Murder at Haven's Rock

Series: Haven's Rock #1

By: Kelley Armstrong

Narrator: Thérèse Plummer

ISBN: 9781250881755

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Minotaur Books

Publication Date: 02/21/2023

Format: Audiobook & e-book

My Rating: 4 Stars (ARC)

FEB 2023 MUST-READ BOOKS

“I can’t say enough good things about the audio editions and narrator Thérèse Plummer, who has done a phenomenal job throughout the entire series."

—The Bibliosanctum

New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s Rockton Novels had one of the most unique towns in crime fiction. Murder at Haven's Rock is a spinoff, a fresh start... with a few new dangers that threaten everything before it even begins.

Haven’s Rock, Yukon. Population: 0

Deep in the Yukon wilderness, a town is being built. A place for people to disappear, a fresh start from a life on the run. Haven’s Rock isn’t the first town of this kind, something detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, know first-hand. They met in the original town of Rockton. But greed and deception led the couple to financing a new refuge for those in need. This time around, they get to decide which applicants are approved for residency.

There’s only one rule in Haven’s Rock: stay out of the forest. When two of the town's construction crew members break it and go missing, Casey and Eric are called in ahead of schedule to track them down. When a body is discovered, well-hidden with evidence of foul play, Casey and Eric must find out what happened to the dead woman, and locate those still missing. The longer Casey and Eric don’t know what happened, the more danger everyone is in.

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.

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My Review

NYT bestselling author Kelley Armstrong of the popular Rockton Novels returns with a new spin-off series, (Haven's Rock #1) — MURDER AT HAVEN'S ROCK, set in the wilderness of Yukon.

Detective Casey Duncan (a former homicide detective) and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton (Sherriff and tracker), are financing a new town, Haven's Rock—a place for people to disappear. They have a tracking dog named Storm. Casey's sister, April, is their physician on the autism spectrum.

A modern wilderness town with a touch of the old west. They have a crew of 30 working on building the village and have isolated for more than two months.

The couple met in Rockton, a Yukon town, to serve as a refuge for domestic abuse victims and those for whom the legal system's protections were insufficient. Casey and her sister are using their inheritance to fund the construction of a similar community, Haven's Rock. Evidently, things at Rockton were compromised.

This is an isolated secret sanctuary, and shortly after the book opens, the architect, Penny, and the engineer, Bruno, disappear. What does Yolanda, the contractor, know?

They do not want any outsiders. They need privacy. They must find who is invading their space.

As the book opens, Penny is eavesdropping on a heated conversation as the participants storm off— Bruno, the engineer, and Yolanda, the contractor.

There is one rule at Haven's Rock. NEVER GO INTO THE FOREST. Wolves, moose, grizzlies, and more dangers exist in the dark woods.

Where are Penny and Bruno, and did they leave together? Who can be trusted?

Someone steals Casey's backpack, and then she discovers a woman that had been stabbed. Who is this woman, a stranger? The woman was murdered. It is not Penny.

There are lots of dark secrets in this atmospheric mystery whodunit.

I have not read the Rockton series, so this can be read as a standalone; however, it may be more enjoyable if you have read the previous series, as there are cameo appearances and some major characters back in the spin-off series.

Haven's Rock, like Rockton, is a new town designed to provide a temporary refuge for people in danger. The protagonists of the previous novels, who managed the last village and protected its residents, plan to continue in those roles.

I enjoyed Casey and Eric's characters and look forward to seeing how the town develops and what new crimes the duo will be called to solve in the upcoming books. I did not care for Yolanda's character.

AUDIOBOOK: I listened to the audiobook narrated by the fabulous Thérèse Plummer for an outstanding performance and listening experience for all voices. I also enjoyed the accompanying e-book.

MURDER AT HAVEN'S ROCK is ideal for those who enjoy danger, nature, wilderness, cop procedurals, and mysteries.

Thanks to #MinotaurBooks #StMartinsPress #MacmillanAudio and #NetGalley for a gifted ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review. #MinotaurInfluencers #SMPInfluencers

@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks

My Rating: 4 Stars

Pub Date: Feb 21, 2023

Feb 2023 Must-Read Books

Praise

“Excellent. . . Armstrong gives her lead a complex mystery to solve, while vividly evoking the eerie isolation of the setting. Paul Doiron fans will be pleased.” –Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Praise for The Rockton Novels

“Kelley Armstrong’s solid Casey Duncan Series… is turning into one of the best new finds of the decade . . . Slick plotting and good characters are hallmarks of this clever series."

― The Globe and Mail

“Kelley Armstrong is incredible at writing atmosphere, and it’s on full display in her Casey Duncan series.”

― Bustle

“This is a series that covers all the bases.”

―St. Louis Post Dispatch

About the Author

Kelley Armstrong graduated with a degree in psychology and then studied computer programming. Now she is a full-time writer and parent, and she lives with her husband and three children in rural Ontario, Canada. She is the author of the Rockton mystery series featuring Detective Casey Duncan, which begins with City of the Lost, and the novel Wherever She Goes. She is the editor of the young adult anthology Life Is Short and Then You Die. WEBSITE