“You found a dead woman in the woods?…Less than twelve hours in town, and you’re already out in the forest looking for cases to solve? And you call me a workaholic”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.✨

Murder at Haven’s Rock is the first instalment of Kelley Armstrong’s spin off of the Rockton Series.

I will admit that I was hesitant going into this one. I felt the last couple of books in the Rockton series fell a bit flat & that the story had ran it’s course. But boy was I wrong!

This was exactly what we needed to breath new life into the series, while still giving us those familiar characters we love & introducing some new, fresh faces.

The story line kept me gripped from beginning to end. I legit could not put it down & finished it in only a couple of days.

The development of newer characters was beautifully done & I like how Armstrong is diversifying the cast without feeling performative. It is organic, not forced, bringing up societal commentary around issues that are important to discuss & having these issues add to the story line rather than take away from it.

While this is set in the real world, a lot of world building does have to take place as this is a small community being built from the ground up, legit in the middle of nowhere. Armstrong makes it easy to see the landscape & town in your head. Although, not needed, I would really enjoy seeing a map of the town in future books.

To end this off, one reason I love Armstrong’s writing is how she is able to recap previous information without becoming repetitive. This means you don’t need to re-read past books to know what is happening and both new, & old readers alike, can just dive in. However, if you want the whole back story I do suggest reading the Rockton series first.

Murder at Haven’s Rock will be out February 21st, 2023. So you have enough time to read the Rockton series before it drops!

Pre-orders are available
Physical book: $17.99 cnd
Ebook: $15.99 cnd
Audio book: $25.99 cnd

Thank you to @netgalley @kelleyarmstrongauthor & @minotaur_books for the advanced readers copy.

This is a continuation of Casey and Eric's story, a fresh start after Rockton. New characters, same Yukon wilderness dangers. But this time Casey and Eric get to decide who gets to live in their new town. I am excited about this continuation of Casey's story.

I was absolutely thrilled to get my hands on an advanced copy of Murder at Haven's Rock by Kelley Armstrong, courtesy of #NetGalley and St. Marten's Press.
As a longtime fan of Armstrong's work, I was saddened to see the Rockton series come to an end, and thrilled to hear that tales of Casey Duncan and Eric Dalton would continue in the new Haven's Rock series. And, as usual for this Canadian treasure of a writer, Armstrong doesn't disappoint.
The book is a complex thriller, with disappearances occurring among the crew building the town of Haven's Rock in the Yukon long before it is ready to take in residents. As Casey and Eric look into the missing persons cases, murder is added to the mystery, and the suspect list grows in intriguing ways. Armstrong keeps you, and her detective, guessing almost right to the end, making for an intense page-turner of a book.
Well-written, suspenseful, and full of intriguing characters joining the ones we love to see again, I highly recommend you jump on this first look at Haven's Rock.
It promises to be a thrill ride of a series.

I was lucky enough to get an early copy of Murder at Haven’s Rock through Netgalley. Thx to Kelley Armstrong, St Martins and Netgalley.
Fans of the Rockton series will enjoy this spinoff—if you haven’t read at least a couple books from the original series, you should catch them first. Casey and Dalton are called in to the buildsite for their new town when 2 crew members for the build are missing. As usual, you are pulled into the suspense and danger of the Yukon. The most loved characters of the Rockton series are represented, and there are some fun new characters. The book did at times feel a little convenient…as the author linked together multiple events and made “excuses” for some new characters to hang about for book 2 but a new suspicious adversary was a great way to wrap it up ;)

This book has it all, mystery, intriguing characters and suspense. Ms Armstrong does a good job of weaving an interesting story between Casey and Eric. A good first book for a new series. 3 out of 5 ⭐️

I was really excited to read this because a good friend of mine told me I write like her. I dove right in and was not disappointed! What a fantastic story! I really loved the characters and she did a great job fleshing them out without overdoing it. I will definitely be adding her to my list of authors to pay attention to!


Huge thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and Netgalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

I fell in love with Armstrong's Rockton series over the summer. I was so excited to see it continue with Casey's story in Haven's Rock. The town created out of the remains of Rockton is coming together. And, much like Rockton there are some shenanigans including missing townspeople, random dead people, and mysterious strangers in the woods.

I'm all in on this series, and can't wait for more!

Murder at Haven’s Rock continues the Rockton saga featuring Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton. Haven’s Rock is to be the new Rockton, a place of refuge for those in need to hide in the Alaskan wilderness. Just as Casey and Eric arrive to check on the progress in the new town, they are tasked with finding two missing persons. When a dead body turns up the questions are just getting started. Twisted and unpredictable, the case brings danger to Casey and Eric before a killer can be brought to justice. Haven’s Rock appears to be a satisfying continuation to Casey’s story sure to please Rockton fans. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

The first thing I want to say is I’m so happy for this spin off of the Rockton series. This one is looking to be just as suspenseful and exciting as the original.

I’m pressed against the glass of an airplane window, looking for a dream come true, and I’m absolutely terrified.

Casey and Eric Dalton are heading to there new home in the wilderness but as soon as they get there the adventure begins with two missing people from the construction crew.
A lot of our favorites from the original series show up or are hinted at coming Plus new characters to make things fresh and exciting.

This story was one heck of a wild ride. It’s got everything I love from the First series with a new fresh landscape.
Come on gone us for this exciting new adventure.

new-series, law-enforcement, Yukon, spin-off-series, wilderness, sanctuary, family-dynamics, murder, murder-investigation, thriller, crime, mining, construction-crew, procedural*****

They knew that two of the construction crew had gone missing in the forest, so when Detective Casey Duncan (and her husband Sheriff Eric Dalton) came across the first body in the bottom of a pit trap they assumed that they knew who it was. Not. The two were still missing and more problems were to come as the awaited the nearly imminent completion of the new intentional community/sanctuary of Haven's Rock. A well-crafted tale with all the elements of a good mystery complete with inventive twists and diabolical red herrings. The characters are all clearly and convincingly developed. Loved it!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley.. Thank you!

Book Title: Murder at Haven’s Rock
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Saint Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: February 21, 2023
My Rating: 3.4 Stars

Don’t go in the forest!
Haven’s Rock, Yukon. Population: 0 ~

Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Duncan Deep both know the need for some people to disappear, get a fresh start ~ start over and stop running. They decide to finance a place in the Yukon wilderness, a town is being built.
As they are viewing applicants to be approved for this fresh start. A young woman doesn’t listen to the ` Don’t go into the forest’ and follows someone because she is curious and sure enough gets lost. While lost she stumbled on something and someone she wasn’t supposed to see.
Casey and Eric are called when a body is discovered apparent a result of foul play!

I went into this without doing my homework. Sometimes I start to read a story complete blind as to what it is about especially when I know I like the author. I have read several Ms. Armstrong standalone novels and loved them.

This seemed to be good but I really wasn’t ‘in’ it. I have read a few of the Rockton Casey Jones stories but this is a spin off and is best if that series had been completed

I know others will love this and I certainly will read another Kelley Armstrong novel.

Want to thank NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Press ~ Minotaur Press for this early uncorrected proof.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 21, 2023

I love Kelley Armstrong and the Rockton series. I was thrilled to see Ms. Armstrong continuing the storyline with old friends and new ones at Haven's Rock. We are still in the Canadian wilderness but at the start of a new town.

Leave it to Casey and Eric to check out their new town and stumble into a mystery including a missing architech, and engineer and a dead women. The ending also has me looking forward to seeing how things will go with their new neighbors. I'm excited to see how the new town will function, catching up with my favorite characters, and seeing how the new residents fit in.

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

I’m not usually a detective style reader, but when I hear about this first book in a new Armstrong series, I knew I had to read it!
So glad that I did. This book was excellent, and the setting was original and the storyline very well done. I love how Armstrong is so fluid with her genres, that’s a talent not all Authors posses.
Thanks so much to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC. Loved this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book for my review.
I loved the Rockton series and was sad when it ended. With Murder at Haven’s Rock, you are thrown back into the Canadian wilderness and the lives of Casey Butler and Eric Dalton as they try to create a new secluded community.

As soon as you touch down in Haven’s Rock you are off and running and on a wild ride until the very late page. Kelley Armstrong’s first instalment of her spinoff series to her widely popular Rockton series, follows Casey Butler and Eric Dalton as they gear up to open their new isolated community in the Yukon wilderness. But somethings are hard to change when isolation, wilderness and murder are afoot. Casey and Eric are called into Haven’s Rock to help find 2 missing workers from the development of Haven’s Rock. What Casey finds is a body and she and Eric set off to find out what happened. As Casey investigates readers are reintroduced to Rockton alumni as they deal with trying to get their new community ready on a tight timeline. When another body is found with a warning for them to leave, Casey is determined to figure out who is behind the killings before the first new residents arrive at Haven’s Rock, where residents pay a lot of money for sanctuary, and to not be in the middle of a killing ground.

I loved how fast paced this novel was and I could not put it down. I am thrilled to return to the world Armstrong has created, the only downfall is now I’ll need to wait even longer until the next book.

I love Casey Duncan. I’ve been looking forward to finding out what happens after Rockton and this introduction to Haven’s Rock was all I expected and more. I loved seeing the old characters from Rockton, and meeting all new ones! Spoilers:



For someone we hadn’t really met, I was going to be so sad if Penny died and I’m glad she didn’t. I hope she sticks around a while so we get to know her better. Gunnar I’m intrigued to see how he gets along with the rest of the Rockton citizens, same with Yolanda who I pretty much love already. I’m already ready for the next book and finding out more about how Haven’s Rock is going to handle their new neighbors.

I am also super intrigued by Lilith and want to know more!!!!

Found three typos in my copy - in Ch 4 when describing the injuries on the body, they’re talking about her body but at one point it saw “his hand that could mean she at least raised it” and in Ch 15 in talking about Yolanda preemptively telling Kendra about the prosopagnosia, it saw “preemptively life” instead of “lie” and later in that sentence, “kew” instead of “knew”.

First I’d like to thank Netgally and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I absolutely loved the Rockton series and was devastated when it was ending so this new spin off makes me over the moon happy! And Kelley Armstrong did not disappoint!

A new town, new unexplored land, new neighbours and adventures but the characters we have grown to love!
I could not put this book down, I needed more, I wanted to picture the town and the area, throw in murder and intrigue and it’s the perfect Armstrong novel!

Can’t wait for more books in this series!

My thanks to St. Martin's Press, Kelley Armstrong and Netgalley.
Yay! I'm so darned happy to be back in the Yukon with these people! I was absolutely horrified when I heard that this series was ending. So, imagine my huge relief to discover that it was back...with changes.
Turns out that I'm o.k. with these changes!
Essentially things are much the same, but we now have a few more intriguing character's. I love it!
Also, yeah I suppose I also loved this book.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC!
Casey Duncan and her husband Eric Dalton are investigating the disappearance’s of Penny and Bruno, two of their construction crew at their Yukon hidden retreat they are having built.
Many secrets are revealed and obstacles arise in this gripping read. Can’t wait to read more of her books!

I adore the original series of Rockton and was so excited when I learned that this series was not going to be over but instead, revamped, just like Rockton itself.

This book was everything I loved about the original and then some. All my favorite characters (or at least hints of them) with some fun delightful new ones in a new place that is unsurprisingly turning out to be every bit as dangerous and exciting as Rockton.

I adore Casey and Eric and this new improved version of them as an even better stronger couple was everything I knew they could be. I adored the atmosphere, the mystery and what I know is to come. I am so very excited to see where this will go next and can't wait for more!!

Armstrong has once again outdone herself with this not so new series that is turning out to be every bit as good as I've come to expect from her.

I am not sure what I was really worried about with this book, as the beginning of a new series with some of the same beloved, established characters. This book opened up a whole new world, not all that dissimilar from Rockton but with its own dangers present and new life breathed into every moment.

Casey and Dalton remain that heart of the books, and I wouldn’t have it any other way, but with April, Anders and some new folks along for the ride it was just the right mix of new and old to keep it captivating.

The plot rolls slowly, but I am certainly not complaining about that because it is very, very good. I can’t wait for the next book, and the one after that and the one after that because these characters have come to be steadfast companions whose trials and tribulations I care about. This book will help those characters grow, I think, without allowing them to become stagnant and overused.

Haven’s Rock is fascinating to me, because it is new. And I find myself wondering if it will end up truly becoming a Haven for anyone or if more death and destruction will be coming.