Murder at Haven’s Rock by Kelley Armstrong-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 21, 2023

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.

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REVIEW:MURDER AT HAVEN’S ROCK is the first instalment in Kelley Armstrong’s contemporary, adult HAVEN’S ROCK murder/mystery suspense series focusing on the fictional village of Haven’s Rock, Yukon-a spin off from the author’s ROCKTON series.

SOME BACKGROUND: Rockton Yukon did not exist on any map, and the residents all have a questionable past, fake names and false histories. Most were once considered to be white collar crimes but with increasing regularity, hardened criminals have somehow paid their way into Rockton, seeking sanctuary against future prosecution, a safe place for two years before seeking asylum somewhere else. A serial killer destroyed the people and ultimately the town of Rockton Yukon, and with the help of some of their former friends and a big influx of cash, Detective Casey Duncan and her husband Sheriff Eric Dalton, begin the task of building a new town, known as Haven’s Rock, a town that will expose our couple to more murders and questionable inhabitants.

Told from first person perspective (Casey Duncan) MURDER AT HAVEN’S ROCK follows Detective Casey Duncan and her husband Sheriff Eric Dalton as they embark on a new venture, building and settling into Haven’s Rock but from the outset, everything goes wrong when the architect and engineer go missing; the body of a stranger is found hidden in a pit, and the contractor has a questionable alibi for the night in question. As Casey and Eric begin an investigation into the missing and the dead, everyone becomes suspect including the construction crew, the locals, and a prospector whose story makes sense until it doesn’t. The arrival of Casey’s sister, neurosurgeon April gives Casey pause as to the medical explanations but the who and why will become clearer when Haven’s Rock reveals a colorful secret buried beneath the frozen ground.

MURDER AT HAVEN’S ROCK has a familiar backdrop, ambiance and quality, similar in style, characters and story as the author’s ROCKTON series but then again, Haven’s Rock is a spin off using many of the original series characters and history. If you were/are a fan of the Rockton Series, you will definitely enjoy the continuation of Casey and Eric’s story.

MURDER AT HAVEN’S ROCK is a story of greed, betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies, power and control. The dramatic premise is intriguing and intense; the characters are colorful, spirited and charismatic, as well as familiar as several cross over from the original series.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers’ dismay. All efforts to make her produce “normal” stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She’s the author of the NYT-bestselling “Women of the Otherworld” paranormal suspense series and “Darkest Powers” young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.