The second book in the Haven's Rock series has Casey and Eric trying to incorporate all the things they learned in Rockton and their dreams for a new home and safe haven for others. The first children, Max and his older brother, Carson, are in Haven's Rock. Max sees a bear or bear man. While Casey and Eric investigate, Max disappears. The rest of the book has them searching for Max, the bear man, and the reason why the miners in the next camp are so secretive.

THe mystery is a grabber. You will stay up to the wee hours of the morning to find out who the killer is. That is solved but the dreaded cliffhanger is present. Now the wait for the third book in the series starts. Curse you, Kelley Armstrong. Just kidding. Great story!

I did it again, I started a series on book two. I do it every single time! This is one I wished I had read the first book, Murder at Haven's Rock. There were some characters and back story I needed to know. However, I was able to figure things out and really enjoyed the book. Kelley Armstrong has a way of hooking you right off the bat. The characters are strong, determined, and vastly different. The town of Haven's Rock is tucked deep into the Yukon Territory. No one would know the town is there unless they stumble upon it. It is beyond the grasp of modern society. Each townsperson depending on one another. They have it set up so anyone can disappear from the face of the earth. A little bit like witness protection on steroids.

Max is the youngest member of Haven's Rock. He has witnessed some horrifying things in his brief ten years on this earth. His father being shot to death, his mother also shot, and his brother Carson watching it all play out. They moved to Haven's Rock after their first disastrous experience with Witness Protection. Max loves the forest, and Eric Dalton is enjoying spreading his wealth of knowledge to him. Max is soaking it up like a sponge. When Max and another man see a bear, with the eyes of a human. Does everything begin to turn upside down? Max disappears. Dalton and his detective wife Casey are on his trail, which vanishes. Everyone is on their radar, especially the miners next door. Things become more desperate as days go by and there is still no sign of Max. Did he just wander off and become lost or did someone take him?

This book had me running through the dense forest. Trying to uncover the truth. The trails are turned and twisted, leaving me to listen for the faint crack of twigs or rustle of branches. Hoping the next turn will lead to a new clue. Thank you to Kelley Armstrong and Minotaur Books for my gifted copy of this intense read.

This book is apparently part of a series, which I didn't know when I picked it up. It did well as a stand-alone book, but there are references to previous events that happened earlier in the series. You don't need to be up to speed on all the previous events to understand this story though.

Haven's Rock is a sort of wilderness retreat town that is hidden deep in the Yukon, away from anyone who might want to do the residents harm. All the residents seem to be there because they are hiding from people or events in their pasts that put them in danger. It's an interesting concept for a book setting, and unique too. There is an eclectic mix of characters living in the town. The leaders are Casey and Eric, who were essentially the founders of this town. They are also its protectors.

A young resident named Max goes missing in the woods, which are off-limits to town residents. But Max likes to explore and wanders off on his own, getting himself kidnapped by a bad guy, who remains a mystery throughout the book, until the end. Max had claimed to see a bear with human eyes in the woods, causing a ripple through the community. The story is told through Casey and Max's voices, alternating.

There is also a nearby colony of miners who seem overly protective of their campsite. They do not want visitors and have armed security to keep people away. Casey and Eric are able to speak with the leader of the miners and continue their search closer to the camp, with permission. We never really learn what the miners are up to. It is probably going to be in a future book in the series. The characters were well developed and had interesting back stories. There is room for future stories too, as events in this book leave some things left unresolved.

It's a good solid read and an interesting story set in a beautiful wilderness area. I was curious how they kept the existence of the town so secret, when most of those areas are public lands. How do they hide from satellites, for example? Maybe that was addressed in another book. But, it was a nice read and certainly kept my attention. I might pick up some of the other books in the series to find out more details.

The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong is the second in the spinoff series, Haven’s Rock. The new town in the isolated Yukon is finally getting up and running after the move from Rockton. Casey and her husband Erik are in charge now but find themselves still dealing with residents who can’t stay out of the forest, too-close neighbors who are likely up to no good, plus the environment and wildlife. In this book, Casey and Erik must find a new resident’s missing son.
I’m really enjoying the mix of long-term characters with interesting new ones. They may not always be likable, but they are well drawn, with the understandable emotions that come from most of the folks suffering from some pretty serious traumas in their pasts. As always, the plot is quick paced and the twists and turns in this title are the best yet. Just when I thought I knew who the villain was, something changed or was shown from a different angle.
I am also really looking forward to seeing how things progress with Casey’s personal life and the new changes there. Armstrong is such an amazing storyteller, it should be riveting.
My concern with this new series was that it would have all the same issues, just in a slightly different place. While that is a little true, new dangers and new types of people were introduced here, and they are being approached differently so that keeps things fresh.
All in all, another fantastic read from Kelley Armstrong.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

First things first, The Boy Who Cried Bear is not the place to start reading this series. While this is the second book in the Rockton series "spinoff", this is the 9th novel in the Casey Duncan saga. The best way to read this series is to start at the beginning with City of the Lost: A Rockton Novel. The development of Casey and Eric's relationship and all of the dynamics of the side characters is vital to this new town Haven's Rock.

In The Boy Who Cried Bear, we see the change in not only the residents but also in the general running of the new "haven" town. Gone are the unseen Council members who sought the almighty dollar over the protection of the residents.

That said, because there is always a melting pot of personalities, trouble and prejudices erupt. People trying to establish a pecking order and also those who will take advantage of any tragedy, try their hand because they are under the mistaken assumption that Casey and Eric are just playing a role recently established for them as a Sheriff and Deputy. One person thinks that Casey followed her husband there and she is only acting the part of his deputy.

Specific to Haven's Rock, couples and young children are allowed to reside there, and on more than one occasion Casey wonders if this was a good idea.

This novel is about saving a kidnapped young boy and the chapters vary between Casey's point of view, and the missing boy Max's. This layering of chapters adds a dimension that would be flat if Casey just merely told her side of the search.

Well written, compellingly, and open to other storylines, (Adjacent Encampment of Miners anyone?) Armstrong has written another gem of a novel.

Opinions expressed are strictly my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC.

Haven’s Rock is a refuge set up to protect the residents. So when a young boy goes missing, everything is turned upside down! I enjoyed the incredible level of suspense throughout the search for the boy and whoever was guilty of taking him. It was also interesting to see how most of the residents forged bonds as they searched for the boy.

Haven's Rock has recently been set up as a secret place of sanctuary, but it's in situated in the Canadian wilderness. On a group hike through the forest, ten year old boy Max believes that they are being stalked by a bear, but then he thinks he sees human eyes. Max disappears and Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton search for him in town and in the wilderness. A second mystery pops up when they find a dead man not from their town. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. I love how the story is told through both Max's and Casey's point of view. This is an excellent mystery that kept me guessing until the end. I look forward to the next book in the series.

The new town of Haven’s Rock is up and running with changes from its predecessor Rockton. While it remains a haven for those in need of a place to hide from mistakes they may have made one change is the admittance of couples as well as families, including a mother with two children. When one of the children goes missing after seeing a “bear man” Casey and Dalton lead the search but is it for a possible wild man in a bear skin or is the culprit from the neighboring secretive mining camp or even one of Haven Rock’s residents. Coupled with the search for the missing boy Casey is facing a health crisis, she may be pregnant!
We continue to follow the lives of the residents of Rockton as they establish their new sanctuary, Haven’s Rock. This time out we learn a bit more about the past of one of the newer characters, Gunnar. While the immediate mystery of the missing boy is solved we are left with a cliff hanger as to what the miners are really doing which we will hopefully learn more about in the next book in the series. I read this entry in one sitting and really want the next one right now though I fear I will not have my curiosity satisfied until next year. Ms Armstrong recommends, and I agree, that this is not a good place to start this series. At the very least the reader should start with book 1 of this sequel series - Murder at Haven’s Rock,. I will admit that having read Murder at Haven’s Rock I went and found all the Rockton books and devoured them as well. This series as well as its set-up predecessor series, Rockton, are both highly recommended.

Another great story from Kelley Armstrong. There were so many twists and turns as more of the story was revealed. I get the feeling that this story line will carry-on into future books (no I am not talking about the obvious continuation) and that we will find out more about some of their back stories as the series continues.

Kelley never disappoints and I can't wait to read Finding Mr. Write, Disturbing the Dead, and Known to the Victim when they are released later this year.

Another wonderful entry in the Rockton series. A fun and engaging mystery that has all the things you love if you have been keeping up with this series, now 9 books in. Moving our main characters out of Rockton to Haven’s Rock and mixing up the setting and drama brought new life into the series. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me enjoy this one early. Reading about Casey and Eric solving mysteries and doing everything they can to save the day never gets old. And there is so much to love in this book. New characters to explore, new shadowy antagonists to be wary of, and as always a twisty mystery to unravel.
The only thing this book lacked that I would have loved more of was scenes and interactions with the main side characters. While all were mentioned or may have even appeared a few times, they felt largely absent from the story. Even Will Anders was in it less than usual. But as the story and cast of characters expands that is perhaps a natural progression. All in all though I really enjoyed my time with this story and felt the introduction of continual second POV chapters were a great new addition. The ending left me excited and quite impatient for the next installment. Definitely recommend.

I really enjoyed jumping back into the swing of things with the Rockton crew, but in our new home. Haven's Rock. In this installment we have a fresh of breath air with a couple of children, which is a new and needed element for this story. Loved the unexpected twists at the end, and really looking forward to the next one!

This is the second in the series, Casey and Dalton have a intriguing case to investigate when one of the new residents come up missing . I like that they are introducing bso e new residents plus there is going to be some interesting stories coming from the "miners" who share the land . Can't wait for more !

If I could give this more than 5 stars I would.

Absolutely fantastic. I tried really hard to read this slow. And once I hit a certain spot I just could not put it down. It had so many twisted layers to it. And I can’t wait to see what is next. I truly could not imagine this spin off topping the last series. But it really has and so much more. There are so many intriguing possibilities with how the author has left this. What I love most about this author is her ability to write so many series that are so different but yet equally outstanding!

Can’t wait to see what is next in this series.

This is the second installment to Kelley Armstrong’s spinoff of her Rockton series. I don’t really want to spend a lot of time comparing Haven’s Rock to Rockton because they are really two different series. I don’t want to leave the impression that Haven’s Rock is the awkward younger sibling to the better, more exciting Rockton series. They are each different and good in their own right.

One of the things that I like about Haven’s Rock is the whole different resident pool, like families with kids. It brings a whole different environment and direction for the storylines and series. Rockton had a lot of criminals who were hiding out. The book summary is pretty vague so let me elaborate. Max, a 10yr old Haven’s Rock resident, thinks he saw a bear – maybe, but with human eyes. Throughout the story, he refers to what he saw as the bear man. He goes missing after he heads out to woods one night to prove he saw the bear man because nobody believes what he saw, especially his older brother Carson, who is a little $#^!head!

There is also another storyline around Max and his family, which also consists of his mother, Dana. There is a lot of speculation in Haven’s Rock about the real reason that Dana and her kids are in Haven’s Rock. Dana and her kids came to Haven’s Rock from the WITSEC program after Dana’s husband and the kid’s father was killed for testifying against a murderer after he and Dana witnessed the murder. There is also another storyline about Haven’s Rock’s distant neighbors, a mining company, who have basically hired Eric and Casey to find some wild mountain man who assaulted one of the mining company’s employees. Eric and Casey call the mine owner, Mr Rogers. They also suspect that Max’s bear man is Mr Rogers wild mountain man.

Most of the story revolves around searching for Max as well as figuring out who the kidnapper is. It’s well into the second half that the storylines combust into a humungous mess. This is, apparently, a set up for future storylines. Just like in Rockton, having suspicious and dangerous neighbors was a key element to the series. I don’t see any reason why that can’t continue in Haven’s Rock. It worked and it certainly gives Armstrong a lot of future storylines and directions to take the new series.

I liked this installment better than the first one. In this one, Haven’s Rock is finally starting to stand on its own and is moving away from Rockton’s shadow. I like the continuing character development between the MC’s Eric and Casey and look forward to seeing the growth in their characters in the next installment. Most of the story was a solid 4star read for me. I didn’t like the conclusion of the Max storyline. Wwwaaayyy too messy for my liking. However, I want to think that I understand why Armstrong went that way. If I could give it 3.5stars, I would, but I’m going to round up because I like the way the series is going so far. I want to thank NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #StMartin’sPress #TheBoyWhoCriedBear

I found this novel compelling, and was able to get into the story quickly. Although it's not the first in the series, I found it easy enough to catch up on the backstory as I read. I love the unusual premise--a couple have founded a haven for people who need to disappear off the grid for reasons that they haven't chosen, e.g., a family in witness protection who have been compromised, women fleeing from abuse, etc. The couple, former police detectives Casey and Eric, are intriguing characters, and I love how their relationship develops throughout the story, with the added tension of dealing with the news of Casey's pregnancy, a potential threat to her health because of underlying issues. The suspense picks up when Max, a ten-year-old living with his mother and brother, disappears into the forest in the remote part of Alaska where the town is located. A group of mysterious miners camped nearby and a wild mountain man dressed in a bearskin pose additional threats to the couple and their deputy as they search for the missing boy. The pace is great, with action moving along quickly as the story switches between the POV of Max and Casey. There are some twists to the story, but none are unbelievable or out of nowhere, as is sometimes the case with thrillers; the writer really earns the elements of surprise by careful plotting and gradual revelations. I've already bought the book preceding this one in the series!

I just don’t know how Kelley Armstrong does it. For the second time in a row, I was blown away by one of her crime fiction novels. The Boy Who Cried Bear had everything you could want in just such a book. With the perfect locked room mystery type setting, intriguing characters, and finely layered plot, I was hooked from the very first word. Even better, however, was the dread laced through the pages. Trust me when I say, I read just one more chapter more times than I could count.

Between the characters and the layout of the plot, the former just barely won out as the star feature. Starting off with the endearing couple at the center of the action, Casey and Eric came complete with a sweet relationship that I can’t wait to watch unfold further. Second, but not far behind, was the rest of the cast of characters who were both somewhat unreliable as well as wholly relatable. Running from unknown events, we don’t know whether to trust them or not, which plays perfectly into the premise.

As for the storyline, there were several different subplots going on at the same time. And while that could’ve been confusing, it was anything but. At the same time, I couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out how all of the threads came together. Part of me, though, still doesn’t quite… But I’ll come back to that in a bit. All in all, told primarily from Casey’s POV with the occasional chapter from Max, this crime fiction tale felt decidedly more action-packed than most, with plenty of enticing thrills and chills as well as dynamite twists.

Okay. So there was one aspect that didn’t fill me with glee. By the end of the book, not everything was wrapped up with a nice, tiny, little bow like I prefer. On the contrary, there was one whopper of a cliffhanger that tied in directly to the main plot of the book. Granted, there was a definite happily ever after as well, but I personally like all of my answers spelled out. If this doesn’t bother you, take my warning with a rather large grain of salt.

Given that, however, I was still a huge fan of the second book in the Haven’s Rock series. Supposedly suggested as a stand-alone, I highly recommend reading these in order. Otherwise, you’ll miss out not only on characters and their growth (of which there was plenty), but underlying drama within the complex group dynamics. That said, the events in this novel didn’t extend from book one, which will surely not be the case as the series continues.

Wrapping up my review, I must say I’m even more of an Armstrong fan than I was going in. Original and fresh, this plot deviated greatly from all crime fiction that I’ve read in the past, but only in the best possible way. I also loved how there was a depth to the characters as many were struggling with past trauma, including Casey herself. All said and done, two massive thumbs up. Now I sadly have a long, impatient wait for book three. Rating of 4.5 stars.

Disclaimer: I am a Kelley Armstrong fan. I've read every book in her library of titles. Her titles cross genres, reaching readers with stories so well written that her series are FB recommended reads in groups dedicated to paranormal, horror, mystery, thriller, romance......pretty much everyone who reads her work, recommends her work. THE BOY WHO CRIED BEAR is the second book in the Haven's Rock/ Rockton series. If this is your first time reading the series, you have missed some seriously great books and need to schedule a weekend binge read soon.

Haven's Rock is a manufactured town in Yukon Territory. The town was designed to provide sanctuary for those who could not escape the danger threatening them. The boy referred to in the title is in Haven's Rock with his mother and older brother because Witness Protection has failed them, allowing his father to be killed and his mother injured. Anyone living in Haven's Rock must work and contribute to the community, obeying the community's rules and accepting the guidance provided by the staff.

The main group of characters are carried over from the Rockton series. These characters are amazing. Sheriff Dalton and his wife/ detective Casey are joined by her sister, April, the doctor, Will Anders, the third person in the law enforcement office and many more, each has unique talents that contribute to the community's safety and health. It is very easy to become invested in this community. Kelley Armstrong has another easy 5 star read. The only problem is now we have to wait for book #3.

Another enjoyable book by Kelley Armstrong - spinning off the Rockton series. The second novel in the Haven’s Rock series - still following Casey and Eric and their band of unforgettable characters living mostly off the grid in the Canadian wilderness. I’m not 100% sure why I love these so much but they are familiar read, characters I enjoy and always leaving me with a little cliffhanger about what comes next.

This time a 10 year old boy is kidnapped from Haven’s Rock and it’s up to our fearless sheriff and detective to find him and save him from his captor.

I am a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong and specifically the Rockton series. I love these characters and am thankful for the Haven’s Rock series.

I enjoyed this book. I love the mystery that this series always delivers on.

I love seeing all my favourite Rockton characters. I wish we saw more of the townspeople. This book was mostly just Casey and Eric searching. I miss some of the drama that older characters stirred up.

One thing I wasn’t a fan of was the Max chapters. I enjoyed the content but disliked how they were written in the third person, whereas Casey’s chapters were written in the first person.

Even though this wasn’t my favourite book of the series, it is still a series I wholeheartedly recommend.

The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong is the 2nd book in the Haven's Rock series. Haven's Rock now has its first residents which include two children. Emilie is in charge of vetting those admitted to the settlement and feels this family needs the protection of Haven's Rock. Casey, Will and Dalton continue with monitoring the town's safety and management.

During one of the town's organized hikes, the youngest child Max thinks he sees a bear tracking the hikers...but not just any bear as this one has human eyes. Casey and Dalton investigate and discover that much in their woods isn't right, especially when Max goes missing. What kind of stalker are they pursuing? Does the mining camp figure into this and are the miners a danger? As people start pointing fingers, who in Haven's Rock is connected to this? When there is no further need to pursue the bad person(s), is Haven's Rock safe?

Armstrong presents all these questions and more; however, in this second book, she doesn't provide all the answers. The author is setting up for the third book, but her readers don't need that encouragement or irritation. They will pick up the next one in this series.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Kelley Armstrong and NetGalley or this ARC.