I received this ARC for an honest review. I devoured this book. I read it in ONE day. I just love Kelley Armstrong’s “Rockton Series.” I highly recommend to read it in order. This is the fourth book in the series, and I am begging for more!
Casey & Dalton are in Vancouver to find Casey’s sister April. April is a neuroscientist and is very skilled. Casey needs April to help remove a bullet from Kenny’s back in hopes he won’t be paralized. The problem is, April is not very fond of Casey. They have not gotten along their whole life. April is mean & belittled Casey every chance she gets, but unexpectedly April agrees to help but only for 4 days. They sneak April into Rockton by dressing her up in Casey’s clothes.
A little while later, Casey & Dalton someone in the woods. They do not recognize the man. He takes off. Casey & Dalton search for him, but they only find his campsite. When Casey gets homes, she can tell someone is there. Diana comes in & is taken hostage by US Marshall Mark Garcia. He is looking for a fugitive. He won’t tell them who because he doesn’t want to get in the way. They keep trying to keep him out of Rickton, but he came back. When Garcia is being brought to lock up, he gets away. Casey & Dalton hunt him down in the woods. When they find him and try to bring him back, Garcia is shot in the back and killed. Who done it? You have to read it!
I love how Armstrong writes. She does so many twist and turns. She keeps you guessing to the very end. I love her writing style, and I never get tired of her stories.

To be fair, I believe I would have enjoyed this more if I'd read the others in the series first. I found myself confused (and often just plain bored).

4.5/5 stars

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

I love Kelley Armstrong and I absolutely adore this series. This book takes place approximately 2 weeks after book three.

The narrator is once again 32 year old detective Casey Duncan. These books take place in a small off the grid hidden town called Rockton (in the Yukon/North West of Canada).

Each of the books in this series have a self-contained mystery. But we get to see many of the same characters in all of the books. The title for this book was particularly fitting to me, as there is someone watching them from the woods.

My favorite people in this series are Casey and her boyfriend Sheriff Dalton. I love them so much!

I'm also completely obsessed with the hidden town of Rockton. I love how there are only 200 people in this town. I love that it is completely hidden from the rest of the world. And I love the forest that borders the town and all the trouble that occurs there.

The mystery in this particular book has to do with a US Marshal who is searching for a particular Rockton resident. Which resident was he after? Also is that same person after the Marshal? This mystery was really exciting and I really enjoyed this aspect of the story.

The author reminds us of what happened in the last book, which I appreciate. And we are introduced to a new special character. I really hope that this new person appears in the next book.

There were some amazing twists and turns in this book. And it all leads up to an amazing conclusion. I just love this series and can't wait for more of Rockton!

This is a story about a pretty much unknown community, with interests in staying that way. All of a sudden, there is a watcher in the woods. Someone knows they are there. What does he/she want? What is it that the community is trying to hide?

Well, initially, the story is very intriguing, as the reader tries to figure out why the community is unknown, how the people got there, and why they are there. Hopefully, along the way, you'll figure out who the watcher is. But, so what? The story lags quite a bit. There is some crime and drama, and the end of the story isn't bad, but, it is sort of a let down.

Thank you for the early copy!

I'm a fan of Kelley Armstrong's writing. And this is by far my favorite adult series by her. It has great characters and deals with an interesting mystery every single time. I recommend checking out the series that just keeps getting better with every new book!

I love this series. This is another engrossing episode in Rockton that I couldn't put down. Everyone has a secret and you never know who to trust is this hidden refuge. It kept me guessing the whole time. And the insight into the relationships of the main characters and their history is so intriguing. Another fine addition to the series.

Kelly Armstrong is a favorite author and the Rockton series has become a favorite of mine. The premise is so unusual. I love the cast of characters and I love the issues that they face due to the remote location of the town. The problems are always unusual and unexpected. Bringing in a town doctor is a great addition to the cast of characters and I look forward to may more books in this series.

I am going to be charitable and assume one has to read this series in order. If not, this book was like walking into a play during the third act. A complicated third act. I had a very hard time finishing this book. Too many characters, too little background and way to much work to figure everything out for very little payoff. Part of my problem with this book is I really didn’t like the protagonist. Or her boyfriend. Or hardly anyone else. I think the premise of a secret town is intriguing but the author hasn’t managed to really pull it off in a way that makes it believable or even interesting.
While I appreciate NetGalley providing me with an advanced copy for review I really did not enjoy the time I lost reading it.

An intriguing story with a unique background. A town situated in the Yukon that is almost totally made up of criminals. Their interactions within the community are quite exciting. A thrilling read made for all adults.

An excellent progression of the Rockton series. Bringing Casie's sister April to Rockton provides a lot of insight into their relationship. Petra's real background is also revealed and you learn more about the Council. The main crime in this book--the murder of a U.S. Marshall looking for a Rockton fugitive--is solved, but other mysteries remain.

The characters are so varied and interesting. Casie & Eric's relationship continues strong (yay!) and I can't wait to see how April fits into Rockton, how Sebastian's apprenticeship with (and study by) Mathias progresses, and what will happen with the hostile, Maryanne. I only wish the books came out faster :-)

Too many characters and a complicated storyline. It was extremely hard to get into the book and I had this strong urge to skip a few sections. This one was my first one in the series so that could be the possible reason. I didn’t care for any character except for Casey’s sister. The setting was nice though. Full review near date of publication.

A suspenseful mystery with a town full of unique characters. Since this is the fourth in a series it would have been better to have read the previous books as I found it confusing at times. The overuse of crude language, unnecessary for the story line was off-putting.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

This book grabbed me at the beginning. The storyline and the characters kept my interest although I couldn’t figure out what was going on. It was about a third into the book before I could put it down long enough to realize that I must have stumbled into a series for which I didn’t have the basis. Yes, this is the 4th in a series.

As it was so very interesting and well written, I’ll now go back and read the first three novels. I’ll have to delay my actual opinion of this one until a later date. However, I want to encourage readers to read this series and read others by this author as she writes extremely well. I thoroughly enjoyed what I read and am looking forward to the rest.

This book was provided to me as an ARC by NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin's Press. Its review will be published on Amazon and also GoodReads.

Imagine a secret village deep in the Yukons where people are sent to disappear. Released murderers who need to escape from the media, people who need witness protection, criminals who can afford to buy their way into a new life. All they need to do is agree to stay five years in a remote community with no internet, no TV, barely any electricity and a shed load of rules.

Casey Duncan was one of those people, in a previous life she was also a homicide detective and now she has become part of the local police force (of three) of Rockton.

However, when a US Marshall suddenly arrives in Rockton, despite its location and very existence being top secret, looking for a dangerous killer Casey is faced with mystery piled on mystery. Is the marshall who he says he is? How did he find out about Rickton? Who is he looking for and why? Then someone kills the marshall, is the person he was looking for, or one of the other inhabitants? In a town where most of the inhabitants are criminals of some description the whole town is suspect, including Casey's estranged older sister April who was just a little too eager to come to Rockton to consult on an injured man.

This is the fourth book in the series but the first one I have read, although there are references to things that happened in the previous books and there are repercussions from what happened I found it fairly easy to follow and understand what was happening. Like all the best thrillers there is a massive amount of misdirection, in a town of criminals everyone has a motive.

Casey reminded me very much of one of Kelley's other heroines, Nadia Stafford, another woman with a chequered past and a nose for detecting.

I am absolutely hooked and you can expect to read my reviews of the first three books very soon!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is another great book by Kelley Armstrong in the Casey Duncan series. It's a fantastic action packed, mystery thriller. I have really enjoyed all of the books in this series.

Lots of twists and turns in Rockton as Detective Casey tries to solve the murder of a US Marshall. Helped by Eric the Sheriff they do lots of interviews as the whole town are suspects. Lots of action and fantastic secondary characters in this unique town had me guessing until the end. It was a engrossing story with great secondary characters and each had their own pass that they were hiding. I loved it! Look forward to reading more stories about Rockton.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

So I kind of stumbled on this series a couple months ago and have really dug it. I had read Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series and was wanting to check out some of her other stuff. This series is a little different from what I was expecting but I like it.

I like Casey, Eric, and many other residents. I appreciate their banter and their ability to take everything in stride. I like Casey and Eric as a couple and they are just adorable. When they first got together, I was afraid she was going to be too "damaged and reckless" to make it work. I'm glad I was wrong.

In this story, we meet Casey's sister April. We get more of the backstory and it helps explain a lot. I will be interested to see where she and they go from here.

This book moved the hostile stroryline along a little bit. However, I wish we got more of Jacob this book. The previous one started to bring him into the fold more but he was mostly missing from this one.

I will say the ending left a little to be desired. The last chapter wrapped everything up a bit too neatly. I would have wanted to see some of it play out. It definitely leads into the next story. One of my biggest issues is that I got to read this 4 months before its release and now I'm going to have to wait that much longer for the next one!

I’m a huge fan of this series.

Part of me would like to grab my kid, leave civilization, and live in a weird little community like this. Okay, maybe not exactly like this. We could leave out the sociopaths, the crazy forest folk, and maybe the brothel. But otherwise, I’m in.

In our return to the series, Armstrong ratchets up both the action and the suspense. This one is a nail-biter as the reader breathlessly tries to find out who the killer is…in a town full of very dark, lost people.

We also get two new favorite characters. I won’t tell you much about them – I’ll just say they really added to our town and I loved them.

I’m so fully on board with this series and am anxiously awaiting the next book!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

Rockton is a secret town in the Yukon for people who don’t want their past interfering with their new lives. Police detective Casey Duncan may have only been in town for a few months, but she’s already dealt with an array of ugly crimes. Then the unthinkable happens and an outsider, a US Marshal, somehow find the town. He’s looking for a resident of Rockton, but before he can get his man (or woman), he’s shot and killed. In a town filled with ex-cons and people hiding from their pasts, how is Casey to determine who the killer is? If you haven’t read the first book in this series, you will probably find yourself lost. Best to start there and then continue on

(Note: I will refer to this novel again closer to publication and a link to review) Watcher in the Woods (Rockton #4) by Kelley Armstrong. I wasn't sure how I felt about the first book in this series, but after feeling more at home with the characters, I have thoroughly enjoyed each new addition.

Description: The secret town of Rockton has seen some rocky times lately; understandable considering its mix of criminals and victims fleeing society for refuge within its Yukon borders.

When a US Marshal shows up demanding the release of one of the residents, but won't say who, Casey and her boyfriend, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are skeptical. And yet only hours later, the marshal is shot dead and the only possible suspects are the townspeople and Casey's estranged sister, smuggled into town to help with a medical emergency. It's up to Casey to figure out who murdered the marshal, and why someone would kill to keep him quiet—before the killer strikes again.

I enjoyed the introduction of April, Casey's sister and the way Isobel and Kenny make a difference in the way we see her. The book takes up right after the events in the previous book, but still can be read as a stand-alone. There are changes taking place in Rockton and in the Council. No cliffhanger, but a direction that was indicated in earlier books is obviously about to come to a head.

NetGalley/Penguin Group
Mystery/Police Procedural. Feb. 5, 2019. Print length: 368 pages.