A unusual story about a hidden town that offers sanctuary to those that need to disappear.
Main characters, Detective Casey and her husband Sheriff Eric, are in charge of the town.
Though the mystery is very twisted, it didn’t pull me in as much as I had hoped it would.
Overall, I liked this second book in the series more than the first book. So thats a plus right?
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

I read this 2nd installment in the Haven's Rock series without having read the first book in the series, (although I am familiar with the author's previous novels).

I found this book to be well-written, exciting, captivating, and refreshingly imaginative.

In this novel, Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, find themselves ensnared in a web of intrigue when a 10 year-old boy named Max is reported missing. Prior to his disappearance, Max reported seeing a "bear with human eyes" in the woods.

For those not familiar with the series, Haven's Rock is basically a closed community, to protect those who have found reasons to leave traditional society, for safety or other reasons.

If you delight in untraditional mysteries with compellingly unique (and generally delightful) characters, you will find this novel (and this talented author in general) a refreshing change from standard fare.

Don't get me wrong, this book has tons of thrills, and unravelling the plot is like attempting to untie a Gordian knot, it is an exciting series, I am looking forward to the next installment.

<b>3.7 Stars </b>

<i>One Liner: Nice mystery </i>

Haven’s Rock is a well-hidden town for anyone who wants to disappear. Detective Casey and her husband, Sheriff Eric, are happy with their new town. They set strict rules to prevent accidents in the forest. No one should wander off alone into the woods.

One day, Max, the town’s youngest resident, fears that a bear with human eyes is stalking their hiking party. Naturally, Casey and Eric are taking it seriously. However, too many odd occurrences cause confusion, and soon there’s a dead body. The couple has to sort out the issue and keep the residents safe.

The story comes in Casey’s first-person POV.

<b>My Thoughts: </b>

Haven’s Rock is fully functional and has residents. Unlike Rockton, they decide to take in kids too, so Dana is here with her sons Carson (teenager) and Max (ten yo). It is an interesting place and has small-town vibes (which it is). I like how the idealistic thought behind the town clashes with the judgmental attitude of its citizens. It creates a nice contrast to show that ‘victims’ aren’t always empathetic to other victims’ pain.

Max gets a few chapters in the third-person POV, and I liked his voice much more than Cassie’s. His character arc comes out so well in his chapters. (Rounded the rating to 4 stars only for Max)

Unfortunately, I’m still struggling to connect with Casey and Eric. They are good people – smart, competent, capable, determined, and kind-hearted. Yet, I don’t feel the pull. Moreover, there’s a development I’m not ready for.

That aside, I think my issue is with the repetition. We are told many times that April is not rude and loves her sister. Makes sense to say it once or twice per book since readers need to know the backstory. We don’t need a reminder each time Casey and April interact. Who is Casey assuring? Us or herself?

The mystery is twisted and good. There’s repetition here, too, and a lot of back-and-forth dialogue (some of which can be edited). Still, the suspense sustains well. I’m not too happy with the reveal, but since there’s a huge lead for book #3, I’ll wait and see where it goes.

Lilith and Nero make an appearance again, which makes me happy. I wouldn’t mind if they got extra page space. They are more interesting than some other characters. The mining neighbors have a bigger role, though.

The forest setting is yet again my favorite. Storm is a darling dog, and his almost constant presence makes the story more interesting. I sure wouldn’t mind if we got his POV. Heck, I’d love that!

To summarize, The Boy Who Cried Bear gives me the same vibes as the book one in the series, which means it is a decent read but nothing great. I might read book #3 as it could have answers to some questions in this one.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin (Minotaur Books), for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This book was so dang twisty. I love the concept of being in the Yukon because it’s safer than witness protection. The whole off grid community was so interesting, even if they might not be the most savory people. This one kept me guessing until the very end

Reading "The Boy Who Cried Bear" sometimes felt like fighting my way through a thick forest. Not unenjoyable, just tiring. New characters weren't as engaging as the originals, and the plot took a long time to develop. That said, I value this series a lot and am riveted by the personal development for Casey and Eric.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

This is the 2nd in this follow on series from Kelley Armstrong's Rockton mysteries. After the Council dismantled Rockton, detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, built a new Yukon refuge for people running from their pasts.

This time the spotlight is on ten-year old Max, who came to the town from witness protection with his Mom, Dana, and older brother Carson. When Max spies a bear with human eyes in the forest, Bigfoot jokes abound. Then he goes missing.

Casey and Eric investigate, gaining new insights into the operations of the shady mining company nearby - all fodder for the next in the series.

'The Boy Who Cried Bear' is the.second book in the Haven's Rock Series by Kelley Armstrong. Casey and Eric are one of my favorite detective and sheriff duo. They have left Rockton and started a new hidden town in the Yukon called Haven's Rock.

There are a lot of things different between Haven's Rock and Rockton. One being that, in Haven's Rock, they allow children. We meet two of the children, Carson and Max, in this installment. They are brothers that moved with their mom when their dad was murdered. One day on a hike, Max notices a bear. This starts the next case for Casey and Eric. While they have the town locked down, Max goes missing.

Armstrong continues to develop all the main characters in this series. Casey, Eric and the others have grown so much from the start of the Rockton series. She finds a way to keep this series interesting. Armstrong always leaves me wanting this next book, but alas I must wait. She combined suspense, mystery and everyday life into a satisfying read.

If you haven't read the Haven's Rock Series yet, you need to, especially if you read the Rockton series and enjoyed it.

Published February 20, 2024

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Prees, Minotaur Books, and Armstrong for the E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

😊 Happy Reading 😊

#netgalley #stmartinspress #minotaurbooks #kelleyarmstrong #theboywhocriedbear #readaway2024 #serieslove2024 #alphabetchallenge2024 (B)

Haven's Rock has now let two young boys into their hidden haven. Their parents saw something they shouldn't have it it got their father killed and their mother injured. To protect her sons she has brought them to hideaway at Haven's Rock. Max the youngest resident enjoys taking hikes I the woods and when he spots a bear while with a group no one seems to believe him. On his second sighting of the bear he swears it had human eyes. Casey and Eric have to take what Max says seriously because they can't have a bear stalking the towns people, it's already dangerous enough living off grid. When weird things begin to occur they aren't sure what is going on and when they find a body they know they must investigate deeper. Follow along and see just what is going on at Haven's Rock and whether Casey and Eric can keep their town people safe!

New village, a few new characters but the same old Rockton feel! I was devastated when I thought Rockton series was over but the spin off brings a smile to my face!

A boy who cries Bear kept me guessing for quite a while, plot twist and some new characters introduced in Kelley Armstrongs traditional writing style made for an enjoyable read!

This book is the second in the series but also works well as a stand alone.

Casey Duncan and her husband, Eric Dalton have helped to build the town of Haven's Rock from the ground up. Located in a remote part of the Yukon, the town is protected and sheltered from the outside world. This enables them to provide a safe place for victims and endangered people to live without worrying about constantly having to look over their shoulder. The small population has been carefully vetted to be sure that no one is let in who could endanger someone else.

In this storyline, a new family has come to town - - a mother and her two sons. There is speculation amongst the townspeople as to what happened to them prior to arriving there. And the mother is very jumpy. Then a bear....or is it a bear man....appears in the woods and there's chaos.

This book pulls you in and doesn't let go. It's a well written mystery with a community that feels like family. I look forward to reading more in this series.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The narration of the audiobook was really well done. I was able to completely immerse myself in the storyline. 4 1/2 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook.

This is the next book in the Haven's Rock series, which is a follow on from Kelley Armstrong's Rockton series. Boy was I delighted when I learned she was continuing to write about these characters.

This story is a proper mystery as opposed to a thriller. A mystery is where the information is laid out for the reader as we follow the people investigating what is going on, and sufficient information is laid out for us to work out, maybe, some of, or all of, the answer. Armstrong, as usual did a good job with this. I don't like to describe the plot/story in these reviews, because they joy of reading a mystery or a thriller is discovering, along with the characters, what is going on/happening next.

The joy of this series/the Rockton series, is of course the location and the characters. These books are so rich because we enjoy the people, and watching their lives progress and unfurl as well as the immediate problems they are dealing with.

You do not need to have read the earlier books to understand what is going on, but why would you miss out on the earlier wonderful installments? Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ms. Armstrong is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. I enjoyed the characters and the way they interacted with each other. This is a fast paced, suspenseful and mysterious read. I can’t wait to read more in this series. I would recommend this to anyone who is a big mystery fan.


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

The Bear Who Cried Bear picks up right after Murder at Havens Rock. While you could figure out what's going on without reading book 1, there is a lot of character development in this one. A 10 year old boy is kidnapped from the small, remote town of Havens Rock and our main characters, Eric and Casey, are going to do whatever they can to get him back. This keeps you reading from page 1 and doesn't stop until the end. However, I think this one landed on more of a cliffhanger. There is alot more going on in the Yukon than Casey and Eric ever thought. This is a great mystery/thriller series to pick up and would definitely recommend!

After binging all of Rockton last year​ then promptly diving into the spin-off Haven's Rock, book 2 in ​t​his​ series​ has me reconsidering whether I will continue reading​ it.

Set a few months into the start-up of Haven’s Rock we see some returning Rockton characters, but ​most weren't more than a mention and I felt the lack. Instead the story focused o​n new faces who all for some reason came with a side of racism (some being the racists, some receiving the racism). I​t felt cheap and superficial. Of course racism exists, but the way it was tossed out to create caricatures did not sit well.

I also did not enjoy how this story focused on a ten year old’s capture and his belief that it was a man-bear. It took him entirely too long to understand it was not in fact a hybrid science experiment of a creature.​ And the why of this kidnapping, honestly I would not have picked this book up had I known.
​
And then there is ​Casey & Dalton and ​the pregnancy. I appreciate that babies are a fact of life​, and previous Rockton books were leading here. But the story spent ​A LOT of time focused on the pregnancy and that’s not what I’m here to read about. I can’t imagine how this will get worked into future books or if this ​is heading towards the end of the series.

Overall the Haven’s Rock series started enjoyably but this one fell flat for me.

While this book could be read as a standalone, The Boy Who Cried Bear is actually the second book in the Haven’s Rock series which is actually a spin-off series (or maybe sequel series?) to Armstrong’s excellent Rockton series. Rock Haven is a town hidden deep in the Yukon, a place for people to remain hidden. Detective Casey Duncan and her husband Sheriff Eric Dalton are back, of course, with a new mystery solve. This one starts with Max, one of the first kids to move into the town, swearing he has seen a bear…walking on two legs…with human eyes. Sounds hard to believe, but even so bears are serious business. Then a dead body turns up, and things heat up. And of course it’s up to Casey and Eric to figure what is really going on. While this wasn’t my favorite of Armstrong’s, as with the previous book, as well as the books from the Rockton series, this is an exciting and well thought out procedural that is sure to pleasure longtime fans, as well likely make a few new ones. I’d like to thank St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Boy Who Cried Bear.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R35ZQ1G382HN74/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I want to like this spinoff from Rockton. I adored Rockton. This one gets a solid 3.5 from me. Even though it's the second book in the spinoff series, it still feels like we're in the freshman growing pains of the story rather than picking up with a continuation of our favorite characters. Still, I'll keep going because I'm in it for the growth of Eric and Casey as a couple.

The second Haven’s Rock book. The residents are here now and include 10 year old Max who sees a bear during a hike in the forest. When he goes missing Dalton and Casey have to search for him. ARC from NetGalley.

Casey & Eric’s new settlement, Haven’s Rock, have some new residents, including a family with kids. The mystery in this book somewhat revolves around Max, their 10 years old resident, who thought he saw a bear and reported it. As they live in the wilderness, any bear sightings or sign of dangers are taken very seriously. So Casey & Eric with their pup, Storm are off for the search. Of course other weird and mysterious things started happening. And there are also lots of drama amongst the townsfolk, and quite a few are acting suspiciously. Overall, this was another fun adventure and Casey & Eric also got a surprise that will hopefully be good for their future. We are really leaving Rockton behind.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love this series! We get to meet more town residents and have a ton of time with Casey & Eric in this book. There are elements of mystery, forrest survival, and murder occurring throughout this story. I enjoyed the entire book and was intrigued by the semi-open ending that this book has. It makes you think you know what’s going on at the neighboring mining operation, but do you you really? 🤨🧐I’m very interested to find out what the mining operation is really up to in later books. Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of this book! I listened to the audiobook too and it was a great listen, as always!
📘Net Galley ARC
🎧Audible