Favorite Quotes:

“Doing better” really isn’t Mathias’s thing. He was a criminal psychiatrist who killed criminals in creatively appropriate ways. He’s not a textbook serial killer, driven to murder. He just doesn’t mind killing when he thinks it’s warranted. He’s also a good psychiatrist and a really good butcher, so we let him join us in Haven’s Rock. And because no one dared tell him no.

The coffee maker is the kind of fancy home espresso setup that has me wondering just how many solar panels I’d need for it and how wrong it would be to use that much power to give me the perfect cup of coffee.


My Review:

Another seemingly unsolvable murder mystery in the secret frozen Yukon forest encampment of Haven Rock. I’ve become addicted to this oddly compelling series and am lamenting that I only have one more installment on my Kindle to devour. The various storylines are taut with tension with occasional well-placed and highly appreciated hits of levity to keep me from ruining my manicure.

I've loved this story since the very first Rockton book, and the Rock Haven series is a great successor. Things have changed for the Rockton residents. Rockton is gone and they've moved to a new Yukon location. Their new town, Rock Haven, has finally been completed and new residents are joining the characters we already know. Now that they are out from under the corrupt thumb of the council that that governed Rockton, the residents of Rock Haven can create their own rules. And one of those rules is that families with children can apply for residency. So not only are Casey, Eric, and the others dealing with a group of new residents who don't know anything about living in the wilderness, but now some of those residents are kids. Things take an interesting turn when one of those kids sees a bear that surely can't exist... one with human eyes. Soon a body turn up belonging to a stranger. The body is tracked down to one of Rock Haven's new neighbors, a mysterious mining settlement that keeps their business just as secretive as Rock Haven does. So, is there a dangerous bear stalking the woods near Rock Haven, or just the imagination of a transplanted city kid? What are the miners up to? What kind of future threats might those miners pose to Casey, Eric, and the others.

I really enjoyed this book. Most of the characters from Rockton have come along to the new series, but some have gone their own way. Hopefully, they'll turn up again in future books. It's obvious that life in Rock Have is going to be different that Rockton. For starters, the residents get to control who is invited to live there. It's also easier for the residents to reach out to the families they left behind when they moved to the Yukon.

All in all, the only problem I have with this series is the new name. Rockton fans might not realize that this is a continuation of their beloved series.
To be honest, I almost looked over the new series, myself. Likewise, new fans might not realize that the series has a rich backstory told in seven other books. At this point there's not much that can be done about it. I just wish something could have been done to unite them under one series title.

The latest installment of Haven's Rock centers on the disappearance of Max on of the new children in the community.. A new town means new residents with pasts they are trying to outrun.. A twisty mystery for Casey and Eric to solve

'The Boy Who Cried Bear' by Kelley Armstrong is an enjoyable mystery. If you love Kelley Armstrong you will love this one. New readers get ready to add an author to your list.

Kelley Armstrong has somehow merged a high action thriller with some very cozy moments in a way I have never before seen - and I LOVE it!

Haven's Rock is a refuge for those who need to disappear, including Max the youngest of the town's tenants. Max swears he saw a bear-man stalking people, with human eyes. No one believes that it is anything more than a bear, and Max heads out into the woods to prove them wrong despite it being against the rules. But then he disappears and the town goes into high alert to find the lost boy, or is he really lost or was he taken. Racing against the clock Casey, Eric and the rest of the town desperately search for the young boy before it is too late.

This is the second installation in the Haven's Rock series and while I fell in love with the town in the first book, I fell in love with the people in this one. I truly enjoyed the twists and turns of the story and how there were multiple POVs, including Max himself. I truly enjoyed listening to how the story unfolded and the secrets that came to light. There are so many side plots within the story that bring you closer to the characters and the town. It truly made for a book that was impossible to put down.

This story does involve a child disappearance and some violence against children. I would recommend readers checking out any trigger warnings before picking this one up. That is really the only mildly negative thing I have to say about this one.

Haven's rock has fast become a series that I look forward to the next installment. The characters are rich in personality, there is always so much hope and emotion withing the nervy moments, and the author always puts in some feel good moments and life lessons. Overall, I love this series and would recommend it to anyone that likes a good mystery or thriller, or even a contemporary. There was lots of action for the thrill seekers, twists for the mystery lovers, and great character development and stories within the story for broad fiction lovers. I can't wait to see what happens next in Kelley's upcoming book "Cold As Hell" out on February 18, 2025. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this wonderful novel.

An excellent read. A tight gripping mystery and a series that has not diminished any in the spin off saga.

Disclaimer, this can't be read on its own, this is book 2 in a series that is basically a continuation of another 7 book series. The character and the world is very developed and you can't just jump in here- ok, you can just jump in since each book has a main mystery that will completely resolve within each book, but the character dynamic and world building is too immense to start here. Overall this was another solid read in this Rockton/ Casey Duncan/Haven's Rock series and I am enjoying each one. I was not ready to say goodbye to this ensemble, but I guess I was not alone in that since they keep going and I will always read the next one. This book shows a new aspect to the town building drama, where do families fit into the off the grid lifestyle?

The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong
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In an isolated town in the wooded rurals of Canada live a group of people who needed to get away. On a hike a ten year old boy says he sees a bear, but on closer look the bear has human eyes. Days later the boy goes missing.
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What I liked:
-This is book two in Detective Casey’s Haven’s Rock series. I read the first book in the series (Murder at Haven’s Rock) and really enjoyed it, so I loved returning to Casey and Eric’s world. While this book could be read as a standalone, I vastly enjoyed reading them in order.
-This was a great mystery. A family on the run, a missing child, mysterious people in the woods, lots of juicy secrets and tidbits.
-Casey is smart and her dog is awesome.
-I loved the progress in Casey and Eric’s personal arc in this story and can’t wait to see where it goes from here.
-I loved getting to know more about the people from Haven’s Rock that I read about in book one. What an interesting community they have.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Very enjoyable and I will keep my eyes open for getting my hands on book three soon!

Second book in the Haven's Rock series and I devoured it! I love these characters and the stories Kelley Armstrong writes for them. I devoured this book needing answers and to fid out what would come next.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC,

This is the second book in the Haven’s Rock Mystery series. It’s a spinoff of the Rockton/Casey Duncan series that follows a police detective who moves to an isolated haven community off the grid in the Yukon. This story follows Casey and a ten-year-old boy who is a new resident of their new town of Haven’s Rock. While Casey and Eric would have preferred a year to settle into the new town and work out the details and kinks in their plans to provide a safe place to hide for others in need, their benefactor in Emilie has been too good at providing new residents for them to wait.

I enjoyed the family dynamics with Ben, his brother Carson, and mother Dana as well as a few of the newcomers that were introduced in Murder at Haven’s Rock including Gunnar and Yolanda. I loved having all my old favorites around from Isobel to Mathias. I would love an appearance by Sebastian soon. Eric has been giving Ben wilderness lessons and when he sees a bear, he gets embarrassed when no one else finds proof of his sighting. Another appearance leaves him questioning his own instincts and after he disappears, the new residents in town are quickly questioning just how safe they really are and whether their hosts really have the experience to handle this situation.

A few of the new residents were as dumb as a box of rocks and quite often proved it to my hysterical laughter. There were some harrowing moments with the missing boy and quite a few confrontations in the woods. The mystery was well done and I eagerly look forward to the next installments answering a few of my lingering questions. I often give books in this series five stars since I enjoy them so much. My quibble with this one is a person preference to avoid baby/fertility storylines and it was a little too much on that subject for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for a copy provided for an honest review.

This is the second Haven Rock book that follows the MC from the Rockton series. The author switches it a bit this book with a dual POV between Casey and a teenager, Max, who goes missing. It was interesting seeing the story develop from both perspectives. Casey has a lot to deal with in this book. Kelley Armstrong is a favorite author of mine and I am still invested in these characters. I feel like all of the books are different and keep me guessing throughout.

There's nothing better than a trip back to Haven's Rock. It's a nice twist on the series to start seeing kids out in the Yukon wilderness and see how they blend into the community. As always, the mystery was on point and I couldn't solve it!

For someone who is not familiar with any of Armstrong's previous titles, including the first book in the Haven's Rock series, I was pleasantly surprised . I found the story to be engaging and kept me turning the pages. I didn't have a hard time figuring out the characters, although having read previous books would have helped my understanding of their backstories, but not necessary either. I thought the premise was strong and the twists were really good. It is certainly one that kept me guessing.

I'd be interested to read her other titles.

Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong novels and I LOVED the Rockton series. I was thrilled when this new after-Rockton series was announced and cannot recommend this novel enough. If you haven't read this one yet be sure to add it to your TBR list!

Kelley Armstrong has been an autobuy author for me for years, though I’ve never read her non magical books. I’m not usually much of a mystery girl, but this one was fast paced and enjoyable. I really liked the main characters Casey and Eric, and how their town is run. The mystery kept developing and kept me on my toes. It did contain a surprise pregnancy troupe which may put off some people, but I found it to be well done. The pregnancy added a layer to the main characters relationship, but didn’t impact the mystery portion of the story too much. While this is not my usual genre I did enjoy it enough to want to go back and read the first book, and I’m curious about the resolution of the over arching mystery that has developed in this book, and hopefully will be revealed in the next.

The Boy Who Cried Bear is the second one in the Haven's Rock series but it can be read as a standalone. This one follows Casey Duncan and her husband Eric Dalton as Max, a resident there, spots a bear that is stalking the hunting party but when strange occurrences but also a dead body turn up they are not sure what they are up against. It takes place in Haven's Rock which is a refugee for people who need to disappear but also in the woods surrounding Haven's Rock. This was a page turner from beginning to end and I am so glad I read this one. The author wrote this really well and did a great job with the setting for this book which took place in the wilderness and the town. I loved all the characters in the book as well and I look forward to the other book in the series. I highly recommend this book to any reader who loves a really good mystery. Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this great read in exchange of my honest review of The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong.

Another Rockton banger!
The stakes are raised at Haven’s Rock with the arrival of the first residents. There’s a new challenge in Rockton 2.0: children. When one of those children goes missing, the gang wonders whether they’re ready as they race against the clock to save the missing boy.
I like how there are new types of residents in this series. It was fun to see Casey and Eric dealing with the unique challenge that is children. I also like how Armstrong was able to intersect that with the difficulty that is remote, contract work and how toxic/dangerous an environment that can be. I feel like the victims of the Rockton stories are often pretty helpless so I liked how the bot was able to help save himself, even if it did throw a wrench in his rescue. I’m really looking forward to see how things shake out with the locals and miners!

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*Review will be posted on 7/5/24

I was so excited to receive this ARC and return to Kelley Armstrong's Haven's Rock series. One of Armstrong's greatest strengths is she always finds a way to keep her stories fresh. She anticipates what her story/reader needs and fills the gap. 

In this book, she challenges Eric and Casey as a couple by revisiting an old topic. I don't want to spoil too much, but it definitely forced them to face Casey's past and consider their future together in a new way. I love it and can't wait to see them grow together. Plus, I imagine it will come with new challenges considering their jobs and the nature of the town. 

As for the plot and the investigation, it had some bumps but I really loved it overall. It was great getting the victim's POV and seeing their attempts to survive and escape. There was a lot going on in this book; the missing boy, the mother's backstory, the mining company, and some other details meant to distract or mislead. I think it might have been a bit too busy compared to her other books, but not enough to make it unenjoyable. 

And speaking of the mining company, I'm glad we were able to learn a little more about them in this book (or at least interact with them). In comparison, I think it took us longer to interact with the hostiles in the Rockton series. 

The ending was exciting and left me eager for the next book. I can't wait to see what happens next between Haven's Rock and the miners. Plus, I'm eager to see more of Casey and Eric. Overall, it's definitely worth continuing the series!

The second book in the Haven's Rock series did not disappoint. Continuing with the small community of Haven's Rock and its residence. The book was slow, but once it got going it did not slow down. There were also times that the bear storyline seemed overdone. I enjoyed learning more about the resident's of Haven's Rock, especially their backgrounds. I can not wait to seen what else Kelley Armstrong has in store for the resident's of Haven's Rock.

The audiobook was paced beautifully. The narrator, Thérèse Plummer, did a fantastic job of bringing Casey Duncan to life.

3.5 rounded up to 4 starts for Goodreads.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listening copy, and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for an ARC of this book.