What a great start to a new series! With an atmospheric and unique setting, the suspense builds throughout the story.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A bit thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Press for the eARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I found book to be sort of confusing-is this a series? Why are they building a "special town"? I did like the main characters Casey and Eric, as well as the Newfoundland Storm. This is a convoluted, complicated mystery. I would recommend this, and would like to read other books in the series. 3.5 stars

Kelley Armstrong's Rockton series was enjoyable, and though I haven't yet finished off the series, I was able to jump into this series starter with no difficulty.

Here, we see a new secret settlement under construction. Haven's Rock will function much as Rockton did, but Casey and Dalton have plans to run it without the interference of whoever was doing so at Rockton (this is impelling me to return to the previous series soon.) Almost immediately after we're introduced to the setting, the architect goes missing, and it looks like something nefarious has happened to her.

When Casey and Dalton arrive early, Yolanda the project manager sends them and their dog off to locate the missing woman, and a second missing person, an engineer. Casey and Dalton find a dead woman in the woods, and soon find the badly injured engineer, alerting them to something questionable happening with a few of the construction workers. And making Casey realise that this may not be the haven she was hoping it would be especially as it seems there's a murderer on the crew.

I loved the fast pace, and Casey's confident narration. She's grown from when I first met her in Rockton book 1, and I was eager to follow her and Dalton track down the murderer and the reason(s) behind all the disappearances. I liked the new sense of purpose they both had, and how hopeful they were about Haven's Rock being a sanctuary and a new start for them and for others soon to arrive. I also liked the ending, which leads me to think more danger and murder is on the horizon for this pair.

I love books by this author, and this one did not disappoint. I am looking forward to Haven's Rock 2.

Thank you to Netgalley and to St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I’m really enjoying Ms. Armstrong’s writing. I read this not realizing it was a spin-off of a previous series so I’m sure there is some development I am missing, however I feel it worked out fine as a starting point. I love how Ms. Armstrong tends to throw in a lot of twists and turns to keep the reader on their toes and engaged- almost as if you are a part of the character’s interactions. It’s very intriguing and refreshing when so many murder / crime mysteries are solved within the pages shortly after the main events of the plot. This storyline has Casey & Eric relocating to Alaska to build a town and in the process of getting it ready for residents, construction crew members go missing in the wilderness…how many murders will need to be solved? Get comfy and settle in at Haven’s Rock! Thank you to NetGalley, Kelley Armstrong, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for an ARC of Murder at Haven's Rock.

Murder at Haven’s Rock

This thriller will keep you engaged throughout. Detective Casey Butler and her husband sheriff Eric Dalton team up to solve a mystery at Haven’s Rock, a secret town in the Yukon being assembled from scratch.

People are disappearing from the site and could be in harm’s way.
Casey presents several possible scenarios as to the missing crew members’ whereabouts. All seem plausible to the reader. The real action, however, starts towards the end when Casey takes off after the suspects in the forest and an exciting chase ensues.

Don’t miss this mystery by Kelly Armstrong. My thanks to #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a spin-off series. The first series has to be read before this book if the reader wants to understand all the important parts. The characters and their back stories are so developed that a new reader cannot start with this book. It is sorta a pet peeve of mine when an author starts a new series that this connected to a finished series. Either make sure the series can stand alone or if it can't add it to the established series. It creates a lot of confusion for new readers. Aside from all that. Read this book, and read this series. read what comes next. This is an amazing series. It is so well-developed that it sucks you in a keeps you deep in the Canadian tundra.

I liked this book. It’s well written and kept me reading .
I do like Kelley’s writing. Her stories always have me hooked and I always can never put them down.

I recommend.

It wasn't one of my favorites. I couldn't figure out the point of building the town to begin with (did I miss something at the outset?) beyond "it was to create a safe haven" for certain people (what kind of people?). The murder mystery part of it was well done - lots of surprises there with random people being found dead - but the whole book didn't make sense to me as I couldn't understand the basic plot and framework.

The saddest part about finishing Murder at Haven's rock is that I know I'm going to have to wait a long time for the next book in the series. Armstrong did a good job making Haven's Rock feel like Rockton, while making it its own place with its own problems. Casey & Dalton remain the dream team, and readers will love the cameos by old friends, combined with the complex and flawed nature of some of the new characters.

This book is a spin off from a previous series from the author, but you won’t need to have read the previous series to follow along which was great! The whole concept of the story was very interesting and fresh for me. I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, St.Martins Press, and Minotaur Books for this ARC. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

Kelley Armstrong has done it again. If you are a fan of the Rockton series you are going to love this book. An outstanding start to this spinoff series.

A story about a new settlement being built in the Yukon. Casey and Dalton have hired a crew to construct their new town when they get called in to find two missing crew people. What they stumble into is more then they can piece together, and little by little need to unravel this mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press Minotaur for the advance copy - the opinions are my own.

A great kick start to a new, but tangential, series with the same characters as the Rockton series, but moving on to a new town and new circumstances. The plot development follows a familiar path of unexpected missing people turning up dead or injured and Casey and Dalton trying to figure out what happened, even as they're watching their new town being built.

Dalton and Casey are on their own for about half the book, with only the specialized building crew in town - so we meet a few new characters. Casey's sister April shows up about half way through to help care for the injured workers; and the others previous characters not till almost the end of the book. So this story focuses mostly on the building of the new town and Casey and Dalton as they learn their new forest surrounds and meet a "neighbor" - a gold miner.

MY THOUGHTS
Though there's no new plot ground or technique here, the story is still a strong one. The accident/murder/crime is well done and oddball enough to take some head scratching to figure it out. Armstrong's writing is readable and fast paced, which I like, and action packed enough to keep me turning the pages.
This book can certainly be read as a standalone if you never got around to reading the Rockton series. There are a few references to events that happened "back in the day" but nothing critical to the story moving forward.

These are characters and an environment I really enjoy and this story was no let down. I like the more 'settled' Dalton and Casey, married and firm in their love and work/life situation. It looks like there will be a couple new "permanent" resident characters added and their personalities leave lots of room for conflict. I liked every twist and turn of this book and am looking forward to the meeting the new residents of the town in the next installment.
Review published on Bookshelf Journeys back on 1/24/23 - forgot to include it here.

An awesome start to the new series Haven's Rock.
Casey and Eric are loking for a few weeks to have some time to then self while the new Haven's Rocks has the finishing toch to it,'Before that can happens they were called to the town because a couple of contractors have disappered,
THey find that that is alot more mystery and danger they missing peole.
Always great suspense,twists,danger and interesting characters and intrigue.
Looking forwar to the series and more of all the old and new characters.
Really enjoyed the story.
Narrator was awesome. Voluntarily reviewed

Murder at Haven't Rock is set in an isolated, self sufficient community that is being built in the wilderness. Before the town is even finished there is are missing people. I've never read this author's previous books and I think it might have helped to have the back story of the main characters. It was intriguing to think about building a new community.
Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC.

This was a ok book for me. I had a hard time getting into the story. Maybe I was missing something because it just didn’t hold my complete attention like I had hoped it would.
The concept of building a secret town was intriguing.
I will try rereading this book at another time and see how I feel about it. For now, it was a ok read but not one that wowed me.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Casey and her husband Eric are called to the town they are having built in the Yukon wilderness. The last hidden town they were a part of ended up being destroyed due to greed. Now they are looking forward to starting over but the call.they have received upsets them both. Two people from the team building the town.have disappeared and its someone they must deal with, hopefully keeping it from messing up their new venture. While out searching for the two missing team members they discover a body the problem it doesn't belong to either of their missing people. This makes thing much harder but the two are determined to figure out what is going on and end it before it touches their new town in a negative way. Follow along and see what happens with the missing monster people and if they can keep their town off the map with everything that comes to light.

Murder at Haven’s Rock is the first in a new spinoff series. Doesn’t everyone wish they could start fresh in a new town? This is exactly what we find Casey and Eric doing. Like everywhere there are rules – some should never be broken. Add in a murder mystery and you’ll find yourself turning the pages to go on the journey.

I enjoyed Murder at Haven’s Rock. I found myself feeling lost and secluded just as I should. The setting in many respects stole the show for me. The story kept me interested. I’m intrigued by the series but find myself feeling a bit lost at the many references to the previous series Rockton. Easy fix – time to rewind and go back to the start.

The Rockton series by Kelley Armstrong had been coming to an end over its final several books, and I had been hoping that it wouldn't actually be the end of Casey Duncan and Eric Dalton's story. They'd been the law enforcement in a remote and highly camouflaged town in the Yukon, but greed had taken over to the extent that the town was no longer viable. For background to this new spinoff series set at Haven's Rock, go back and enjoy the seven books in the Rockton series.

As MURDER AT HAVEN'S ROCK opens, the new town that Casey and Eric are starting, also a remote and hidden town in the Yukon, is under construction. They, and some of the more positive influences from the Rockton series, are financing the town. There's only one rule for the construction workers – Don't.go.into.the.forest. Some say rules are meant to be broken, and so the new series begins. A member of the construction team has gone missing, and Casey (the detective in the series) and Dalton (her husband and wilderness expert), arrive in the partially completed town to find the missing woman. During the investigation, both members of the new town, Haven's Rock, and inhabitants of the forest around the town are introduced. There is a fascinating recluse who has her own way of staying undetected, and miners, both off-the-grid and corporately-funded, just as a start to those who might take an interest in the new town. And, of course, there are the non-human animals to be concerned about.

Armstrong writes so evocatively about the wilderness that reading one of her books is like taking an off-the-grid vacation. Trails, campsites, and caves are carved into the reader's consciousness and remain there long after the book is finished. The construct of a new series allows Armstrong to reintroduce Casey and Duncan, as well as a few other characters, to us. The characterization of these already-favorite (to me and other readers of the Rockton series) people is very strong, and both new and old characters who will play a part as this series progresses are well defined.

The book is hard to put down as the action ratchets up and races toward the conclusion. Plot does not take a second seat to characterization and transportive writing about the wilderness. As we try, along with Casey and Duncan, to figure out what is going on in the forest outside of Haven's Rock, we are totally immersed in the environment. The questions that remains as all of the loose ends are tied up is, how did Casey and Duncan miss the inhabitants of the area surrounding Haven's Rock as they did their initial scouting, and how will the interaction between those forest-dwellers and the townspeople play out in the future?

This spin-off of the Rockton series brought back many of my favorite characters from Rockton, as they embark on building a new town. The new characters were enjoyable additions, the isolated setting is the perfect backdrop for mystery, and the story held some great twists and turns. Rockton fans will not be disappointed!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.