I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

What an engaging mystery with a potpourri of characters. I thought the mystery was different from other mysteries I read because so much of the story focuses on Lacy McCrae. After the fact, I discovered that this is the third book in a series. From reviews, I realize that I could have benefited from reading the previous books in the series. Oh well.

I thought the story was interesting and the secondary/support characters were a wonderful addition to the story and Lacy in particular. A family squabble over money, land, and inheritance held my attention throughout. Also, the description of the location and terrain was very detailed and the climbing information was educational. Some may call it boring but I thought not.

As part of the onsite security team for a Hollywood movie site, Lacey McCrae's employment is cut short when the director's wife is murdered. Her boss moves her assignment next door to assist in the search for a missing oil baron and his young son. With Lacey's prior RCMP training, she soon finds evidence that the two events could be connected, leaving little room for hope in recovering the missing persons. The investigation will lead the search crews through some rough terrain and leave them racing the clock.

Why the Rock Falls is the 3rd book in JE Barnard's The Falls Mysteries series. It can be read as a stand alone but the reading experience can only benefit from reading the first two books as they give you Lacey's back story. She is a former RCMP who survived a marriage full of harsh domestic violence. Her experiences have left her with PTSD and seeking a less stressful job and living conditions. She now lives in Alberta where the beautiful scenery and extreme conditions become a part of the story. The character and her supporting cast are excellent, their interactions keep the story moving quickly and keep the mystery alive until the very end. The series has proven excellent so far, let's hope it remains so in the future.

Was pleasantly surprised by the way the contrast between the character with fit but psychological trauma and the ME character who is mentally agile was so subtle, and enjoyed the depiction of friendship as well, within the pacey action story. Was happy to highlight this title in Zoomer magazine’s Novel Encounters for November, my monthly look-ahead column in the Zed books hub of the forthcoming notable fiction. (Full blurb and column at link)

First book from this author that I've read. My only concern was that at the beginning I had to re-read it to understand the path it was taking. The book went from her guarding a movie mogul and then the next page she's being sent out to a ranch to guard an oil baron. As the book coalesced it made a lot more sense and the rest of the book was entertaining and interesting. Well written, characters could have been developed a little more but for the most part it was an easy read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest,voluntary review.

Ex-Mountie Lacey McCrae is working as private security at friend Jake Hyman's house to keep Hollywood director Mylo Matheson and his family safe. Lacey saves Mylo's wife Kitrin from drowning in the waterfall pool but Kitrin is found dead in the same pool the next day by their friend Jan Brenner. Lacey is then sent by her boss Wayne to oil baron Orrin Caine's house when Orrin and his youngest son Tyrone go missing. Orrin had been at Jake's house the night before Kitrin's death and she wonders if the two cases are somehow related.

The Search and Rescue teams scour the vast Caine property for signs of Orrin and Tyrone. The story dragged on in the middle with the plodding search of hours of security footage by Lacey and Jan to find evidence of sabotage and identify the perp who caused Orrin's vehicle to disappear. Tyrone is then found alone, gravely ill from a severe allergic reaction and is taken to hospital but there is no sign of Orrin.

Lacey has a large pool of suspects since there is a seething pool of hatred between Orrin and his eldest sons Earl, and twins Bart and Ben. After several days, a clue points the search team in the right direction but it's a race against time for Lacey and Ben to rock climb to a remote hut before violent weather and a determined killer can finish off Orrin for good.

The Caine family is still in danger when the perp's accomplice makes another desperate attempt to harm the young sons in this twisted tale of greed and revenge.

I received an eARC from Netgalley and Dundurn Press with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Why the Rock Falls is the third book in the Falls Mystery series. Set in Bragg Creek in the Alberta Rockies, these books are steeped in murder, mystery, and current affairs. Barnard writes a strong, well-researched story, and brings the setting and the issues to life. The recurring characters, Lacey, Jan, Terry, Dee and Rob are well-developed, believable characters, and the reader is treated to their very real emotions and reactions to the situations in which they are immersed.

This book sees the wife of a Hollywood director murdered in a guest pool, with numerous people in the vicinity who had a motive for her death. And when an oil baron and his young son go missing in the backwoods of their land, the mysteries deepen, and the accusations fly fast and furious. But are the two seemingly separate crimes connected? Who has the most to gain from these deaths?

Barnard takes her reader through the intricacies of rock climbing, the realities of living with ME/CFS, and the truths of the land controversies surrounding oil exploration in the Rockies. I appreciate her detailed research, blended with a well-paced murder mystery. Looking forward to seeing where these characters go in the future.

This is the third book in the Falls Mysteries and investigates the murder of a Hollywood producer's wife plus the search for a missing oil baron and his son in Alberta. I hadn't read the first two books in this series but found this easy to pick up despite that. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and the family dynamics in this. The main characters were likeable and easy to root for. This book has me particularly intrigued by Lacey and her backstory, so I might have to read the first two books to find out more. Overall, this was an entertaining murder mystery, nothing groundbreaking but thoroughly enjoyable.

disabled rep, gay side characters
tw: homophobic language, mentions of past psychological and physical domestic abuse, mentions of eating disorders

Lacey McCrae, ex Mountie, had lost her job and in her downtime volunteers to look for a wealthy oil baron and his son. The baron's remaining four sons and their ex wives start arguing over their inheritance and Lacey tries to calm the situation. At the same she gets really involved in the search for the murderer.
I quite enjoyed this book, it's a good mystery with a few twists and turns to keep it interesting. I did find that there are lots of characters and it's sometimes difficult to keep up with who's who. I think it would have been beneficial to read the author's previous books in this series but it was still ok as a stand alone book. I really liked the character of Lacey and that made the read more enjoyable.

This book had the feeling of classic who-did-it-novel and within that categorie it was very well done with mutiple plot lines that fell into place at the end. There were a whole lot of names and characters to keep track of and, if like me, you haven't read the previous book with Lacey then it becomes even more difficult to keep them all apart.
The story about Lacey, a former RCMP officer, who now works in security and gets involved in a murder investigation kept my interest. It's not a fast-paced book with a lot of action, on the contrary, it's more of a read with slow developments and a lots of character interaction in trying to figure out who is responsible for the murder. All characters are written well and they are a diverse bunch of people. Like I said before: a classic murder mystery which will not disappoint those readers who go for that genre.

*** An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. ***

3.25* Been wanting to read more Canadian books and this book fits the bill. A mystery set in Alberta, where ex-RCMP Lacey is now working private security and is tasked with keeping a Hollywood director and his family safe and eventually to investigate the disappearance of a rich oilman and his son, I haven't read the previous books of this series, so the characters are unfamiliar to me. As other reviewers have mentioned, it gets a bit confusing at first to figure out who is who and what their relationships are. Lacey is battling PTSD from her years as a Mountie and also from an abusive ex-husband. But, she's likable enough and competent with her job. I like that a person with chronic illness is represented by Lacey's friend, Jan, who has Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) . It's rare to find such a character portrayed as an integral part of the plot, as she helps Lacey with analyzing video footages. The family dynamics between the Hollywood director and the oilman is a bit convoluted, but drives the main plot of the story. While this is a good enough book to read, as a mystery, I keep waiting on a plot twist that would make it so much more interesting. My guess on who the culprit is turned out to be correct, which is just fine, but if I have been wrong, that would've been so much more exciting.
Probably should read the earlier books of the series first, just so one is more familiar with Lacey and her group of friends. In the end, I wonder if that might help me enjoy this book more.
**Thank you to Dundurn and Net Galley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

Canada, murder, search-and-rescue, mystery, family-dynamics, friendship

A very good mystery in a part of the country that is both beautiful and dramatic with a protagonist who is both believable and has a heroic inquisitive nature. But. I wish that I had read the earlier books and could have kept straight the multitude of well drawn characters (my problem, not the author's). The story is as dramatic as the environs and has plenty of plot twists and not a few red herrings. I liked it a lot despite all.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Dundurn Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the eARC.
Ex-Mounty Lacey Mcrae is working security at her neighbor Jake's house when she notices a skeletally thin woman struggling in the swimming pool where she manages to save her. Unfortunately the woman, a Hollywood Director's wife, later drowns (or was she murdered?) in the same pool.
Lacey also gets involved in the hunt for an odious oil tycoon's disappearance, together with his young son. There are many people with motives for getting rid of him ... is he on a pleasure trip with his son or has something bad happened to the two of them? Is there a connection between him and the Hollywood director?
This is a good story and I really like Lacey, but found the lengthy parts of checking the computer monitors a bit tedious. There's a long list of characters which had me confused at times, but in the whole I loved the setting and enjoyed the book.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

This was ok read. I like the mystery of this book and Lacey is flawed but your rooting for her.

Lacey is a ex Mountie with loose ends she decide to take up investigating a missing oil man and his son. As she dives in she also has to play peacemaker with the missing man others sons and his three exes. As she starts to put things together she makes a connection that puts her right in the path of a killer who is willing to killed again. The mystery part was good and I love Lacey but I don’t know it was hard to follow maybe because it had too many characters for me to follow that it took a minute to get through the book. 3.5 stars for me but giving it four stars because character of Lacey I really like her.