Murder at Haven’s Rock by Kelley Armstrong

February 20th, 2023 Kimberly Review 26 Comments

20th Feb

Murder at Haven’s Rock by Kelley Armstrong is the first novel in the Haven Rock series. This a spinoff series of the Rockton series. Suspense and a murder mystery await you as Casey & Eric arrive at the town during construction when two of the crew go missing.

Murder at Haven’s Rock by Kelley Armstrong
Murder at Haven's Rock
by Kelley Armstrong
Genres: Mystery
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

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 the still missing man. The woman stumbled upon something she wasn’t supposed to see, and the longer Casey and Eric don’t know what happened, the more danger everyone is in.

Law MURDERMYSTERY Small-town well written

I was so sad when the Rockton series ended but excited for the spin-off Haven Rock series. Armstrong brings us to Haven Rock about a month before the town’s completion. Casey and Eric arrive to find that the designer and engineer are missing. It appears they ventured into the woods.

We get a feel for the town and dangers that will await them in this series as they begin a search of the woods and discover a dead body. Things get complicated when the body doesn’t belong to the crew’s missing.

Armstrong pulled me in from the relationship between Eric and Casey to the granddaughter of one of Rockton’s founders. She is the overseer of the project and has her own secrets. I am going to love Haven Rock despite the dangers this remote life will offer.

The mystery was clever with twists and new characters, including a recluse photographer and her wolf. I am excited to see that even though this is a spinoff that it felt fresh with new dangers, characters and storylines.

Fans of remote settings, suspenseful mysteries, and strong characters will want to pick this up. This will work as a standalone series. Armstrong gave this start a firm base of its own and plenty of background. I recommend new readers add the Rockton series to their reading pile if they haven’t already read them.

Amazon | Audible

About Kelley Armstrong

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.

caffeinated coffee cup divider

Stay Caffeinated!

Never miss a post by adding Caffeinated to your Inbox

Photo of kimbacaffeinate
About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

26 Responses to “Murder at Haven’s Rock by Kelley Armstrong”

  1. Katherine

    This sounds really good! I have the first book that Casey is in but still haven’t read it. This is definitely on my To Read list for this year.

  2. Ethan

    This is the second review of this book I’ve read today, and I have to say it sounds like something I would enjoy. The idea of remote settings in a murder mystery is so fun!

    Ethan recently posted: Spare by Prince Harry
  3. Jessica @ a GREAT read

    Ooh nice! I can’t wait to read this one! I kind of thought of it as an extension of the Rockton series just with a new name since Rockton itself is over. I am eager for Casey and Eric’s new adventures! Nice review!

  4. Verushka

    This sounds like a great spot to get to know Armstrong’s crime writing again. I haven’t read the Rockton series, but I’ve seen so many good reviews of it.