Editorial Content for Granite Harbor
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Reviewer (text)
The fictional Granite Harbor in Maine is the type of small, quaint town where thrillers and mysteries take place, as it is full of colorful characters, wild spaces, traditional values and a false sense of security. This is the setting for Peter Nichols’ latest novel, GRANITE HARBOR, where a killer with a penchant for ritual tableaus is hunting local teens. Readers know they most likely have been introduced to the murderer, but Nichols will keep them guessing as his characters race to find the perpetrator before he or she strikes again.
Granite Harbor’s only detective is a former writer who had a promising career and marriage, but both are well in the past. Now English ex-pat Alex Brangwen is a single dad to a grumpy teen girl who he uneasily co-parents with his ex-wife. Since becoming a police officer, one of the only jobs he felt he could take in Granite Harbor, Alex has not had to deal with any complicated crimes.
"Overall, the premise is intriguing, the setting is perfectly chosen, the crimes are sinister, and the dogged detective seems like a mostly good guy. GRANITE HARBOR will appeal to readers who like their thrillers bloody and weird."
But that all changes when a teenager named Shane is found dead and on gruesome display at the Granite Harbor Living History Settlement, a historical attraction. Not only does Alex need to solve Shane’s murder, he also must protect his daughter, Sophie, who was one of Shane’s close friends. The instinct that the killer is targeting a group of kids is confirmed when another in their circle is attacked. Alex and the other investigators are keeping one important detail from the public --- something surprising placed inside the victims.
As the town reels, Alex follows the strange set of clues and bizarre bits of evidence. His work is made all the more difficult because of his worry for Sophie and her friends, especially Ethan, the son of Alex’s love interest. Interpersonal dynamics are often front and center here, and they both help and hinder the investigation. The mothers of the central teen characters are particularly drawn --- shrill, reactionary, old-fashioned, anxious or depressed, and checked-out. The teens also come across as stereotypically distrustful, entitled and quick to anger.
Readers are privy to the killer’s point of view and gain insight into his or her background and motivations. This individual is more developed, and his or her story and chapters are far more compelling than those of the families who are impacted by this violence. Those sections of the book are creepy but don’t give too much away about the killer’s identity. In addition to the domestic drama, the murders and the investigation, Nichols throws in some psychic visions.
Nichols is clearly aiming for dark and gritty. The violence here is horrific but also cinematic (think Hannibal Lecter). Readers should be warned that there is violence against animals depicted in detail, not to mention the seemingly requisite abuse of a child in the making of a monster. Overall, the premise is intriguing, the setting is perfectly chosen, the crimes are sinister, and the dogged detective seems like a mostly good guy. GRANITE HARBOR will appeal to readers who like their thrillers bloody and weird.
Teaser
A local teenager is found brutally murdered in the Settlement, Granite Harbor’s historic archaeological site. Alex Brangwen is the town’s sole detective, and this is his first murder case. 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.
Promo
A local teenager is found brutally murdered in the Settlement, Granite Harbor’s historic archaeological site. Alex Brangwen is the town’s sole detective, and this is his first murder case. 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.
About the Book
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’ SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.
Audiobook available, read by Peter Ganim
