I loved the Rock ton series so was looking forward to more of the same. This series is a little different. The town is set up with different parameters, the screening is different, the layout if similar but still not the same. But, there's still the wild around them and the outlaw factor with all the danger it entails. Plus, Eric and Casey are proceeding with their relationship and so we are left to wonder where it will go and how her backstory might affect her new story. What's happening here is there's a sighting of a "bear-man" by a young man, pre-adolescent, whose been through it! His brother is also traumatized and makes Max feel that the town is humoring him about the sightings, so Max gets it into his head, after seeing the things again, to go and try to find more proof to bring back to Eric and Casey. Therein lies the problem and the beginning of our mystery. Max gets taken! But by what, or who/whom, is the million dollar question! And as the search intensifies, our heroes run up against unwanted neighbors, strange bedfellows and possible other dangers in the woods. Max is found, but who really did take him, for what purpose? And, do we get to see all these characters make nice in the end?

I love this series and Casey and Eric are two characters I can never get enough of.

This story has several crazy turn of events that were shocking and left a lot of unanswered questions. Some big surprises revealed that have me wanting more now.

“I can’t believe we’re searching for Bigfoot. This is so cool.”

It also goes to show that even in the remote wilderness there are still unsavory people who are dangerous and crazy.

Once again, I am reminded of an ugly and uncomfortable fact. That the people who caused trouble in Rockton weren’t always the criminals the council snuck in.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were fully fleshed out and interesting; the plot was sufficiently complex to hold my attention; and the pace was steady. It took a while to absorb the unusual setting and determine the backstory of the novel, therefore interest built slowly.

Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are adjusting to having families in Haven’s Rock, their new refuge for people who need a safe place to disappear. In The Boy Who Cried Bear, ten-year-old Max thinks he has seen a bear while hiking, a bear who had human eyes. This is the beginning of the mystery starts slowly but soon takes over the community and adds more involvement from the secretive mining company.
I enjoyed getting to know some of the new characters better, they were introduced in this second book in the spinoff to the Rockton series. Gunnar and Max are quickly becoming favorites, and my favorite characters from Rockton are also in this new series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an ARC of The Boy Who Cried Bear. These are my honest opinions.

"The Boy Who Cried Bear" is suspenseful and atmospheric with solid solid twists and turns. It would benefit to read the book before this in the Haven's Rock series, but I read it as a stand-alone. The premise is intriguing but includes some dark subject matter. Recommended for fans of this series, Kelly Armstrong, and mysteries set in the Yukon. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Haven’s Rock is a new off-grid settlement deep in the Yukon where people go to disappear. Casey and Dalton, co-founders of the sanctuary, are feeling their way with new residents, including families and children, living alongside core members from now-dissolved Rockton. While on a group hike, ten-year-old Max reports seeing a bear with human eyes running toward them on its hind legs. Feeling he isn’t believed, when Max catches another glimpse of the bear-man he heads into the forest and doesn’t come back. Louie, a new resident keeps showing up where he shouldn’t be and someone is pointing a finger at Max’s mother. Casey and Dalton set out to find Max and whoever holds him.

Danger from the wild and from the ‘civilized’, unknown backgrounds and hidden motives keep this second-in-series moving and the reader intrigued. I enjoy seeing Casey and Dalton’s relationship grow as they face different challenges. Backstory from the previous book (Murder in Haven’s Rock) and linked Rockton series is woven in, though this book will be most appreciated by those who have read the previous titles. I love this series. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Warning - the end quarter or so of this book deals with the discussion of pedophilia.

I highly recommend that if you haven't read them already, you read the Rockton Series to get yourself acquainted with many of the characters in this one. You don't HAVE to, as there is plenty of backstory. However, reading those books will make you comfortable with this off-shoot all that much quicker.


This exciting book showed that Haven's Rock might not be the ideal place it's cracked up to be. We ended the last book "Murder at Haven's Rocl" at the tiniest bit of a cliffhanger, and we are quickly brought right back to it. The Miner's *said with a spooky/ominous voice* the group of men that are next door and that Casey and Eric never expected to have to deal with in this span of wilderness.

While out on a hike, the youngster (and boy, did the author really ratchet up the tension by adding kids to this series) Max and Gunner (another member of the town) see what appears to be a human/ bear; well, it had human eyes at least. Come to find out, a member of the mining camp appears to have seen it too, and been attacked by it. Of course, no one believes either of them, and they need to go into the forest to prove themselves.

Well, just remember, the first rule of Haven's Rock is not to go alone into the forest!

I can't wait to re-read this book!

*ARC is supplied by the publisher Minotaur Books, the author, and NetGalley.

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley for my honest review.

I was unaware this book is a spin-off of a previous series but it explains why I felt like I was missing some back-story. You don't have to read the previous books, most of the information can be deduced, but it would probably be helpful. I enjoyed the story and liked the different narratives but had a couple of issues:

***SPOILERS***
Issue #1: I am not a fan of using the term Latinx for a person of South American or Latin American heritage. It is an abrupt word that stops the sentence every time I read it.

Issue #2: I was not okay with the perpetrator was a pedophile that was hired by the secretive mining operation. And then that were two that became a pedophile duo? And why was the head of the mining operation being extra shady about it all? Just too weird for me.

Issue #3: What are they going to do with Louie? He took advantage of a missing child to blackmail the mother so he could sell the information to the "bad people"? He can't stay but can they just let him go?

Just when I think that author Kelley Armstrong can't possibly come up with another great story involving the Rockton/Haven Rock gang...she does! I really enjoyed this title and it rekindled my fondness for the Haven Rock group. Such great characters! Can't wait for the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for this advanced copy! You can pick up The Boy Who Cried Bear on February 20, 2024.

While this book starts out promising and has an interesting premise, the writing style isn't for me. I DNF'd the book after about 40 pages, mostly because I didn't care for the narrator's voice and the characters' dialogue.

But other readers who enjoy detective stories and murder mysteries in small towns would likely enjoy The Boy Who Cried Bear! I'm just not the target readership, and the author's style didn't engage me as much.

I really enjoyed this book, although I did not realize this was a series. You could read The boy who cried bear without the need to read the prior one, If you love a great series, this is for you, suspense, mystery, love, this is for you. I don’t like to be left hanging and need to wait on the next book, I loose interest,

Haven’s Rock is a secluded town deep in the Yukon. It’s perfect for those wanting to disappear. For detective Casey and her husband Sheriff Eric, they feel right at home in their new town. They’ve been here since it was founded and know all the in’s and out’s, but not everyone does, so they aren’t supposed to wander off alone.

When Max, a child, says he sees a bear walking on two legs, alarm bells go off and he’s taken seriously. As other strange and odd things start happening, they’re not sure what they’re up against.

This was a solid follow-up book to Murder at Haven’s Rock in the Haven’s Rock series. This book had a lot of amazing things that I enjoyed. My favorite thing about this series is the setting. It is based in the Yukon; it’s a small town surrounded by forest. The author does such a great job writing a vivid landscape and I always feel like I am right there in town with the characters. I also really enjoyed getting to know the characters more and getting more of their back story. I thought it was a lot of fun that Haven’s Rock is now accepting families with children. Max was a lot of fun. Such a quick and witty ten-year-old and I enjoyed the chapters that were from his point of view. The part that I really didn’t enjoy about this one was the domestic turn that I really didn’t like, though it will be interesting to see how things work out in book three.

I usually am one to jump into series haphazardly without any thought to order, however, this is a series that I think you would benefit from reading in order.

Thank you so much to St Martins Press, Minotaur Books @minotaur_books and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This spin-off series continues to get better and better. Casey and Eric are back and this one is riveting. This book can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading the previous book in the series. For even more backstory, read the original series too. This play on words title is perfect for this story. In the new Haven, there is something different. There are children which brings a whole set of problems adults who have never had children are unprepared to deal with. This is a story of multiple characters and I love it.

At the heart of this story is Eric and Casey trying to make their safe haven a place that those who need refuge can rest easy. The problem is, those who need refuge the most, they probably don't have money. So there must be some way for the funding to occur. This conundrum creates conflict because those who have to hid and have money probably are criminals. Or petty or unethical . . . a litany of negative attributes can be applied to them. This causes problems for those who are there because they need to be hidden.

I find Haven's Rock an interesting experiment in human nature. What comes across for me repeatedly, is the innate evil that permeates from people with idle time. Whilst free time is a luxury, it is luxury that seems to encourage bad behaviours to arise. Why is this? Why can people not be content and enjoy the peace of the woods? There are always those rotten apples, trying to stir the pot and make money off of causing trouble for others. Whilst this is one of the subplots in the story, another more complicated plot is in the forefront. This is surround Max and what he blunders into when he sights a bear.

This story is complex with many different layers built through the characters' pasts and actions. Max is a boy who did tell others he saw a bear and not all of them believe him. This event causes a series of unfortunate events as well as some rather disturbing reveals around the Haven Rock's area. I am completely riveted and cannot stop reading the book until it is done. This is yet another book hangover experience for me. This book is recommended to suspense readers who like survivalist settings with great character development. I also recommend starting this book well before bedtime.

I received Th Boy Who Cried Bear for free in exchange for an honest review. I was very excited to be chosen for this as I have been waiting with baited breath for the next book in the series by Kelley Armstrong. It did not disappoint. It was a little different in that it showed the point of view of the child for parts of the story. She did a great job continuing the series and it was a very enjoyable read that kept me guessing until the very end. Now I have to wait until the next one is released!

The Boy Who Cried Bear was a wonderful second book for the Haven's Rock series. It was so neat to see how things are different here compared to Rockton, especially the addition of children. I think it gives the new series some different directions it could go in. As always the story development was superb. Mrs. Armstrong tends to always find a lovely balance between keeping your interested but not rushing the story. The story was gritty and the plot had enough curves and twists to really keep you guessing as the story developed. I love getting a chance to see the returning characters in a new light, away from Rockton and the pressures of living there. Kelley Armstrong did a wonderful job of weaving in the subtle changes to the characters, while still keeping them true to who they were in the first series. Her character development is always something I look forward too. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes milder thrillers with more emphasis on the mystery rather than the thrill.

I was hoping to read this even though it is a second in a series, but after seeing reviews on Goodreads advising against this, I am going to have to not finish this one. The writing style was strong enough, so there is a chance in the future I may try and get a hold of the first one so that I can read that and get back to this one.

I enjoyed the book but felt I came in to the middle of the story. I don’t know if this was part of a series but there were a couple of plot holes that I had to fill in for myself, not having read the author before. Several twists along the way but a bit of an abrupt ending. It was well written but seemed like the author was in a rush to tie the ends loosely for the next book in the series.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Haven’s Rock isn’t just a town hidden in the Yukon– it’s also a sanctuary for victims to find solace for a while. Unfortunately, there are still dangers present in the forest. So when a ten-year-old boy claims a bear (with human eyes) is following a hiking group, Detective Casey Duncan and Sheriff Eric Dalton take the threat seriously. But then odd things begin to happen and a body is found, leaving the pair unsure what exactly it is they’re dealing with.

I want to start by saying I have long been a Kelley Armstrong fan. I read all of the Rockton series, and was interested to see the story continue in the Haven’s Rock series. And if there’s one thing Armstrong knows how to do, it’s write a thrilling mystery.

That being said, this was not my favorite of the series. While I still enjoyed the book overall, there were multiple plot points that I did not like (mentioned below). I honestly don’t know if I will keep reading the series. They’re decent books, but I’m just not sure about the direction it’s going.


***SPOILERS***
Issue #1: I am not here for the pregnancy plot line. I understand that it is a natural progression for Casey and Eric’s relationship. I also can appreciate the discussion around fertility. However, it just feels so out of place in the book. I was wary when the topic came up in one of the Rockton books, and I am wary of it now.

Issue #2: I was not okay with the resolution of the story being that the perpetrator was a pedophile that was hired for the secretive mining operation. Or possibly a pedophile duo? And the mining operation is being extra shady about it all? Nope nope nope.

This series is a must read for me, and this one did not disappoint. Looking forward to the next one - the ending has me waiting!

Finally, something to get me out of my reading slump! Armstrong always does such a great job of conveying a sense of place, so this is a great series to curl up with when you want to feel cozy, yet surrounded by the wide-open Yukon wilderness. In this second spin-off from the Rockton series, Casey and her crew have just opened up their new town for refugees who need to go into hiding in the wilderness. For the first time, this means couples and even families with children are part of the town - and one of those children is under threat. Fast-paced suspense with some wonderful characters!