As a fan of Kelley Armstrong's Rockton mystery series, I was sad when she ended it. That, it turns out, was unnecessary, as Armstrong's new Haven's Rock series picks up right where the other left off, giving characters a new start -- and new problems -- in a fresh locale. In "Murder," the first installment of what I hope will be many, the new settlement is still under construction, while newly arrived Casey and Eric and the crew deal with a death, a disappearance and big questions about who can be trusted. It's taut, twisty and sometimes terrifying. In other words, perfect.

Murder at Haven's Rock is a continuation of the Rockton series by Kelley Armstrong. Well sort of. Rockton is no longer in existence but Casey and Dalton aren't ready to give up the dream of living in the wilderness. They are developing a new settlement called Haven's Rock. This book is the introduction to that series. So we still have some of our favorites including Casey, Dalton, Anders and a various cast of misfits from Rockton. But we are also introduced to some new characters. It's always good to have fresh blood, right? That seems to be the connection between Haven's Rock and Rockton. There's always going to be a murder and a mystery. I actually read the book in one sitting because the plot is so twisty turny spiraling that it's difficult to put it down and walk away. Armstrong again gives us a story that leaves you guessing until the very last minute. Yes it is the same pattern as the Rockton series. But I'm always amazed at how she can take an old story and turn it into a new one! I highly recommend visiting Haven's Rock. Just be careful that you don't get lost in the forest! I voluntarily received a copy of this book from Netgalley

I'm almost embarrassed to admit this, but with just 10% or so left to go in this book, I quite literally stood at the stove stirring pasta sauce with one hand and the other holding my Kindle (never mind what that did to my eyes). Yeah, if that's not a good indication that I really didn't want to put this one down, I don't know what is.

I'm always excited about the prospect of getting in at the beginning of a new series, although to be fair, this is an offshoot of the author's "Rockton" series (seven books, I believe, but correct me if I'm wrong). Those books centered on a town in the wilds of Canada that was created as a harbor for people who, well, need to get off the grid for one reason or another and Casey Duncan, a homicide detective with a secret of her own. Apparently, something happened there that meant starting over - and Casey and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are helping to finance and oversee the building of a new town deep in the Alaskan forest called Haven's Rock that will serve the same function as Rockton.

In case you're wondering, I've not read any of the Rockton novels, and at no time did I feel disadvantaged as a result; this one stands very well on its own (with an ending, not surprisingly, that provides fodder for the next book, which I certainly plan to read). As the story begins here, Casey, Eric and their smart-as-a-whip dog are on their way to visit Haven's Rock at the invitation of Yolanda, the project general contractor. Somehow, Yolanda explains, the project architect and engineer, Penny and Bruno, respectively, have gone missing. Everyone working on the project has been warned many times over to not wander off into the surrounding wilds (if for no other reason, because the area is known to be populated with critters who aren't exactly people-friendly. Early on, their worst fears are confirmed as the body of a young woman turns up - and it's clear she's a murder victim.

As the investigation progresses, readers get to know (and, at least in my case) love Casey and Eric. Clearly, they're not your run-of-the-mill folks - after all, they're the ones who will be overseeing what most would consider to be a group of societal misfits, and they'd probably put themselves in that category as well. That's underscored by the fact that except for each other (plus Casey's sister April, a neurosurgeon who's on the autism spectrum, and their former deputy, Will Anders), they don't trust a single soul at the construction site. The action heats up as secrets are unearthed - along with another body or two - and it doesn't stop till the whole thing is resolved (coincidentally, that's about the same time I stopped holding my breath).

All told, it's a well-written, entertaining adventure and I'm looking forward to the next one. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy. Wonderful!

My Thoughts
I was like other fans when the original series with Casey and Dalton ended, heartbroken to say goodbye, so fully gratified that the author gave us another chance to spend more time with them.

Haven’s Rock may be a fresh start but we are immediately taken right back into familiar territory right along with Casey and Eric as they once more are thrust into investigating several disappearances as well as a murder.

Strongly suggest however if anyone thinks to start this series without reading its predecessor first you might rethink that as it was not exactly a stand-on-its-own kind of tale.

New setting along with some new characters and we have the chance to see if this time around the setup works more the way Casey and her friends planned for as the series progresses.

Very good beginning.
[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

I was one of many who did not want the Rockton series to end so I was thrilled with the spin off. Casey, Eric, Will, April. Yes, hello guys, I missed you. Casey Duncan was a cop in her previous life in the states. In Rockton and in Havens Rock she is a Detective. Her husband Eric is the Sheriff, he was raised in Rockton and has the true native experience of the Yukon, tracking and survival. Will is ex military and the deputy. April is Caseys sister and a brilliant Dr on the autism spectrum. There are more original characters and new characters. Casey does her out of the box thinking trying to find out who the dead woman was and who killed her. All the while there are other issues happening as people traverse into the woods - the one caveat for being allowed to be on the construction team of this new town. Love the mystery, Storm - Caseys Newfoundland and the surprise twist that Kelley always delivers and the new faces and opportunities. The ending had me going 0h no, and want does this mean to the other face in the woods? Trying not to give spoilers here. I am excited to see where Haven's Rock goes from here and highly recommend you enjoy the original first, it is great as an audible! Thank you for the arc! I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions! #Murderarhavensrock #kelleyarmstrong #stmartinspress #netgalley

Murder at Haven's Rock is a spinoff of author Kelly Armstrong's Rockton novels. The story is unsettling and with goosebumpy suspense in sections. But my favourite aspect is the northern isolated location in the forest which means tense cat and mouse situations, unforgiving topography, animals unafraid of humans and potential weather issues. As a new hidden town custom-built for those who need to disappear, the scope for stories is immense.

Detective Casey Duncan and her husband Sheriff Eric Dalton are a complementary force to be reckoned with, especially teamed up with their intelligent dog Storm. This is not the first time they have lived in such a town. But they do experience firsts of other kinds. Casey's sister enters the scene which provides even more interesting layers. One rule for the new town exists...stay out of the forest, for good reason. But on their arrival, Casey and Eric are told of a disappearance...in the forest. Upon exploration, the duo discovers a body, though the identification is muddled. More twists come out of the middle of nowhere as more characters are introduced. I love that Storm is actually one of the characters, though not in a cutesy way.

This novel is perfect for those like me who enjoy rugged wild settings and a bit of grit (not cozy yet not at all nauseatingly descriptive or graphic).

My sincere thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy. I wonder what Kelly Armstrong has in store next? Whatever it is, it will be good.

Even if you have not read any of the previous books in the series you will be enthralled. From the first chapter the author hooks the reader with the mystery and the promise of danger. Casey and Eric is the couple responsible for the safety and security of Haven’s Rock. The story is told from multiple points of view. This keeps the reader guessing to almost the very end who the bad guy is. There are multiple twists and turns which make for an exciting and interesting plot.

This is the start of a new series, but really it's a continuation of Rockton a previous series, the author has moved some of the characters to a new location in the Yukon. Casey and her now hubby Eric are flying into Haven's Rock to check out progress on the building of the new town, and to look for a missing person. The people in Haven's Rock consist of the construction workers, architects and engineers building the town, they have all been told don't go into the forest and the missing person? Yeah she went into the forest and has not come back. Casey, Eric and their Newfoundland dog Storm start searching and come across what appears to be a mine, from a camouflaged tent and other articles they determine this is not their missing person. I really like Casey, she's very resilient, always thinking, writing endlessly on what she finds and trying to piece together what they find. They do find a body, though again, it's not their missing person. There are a lot of twists and red herrings in this story, I was sure I had figured it out, alas I was very wrong, the bad person came out of left field for me. Very enjoyable book, I look forward to the next one. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Minotaur Books for the ARC.

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur books and Kelley Armstrong for a review copy of this novel.

What a pleasure to read. Easily a one day book as you get hooked from the very beginning and it keeps you guessing until the end. I can't wait for the next one in this series (at least I hope its going to be a series).

A nice, clean mystery. Loved it.

Get your copy of March 7, 2023

I was excited when the publisher offered me the opportunity to review this book. It was intriguing and drew me in immediately. It offers adventure, mystery, and crime. I had slight difficulty keeping some of the characters straight and can't help but feeling I'm missing a backstory though this seems to be the first book in the series. A few loose ends seem to have gone unfinished as well.

I'm not quite sure how to classify this book. It's not really an adventure, not a thriller, sort of a mystery. I hadn't read the author before, and thus was unfamiliar with the characters. As much as I tried, things just didn't click for me. I like the idea of a new town starting in the wilderness, but doing it without permission, in secret, made no sense to me. This was dialogue-driven story, and some just didn't ring true to my ears.

I can see this appealing to a wide range of people -- it just didn't to me.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest revue.

I am so happy that Eric and Casey's story are continuing. I think this was a great start for the new series. I love that we will see it from the start of the town.

Three cheers for the new Rockton - or as we now call it, Haven's Rock. Kelley Armstrong has key players from her Rockton series building a new haven, the 'secret' town of their dreams. (...but can they keep their town a secret when there might be gold nearby?)
Of course, the town's completion will not be smooth. Missing people and discovered bodies have the reader guessing 'who did it' and at one point ...the name of a particular victim. Armstrong is a master at presenting several plausible theories of what might have happened, and readers will be guessing and second-guessing themselves as the story unfolds. The idea of who can and can't be trusted keeps the level of suspense elevated as Casey, Eric and Will seek to find answers.
Kelley Armstrong has provided solid groundwork for this series. Excellent library choice for readers interested in mysteries/suspense novels.
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Kelley Armstrong for this ARC.

I didn’t realize that this book is the first in a spin-off series, which is my own fault. Even though I was missing all of the background for the characters, I decided to keep reading to see if I’d pick up on it, and I did.

This book was an easy read even though I came in at the middle of the story - it’s basically your classic murder mystery. It’s enjoyable enough despite feeling pretty formulaic and it held my interest fairly well. The author isn’t a bad writer by any stretch of the imagination, but there was something about her writing style that didn’t totally click with me.

Kelley Armstrong knocked it out of the park with this book. As an intro to a new series it had everything I look for. A plot that hooks a reader's interest, characters that you feel like you know by the end, and enough twists and turns to keep you turning pages, but not so many that the plot is hard to follow.

For me this book felt like coming home and visiting with old friends. Readers of the Rockton series will enjoy seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones. Readers who haven't read the Rockton series won't feel like they're missing anything. It's a wonderful blending of new and old and I can't wait to read more of this series.

Rockton has been literally dismantled and shut down, but Haven's Rock is being built from its ashes. Casey Duncan and Sheriff Eric Dalton as well as a select few other former Rocktonites are branching out to re-create the promise of Rockton without all of the profit-driven bureaucracy. When a member of the construction crew turns up dead, Casey and Eric must take up residency sooner than expected to solve the mystery. Of course, they're going to find out how hard it is to keep a new town secret, even if it is buried deep in the Yukon. This is the kick-off of a new series similar to Rockton but without some of the baggage.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for access to a digital ARC on NetGalley.

I am so immersed in her books that the world here goes away. Such an interesting concept set in the wilderness of Canada. She never fails to deliver and I look forward to the next one before I am even done.

As a fan of the Rockton series and all things Kelley Armstrong, I was very excited to get the chance to read and review book 1 of the spin-off series at Haven's Rock early. Especially because I felt that Rockton's final entry, The Deepest of Secrets, didn't end in the most satisfactory way. While new readers may be at a disadvantage because of some call-backs to the first series, if you've been following Casey & Eric from the beginning, Murder at Haven's Rock is a great spin-off of their story as they break ground on their new community.

"The town is...well, perfect. Except for the unexpectedly early arrival of dead bodies."

"Worst welcoming-committee gift ever."

Yes, it wouldn't be a Rockton (Haven's Rock) book without including multiple dead bodies for Casey to investigate. The structure and speed is very familiar, plot-wise, but now Casey & Eric must deal with a new cast of unfamiliar characters making up the construction crew at Haven's Rock. Unfortunately, a few members of the crew didn't heed the warnings of "stay out of the forest." The mystery was exciting and twisty - just when you think you've solved it more clues pop up. It was engaging and flowed nicely. While I missed some of the Rockton regulars (Mathias & Sebastian, in particular) the new cast of supporting characters brought an interesting element to the mix. It's hinted that some may pop up again in future books and I'm not unhappy about that!

All told, this is a great combination of call-backs & new beginnings for Casey & Eric, and I'm excited to see where it goes from here.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A great start to Armstrong's Rockton spinoff series, but you really do need to have read the Rockton books to appreciate the characters and their backstory. Casey and Eric are ready and eager to start their new town of Haven's Rock in the Yukon wilderness, but before the construction is even completed, two of the crew go missing and there appears to be a murderer in the vicinity. These mysteries are always entertaining, and I love Casey and Eric and their dynamic. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for a digital review copy.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. My biggest complaint about this book is that although it is the first in the series, there are way too many references made to the series it is a spin off from and there seems to be a lot of character development missing by having not read those first.