Woo hoo! Casey and Dalton are back!

Yeah, I have no chill. I was so happy to get back into Haven’s Rock and our inimitable cast of characters.

Now, I do think that you should read the first book prior to this one – actually, if you haven’t done so, I think you should read the entire Rockton series first – but it should work well enough as a standalone. New readers may find some of our townspeople a little odd and may not quite understand who they are and what roles they play.

This newest book is extremely suspenseful. I definitely didn’t expect what happened and I was extremely worried for our young boy. Casey is also dealing with a little something something…unexpected…that really adds to our story.

Loved this, want the next book, and really want more Sebastian and April next time!

• ARC via Publisher

I received an ARC of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I think this series is shaping up quite nicely. The stage is being set and the players are being assembled. I enjoyed the Rockton series however I feel like Haven’s Rock is a more gritty with the potential for more of the unexpected to happen.

In this novel, we continue to be introduced to characters and in this case a young family with children is sent to the town. The youngest boy thinks he sees a bear with human eyes in the woods and this sets off a whole series of unexpected events which leave you trying very hard to figure out what’s going on.

There’s lots of twists, suspense and surprises. Definitely a great book in the series and can’t wait to read the next one

I’m glad this series continued, in its new location. Changing the town a bit, adding new characters and adversaries, keeps things fresh. But there’s enough of the old to keep it familiar and comforting.

The mystery of this book was engaging but I think the process and the dynamics of all the characters, old and new, friend and foe, are always more interesting than the mystery that needs solving. Don’t get me wrong, they’re good too, if not a little convulsed sometimes, but I think it’s the rest that really drives the plot.

After being in such a book rut lately, this was a nice way to break out of it. As always, I look forward to the next installment.

Another great installment by Kelly Armstrong!!! Great suspense se that keeps you wanting to tune the pages to see what comes next. I really do enjoy this series quite a bit and recommend!!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.

Book Title: The Boy Who Cried Bear
Series: Haven’s Rock #2
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Saint Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: February 20, 2024
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pages: 352

The Boy Who Cried Bear is the second in the Haven's Rock series. I read "Murder at Haven’s Rock" which was first in this series. I also read "Deepest of Secrets" which was #7 as well as the last in the Casey Duncan/Rockton series.
I believe this story can be read as a standalone- yes it is spinoff to the Rockton series as Detective Casey Duncan the main character is in both.

Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Duncan already feel at home in Haven’s Rock.
It is a well-hidden town surrounded by forest and refuge for those who need to disappear! We know from reading Book #1 that is why Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton are there plus it reminds them of where they first met in Rockton.

In this story there is ten year old Max the town’s youngest resident, in fact he and his brother Carson are the only kids in town. Their family is in the ‘‘Witness Protection Program’ However now Dad is dead and Mom is injured. Carson hates it there and since Haven’s Rock is a unique place. Carson is seeing Mathias a psychiatrist also the town butcher. Just as Kendra is a social worker but also the town plumber and hike leader. Isabel is a psychologist but also runs the town saloon.

Max likes Haven’s Rock and thinks it is cool like being at summer camp. When Max and Carson are hiking Max thinks he sees a bear but he says the eyes looked like human eyes!

This was a fast read and there is no doubt you too will fall in love with Max and look forward to next in this series.

Want to thank NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Press ~ Minotaur Books for this early uncorrected proof.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 20, 2024.

Another gripping and hard to put down book in the Haven's Rock series. I was highly anticipating this book after reading the first book in this series. I was ecstatic when it was just as riveting and gripping as the first book. Kelly Armstrong delivered once again. Let's face it, she always delivers! Readers of Armstrong's will know that the characters of Casey Duncan and Eric Dalton first appeared in her Rockton series. Can this book be read as a stand-alone? Yes, but as this is the second book in the series, I highly recommend reading Murder at Haven's Rock first.

Haven's Rock is a community/town in the Yukon where people who need to disappear/start over can go! Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton began the community for that purpose and their job is to make sure that everyone who resides there is safe. They know everyone has a reason for wanting to be there and they are doing their best to make sure their community runs smoothly.

Dana and her two sons were permitted to move to the town to start over and escape a painful event and loss in their recent past. While hiking with others from Haven’s Rock, 10-year-old Max saw a bear in the woods. But this bear was different, it has human eyes. After raising the alarm, Max goes missing! As those in town try to locate Max, Casey and Dalton go visit the miners who are mining nearby to see if they have heard or seen anything....

The Boy Who Cried Bear was a captivating read which had Casey and Dalton dealing with several issues. I enjoyed being back in the Yukon with them and the community members who I was introduced to in the first book in the series. They are an interesting, and for the most part, likeable bunch. Plus, those dastardly miners always seem to pop up.

The central mystery in this book is what happened to Max. Where could he be? Has someone taken him? Did he get lost in the woods? As the search goes into high gear, rumors swirl in the community of Haven's Rock. Fingers will be pointed, suspicions will be made, and some residents will show their true colors.

I also appreciated how Armstrong dealt with trauma in this book. Many characters deal with trauma, loss, PTSD, guilt, and relationship issues in this book. They are all handled with care.

I love Kelley Armstrong's books, and this was no exception. I always enjoy tension and a sense of dread in books. I could feel the character’s concern and fear for Max dripping off the pages. Plus, the setting deep in the Yukon woods provided a chilling atmosphere while setting the stage for a child missing in the woods. I found this book to be riveting, well written, well thought out, hard to put down and thrilling. Plus, the ending!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to read the next book in the series (or anything else Armstrong writes)!

A well written, well thought out, atmospheric, gripping page turner!

For those of you who do not know, this is a spin off series. You do not have to read the original Rockton series, but I think it will make this series even better.

I LOVE this author and this series (along with Rockton) are one of my favorites. I was really happy to receive an ARC for this.

First I want to say that this book was like visiting with old friends. You know those friends that you dont spak with for a while, but when you do, you pick up where you left off? That was this book. In each book I can picture the town and the people. And the characters continue to show growth and development while dealing with their current crisis.

Now if you have been reading the series, you don't need this review. You know and love the characters and their story.

This is more directed toward those who have not read the series.

The people in this town are in a very isolated area in the Canadian wilderness. They are hidden from the rest of the world. They are all hiding for their own personal. In this story, there's a sighting of a "bear-man" by a young boy. Max. People don't truly believe him until he disappears. What did he see? Was it a man? Was it a bear? Was he kidnapped?

. But it turns out they are NOT alone. Who else is out there and what do they have to do with the bear man? And did anyone in the town have anything to do with this.

I think you can really enjoy this book without starting at the beginning, but why deprive yourself of the enjoyment?

Thank you to #Netgalley #KelleyArmstrong and the publisher for the ARC which did not impact my opinion.

I loved the Rock ton series so was looking forward to more of the same. This series is a little different. The town is set up with different parameters, the screening is different, the layout if similar but still not the same. But, there's still the wild around them and the outlaw factor with all the danger it entails. Plus, Eric and Casey are proceeding with their relationship and so we are left to wonder where it will go and how her backstory might affect her new story. What's happening here is there's a sighting of a "bear-man" by a young man, pre-adolescent, whose been through it! His brother is also traumatized and makes Max feel that the town is humoring him about the sightings, so Max gets it into his head, after seeing the things again, to go and try to find more proof to bring back to Eric and Casey. Therein lies the problem and the beginning of our mystery. Max gets taken! But by what, or who/whom, is the million dollar question! And as the search intensifies, our heroes run up against unwanted neighbors, strange bedfellows and possible other dangers in the woods. Max is found, but who really did take him, for what purpose? And, do we get to see all these characters make nice in the end?

I love this series and Casey and Eric are two characters I can never get enough of.

This story has several crazy turn of events that were shocking and left a lot of unanswered questions. Some big surprises revealed that have me wanting more now.

“I can’t believe we’re searching for Bigfoot. This is so cool.”

It also goes to show that even in the remote wilderness there are still unsavory people who are dangerous and crazy.

Once again, I am reminded of an ugly and uncomfortable fact. That the people who caused trouble in Rockton weren’t always the criminals the council snuck in.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were fully fleshed out and interesting; the plot was sufficiently complex to hold my attention; and the pace was steady. It took a while to absorb the unusual setting and determine the backstory of the novel, therefore interest built slowly.

Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are adjusting to having families in Haven’s Rock, their new refuge for people who need a safe place to disappear. In The Boy Who Cried Bear, ten-year-old Max thinks he has seen a bear while hiking, a bear who had human eyes. This is the beginning of the mystery starts slowly but soon takes over the community and adds more involvement from the secretive mining company.
I enjoyed getting to know some of the new characters better, they were introduced in this second book in the spinoff to the Rockton series. Gunnar and Max are quickly becoming favorites, and my favorite characters from Rockton are also in this new series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an ARC of The Boy Who Cried Bear. These are my honest opinions.

"The Boy Who Cried Bear" is suspenseful and atmospheric with solid solid twists and turns. It would benefit to read the book before this in the Haven's Rock series, but I read it as a stand-alone. The premise is intriguing but includes some dark subject matter. Recommended for fans of this series, Kelly Armstrong, and mysteries set in the Yukon. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Haven’s Rock is a new off-grid settlement deep in the Yukon where people go to disappear. Casey and Dalton, co-founders of the sanctuary, are feeling their way with new residents, including families and children, living alongside core members from now-dissolved Rockton. While on a group hike, ten-year-old Max reports seeing a bear with human eyes running toward them on its hind legs. Feeling he isn’t believed, when Max catches another glimpse of the bear-man he heads into the forest and doesn’t come back. Louie, a new resident keeps showing up where he shouldn’t be and someone is pointing a finger at Max’s mother. Casey and Dalton set out to find Max and whoever holds him.

Danger from the wild and from the ‘civilized’, unknown backgrounds and hidden motives keep this second-in-series moving and the reader intrigued. I enjoy seeing Casey and Dalton’s relationship grow as they face different challenges. Backstory from the previous book (Murder in Haven’s Rock) and linked Rockton series is woven in, though this book will be most appreciated by those who have read the previous titles. I love this series. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Warning - the end quarter or so of this book deals with the discussion of pedophilia.

I highly recommend that if you haven't read them already, you read the Rockton Series to get yourself acquainted with many of the characters in this one. You don't HAVE to, as there is plenty of backstory. However, reading those books will make you comfortable with this off-shoot all that much quicker.


This exciting book showed that Haven's Rock might not be the ideal place it's cracked up to be. We ended the last book "Murder at Haven's Rocl" at the tiniest bit of a cliffhanger, and we are quickly brought right back to it. The Miner's *said with a spooky/ominous voice* the group of men that are next door and that Casey and Eric never expected to have to deal with in this span of wilderness.

While out on a hike, the youngster (and boy, did the author really ratchet up the tension by adding kids to this series) Max and Gunner (another member of the town) see what appears to be a human/ bear; well, it had human eyes at least. Come to find out, a member of the mining camp appears to have seen it too, and been attacked by it. Of course, no one believes either of them, and they need to go into the forest to prove themselves.

Well, just remember, the first rule of Haven's Rock is not to go alone into the forest!

I can't wait to re-read this book!

*ARC is supplied by the publisher Minotaur Books, the author, and NetGalley.

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley for my honest review.

I was unaware this book is a spin-off of a previous series but it explains why I felt like I was missing some back-story. You don't have to read the previous books, most of the information can be deduced, but it would probably be helpful. I enjoyed the story and liked the different narratives but had a couple of issues:

***SPOILERS***
Issue #1: I am not a fan of using the term Latinx for a person of South American or Latin American heritage. It is an abrupt word that stops the sentence every time I read it.

Issue #2: I was not okay with the perpetrator was a pedophile that was hired by the secretive mining operation. And then that were two that became a pedophile duo? And why was the head of the mining operation being extra shady about it all? Just too weird for me.

Issue #3: What are they going to do with Louie? He took advantage of a missing child to blackmail the mother so he could sell the information to the "bad people"? He can't stay but can they just let him go?

Just when I think that author Kelley Armstrong can't possibly come up with another great story involving the Rockton/Haven Rock gang...she does! I really enjoyed this title and it rekindled my fondness for the Haven Rock group. Such great characters! Can't wait for the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for this advanced copy! You can pick up The Boy Who Cried Bear on February 20, 2024.

While this book starts out promising and has an interesting premise, the writing style isn't for me. I DNF'd the book after about 40 pages, mostly because I didn't care for the narrator's voice and the characters' dialogue.

But other readers who enjoy detective stories and murder mysteries in small towns would likely enjoy The Boy Who Cried Bear! I'm just not the target readership, and the author's style didn't engage me as much.

I really enjoyed this book, although I did not realize this was a series. You could read The boy who cried bear without the need to read the prior one, If you love a great series, this is for you, suspense, mystery, love, this is for you. I don’t like to be left hanging and need to wait on the next book, I loose interest,

Haven’s Rock is a secluded town deep in the Yukon. It’s perfect for those wanting to disappear. For detective Casey and her husband Sheriff Eric, they feel right at home in their new town. They’ve been here since it was founded and know all the in’s and out’s, but not everyone does, so they aren’t supposed to wander off alone.

When Max, a child, says he sees a bear walking on two legs, alarm bells go off and he’s taken seriously. As other strange and odd things start happening, they’re not sure what they’re up against.

This was a solid follow-up book to Murder at Haven’s Rock in the Haven’s Rock series. This book had a lot of amazing things that I enjoyed. My favorite thing about this series is the setting. It is based in the Yukon; it’s a small town surrounded by forest. The author does such a great job writing a vivid landscape and I always feel like I am right there in town with the characters. I also really enjoyed getting to know the characters more and getting more of their back story. I thought it was a lot of fun that Haven’s Rock is now accepting families with children. Max was a lot of fun. Such a quick and witty ten-year-old and I enjoyed the chapters that were from his point of view. The part that I really didn’t enjoy about this one was the domestic turn that I really didn’t like, though it will be interesting to see how things work out in book three.

I usually am one to jump into series haphazardly without any thought to order, however, this is a series that I think you would benefit from reading in order.

Thank you so much to St Martins Press, Minotaur Books @minotaur_books and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This spin-off series continues to get better and better. Casey and Eric are back and this one is riveting. This book can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading the previous book in the series. For even more backstory, read the original series too. This play on words title is perfect for this story. In the new Haven, there is something different. There are children which brings a whole set of problems adults who have never had children are unprepared to deal with. This is a story of multiple characters and I love it.

At the heart of this story is Eric and Casey trying to make their safe haven a place that those who need refuge can rest easy. The problem is, those who need refuge the most, they probably don't have money. So there must be some way for the funding to occur. This conundrum creates conflict because those who have to hid and have money probably are criminals. Or petty or unethical . . . a litany of negative attributes can be applied to them. This causes problems for those who are there because they need to be hidden.

I find Haven's Rock an interesting experiment in human nature. What comes across for me repeatedly, is the innate evil that permeates from people with idle time. Whilst free time is a luxury, it is luxury that seems to encourage bad behaviours to arise. Why is this? Why can people not be content and enjoy the peace of the woods? There are always those rotten apples, trying to stir the pot and make money off of causing trouble for others. Whilst this is one of the subplots in the story, another more complicated plot is in the forefront. This is surround Max and what he blunders into when he sights a bear.

This story is complex with many different layers built through the characters' pasts and actions. Max is a boy who did tell others he saw a bear and not all of them believe him. This event causes a series of unfortunate events as well as some rather disturbing reveals around the Haven Rock's area. I am completely riveted and cannot stop reading the book until it is done. This is yet another book hangover experience for me. This book is recommended to suspense readers who like survivalist settings with great character development. I also recommend starting this book well before bedtime.