Oh my!!! I did not realize this was the 4th book in a series! I realized a good bits ways in it wasn’t the first book. This story did not read as a 4th novel. I loved it!

I now have a new author! I will read the previous 3 books and also check out all of the other books written by Kelley Armstrong.

If you are a fan of murder mysteries, you will love this book. I didn’t find it thrilling, I found it quite fun and I couldn’t put it down. Casey is quite likable and a very competent detective.

May I visit Rockton for a few weeks to decompress? It feels like a place I belong. I can’t wait to read more about it!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kelley Armstrong, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for this ARC.

I really enjoyed the first three books in the Casey Duncan series, and this one didn't disappoint. Excellent story, strong as heck main character and a setting that ALMOST makes you want to leave the city and move semi-off the grid. I can't wait for book five to come out.

I have been eagerly awaiting this fourth book in the Rockton series and it doesn't disappoint. Watcher in the Woods starts by reviewing some of the activity from the previous book, This Fallen Prey. I found this refresher helpful; even so, I went back and reread the last few chapters of that book.

Watcher in the Woods provides Casey and Dalton with a new mystery to solve. First, who is this "watcher " who is monitoring activity in Rockton from the woods (hence, the title!) He in turn meets an untimely end and it is up to Casey to figure out who in Rockton could be the murderer and why. In addition to the introduction of a new character, we get to better know many of the Rockton residents as Casey considers their possible role in the murder. There are several interesting psychological and medical issues raised which likely will continue in the next novel. With numerous twists and turns in the action, as well as several red herrings, Watcher in the Woods reaches a stunning conclusion to the murder mystery while leaving open numerous threads to be further explored in the next book in the series.

I enjoy Kelley Armstrong’s writing. It is precise and descriptive, bringing her characters to life on the page. Watcher in the Woods is an exciting thriller/mystery with constant, non-stop action. The romantic/professional interaction between Eric and Casey, as well as how they deal with the residents and the various problems that arise in Rockton, provides the backbone of this series. I hope that there are many more novels in this exciting series.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a free ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

WATCHER IN THE WOOD by Kelley Armstrong, 4th of 4 in series featuring Casey Duncan, a homicide detective with a secret, living off the grid in the wilds of northern Canada.

The story takes up shortly after the events of the previous book, THIS FALLEN PREY. Casey and Dalton are dealing with a mysterious man who may or may not be a US Marshall looking for someone in their community who is then murdered so they have two mysteries to solve – who was this man and who was he looking for? How much danger is Rockton in? In a community of people hiding/running away from things/crimes there are a lot of guilty consciouses who may believe they are the target and have reason to eliminate the threat.

The real positive in this book was the introduction of Casey’s sister, a doctor, flown in to take care of a community member injured in the last book. We learn why they’ve been estranged. It’s a great dynamic to add to the storytelling. I’ve very glad that the relationship between Casey and Dalton is still strong. Don’t mess with that please ever.

Overall, I enjoyed this book more than the previous one perhaps because events moved forward -- the last one kind of got stuck in the woods. And Armstrong still left unanswered issues with the Council while providing more clues – she giveth and she taketh away. But that means there’s another book in the works. Yay!

An intriguing mystery with a well developed protagonist! I would read more books in this series. Recommended!

A primitive town somewhere in the Yukon wilderness.
Not only is the town a secret but is also full of secrets. The secret past of each resident within the community. The population is a mix of people that needed to disappear and hide either from the media, gangsters or the justice system. Only the Council (back in the civilized world) knows who is who and occasional provides a safe sanctuary for major criminals in exchange for financial funding. This kind of situations leads to a lot of confusion and mistrust of each other within the community and also of the Council members.
This was the first book I read by this author and was intrigued enough by her writing that I checked amazon for other books by her. To my surprise I found that this was the fourth book in the series which explained why I occasionally fell a bit short in background history. I put the three books on my wish list so that I could get back to it at a later date.

I think i would’ve enjoyed this book a lot more if I had realized it was part of a series. The story itself it well written and keeps you guessing, but not having all the background information left me feeling like I was missing something. I’m not sure if I’m curious enough to go back and read the other books, but this one wasn’t bad.

Intriguing story with interesting characters. Lots of twists and turns. Intriguing concept of a hidden town that nobody knows anything about it's location. You'll see how they handle crime and pass justice.

Kelly Armstrong is a Canadian writer, known for her series of fantasy and paranormal books.
"Watcher in the woods" is, however, not one of those. The Rocton series, with "Watcher in the woods" being fourth in the series, is a more reality-based suspense novel. No werewolves here.

The story happens in a small village in the middle of Canadian nowhere. There is an eerie atmosphere in the book, with hostiles and overall feeling of isolation, albeit on purpose. The story shows a couple serving as a police force for the outlaws' community pulled me in. The appearance and murder of US Marshall reveal plenty of secrets hidden by the community members, even if each one of them had to undergo careful screening before being brought to Rockton. The main characters have to sort it all out, meantime dealing with other communal issues and personal lives.

"Watcher in the woods" is a page turner, although at times I was getting lost among all the characters used to build the story. I enjoyed the unexpected bursts of humor in characters dialogs, a big plus for me. I was happy I reached for the book, even of the author outside my usual reading list.

This book was very good, i loved the storyline and kept thinking that it should be made into a series. Little did I know that it was indeed book 4 of the Rockton series. But, this book could also be read as a standalone. I have already bought the rest of the books in the series and look forward to reading them.

Thank you netgalley and St.Martin's Press for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Can I possibly explain how excited I was to get my hands on this book? My introduction to Rockton and it's inhabitants occurred a few weeks ago. I read the first book in the series, City of the Lost, from the library and had my name on the wait list for the next two but couldn't wait! I bought them both immediately after finishing the first one. Cue long nights of reading and (kinda) ignoring my family.

This latest novel in the series picks up right where the last one left off. I love the pacing of these books, the plot is driven by plenty of excitement, but you still get character development. I get so disappointed in books where the characters are flat and only seem to exist to move the plot forward. This is so not the case here! The main characters are an integral piece to the puzzle, as well as the setting. Rockton is such a fascinating place and Armstrong does an amazing job of describing the terrain and the ingenious ways people live, and die, there.

Watcher in the Woods continues the adventures of Casey Butler as she builds a life in the last place on Earth she ever thought she'd fall in love with. Her back story is fleshed out even more with the inclusion of her sister. I honestly read these books for both the exciting mystery and to learn more about the characters. This is a knock out series that I am so grateful I found!

Watcher in the Woods is the latest in the Rockton series by Kelley Armstrong. I've read the previous Rockton stories but feel this would be a stand alone if a person hasn't read the others. Casey and Dalton feel like old friends, and once more I hated to see the book come to an end. I was given an early copy to review.

atcher in the Woods is the fourth book in the Rockton/Casey Duncan mystery series.

This is a stand alone book and one does not have to have read the previous titles to understand the story.

We meet 32 year old detective Casey Duncan. These books take place in a small off the grid hidden town called Rockton in the Yukon.

This was a great mystery with a unique concept of a hidden town. I definitely want to go back and read the first 3 in the series now.

I just found this series and I was glad that Netgalley had the next installment of Rockton. Watcher in the Woods fills in a lot of the questions I had from the other three books. I hope this isn’t the end of the series as I would like to see the settlement prosper and grow. With the addition of the Doctor I would like to see how this plays out with Casey. I’ve been recommending this series to people who want something a little different than their norm.

I had no idea this was part of a series until various characters appeared and it seemed I should know who they were. Some of them are described immediately and other characters history is picked up on the way. While it can be read as an individual book, it's probably best to start with the series. I found it interesting and fun after a few chapters. A good fantasy, mystery book. Other reviews have written a full "book report" so I would suggest checking reviews and cover for any book details. I would read this author or other books in this series.
I read this book as a complimentary copy from the publisher via Net Galley. The opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for allowing me to read this book.

Received this in exchange for a honest review. Well, I tried...several times to get into this book, and I just could not. To much machismo. I could almost smell the testosterone, guns everywhere (not a problem) but I just could not do it. Sorry Netgalley. I read the snip-it, I guess I will have to be more careful next time

This book was very captivating. I was hooked from the first chapter. Five starts. I enjoyed the characters and the story so very much.

I haven't read the first few books in this series so it took me a while to fully get a handle on the characters and story so I would definitely recommend reading this series in order. A mystery with a unique twist that really didn't keep my interest, it just seemed a little bizarre to me. I received an e-book ( Uncorrected Digital Galley) from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

I love this series! Please, don’t ever stop writing these books. Another excellent one.

Thanks Net Galley for the ARC

The idea behind this book was interesting and great concept. I did however, find it hard to connect to the characters, as this was the first book I have read from this series. I would probably recommend starting from the beginning, which I plan on doing soon.