I was immediately intrigued by this book because of the storyline involving a serial killer which had me wanting to pick it up. The fact that the case is potentially tied to one from so long ago only added to my interest as it raised so many questions – why the long break, if it was the same killer or a copycat, etc. – and I found myself wanting these answers and trying piece together the tidbits of information for myself. The chase for the killer and delving deeper into the case was definitely interesting and had me wanting to see the end result.
This one was… OK. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. It wasn’t the most shall we say, “thrilling” book I’ve read and at times dragged, but it had me interested enough to want to see it through to the end. At times it felt like a bit of a slog to get through, particularly in the beginning of the book in getting to know characters with scenes that felt at times unnecessary. This also brings me to the fact that I felt little connection for the characters as I had no real interest in learning about them or reading gratuitous scenes that held little other purpose than delving into their lives a bit more. For the most part they were a bit bland for me and I felt little investment in them as a result.
All together, it’s an interesting premise, though for me it fell a bit flat. I do think enjoyers of thrillers, particularly those that like the opportunity to get into the head of the killer, will enjoy this read. There is quite a bit of background on the killer from their perspective throughout the course of the novel, which for me was a bit of a slog, as well as difficult to read at times (trigger warning for animal cruelty and death if you are like me and don’t like this). However, that’s not to say it’s a bad book, it just wasn’t my favourite read of the year.
Granite Harbor follows the investigation of a serial killer that has landed in a small Maine town. Alex, one of the main point of view characters is investigating the murder of a local boy, one who was friends with his own daughter who is devastated by the loss. There is a particularly distinct signature that the serial killer uses that raises a lot of questions in the investigation and ties back to another case from 16 years ago that has Alex wondering if it is the same killer returned after a long hiatus.
