original settler would have looked. Life in the town is turned upside-down when a local teen is found brutally murdered and his body left at the settlement to be found. We follow the characters through the investigation as the town morns the loss of one of their own and as things begin to escalate.

There are quite a few characters to keep track of, some are relevant, while others don't really add much to the storyline. The premise was interesting but the execution was a bit off. The transitions between characters was at times jarring as you jumped from Alex the detective investigating the murder to Isabel the mother of one of the kids, to another random character who may be involved or may be a red herring, to the murder who's identity is kept secret and who's POV is told in the past tense. It was hard to keep track of everyone at times.

You will definitely want to check the trigger warnings for this one before picking it up. There are some fairly disturbing and graphic scenes.

Granite Harbor by Peter Nichols ranks up there beside The Quiet Tenant (by Clémence Michallon) for my favourites in the subgenre of literary thriller!

From the jump this book is dark and foreboding; it's quiet and ominous, like fog in the dead of night. Characters are paralyzed by indignation and fear as small-town Maine is rippled by a shocking death. It was altogether both disturbing and fascinating to occasionally get inside the mind of a serial killer as unsettling events transpire in the community.

Even with the shadowy subject manor, readers will connect with this plot as it portrays everyday societal norms. There's a strong vein of the guttural and primordial protectiveness that is motherhood along with the fabrication of Granite Harbor perfectly mirroring stereotypes present in any rural community. This book proves that life should not be two dimensional, but instead have a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view.

Audiobook narrator Peter Ganim did a phenomenal job to further set the tone. His narration took a back seat, allowing the characters to become even more subdued, unsettled, pensive, or deficient with Ganim's subtle diction.

Immersive. Atmospheric. Haunting.

One I won’t soon forget.

Thank you NetGalley, Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

A murder in a small town in Maine. Alex is a failed novelist turned into detective that is left to find the murderer of a kid in his daughter’s friends group. And the killing is graphic.

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"How do I tell Kathy that her beautiful boy, her only child...for whom she has made a home, a life and done everything for, has been so horribly...and I have no clue who or why?"

"Who do you call when you're the police?"

Hearing Detective Alex Brangwen barely holding it together, unable to finish his sentences, at the scene of a harrowing murder of his daughter's friend is just more proof that Granite Harbor, by compelling author Peter Nichols, is more than just a murder mystery. It's an unputdownable story of a quaint town unravelling as the seedy outside world invades their peace. It's the ultimate example that cruel actions have severe reactions; that false accusations lead to deadly consequences.

The opening scene seems idyllic with 3 teen boys heading home as daylight turns to dusk, but one's not ready to go back to his messy home life so they part ways, and we hear the killer calmly say, "oh good they are separating," as his van slowly turns down the same street as the lone boy...and every hair stood on end as the chapter fades out.

Alex, a divorced failed novelist, is the only detective in town and he's unprepared for the brutality and weirdness of the killing; frogs usually aren't evidence in a murder.

Voice actor Peter Ganim enhances the writer's atmospheric descriptions with emotional range from broken mothers to fearful townsfolk to an annoying yet heroic ex wife to a detective father out of his league and to the matter of fact tone of a killer, who at times, appears to be a victim as well of an often heartless society.

Like the town, it starts slow but as the danger heightens the pace picks up with the panic of the town. It's a brilliant rock solid writing decision.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from #Macmillan Audio via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Was ok. Not my favorite but I did enjoy the setting. Definitely some dark plot points. Thank you NetGalley for this arc

I had the opportunity to listen to this audiobook while simultaneously reading the book, and I thought the narrator did a fantastic job keeping me engaged.

I enjoyed this book more than most police procedurals. There was enough side drama mixed in to keep me distracted. It was a little tough to get into to start because of the different portions of the story that come together later on, and all of the characters.

Overall, it was enjoyable.

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.