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A review by the_joyful_book_club
Granite Harbor: A Novel by Peter Nichols
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
I'll start this out with a Trigger Warning: there is animal abuse, domestic abuse, and sexual abuse in this story. The animal abuse is the most prevalent and is only in a few chapters but it is in there, and it's on page.
This story starts with three friends, out on a foggy afternoon. Two of the three go home for the evening but the last boy stays out later. A few days later, his body is found in a gruesome display at a tourist and historical attraction in town.
The author does a really great job of bringing the environment to life. It was easy for me to see Granite Harbor and its citizens in my mind and the scenes jumped off the page. Detective Alex Brangwen is the only detective in town, and he was a likable character for me. Then you have Isabel, who is the mother of Ethan, who was close friends with the murder victim.
This story ultimately didn't work for me. I think it had too much going on, and it felt like every aspect was competing with each other. There's also a lot of characters and we're introduced to all in some depth. I think the author was intending to help cast a deeper net of suspicion on them, but it ended up feeling more distracting and it didn't really make me think one person was more suspicious than another.
This book also bounces a bit in the timeline. You're essentially seeing the present day but also some flashbacks for the killer and his life experiences. This was fine, but in the copy I read (which was an advanced copy), there was nothing to denote you were going back in time, so it felt confusing. I also think that as soon as certain things about the killer's younger days were revealed, it felt really easy to figure out who the killer was.
If you enjoy small towns in New England, along with atmospheric tension, and murder, then this book may be one you should check out.
This story starts with three friends, out on a foggy afternoon. Two of the three go home for the evening but the last boy stays out later. A few days later, his body is found in a gruesome display at a tourist and historical attraction in town.
The author does a really great job of bringing the environment to life. It was easy for me to see Granite Harbor and its citizens in my mind and the scenes jumped off the page. Detective Alex Brangwen is the only detective in town, and he was a likable character for me. Then you have Isabel, who is the mother of Ethan, who was close friends with the murder victim.
This story ultimately didn't work for me. I think it had too much going on, and it felt like every aspect was competing with each other. There's also a lot of characters and we're introduced to all in some depth. I think the author was intending to help cast a deeper net of suspicion on them, but it ended up feeling more distracting and it didn't really make me think one person was more suspicious than another.
This book also bounces a bit in the timeline. You're essentially seeing the present day but also some flashbacks for the killer and his life experiences. This was fine, but in the copy I read (which was an advanced copy), there was nothing to denote you were going back in time, so it felt confusing. I also think that as soon as certain things about the killer's younger days were revealed, it felt really easy to figure out who the killer was.
If you enjoy small towns in New England, along with atmospheric tension, and murder, then this book may be one you should check out.