Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐
The gruesome murder of a local teen sends shockwaves across the close-knit community of Granite Harbor, a coastal town in Maine. The body of the teenager was discovered strung up for display in a local historic tourist attraction known as The Settlement. Former novelist turned Detective Alex Branwen is tasked to lead the investigation. The nature of the crime has also attracted the attention of the FBI who suspect that a serial killer is at large. Alex, whose teenage daughter was friends with the victim, must leave no stone unturned in trying to find out whether a criminal in is their midst even if it means ruffling more than a few feathers. A second murder , also a teenager, changes the direction of the investigation and Alex must race to find the killer before anyone else ends up dead.
Granite Harbor by Peter Nichols is a dark, gritty, immersive read. The narrative is shared from the perspectives of Alex and Isabel Dorr, a resident of Granite Harbor and single mother of a teenage son who was friends with the two murder victims, with chapters detailing the killer’s past (not revealing the identity) interspersed throughout the present-day narrative. The pace is slower in the beginning but picks up as the story progresses. The characters are well thought out (even the unlikeable ones) and the author skillfully captures the dynamics of a small town and the interpersonal connections of both the adults and the teenagers and how the brutality of the crimes and suspicions threaten to fracture those connections. While the identity of the killer was not entirely unpredictable, I thoroughly enjoyed the suspenseful build-up, the surprise along the way, and the dark, atmospheric vibe and finished the book in a day. There are a few aspects that I wish had been explored in more detail , but this did not detract from my overall reading experience. This was my first time reading Peter Nichols, but it surely won’t be my last.
Many thanks to Celadon Books for the gifted copy of Granite Harbor. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The expected publication date for this novel is April 30, 2024.
Please note that certain content (animal cruelty, gruesome descriptions of the crimes) might prove disturbing for some readers.
Comments
Post a Comment