Watcher in the Woods by Kelley Armstrong is the fourth book in the Rockton Series. Detective Casey has not had a chance to rest after solving the last crime in Rockton. She is back in Vancouver to convince her sister, an experienced doctor, to come back with her to help remove a bullet from the back of one of the inhabitants. Rockton is not a common town. Located in the Yukon wilderness, it is a refuge for people who are at risk; a bit like a witness protection program, but not for witnesses. If you have the means and the money, you can hide in Rockton. Rockton does not have a doctor and performing a complex surgery such as removing a bullet requires an expert. April accepts too quickly, but Casey does not have the time to consider why her sister is so eager to come to with her.

A US Marshal finds his way to Rockton and claims that he is on the hunt for a wanted criminal. Casey and her hunky-dory boyfriend, Sheriff Dalton, do not like that he so easily located the secret town. This is a threat to the safety of its population. While taking the Marshal in custody to decide what needs to be done with him, someone decides to end the Marshal’s life; most likely the person he was after. Casey is confronted with another murder in her town. Solving a crime in Rockton is not an easy task when most of its inhabitants are capable to commit the crime.

A big thank you to St. Martin's Press for giving me an advanced copy of this awesome book. If you have not started the Rockton Series, I invite you to do so. Kelley Armstrong is a fabulous Canadian author and her books are outstanding. Watcher in the Woods (Rockton #4) will be available at your favourite bookstore on February 5th, 2019.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

As the fourth book in the Rockton series, the characters have already been introduced and their backgrounds given, in the series’ previous books. If this book is read out of order, the reader could experience some confusion about what is going on. It is not really a ‘stand alone’ book, but instead it is part of a unique series.

Casey and Dalton, detective and sheriff, have a murder to solve. In the town of Rockton, not everyone is honest about who they are and why they are seeking refuge there. When a US Marshall suddenly and unexpectantly shows up and is killed, there are a lot of suspects. Things get complicated when Casey’s sister, a physician, is recruited to help with a patient in Rockton. Then, she makes a request to stay in this town, secluded in the Yukon. The murder is solved but the story continues.

Kelley Armstrong is one of the few authors who can move through differing genres and kept the reader spellbound. I've read her Otherworld books, her Cainsville series and her Nadia Stafford books along with the Rockton series, I'm always waiting for the next one as soon as I read her current releases.
This is the 4th book based in Rockton, the town where people disappear, on purpose. If you live in Rockton, you are running from someone, Casey Duncan came to Rockton with her friend. Both were running from their past. Casey is now the detective on the 3 man law enforcement team. Working and living with Sheriff Eric Dalton allows her access to the backgrounds of the Rockton townspeople and makes her job both harder and easier.
This book finds Casey asking her sister, a neuroscientist with surgical experience, to come to Rockton to help a militia member injured at the end of book 3. The sisters were never close and their communications since their parents died have been short and sporadic so Casey is surprised when April says yes, she'll come. The scene is now set for the rest of the adventures that come. Kelley Armstrong has developed the characters in her series to the point where you feel as if you know them and would recognize them. Her stories flow seamlessly, you'll read for hours and never know the time has flown by. I have recommended her books to all of my fellow readers and several of them have received her books as gifts/ loaners. If you have not read her books, pick any series and start. You won't be sorry.

I love this author! I was so happy when she wrote a new series. This is a really well done mystery/suspense story, with great characters.

Thx to Minatour books, Kelley Armstrong, and Netgalley for this ARC. I’ve read all this Cainsville series up to this date and think this is the best book of that series. This one held my attention right up to the ending. I had a hard time putting it down, but life gets in the way... the characters in this book became more interesting and have more “character”. My favorite series though is still the Otherworld. I think nothing can compare to that one, but this might be close .

A big thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is book 2 in a series, I have not read the first. I was a little lost, since I didn't have the needed history about the town. Even lacking the information, I still found the story riveting. It was unique and different. A nice change of pace for me. I rate this a 4.

This is the fourth book in the Rockton series, I have not read any of the previous books but I did not feel lost in this one.
This is an interesting mystery full of well developed characters and rich back stories on them all. There are plenty of twists and turns through out to keep you guessing. If you enjoy character driven murder mysteries I highly recommend this book!
I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC for my honest review.

Oh my!!! I did not realize this was the 4th book in a series! I realized a good bits ways in it wasn’t the first book. This story did not read as a 4th novel. I loved it!

I now have a new author! I will read the previous 3 books and also check out all of the other books written by Kelley Armstrong.

If you are a fan of murder mysteries, you will love this book. I didn’t find it thrilling, I found it quite fun and I couldn’t put it down. Casey is quite likable and a very competent detective.

May I visit Rockton for a few weeks to decompress? It feels like a place I belong. I can’t wait to read more about it!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kelley Armstrong, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for this ARC.

I really enjoyed the first three books in the Casey Duncan series, and this one didn't disappoint. Excellent story, strong as heck main character and a setting that ALMOST makes you want to leave the city and move semi-off the grid. I can't wait for book five to come out.

I have been eagerly awaiting this fourth book in the Rockton series and it doesn't disappoint. Watcher in the Woods starts by reviewing some of the activity from the previous book, This Fallen Prey. I found this refresher helpful; even so, I went back and reread the last few chapters of that book.

Watcher in the Woods provides Casey and Dalton with a new mystery to solve. First, who is this "watcher " who is monitoring activity in Rockton from the woods (hence, the title!) He in turn meets an untimely end and it is up to Casey to figure out who in Rockton could be the murderer and why. In addition to the introduction of a new character, we get to better know many of the Rockton residents as Casey considers their possible role in the murder. There are several interesting psychological and medical issues raised which likely will continue in the next novel. With numerous twists and turns in the action, as well as several red herrings, Watcher in the Woods reaches a stunning conclusion to the murder mystery while leaving open numerous threads to be further explored in the next book in the series.

I enjoy Kelley Armstrong’s writing. It is precise and descriptive, bringing her characters to life on the page. Watcher in the Woods is an exciting thriller/mystery with constant, non-stop action. The romantic/professional interaction between Eric and Casey, as well as how they deal with the residents and the various problems that arise in Rockton, provides the backbone of this series. I hope that there are many more novels in this exciting series.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a free ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

WATCHER IN THE WOOD by Kelley Armstrong, 4th of 4 in series featuring Casey Duncan, a homicide detective with a secret, living off the grid in the wilds of northern Canada.

The story takes up shortly after the events of the previous book, THIS FALLEN PREY. Casey and Dalton are dealing with a mysterious man who may or may not be a US Marshall looking for someone in their community who is then murdered so they have two mysteries to solve – who was this man and who was he looking for? How much danger is Rockton in? In a community of people hiding/running away from things/crimes there are a lot of guilty consciouses who may believe they are the target and have reason to eliminate the threat.

The real positive in this book was the introduction of Casey’s sister, a doctor, flown in to take care of a community member injured in the last book. We learn why they’ve been estranged. It’s a great dynamic to add to the storytelling. I’ve very glad that the relationship between Casey and Dalton is still strong. Don’t mess with that please ever.

Overall, I enjoyed this book more than the previous one perhaps because events moved forward -- the last one kind of got stuck in the woods. And Armstrong still left unanswered issues with the Council while providing more clues – she giveth and she taketh away. But that means there’s another book in the works. Yay!

An intriguing mystery with a well developed protagonist! I would read more books in this series. Recommended!

A primitive town somewhere in the Yukon wilderness.
Not only is the town a secret but is also full of secrets. The secret past of each resident within the community. The population is a mix of people that needed to disappear and hide either from the media, gangsters or the justice system. Only the Council (back in the civilized world) knows who is who and occasional provides a safe sanctuary for major criminals in exchange for financial funding. This kind of situations leads to a lot of confusion and mistrust of each other within the community and also of the Council members.
This was the first book I read by this author and was intrigued enough by her writing that I checked amazon for other books by her. To my surprise I found that this was the fourth book in the series which explained why I occasionally fell a bit short in background history. I put the three books on my wish list so that I could get back to it at a later date.

I think i would’ve enjoyed this book a lot more if I had realized it was part of a series. The story itself it well written and keeps you guessing, but not having all the background information left me feeling like I was missing something. I’m not sure if I’m curious enough to go back and read the other books, but this one wasn’t bad.

Intriguing story with interesting characters. Lots of twists and turns. Intriguing concept of a hidden town that nobody knows anything about it's location. You'll see how they handle crime and pass justice.

Kelly Armstrong is a Canadian writer, known for her series of fantasy and paranormal books.
"Watcher in the woods" is, however, not one of those. The Rocton series, with "Watcher in the woods" being fourth in the series, is a more reality-based suspense novel. No werewolves here.

The story happens in a small village in the middle of Canadian nowhere. There is an eerie atmosphere in the book, with hostiles and overall feeling of isolation, albeit on purpose. The story shows a couple serving as a police force for the outlaws' community pulled me in. The appearance and murder of US Marshall reveal plenty of secrets hidden by the community members, even if each one of them had to undergo careful screening before being brought to Rockton. The main characters have to sort it all out, meantime dealing with other communal issues and personal lives.

"Watcher in the woods" is a page turner, although at times I was getting lost among all the characters used to build the story. I enjoyed the unexpected bursts of humor in characters dialogs, a big plus for me. I was happy I reached for the book, even of the author outside my usual reading list.

This book was very good, i loved the storyline and kept thinking that it should be made into a series. Little did I know that it was indeed book 4 of the Rockton series. But, this book could also be read as a standalone. I have already bought the rest of the books in the series and look forward to reading them.

Thank you netgalley and St.Martin's Press for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Can I possibly explain how excited I was to get my hands on this book? My introduction to Rockton and it's inhabitants occurred a few weeks ago. I read the first book in the series, City of the Lost, from the library and had my name on the wait list for the next two but couldn't wait! I bought them both immediately after finishing the first one. Cue long nights of reading and (kinda) ignoring my family.

This latest novel in the series picks up right where the last one left off. I love the pacing of these books, the plot is driven by plenty of excitement, but you still get character development. I get so disappointed in books where the characters are flat and only seem to exist to move the plot forward. This is so not the case here! The main characters are an integral piece to the puzzle, as well as the setting. Rockton is such a fascinating place and Armstrong does an amazing job of describing the terrain and the ingenious ways people live, and die, there.

Watcher in the Woods continues the adventures of Casey Butler as she builds a life in the last place on Earth she ever thought she'd fall in love with. Her back story is fleshed out even more with the inclusion of her sister. I honestly read these books for both the exciting mystery and to learn more about the characters. This is a knock out series that I am so grateful I found!

Watcher in the Woods is the latest in the Rockton series by Kelley Armstrong. I've read the previous Rockton stories but feel this would be a stand alone if a person hasn't read the others. Casey and Dalton feel like old friends, and once more I hated to see the book come to an end. I was given an early copy to review.

atcher in the Woods is the fourth book in the Rockton/Casey Duncan mystery series.

This is a stand alone book and one does not have to have read the previous titles to understand the story.

We meet 32 year old detective Casey Duncan. These books take place in a small off the grid hidden town called Rockton in the Yukon.

This was a great mystery with a unique concept of a hidden town. I definitely want to go back and read the first 3 in the series now.