Homicide detective Casey Duncan has physical and mental scars - from enduring a horrible beating and murdering an ex-boyfriend, claiming her own justice. Never arrested for the crime, Casey still lives in fear that her ex's crime family will seek retribution if her guilt ever comes to light. Her friend Diana, who is in an abusive relationship, convinces Casey to hide out with her in the town of Rockton.
Rockton offers shelter for those in their situation - for a cost, of course. Casey's skills are particularly needed in this town as there have been unsolved deaths or events involving missing people. Since assumed names are part of the town's policies, Casey becomes Detective Butler and joins the now three-person police force. She deals with people who may not be there as victims but who have a violent past. The question is.... is that violence also in their present?
Casey offers several believable situations for different people being the murderer/murderers. With an off-the-grid town with possible cannibals in the surrounding forest, Armstrong has crafted a suspenseful tale.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Kelley Armstrong and NetGalley for this ARC.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Casey Duncan is a homicide detective with a secret: when she was in college, she killed a man. She was never caught, but he was the grandson of a mobster and she knows that someday this crime will catch up to her. Casey's best friend, Diana, is on the run from a violent, abusive ex-husband. When Diana's husband finds her, and Casey herself is attacked shortly after, Casey knows it's time for the two of them to disappear again.
Diana has heard of a town made for people like her, a town that takes in people on the run who want to shed their old lives. You must apply to live in Rockton and if you're accepted, it means walking away entirely from your old life, and living off the grid in the wilds of Canada: no cell phones, no Internet, no mail, no computers, very little electricity, and no way of getting in or out without the town council's approval. As a murderer, Casey isn't a good candidate, but she has something they want: She's a homicide detective, and Rockton has just had its first real murder. She and Diana are in. However, soon after arriving, Casey realizes that the identity of a murderer isn't the only secret Rockton is hiding—in fact, she starts to wonder if she and Diana might be in even more danger in Rockton than they were in their old lives.

*3.5 stars*

The biggest thing this story has going for it is the location. I absolutely loved the small, isolated community, made up of people running from something: the past, crimes or criminals. There was something about the makeup of the population that made the read enjoyable.

As for the story itself, it was reasonably laid out, with the culprit revealed late in the piece which, I have to say, caught me by surprise (but, on reflection, makes perfect sense.)

The characters, however, were a little frustrating. Casey makes some pretty dumb decisions throughout and I groaned with each and every one. Her relationship with Eric, which kicks off about halfway through the book, seemed tacked on to what should have been a far better mystery.

I will still recommend this book as I can feel that Kelley Armstrong won't sit idly by and let this series deteriorate into a romance suspense cliché. Definitely check out book 2.


Paul
ARH

Off the grid living in a town that doesn't really exist. Murders are happening and Casey will find something shocking. She's a homicide detective waiting to get revenge for something that happened long ago. Love the mystery not the language.