Me and this book got off on the wrong foot. It takes place in Alaska/Yukon area. I'm from Alaska. Frankly, it gets things fundamentally wrong about the area that bothered me from the beginning to the end.
During May, with patches of snow still here and there? That means that every moderately flat area is going to be flooded and muddy from all of the melting snow. Is there a mention of mud in this book? Nope, despite any Alaskan being able to tell you that it would be absolutely everywhere and a constant consideration when walking (and tracking?!) in the woods.
And don't even get me started on everything else (sunlight amounts, bugs, etc).

This book is a spin-off of the Rockton series. It's a murder mystery in the isolated wilderness.

I don't think that people not in love with the Rockton series will find much to enjoy in this book. We're given the situation, but not a reason to care about the situation or the characters in it.

A video review including this book will be on my youtube channel in the coming weeks, at https://www.youtube.com/chloefrizzle

Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

Murder at Haven' s Rock mysteriously keeps engaging the reader as the forest thickens and the murders and attempted murders increase. The creation of a hidden self-contained town in a wilderness spurs the imagination but then the setting is conducive. It is an exciting read

Thank you NetGalley for this book!

When I requested this book, I just saw that it was the first in a series. I did not realize it was a continuation of a whole other series. The good news is, even without reading the original series, I was fine! Kelley Armstrong did a great job in giving a basic background of the main characters and where they came from. The issue now is... I need to read a whole other series! This book was fantastic. There were enough red herrings that while I had a couple guesses of what really happened/who was the murderer, I never felt 100% certain. And right when you think everything is wrapped up with a neat little bow at the end, there's a nice little surprise that makes you need to know what comes next for this town. I can't wait for the next book!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for gifting me an advanced copy. I really enjoyed the book and decided to give my honest review, which is below.

When I heard that The Deepest of Secrets was the last Rockton book, I was devastated. I LOVE that series. LOVE. But then I found out there would be a spinoff, based off of the events of Deepest of Secrets, and I was ecstatic.

This one picks up where The Deepest of Secrets leaves off, with a brief time jump forward. The new Rockton, Haven's Rock, is almost complete, but of course, that means that it's time for murder! Casey, Eric, and the gang must work together to solve a new murder in their future new home.

This one was a tangled web of plot spaghetti, but I loved it. It wasn't predictable, and it had some great "gotcha" moments.

Definitely highly recommended, and while it explains enough that a new reader could jump in here, I'd recommend reading the Rockton books first. You'll appreciate the story more with all of the history.

OK, so when is the next book being published? I want it NOW!!!!LOL!

Well, this book is certainly going on my 'comfort read' shelf. I loved it. It was so well written that I totally bought into the red herring and missed the actual murderer.

Many people from Rockton will be in this next series, and there will be new residents; of course, some may not be permanent, and there are some new ones that may be more permanent.

The town sounds very interesting. However, I have a feeling that a lot of kinks are going to need to be worked out.

We also end the book with a bit of a cliff-hanger-not truly one, but one that will leave you wanting to read the next book.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Publisher: ‎Minotaur Books for sale on (February 21, 2023), the author, and NetGalley.

4.5 rounded up to 5
As this is a spin off series from Kelley Armstrong's Rockton series you will probably want to read that series first starting with City of the Lost. However, I think you could start here if you have not read the other series, as long as you give some leeway in not knowing the main characters back story.

Kelley Armstrong is back with the main characters of her Rockton series, but a new town means new dangers that threaten everything before they can even open:

A new type of town is being built in the Yukon wilderness with the a unique residents, but the residents can only come there once the town is built. Hindering the build is now there are two workers missing, they had gone out into the forest (which they were no suppose to do) and never came back. Det. Casey Duncan and her husband Sheriff Eric Dalton are now in the town and looking into both missing persons. When a body is discovered in the forest, missing person quickly turns into possible murder. With a missing man still in the forest, Casey and Duncan must do everything they can to find him for he may hold to key to what happened to the woman. New town, New territory, means new dangers and aspects of trying to make a town in the middle of no where and some things that they could never have foreseen.
I think readers of the Rockton series wondered if Armstrong was going to continue on with these characters as the events and unanswered questions of Rockton were answered in the last two books in that series. I personally was extremely happy that Armstrong decided to continue on with these characters in a new setting.

I think that was my favourite part of this book was a new setting at haven's Rock. The characters do not know the area or terrain. Dalton is in his Element but out of it at the same time as he does not know this land like he did around Rockton. This created more suspense and sense of danger when they were in the forest, as Dalton could not predict who was coming or if an animal called this place home. We also get to meet some neighbours of the area that Casey and Dalton were not quite aware of and I am looking forward to see how those dynamics play out.

Now on the the murder investigation. Does Armstrong have a style/formula that she has used in her Rockton series? Yes. Does she use this one when she starts out this series? Yes but I think with the change of setting and change of characters in this book introduces a new dynamics into the formula. I personally flipped a few times trying to figure out they whole scope of things as there is more than one body in this one as well as who was responsible. With the introduction of cast new and old Casey does have to start from scratch with trying to figure everything out.

I was happy to see that many of the main cast of secondary characters are going to continue to be a Haven's Rock. It will also be interesting to see how a new dynamic is created with different terms for people seeking refuge there with the old residences. I mean you still do have a few questionable individuals coming from Rockton and with the new neighbours situation you know things are not going to go as Casey and Dalton planned.

I really enjoyed this book on many levels, of having characters come back that I like, new change in setting as well as a mystery that kept me guessing till the end. I look forward to seeing where Armstrong takes this series as I know I will be here to read it.

Enjoy!!!

Wow! I was so sorry to hear that The Deepest of Secrets was the last Rockton/Casey Duncan mystery. But then I read that Casey, Eric & some of the other former residents of Rockton were going to be in a new book, Murder at Haven's Rock, book #1 of Kelley Armstrong's new Haven's Rock series.

I'm so glad Ms. Armstrong is still writing about these characters. They're so well-drawn and the plot so tightly written, that I never did figure out "who-dun-it". Each character feels "real"; not all the characters are either good or bad but some combination of both, which makes them very relatable and interesting.

I've added Murder at Haven's Rock to my Favorites list and can't wait for the next book! 5 stars.

My thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for a digital ARC of this novel and for allowing me to read this pre-publication and offer an honest review. I'm only sorry that everyone else will need to wait until February 2023!

This is the first book in the replacement of the Rockton series. Casey and Eric are looking forward to a new beginning. Now that they no longer have to worry about interference from the former council and full control who will be able to live in the new settlement. What can go wrong? For one thing two of the construction crew has disappeared before they even arrive. The woman in charge during the time the place is been prepared isn’t very welcoming. The new residents are arriving earlier than expected. An unknown murder victim is found. And the new location that they picked should not have any neighbors. They did not count on gold prospectors. Maybe Eric and Casey should just throw in the towel, get back on the plane and forget the whole plan. Hope this is not the beginning of the end and looking the read the continuing story.

Murder at Haven’s Rock is the start of a spinoff series following the conclusion of the Rockton series. It starts off with a bang: Construction on the new location of Haven’s Rock hasn’t even finished when Penny, the architect and Bruno, the engineer of the new site have disappeared in the forest. Casey and Eric are sent in to locate them and to ensure that construction is going according to their plans. Even with Storm’s help, finding these two missing crew members is not so easy, especially when an unidentified dead body is encountered instead. There are strange goings-on that they must investigate, and lots of false leads and red herrings. And when all is said and done, the concluding chapter includes a somewhat shady character who is not part of the permanent crew and with the foreshadowing of potential problems for Haven’s Rock. Another hit out of the ballpark for Kelley Armstrong!

Welcome to Haven’s Rock, where, eh hem, several former “Rockton” residents are planning to move, once the new community is built. Concealed deep in the heart of the Yukon, where the population is currently 0, Haven’s Rock will be a hideaway for those who desperately need it.

Detective Casey Duncan and Sheriff Eric Dalton arrive in Haven’s Rock ahead of schedule, to scope out the town. Upon arrival, they’re in for a big surprise. Two members of the construction crew have gone missing and Both neglected to follow one very important rule: Stay out of the forest. If only they’d listened!

A tense, taut mystery, with Casey Duncan and Eric Dalton at the helm! Murder at Haven’s Rock is a spinoff of the Rockton series by Kelley Armstrong. It brought back what I liked most about the Rockton series, a few of my favorite characters, and an easy-to-follow storyline that wasn’t over the top. While I enjoyed the Rockton series, I felt like it lost its zest towards the end and became a little too much. I grabbed this simply because I had to know and I’m glad I did.

Thank you to Minotaur Books via NetGalley for the arc.

I was so happy to hear that Kelly Armstrong made a spin-off to my favorite series. This book nicely set up the difficulties Eric and Casey are having while trying to create Haven's Rock with a nice murder mystery thrown in. The book ended with a bit of a twist that has nicely set up the next book. Haven's Rock introduced new characters Gunnar and Yolanda who I hope become regulars in the rest of the series.

The first book in a new series. Casey and Eric arrive in Haven’s Rock to search for a missing woman.
This book is full of action with quite a few twists in the mystery. It’s a good story certain to keep you glued to your pages. I can’t wait to see where this series goes.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

I was very excited to see there’s a spin-off to the Rockton series, and I have high hopes for the second book when it comes out. This one felt like a lot of set-up, and I missed the other Rockton characters, most of whom hadn’t arrived yet in this story. There was a lot of Casey talking and Eric saying “Yep,” and, even with multiple murders to solve, the narration felt a little blah.
As always, I appreciate the main characters acting like mature adults, in romantic relationships and with other characters, but I would also appreciate something happening to spice things up, or just Eric having more to do in the next book than say “yep.” I think it will be better once the full Rockton cast is back, and we can see how they interact with the new characters who are sticking around.

This is the first book in the Haven’s Rock series, which is a spin-off from the Rockton series that consisted of seven books.

Rockton was a fictional town hidden in the Yukon that took in people on the run. Casey Duncan, a homicide detective in the town, is now married to its sheriff, Eric Dalton.

When the council controlling Rockton decided to close the town, Casey and Eric opted to help finance and run a new “haven” in the Yukon wilderness, bringing along many of the residents in Rockton who wanted to come along.

As this book begins, the town is not yet fully constructed, but Casey and Eric are called in early after the architect went missing in the woods. They quickly found a dead woman, but it was not the architect, and now the matter is infinitely complicated. Moreover, they don’t know any of these people on the construction crew, so they aren’t sure who to trust and who might be involved.

Evaluation: The setting is a bit different (yet not so much) and the story is a bit different (yet not so much) but the slight variations and some new characters give the author a few new complications to work with that weren’t present in Rockton. Definitely a must for those who wanted the Rockton series to continue.

Wow. I love this series and I wondered how the author could possibly pull off a spin off. Well silly me, I should have known that she would kill it. It was absolutely fantastic. I could not put it down. And now I have a book hangover.. I saved book 7 then got this. And now I just want more.

This was fast paced and so unputdownable. The Rockton series was so unique and this is no different. I’m looking forward to seeing what the author will do while visiting with our favorite characters. Kelley Armstrong has such a brilliant way of weaving a story that you can not walk away from. And when you have to she leaves you wanting more.

Murder at Haven’s Rock is a tightly woven thriller and a spinoff from the Stockton series. I am so excited to revisit this world. I was captivated from page one clear to the end and as always I was amazed by the complex storyline. I’m n this book we find Casey and Eric arriving early to Haven’s Rock because two of the building team for the new town have disappeared into the forest. Fir any that have read the original series this flows seamlessly with the end of the Rockton series as the dream to rebuild a tin for those that need to disappear from society to gain a fresh start is close to being realized. The town isn’t finished but the build is on schedule. However, nothing is as it seems as the mystery of the disappearances take a dark and unexpected turn. Can they figure out the mystery behind what happened and keep Haven Rick safe before it’s even a new town? I can’t recommend this book enough it was exceptionally well done. Since it a spin-off you could start here but I recommend reading the original series first so you can truly understand what’s at stake m. What happened before and why Haven Rock is so important now.

I am a dedicated Kelley Armstrong fan. I recommend her books often and gift them to my friends and family. She is the author of many series and each of them is different in style and subject but still some of the best reads you can find. Murder at Haven's Rock is the first book in the Haven's Rock series and I'm hoping it will be a very, very long series. Haven's Rock is a spin off series of the Rockton series, a seven volume series that ended in 2022. If you have not read it, this is your lucky day. You have seven excellent books to add to your TBR list.

Haven's Rock takes it's name from two sources. The Rock comes from Rockton, the manufactured community that was home to many of the characters you will meet in this series. Haven comes from the fact that the community is there to offer refuge to those who need to get away from circumstances that are beyond their control. Haven's Rock is a manufactured community being built in Yukon Territory, Canada. It will be self sustaining and far, far off the grid. By design the community will be invisible from the air and hard to locate by any other means. The characters in this first volume are many of the residents of Rockton along with the construction crew responsible for bringing the plans to life.

Kelley Armstrong has built this community in layers, you see the dirt and dust along with the surrounding forest. She describes the setting so well, you'd swear you have been there. The characters are just as well developed. You can almost predict their responses you know them so well. They are human. They make mistakes, guess at clues and swear when they figure out what they did wrong. The community is off to a less than stellar start. Crew members are missing and the forest does not give up it's secrets willingly. But with Casey and Eric on the case, secrets will be revealed and the bad guys will get what they deserve. I could keep writing and telling you how good the book is, but it really comes down to, READ THE BOOK. You will not be sorry.

I adored the Rockton series written by Armstrong so when this spin off from that series became available on Netgalley I immediately sent my request! So thrilled to have had the opportunity to read this ARC.

With a new community in the works Dalton and Casey are summoned to the in-progress community due to the disappearance of two staff workers. They immediately hit the ground running to start the process of investigating these disappearances with hopes of easy resolution so as not to inhibit the soon- to- launch community.
They are initially met with hostility by the foreman of the community but as always, they did not let that stop their dogged determination to find the missing staff and charge anyone involved in their disappearance .
I enjoyed reacquainting myself with some of my favorite lead characters as well as meeting new characters that are shaping up to become a welcomed part of the Rockton/ Haven's Rock family.
Reminiscent of the Rockton series this book has all the whistles; suspense, thrill, danger, action of course a healthy dose of sarcasm. :)
The end was full of tense with a glimpse at a new "neighbor" that I feel will be nothing but an ongoing source of conflict,sure to provide readers with many more hours of amazing reading.
Thank Mrs. Armstrong for another amazing read.
Thanks too, to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC.

I’ve been an avid reader of #KelleyArmstrong books for well over a decade now and her books never disappoint. In this book, I really enjoyed coming back to be engrossed in her tried and true tropes of woman detectives, murder mysteries, and crime fiction! For me, reading a Kelley Armstrong book is like coming home on a cold night to a cozy blanket, fireplace, and hot chocolate—a warm, reassuring, and comforting place.

However, this doesn’t mean her work is predictable. It just means that when you pick up a Kelley Armstrong book, you know you’re going to get a thrilling and engaging read. She also doesn’t shy away from including sensitive topics in her work. Likewise, her books include a diverse array of characters, with various backgrounds, abilities, and ethnicities.

This book reintroduces us to characters that we’ve met before and have grown to love. Rockton was a 7-book series that recently wrapped up, but the characters from that town are coming back together in a new town (Haven’s Rock) that they’ve built in the Canadian wilderness and are aiming to run on their own terms. Haven’s Rock is meant to be just that—a stable, enduring sanctuary for those seeking shelter and a place to hide while they sort out their lives. Unfortunately, sometimes trouble still finds them, just as it did in Rockton.

The new Haven’s Rock series offers plenty of what we love from Rockton, but offers lots of new opportunity as well—crime solving, developing relationships, new landscapes, and new encounters in the wilderness.

This is the second book of Armstrong’s that I’ve reviewed for NetGalley in 2022, and again it easily ranks in my top 10 for the year.

I’d like to thank NetGalley & Minotaur Books for again giving me the opportunity to access an advance copy of this book. The remarks above constitute my honest review.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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I have been anxiously waiting for this book and it was well worth it. Kelley Armstrong once again dishes up a sleepless night with this story I couldn't put down. Dalton and Casey arrive ahead to finalize things for their new town and the hits don't stop. There's intrigue, suspense, action, twists, old favorite characters and a few new. When the reveal came I wasn't expecting it. And that ending left me with my mouth hanging open and excited for the next book.