I received this ARC for an honest review. I just love Kelley Armstrong’s writing. This is the 7th book in the Rockton series. This is not a standalone book. I highly recommend this series.
This book is about the secret city of Rockton that is deep in the Yukon. People there pay to be hidden to escape from being prosecuted. Casey was tricked into being there my her ex best friend Diana. The city of Rockton or more likely The Council who runs Rockton, agreed to Casey because she is a detective. Eric Dalton is the sheriff of Rockton. The residents of Rockton don’t know the reason why each other is there.
This book is about someone found out why Will Anders is there. Will is a deputy of Rockton, and the residents are angry because they feel deceived by the news. Casey and Dalton now have to find out who and why the person exposed Will’s secret.
After a death of a resident, ( I’m not telling who 😉) Casey is getting desperate because the residents are getting unruly. As Casey investigates The Council is getting in the way.
I’m not giving more away because I don’t want to ruin the story for you. Kelley Armstrong is a master at weaving a great story.

I stumbled on this seven book series about halfway through, and enjoyed it primarily for its remote wilderness setting. The books were quick and easy reads, not in a style I usually read, but enjoyable. This is the finale, so I wouldn't read this without having read the earlier books (though, at least in the advance edition, it does include a synopsis of what has come before).

The ending reduces the very large cast of characters to a core group which, whether in a new series of books or only in imagination, will explore the idea of starting over together. It was interesting, but mostly predictable, to see who made the cut. The focus on tying up of loose ends made this a little less enjoyable than the earlier books, but I'm still glad I read the series.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Small town secrets to the extreme! Combined character study and mystery, that definitely keeps you reading. My first book in this series, and author does a fantastic job providing background and character references so that you can just jump in. Not your average small town or circumstance - the town is just as interesting as the murder!

Surprised to just give this an OK rating. Essentially, the mystery was over at the half way point and when I shut the ereader, I honestly couldn't remember why the deliberate murder did what they did.

The rest was what was going to happen to Rockton which was intimated in earlier books. The resolution was fine with me and leaves me hopeful for a possible spinoff.

Don't want to write more because it would be way too easy to give spoilers.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I am wondering if this is the last of the series or do we get to continue? I like the characters in these books and would love to keep following

There was a scene in the beginning of this book, that got me so riled up (on behalf of Casey) that I was on the edge of my chair, I kept shifting and couldn't sit still. When I am able to be pulled into a story THAT much, I am going to keep coming back to that author, over and over.
Armstrong is one of those authors for me. There have been a few misses over the years, but many more hits.
The Deepest of Secrets is absolutely a hit for me. It was sad to see the dismantling of Rockton, but we've known it was coming for awhile.
I'm not sure if Armstrong has any plans to continue this story, but I'd love to hear about the "new Rockton" that Casey and Eric build together.

Rockton Series #7
I have loves this entire series.
Escape and hide in a hidden town in the woods, sign me up!
Would love a refuge - a sanctuary and to live among the wilderness.

I was looking forward to this book and continuing the story
I'm not happy this is the final book in the series, but like how it was wrapped up.

Hope new series will start - same premise, less drama and killing.

I do really enjoy this out there small town. An illegal town in the middle of nowhere, originally set up as a safe haven for those seeking solitude. Today, it's controlled by a money-grubbing council that allows anyone in for the right price. No wonder there's been an increase in violence. Detective Casey Duncan was originally fleeing her past when she was brought in as a Detective for Rockton. Now, she's found happiness with Sheriff Eric Dalton, but they both can see that the council is determined to close Rockton.

When another incident results in the perfect excuse for the council to announce Rockton's closure, Casey and Eric are told to stand down on investigating. But that is impossible for them, they are determined to confront the villain, just to saw you didn't get away with it. Who knew that this particular incident would inspire further betrayals, additional disappearances, and ultimately a crashed plane. Welcome to Rockton.

I loved it! This is one of my favorite series of all time. The crimes in a tiny, off the grid town in the wilderness aren't that much different than in a big city. Casey and Eric put together possible scenarios and keep or toss them based on how they think it would play out realistically. Their grasp of the minds and behaviors of the residents is impressive. Their process is fascinating and I can't set the book down. I sincerely hope there is more to come.

So sorry to see this series end! I've enjoyed the Rockton novels since the very beginning, but I have to admit, I don't know how long it could go on. The very setting that makes it different from other mystery/police procedurals makes it limited in its ability to expand. I kind of hoped for a more exciting resolution for the characters but satisfied with an easy ending as well. Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Net Galley for the opportunity to preview.

I’ll start by saying that this is one of those series where it benefits the reader to at least have read book 1 rather than starting here with book 7. This is one where you really need to know the world and the characters to really get everything that happens.

Fans of the series should love this! Questions are answered, secrets are spilled (in terrible ways), and, honestly, it’s just a seriously satisfying read! I will say that a couple of my favorite characters were a little more background than major players here, but I was definitely worried about another of my favorites.

I don’t know if this will be the end of the series or will lead on to a new chapter with our characters and their odd little town. I’m really hoping it continues, but if it doesn’t, this was a fitting ending.

An excellent read and I’m truly hoping for more!

*ARC via Publisher

My thanks to St. Martin's Press, Kelley Armstrong and Netgalley.
I'm usually not for a soft ending. Yet, here I am. This last Rockton was an easy read. Turns out that I'm o.k. with that.
I always say that I'd have.shot them, but in reality. that would not be good!
Truth is that I don't know where Kelley goes from here. I want New Rockton, and all bad things to come! Mwa, ha, ha!!
If not, then it's been a pleasure.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press / Minotaur Books for this arc.

I've read and enjoyed the previous books in this series and do recommend they be read somewhat in order before reading this one for character backgrounds and overall story arc, but it's not absolutely necessary. Rockton is somewhere deep in the Yukon Territory and is a super-secret, off-the-grid hidey hole for folks needing a "Wit-Sec" program not otherwise available to them, or else they want to fly under the radar of all the legal ramifications of WITSEC, basically people in trouble and people that caused trouble and all want to avoid the consequences of real life.

So.... interesting and irksome people stuck into a near a deep-freeze as can be found that will still support human life. Casey, Eric and Will comprise the "police force" of Rockton. And Rockton keeps them busy, In this book, it seemed like there were dead bodies everywhere. And the Council is shutting Rockton down (not a spoiler -- it's been hinted at in previous books).

A fast paced read with lots of tension and action, but it seemed to me to "devolve" into a middle school mindset with some immature cliques, motivations and power-plays from the aforementioned irksome people.
It definitely felt more of a YA read than the previous Rockton books. I've enjoyed the series, but this ending felt rushed and more in-line with the "Great Resignation".

I can't across the Rockton series last year and flew threw the series, only bad thing about that is now I have to wait at least 6 months for the next book to come out! So I was ecstatic to see this book would be out soon! Rockton is a series about a community in the absolute middle of nowhere, Canada.... People sometimes need to disappear for a bit and for a varying amount of money, you can pay to get whisked away too Rockton where you'll live the simple life in a small off grid community and no one will be able to find you. Since there are bad people/crimes everywhere you go, even Rockton needs a detective. The series follows Casey (the detective) along with her common law husband Eric (he's also the sheriff), her friends and the residents of Rockton.

Kelley Armstrong's newest Rockton novel, The Deepest if Secrets, has a lot going on. I was up until the wee hours of the night finishing this book because I just couldn't put it down!
Someone in Rockton is exposing people's secrets, and these secrets aren't your run of the mill secrets, these secrets are causing people to get hurt and even murdered! So it's up to Casey and her team to figure out who is behind this and why, not to mention Casey finds out the council (the financial people behind the community) is shutting Rockton down!
I would definitely recommend this book, if you haven't read the series, I personally would start with the first book. The characters in the Rockton books are really something special, you will start to care about what happens to them!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this Arc in exchange for a honest review!

This is the seventh and final book in this series. This was not my favorite series by this author. I just was not fond of the storyline. I normally love every book written by her. So, I am waiting for her next series to come out

What another great addition to the Rockton series! I absolutely love Casey and Eric! Can't wait to read more of them.

This wasn't at all how I thought this series would wrap. I mean, in some ways, yes, because we've known the end of Rockton was literally nigh for these characters but.. between the somewhat meandering mystery and cases to solve and how it does, actually, end? Rather disappointing.

What makes it extra sad is that book six had felt like a resurgence in a series that hadn't been satisfying me like the early instalments had. So my hope had been restored we would go out with a bang. Instead it was a bit of a whimper, both with the villain(s) of the week and any kind of romance element. There just wasn't much here.

This is still such an interesting series overall, with a great and exciting and challenging concept, and if you're looking for something different amongst all the various procedural mysteries, this is definitely one to try. I just had much higher hopes for how we would say goodbye to these characters and what their futures would look like.

2.5 stars

This book was incredible! I read it the day that I got approved of it, because I just love her writing and this series! And I'm wondering if this book is the end, because between the events that did happen, and mention on Kelley Armstrong's website about a new mystery series, that could replace this series, or it could fit into a different slot in her publishing schedule. I don't know. But I would love more of this series if possible, because there's so many possibilities!

The crimes in this book, I'd describe what happens as a someone pushing a domino, and just the chain reaction. Things happen, reactions are had, and things happen to those reactions, and it continues. So it has that going for it to distinguish it from the other books in the series.

A lot of this plot revolves around the fact that someone knows the truth about why someone else is at Rockton. And we all know by now, there are some nasty secrets, of people behaving horribly, but there's also dangerous ones, as well. So it's a toss up as to who's more violent, the person with the secret, or the person who finds out the secret!

I'm not sure if this is the end of the series. The way things wrapped up, I don't know if there can be an 8th book, but I would love to see what's going to happen next. Even with a plan, even if things are going to be wildly different, I just don't know. If not a full length book, a novella would be excellent, because I do truly want more!

Yeah, this book was fantastic, and it's a great ending to the series if it is, but we could also get more, and I'd love more!

The Deepest of Secrets is the 7th book in the Rockton series, and this one focuses mainly on Detective Casey Duncan, which brings the series to a full circle. Someone in the hidden town of Rockton is spilling secrets that are best left buried, and there is no shortage of suspects as Duncan tries to ferret out the culprit as the Council threatens to shut down Rockton for good. This book has almost all the action squarely in Rockton, and really spotlights Casey, with all the other familiar characters taking secondary roles as the community is rocked by multiple crimes. This installment gets back to basics, with a great storyline, nonstop action, and it will not disappoint fans of the series. Eagerly anticipating what comes next! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the seventh installment of an unusual detective series that is set in the fictional town of Rockton, a hidden place in the Yukon that takes in people on the run. Casey Duncan, a homicide detective in the town, is now married (by common law) to its sheriff, Eric Dalton.

Casey, who has lived in Rockton for eighteen months, and Eric, who has lived there almost all of his life, have suspected for some time that the Council running the town, now with a population of only 171 people, has decided to shut it down, but they don’t know when. They do know why - as Casey says about the reason, “The truth is greed. The council and those who invest in Rockton have wanted an increasingly better return for their money.”

In order to get more money, though, they had been sending violent criminals to Rockton, willing to pay off the Council for a sanctuary. And Casey and Eric have had to deal with the consequences.

This book begins with residents “outing” the murder committed by Deputy Will Anders, who, while in the service and under the influence of drugs and PTSD, shot his commanding officer. The residents don’t care about the reasons: they want Will gone. They are also worried, however, about whose past might be exposed next.

Indeed, several bodies, and attempts at murder, follow. Casey and Eric have to deal with that situation in addition to getting the town ready to disband. They also need to figure out where they will go next, and who, if anyone, they want to go with them.

Evaluation: I was ready for this series to end. It wasn’t bad - nothing by Kelley Armstrong ever is, but I didn’t feel the chemistry between the characters like in her other books, and the stories seemed to be getting a bit repetitive in style, if not in substance. But I love this author, and look forward to her next endeavor.