Rockton #4, First off it is wise to read this series in order, this book picks up almost right after the end of the last book and that ended in a way that was teasing about what would happen next. Rockton is a quiet little town in the middle of the frozen Yukon where people go to disappear, if they have enough money. It's a town straight out of the wild frontier days no T.V., no phones, no internet, and regulated electricity. Where there is no money people work on a credit basis, if you help out and do work duty you get credit to buy splurges, and if you don't work you don't eat. Because of the location there are plenty of rules to follow that are in place to keep you alive, break them at your own peril.

Casey and Eric make a quick trip to Vancouver to ask for her sister's help. One of the residents was shot in the back and the placement of the bullet is to close to the spin for either their medic or butcher to attempt. April is a neurosurgeon but she's genius and a brilliant surgeon. Reluctantly April agrees. On the homebound journey though they are followed and before they know it April isn't the only stranger in Rockton. U.S. Marshal Garcia claims he's there for a certain person who is probably more dangerous than they think. But the dickwad doesn't tell them anything and ends up getting shot before Casey and Eric find out who he is there for.

With just about everyone in town having a reason for being there and more than half of them lying about why, Casey has a hard time tracking down the truth and in the process she learns more about supposed friends and their newest resident. Armstrong once again left threads dangling parts of the story that weren't concluded in this book and left it open for the next.

Overall, another outstanding Rockton book. I love Casey and Eric they are so real to me. The whole book just weaves it's magic and transports you there it keeps you on the edge of your seat and if I had my way I would have ignored the world until the book was finished. Told in first person through Casey's perspective which help adds to the mystery of the story.

Investigator Casey Duncan and her boyfriend Rockton Sheriff Eric Dalton again find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation. This time investigating a Federal Marshall who tracked his criminal to their small, hidden town. Rockton, a safe haven for victims and criminals who have paid to hide out is not unfamiliar with mysterious crimes. What is unfamiliar is that as Casey investigates she narrows it down to a surprising person.

In the previous novel, This Fallen Prey, one of their townspeople and leader of their militia, Kenny was shot in the back. Casey and Dalton reach out to her sister April who despite their lack of closeness does agree to come to Rockton with them for a brief time to operate and help Kenny in his recovery. Watcher in the Woods shifts focus from Casey and Dalton’s relationship to Casey and her sister April. What Casey finds out about her sister explains their lack of closeness in the past and this opportunity gives them a chance to part on better terms. I thought this sub plot revealed a lot . about Casey’s character in the past and showed her emotional growth. She was in a place where she could “see” her sister clearly and was able to understand her better. I really enjoyed their interactions and added an emotional punch to an otherwise kind of unemotional mystery.

The mystery of who killed the Marshall was interesting but kind of lackluster for me. I don’t know if it was because he was only introduced and then killed in the first couple of chapters and I really didn’t care? Or because a lot of the book was an exploratory into a few newer characters, but the pages didn’t fly by as much as they have in the previous three books. Kelly Armstrong writes a great mystery and I didn’t guess who had done it, it just took a long time to get to the conclusion. I’m sure my feelings are in the minority on this one, but it is how I felt.

Watcher in the Woods is one of those books in a series that you need to read because it reveals things about characters that you will probably need to know in a future book. Despite it’s slowness, I really did like the sub plot between Casey and her sister and am looking forward to seeing where that leads in future novels but the mystery just didn’t knock it out of the park for me.

I received a free ARC of this novel for my honest review and it was honest!

If you haven’t read the previous books being that this is the 4th installment there are bound to be spoilers here. If you haven’t picked up this series yet, you are definitely missing out! This series is riveting, suspenseful, and full of twists and turns! I always want to set aside a chunk of time so I can read each book straight through!

Watcher in the Woods picks up right after the events of This Fallen Prey. Eric and Casey are desperately looking for a doctor to come up and treat and assess Kenny, determine if there’s any permanent damage from the shooting. The counsel, of course is being less than helpful so Eric and Casey decide to take matters into their own hands and enlist Casey’s sister for help, sneaking her in before the counsel knows. Casey and her sister, April have never been quite in sync growing up and the death of their parents didn’t help, so there’s a tension between them. Being together in Rockton forces Casey to look at their relationship, slowly realizing things may not have been as they seemed. April is brusque and different. I’m enjoying her character and eager for future developments.

With all this going a on a man claiming to be a US Marshall shows up to claim one of the Rockton residents. Casey and Eric wisely question the situation and from there things get dicey!

There are a few characters here that I continually love to hate, like Roy! That guy is a prick at best. I’m glad Casey basically kicked his ass in the last book. Unfortunately, he is more than a nuisance in this installment.

Jen as usual is annoying, and I’m not sure why Casey puts up with her or keeps her on as part of the militia. She’s more trouble than she’s worth, IMO. Could be a case of keeping the problem child close and occupied to avoid issues?

Interesting developments with Petra. We get answers after that shocking turn of events from the last book.

Phil doesn’t seem quite as bad as Val, the last representative of the mysterious, far away Rockton counsel. The jury is still out on him, though. I’m still stunned by Val’s actions in the last one!

We meet Sebastian, a new and interesting addition to the mix. I’m looking forward to seeing more of him.

The Rockton series just keeps rocking, (lol!) and I LOVED this installment! As usual there were lots of twists and turns, and non-stop action. But the thing I love most about this series is the characters! Of course, Casey and Eric are my favorite, and I love how they reason out whatever mystery or conflict they face; smartly analyzing the situation and motivations of all involved. And they continue to present a strong, united front. Their romance continues to shine, and I’m glad none of the drama of this story comes from their relationship.

The Watcher in the Woods starts with an exciting story line. Casey Duncan and Eric Dalton enlist the help of Casey's sister, April for an injured resident of Rockton. During her time there, a murder occurs and Casey and Eric try to solve the mystery of who committed the murder in their remote village inhabited by people escaping from their shady pasts.

Some of the characters were interesting, and some just never developed enough. This may have been due to so many different characters and things going on in the plot. I found myself getting bogged down during parts of the book which may have been because I have not read any of the previous books in this series. I was not able to read this book very quickly because it seemed fragmented and just did not flow smoothly enough for my liking.

Sadly, this was not the greatest writing. The sentences felt disjointed and choppy, and I wasn’t too sure what was happening. However, I will say that I was not able to read the first three in this series before reading this one. I was told I didn’t have to read them in order, but I wish I had. I will reread once I actually read the others.

I am not one-hundred-percent sure what Kelley Armstrong was trying to get across in this book. Was she trying to get the reader more invested in a select group of ongoing characters, was she trying to clean house by removing a few others, or was she introducing Casey’s sister April in hopes that Casey could finally put to rest, and recognize, the misunderstands that was driving the sisters apart.

To a point, there are too many characters to keep straight and if you have not read this series from the beginning they can become background noise to the current goings on in Rockton, a remote hideaway in the Yukon full of criminals, and a few victims, that have been able to buy their way to a couple years of protection.

When a US Marshal suddenly appears, wanting to take custody of a resident, the town is thrown into turmoil, which only exacerbates the situation when said Marshal is killed before he can say who he is there for. Turns out there are quite a few residents with federal warrants and it is anyone guess who he was looking for. Add to that, Casey and Sheriff Eric Dalton have secreted in Casey’s sister April, a doctor, to help with the surgery and healing of a resident who may become paralyzed if the bullet that is currently residing in his body is not properly removed.

Parts of this story fall into the well planned locked-door-mystery, with residence of Rockton locked in until their stay is up, but with Casey and Eric able to fly out for supplies and intel, an extra level of intrigue is added when their cover is blown and others might start to get a bit too curious as to what is going on in this well hidden area of a wild, mountainous, and sparsely populated region.

Mystery, murder and mayhem in the town of Rockton. Rockton is located in an area I like to call "The Misfit Territory". The people who come to live in this hidden town come to seek asylum from some sort of wrongdoing. The isolation of Rockton tends to bring out quirkiness in people. The real crazies live out in the wilderness surrounding Rockton.

Eric and Casey are back, locking up the bad kids, patching boo boos, and putting bodies on ice. First, Casey must enlist her sister (a doctor) to come and remove a bullet from Kenny's back. Simple? Not if your feet touch Rockton soil. Queue in Dr. April Quirky (I'm liking this word).

Next, a Marshal shows up and now nap time is over for all our little quirkies. Casey shows us she's still pro at solving mysteries, and Eric is still menacing and sexy.

Watcher In The Woods picks up pretty much where This Fallen Prey ended. I can't help but feel this book is setting up for something big in the upcoming book. I love Kelley Armstrong's writing and her mystery building technique.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book, so I could give an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. This is an honest review.

Watcher in the woods is the 4th book in the Rockton series. The series seems to revolve around Casey Duncan and the town of Rockton. ( I did not read the first three books). Casey convinces her sister to come to the isolated Rockton to save somebody's life. A mysterious man has come to town to catch a resident and was killed. Will Casey be able to keep her town safe, find the murderer, and get her sister out safe?

The synopsis is short because I did not read the first three books and I don't want to ruin that for anybody else. I would recommend this book so in theory I recommend the beginning series as well. I was kept guessing and it was fast paced. I liked the world Armstrong built and the interesting multifaceted characters. I will read the other books and the next one to come out.

4 Stars for me!

It’s been a while since I read a story that held my attention like Kelley Armstrong’s book. Everything – from the plot to the characterizations to the presentation – all fell into place as the story unfolded.

The story begins with Casey trying to convince her estranged sister to come with her on a mysterious mission to the remote town of Rockton, which is buried deep inside of a Yukon forest. Rockton is mysterious, and most writers would be tempted to inflict a massive information dump on readers, but Ms. Armstrong grudgingly delivers dribs and drabs of information about the town and its residents. Halfway through the book, I finally had a good feel for what Rockton was all about, but even so I had questions.

Truthfully, I was near the end when I realized this was the fourth book in a series. Although I now held a stronger knowledge of the other characters and the town, “Watcher in the Woods” can be read as a standalone due to the composition of the book. Even as a series, the author did not overload us with pages of background, and the method of giving us just enough to keep the story going worked. I had no trouble at all understanding relationships as they applied to this tale.

Rockton, however, is not the mystery. The mystery is the murder that Casey must solve. The residents of Rockton are an eclectic group, which makes Casey’s task even harder. Clues come on a regular basis, forcing her to continually reassess and consider other suspects. This maintained a quick pace, and kept the book interesting.

I enjoyed the character of Casey. The story is told from her point of view, and I liked that the author did not saddle her with an unnecessary addiction or a physical or mental disability (present in so many books today). Casey does have a background, but is generally an average person dealing with what happens in her life, which is refreshing. The other major and minor characters are well-drawn, at times so distinctly that it would be possible to merely hear them speak to know who is present.

Many elements come together in this detective/suspense novel, and I know I will be making a trip back to my bookseller to pick up the first three books in this series. Fans of Ms. Armstrong will not be disappointed with this entry in the Rockton series. Five stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press & Minotaur Books for an advance electronic copy of this book.

Watcher in the Woods by Kelley Armstrong is book number 4 in the series, I did not realize this when I first started this book and really it was no big deal, other than now I want to read the first 3! I did not quite grasp what this place was and I think reading the previous books may help with that. All in all I thought this was a very well written book and I appreciate and want to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC copy in return for leaving my review. I will be reading this author in my near future again!!

I really wanted to like this book based on the synopsis, however, I felt the story fell short on the premise provided. The story was quite slow moving and plodding at times and it felt as if I was in a circular maze without an exit and kept running into walls. After 30 chapters of running into walls, I no longer cared "who did it" or "why" any longer I just wanted the story to end, sadly I had to wait for another 18 chapters for that to happen. The characters felt very one-dimensional and never seemed well developed. Yes, I know this book is part of a series, but for those of us that haven't read any of the previous books, there was absolutely no incentive to read any of the previous books or at least there wasn't any in my case. It wasn't until the author got to about chapter 42 that the action seriously began to pick up and the story began to make sense. Although I liked the characters of Casey and Eric and even felt empathetic towards Casey's sister April, none of the other characters seemed real (back to that one-dimensional lack of character development thing). There just seemed a bit too much going on in the story and none of it really developed or explained until the author absolutely had to because the end of the book was close at hand, such as: the council interference, the Hostiles, the mention of the Settlers but no inclusion of any of them really in the story, the appearance and murder of the US Marshall who appears without a warrant or extradition papers, etc. No one and nothing was quite what it appeared to be in this story, and usually, that makes for a compelling story, but this just made for a trainwreck in this reader's opinion. (NOTE: This review will not be posting on my blog.)

Watcher in the Woods (St. Martin's Press, digital galley), like other entries in Kelley Armstrong's Casey Duncan series, is set in the isolated community of Rockton in the wilds of the Canadian Yukon. But don't look for it on any map. It's a safe haven for both criminals and victims, who pay a corporation big bucks to stay off the grid. Casey is the town's detective, and her boyfriend Eric Dalton is the sheriff. When a U.S. Marshal shows up looking for a resident and is subsequently shot, the two have to figure out not only the murder but also how the marshal found Rockton in the first place. Could be it has something to do with Casey's estranged sister, April, secretly flown in to assist on a medical case. Atmospheric, tightly plotted and smartly paced, the book delves more deeply into Rockton's mysterious past. There's more than one watcher in the woods.
from On a Clear Day I Can Read Forever

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Number 4 in a series, of which, this is the first one I've read. Kelley Armstrong is a strong writer which shows in this series about second chances. The story is exceptional! Intrigue, adventure, raising the hairs on the back of your neck thrill. I would suggest reading these books I order so that you know the history of the characters. Enjoy! 📚

I started reading this book not knowing it was #4 in a series. However, I did not feel confused and/or didn't feel like I was missing part of the story.

After reading this novel I definitely want to go back and read the rest of this series! I really loved the characters, the setting, and the storyline! Also, bonus points! The author is Canadian and the story takes place in Canada!

Additionally, I've never seen a story narrated the way this was! It was so entertaining and funny at times. It was Casey, the main character, narrating the story but in a way where she was recounting the story to a friend. Hard to explain but I really enjoyed it.

The setting of the book was in the middle of nowhere in the Yukon forest. So it was very atmospheric, and very well described! I felt like I was in the woods with the characters.

The only negative points I have for this novel was that there were many characters and I truly had a hard time keeping up all throughout the book. I never really got the hang of who was who right up until the very end. The other thing is that the ending wasn't twisty or mind blowing but I still enjoyed the whole flow of the story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an electronic ARC of this book via NetGalley. As usual, my reviews are my honest and unbiased opinions.

This book was really good. I was, however, kind of disappointed to realize it was book four in the series since that fact wasn’t obvious when I requested it. I definitely felt confused since there were many other storylines referenced that I had no clue about. The overall story was really good although I did really feel overwhelmed with all the different plot twists and suspects.
I really liked Casey and Eric and felt they had great chemistry together. I also liked Will, Kenny, Maryanne and April. I have requested that the first three books be ordered by my local library so I’m hoping to one day read them to get the various missing pieces.

I haven't read any of the other books in this series, but I will be going back to read the others. When a US Marshall shows up looking for someone, Casey and Eric try their best to get him out of town as quickly as possible. But someone decides that he needs to be gone, permanently. With a town full of people with secrets, it is up to Casey to find out who killed him. Keeping the town secret is the most important thing but keeping everyone safe is important too. When suspects keep popping up, Casey has to weed through the lies and hope she finds the truth in time.

I find the town of Rockton fascinating. The remote location makes it feel like a world if it's own. The characters are unique and well fleshed out.The only thing that kept this from being a 5 star book for me was when the author would write a paragraph and then say well no it didn't happen like that. I found that highly frustrating.

While I definitely would never like to go to Rockton, I do hope Kelley Armstrong keeps writing about this strange town, because I really love to read about it. Watcher in the Woods is full of both town drama and personal conflict as Casey brings in her estranged sister in to serve as temporary doctor in Rockton. Casey and Eric are also dealing with the appearance of a man claiming to be a US Marshal trying to track down one of their townspeople- which raises a lot of issues. How did he find Rockton? Who else knows? And once again, Casey and Eric are on guard as they realize that someone among them may not be who they think he or she is. Tense and atmospheric, Watcher in the Woods is the next great entry in a series that feels a bit like an underdog that I'd love to champion.

This review was originally posted on <a href="http://booksofmyheart.net/2019/01/31/audio-watcher-in-the-woods-by-kelley-armstrong/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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Another fantastic read in the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/164879-rockton" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong> Rockton series</strong></em></a>.  This world is wild, beautiful and yet a bit scary. There are the people in Rockton who are on the run with shaded pasts, the hostiles who used to live in Rockton or who live the surrounding Yukon Wilderness and the outsiders to be contained who are all possible problems / threats.  This town all has to work together with unique rules to survive in this somewhat primitive outpost.

I am totally in love with this world, its well-developed characters with their unique aspects.  The mysteries are fast-paced and well-plotted.   <strong>Watcher in the Woods</strong> has Rockton coming to the attention of outsiders. in more ways than one. Phil continues to be a problem. There are shocking revelations about those close to the law enforcement team of Eric, Casey and Will.  But I do love the solid connection and trust this trio has for each other.

The characters are so well developed ; they make me feel.  I am happy with Eric. I feel a bit on edge with many others. I appreciate the help of Isabelle and Will. I feel the irritation with Diana, Jen and Paul. I feel the uncertainty with Matthias. I feel the frustration with April.  I feel furious with Mark Garcia. OK and I feel joy with Storm.  I feel fear and excitement and pride about Casey. 

Casey has her eyes opened to a different perspective on her past with her estranged sister, April, coming to town.  Storm is part of their lives but less present in this story. So there is continued growth in their personal journeys as a backdrop to the usual murder and mayhem.  I don't know how I will wait another whole year for more, as every book in this series is amazing.
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(I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for giving an honest review)

Such an interesting, and very good, book! Everything about it was unusual which made things quite intriguing. The setting was different than most books - the Yukon and a city of refuge of sorts. The author made the characters so real, especially the main characters, that by the end I felt like I knew them and wanted to stay in touch! There were so many characters, I only wish I knew more about some of the minor ones. The story, itself, was complex. Indeed, there were a lot of subplots to keep track of which, for me, was a bit of fun even if a little confusing. Perhaps that's because this is the 4th book in a series. I was delighted to this find out, after I finished the book, because now I can go back and meet these "people" for the first time. I will definitely be starting the series from the first book! Good job, Ms. Armstrong!