Granite Harbor
Peter Nichols
reviewed by Lou Jacobs


readersremains.com | Goodreads


Peter Nichols, novelist and journalist, hones his skills with a dark and grisly mystery-thriller. The “big bad wolf” serial killer preys upon the small town of Granite Harbor, a previously sleepy and quaint town in coastal Maine. His ritualistic murders shock the sensibilities of this backwater community.

The scene is set in the twilight of evening, with three obvious boyhood friends casually skateboarding through the serene streets of Granite Harbor. One of the boys, Shane, veers off, homeward bound. Unfortunately, there is an unseen driver of a pickup truck that follows him. The reader is treated to a taste of the driver’s inner demons as multiple psychic visions invade his mind. Shane is later found desecrated on the grounds of the Living History Settlement, a local resurrected archaeological site where a few of the townspeople work as historic re-enactors.

He is found strung up in a door-like frame with a single surgical slit down the center of his body. The crime scene investigators will find no other clues as evidence, other than the sudden emergence of a toad from the wound. Although told through many points of view of the colorful cast of community characters, the main focus is Alex Brangwen. He is a failed novelist with two successful books to his credit and a failure to launch his third. He is an ex-pat from Manchester, England, whisked away to Maine by his then-pregnant wife, Morgana.

Ultimately, his marriage fails, and he finds himself a single parent struggling to accept a failed career as a novelist. After taking a job in the local police department, he is soon made the town’s sole detective. The Chief has every confidence in him; after all, “a writer is similar to a detective.” This is Alex’s first murder case, and the town looks to him for immediate resolution.

His daughter Sophie was one of Shane’s closest friends, along with Jared and Ethan. When Jared goes missing and is found murdered in the same gruesome manner, the town is thrown into a hysterical frenzy. Along the way, we will learn of the anxieties and secrets of many of the town’s locals. The reader is privy to the unnamed killer’s viewpoint, background, and motivations through multiple intervening chapters. Prepare to be creeped out by these weird circumstances.

Nichols weaves together multiple viewpoints with escalating intrigue and suspense. His narrative is dark, grisly, and cinematic. Infused in the plot are themes: the struggles of teen parenting; dealing with failed careers; second chances; and struggles of everyday life.

I personally found myself alternating between my Kindle and the audio version, narrated by Peter Ganim. An accomplished actor in both classic and contemporary forms, Ganim has a rich baritone voice that he can frequently modulate to lend itself to various characters in an extremely engaging fashion. This story will appeal to aficionados of both detective and serial killer novels. To me, this was pleasantly reminiscent of the HBO series Mare of Easttown.

Thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Macmillan Audio for supplying an Uncorrected Proof and Advance Audio version of this wonderful novel, in exchange for an honest review

This was my first Peter Nichols book, and I am absolutely dying to know what happens next in the series.

I really loved the small town—but worldly—vibes of this book’s setting. I loved the folklore behind parts of it, and thought it started off strong with the first killing happening so early in the book.

The narration was phenomenal. I loved the narrator’s voice, and his character accents were excellent.

CW for graphic animal abuse in chapter 34–it was unexpected, but fit with the overall book and actually added a lot of context.

I absolutely hated Morgana for most of the book, but ended up loving the ending. The epilogue was really satisfying and wrapped things up nicely.

Overall, this kept my attention and was unique in the suspense/mystery genre—I will definitely read the next in the series once it’s out!

***3.5 Stars***

GRANITE HARBOR is a gritty and dark tale centered around the deaths of teenagers in a small town. Nichols effortlessly creates tension by exploring the present-day investigation while flashing back to the backstory of the serial killer.

I will be honest. It took me a while to get into the flow of this book. I wasn’t sure where the plot was going to go. All I knew was the characters were pulling me in. I truly felt like I was a fly on the wall of Isabel, Ethan, Alex, and Sophie’s lives. For me, this is the core of the book. As much as it is a darkly twisted thriller, the people within these pages make it better. Even the glimpses we get into the killer’s psyche and what makes him tick are the moments that add the creepy factor. The characters are the vehicle for emotion, pain, and fear.

Though there were times I wanted more from GRANITE HARBOR, this is a solid police procedural and suspense novel. Nichols definitely knows how to construct a mystery that shines a light on all aspects of humanity.

Audiobook Note: Peter Ganim, did an excellent job with his narration of this novel. The pace was perfect and hit just the right amount of slower moments so that the listener could take in what was happening within the storyline. I had a difficult time getting into the print version of this book, so being able to switch to audio made this thriller much more enjoyable for me.

In a coastal town in Maine, a local teen is murdered and shakes the entire community. The lead investigator, Alex, has his work cut out for him as this is his first case after a failed investigation career. I liked the over all plot and all of the characters. My favorite chapters were when Alex was investigating. In a genre with so many books out right now, this one is definitely one I’d recommend. I highly recommend going in blind and I really wish there was some warning about animal cruelty in a specific chapter. I can read about humans dying but not dogs. (Typically millennial)

I received the audio version of this book and the narrator is Peter Ganim. He did a fantastic job!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook of Granite Harbor!

Thank you to the publisher #partner for gifting me a copy and Macmillan Audio for an ALC via NetGalley!


Granite Harbor is the small town in coastal Maine where a serial killer is on the loose targeting teens, which naturally sends the town in a heightened frenzy to find out who did it. The town’s cop is Alex, a failed novelist, with limited resources who has never had to investigate a murder before, and things get more complicated for him having to deal with his insufferable ex-wife, the FBI and his daughter who is a potential target and that he must protect at all costs.

Even though the publisher made it clear there is animal abuse in chapter 34, let it be known that this book is rife with animal abuse throughout the book involving toads placed inside bodies, which is a MO of the serial killer. As much as I abhor animal abuse in books, I found the bullying scene involving kids even more difficult to read because it felt very real and very disgusting. I understand the reason why it was there in the book but I think it could have been toned down considerably because I’d like to believe kids don’t normally do such type of bullying.

I couldn’t connect with any of the characters, who all seemed to be hazy in a slow burn plot. And speaking of the plot, I felt it’s been done many times now so there was nothing new there for me. Also it feels like I’ve read a ton of books lately where nasty things happen only in Maine. I would love to read more books that account for any of the other 49 states.

Overall Granite Harbor was a decent thriller but I needed the audiobook to finish reading the book.

Granite Harbor by Peter Nichols was the first book that I read by this author. I did like the book and will probably read more books by Peter Nichols. Granite Harbor is a very quite town with only one detective, Alex Brangwen. When one of his daughters friend is found murdered Alex feels out of his leauge. Now Alex has to try to stop a serial killer with the help of the FBI. The one suspect they have arrested and is found hanging from the ceiling from his house. Case solved right? Soon another teen is missing and found murdered. Now Alex has to try to find the killer before another teenager is found dead.

In this gripping thriller by Peter Nichols, once successful but now failed English novelist turned American police detective Alex Brangwen is on the trail of a (serial) killer striking the town’s teens, even endangering Detective Brangwen's own daughter Sophie. The way the crime is comitted and put on display puts the the town’s historical puritan settlement at the forfront of the investigation. Are any of the reenactors involved ? Could any one of the neighbors in this tight knit coastal community be a murderer ? And can Detective Brangwen put an end to these killings before they reach his doorstep ?

This book is a captivating and exciting police procedural page turner. The characters are realistic, and the novelist turned police detective is, o of course, a treat for every booklover. He knows his literature and as a British author, transplanted to small town Maine he has a unique perspective and another reason to notice oddities and put them out for the reader, The plot is well thought out and fast paced.
I would love to return to Granite Harbor to see more of police detective Brangwen.

The audio narration was fabulous and added to the atmosphere.

While I appreciate the effort put into this novel, it unfortunately didn't resonate with me. I found the characters and storyline difficult to connect with, and even though I only read it a week ago, I can hardly recall any details about it. Nonetheless, I'm sure others may find it more enjoyable.
Overall, not for me.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Peter Nicholas, and Macmillan Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

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.