'The Boy Who Cried Bear' is the.second book in the Haven's Rock Series by Kelley Armstrong. Casey and Eric are one of my favorite detective and sheriff duo. They have left Rockton and started a new hidden town in the Yukon called Haven's Rock.

There are a lot of things different between Haven's Rock and Rockton. One being that, in Haven's Rock, they allow children. We meet two of the children, Carson and Max, in this installment. They are brothers that moved with their mom when their dad was murdered. One day on a hike, Max notices a bear. This starts the next case for Casey and Eric. While they have the town locked down, Max goes missing.

Armstrong continues to develop all the main characters in this series. Casey, Eric and the others have grown so much from the start of the Rockton series. She finds a way to keep this series interesting. Armstrong always leaves me wanting this next book, but alas I must wait. She combined suspense, mystery and everyday life into a satisfying read.

If you haven't read the Haven's Rock Series yet, you need to, especially if you read the Rockton series and enjoyed it.

Published February 20, 2024

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Prees, Minotaur Books, and Armstrong for the E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

😊 Happy Reading 😊

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Haven's Rock has now let two young boys into their hidden haven. Their parents saw something they shouldn't have it it got their father killed and their mother injured. To protect her sons she has brought them to hideaway at Haven's Rock. Max the youngest resident enjoys taking hikes I the woods and when he spots a bear while with a group no one seems to believe him. On his second sighting of the bear he swears it had human eyes. Casey and Eric have to take what Max says seriously because they can't have a bear stalking the towns people, it's already dangerous enough living off grid. When weird things begin to occur they aren't sure what is going on and when they find a body they know they must investigate deeper. Follow along and see just what is going on at Haven's Rock and whether Casey and Eric can keep their town people safe!

New village, a few new characters but the same old Rockton feel! I was devastated when I thought Rockton series was over but the spin off brings a smile to my face!

A boy who cries Bear kept me guessing for quite a while, plot twist and some new characters introduced in Kelley Armstrongs traditional writing style made for an enjoyable read!

This book is the second in the series but also works well as a stand alone.

Casey Duncan and her husband, Eric Dalton have helped to build the town of Haven's Rock from the ground up. Located in a remote part of the Yukon, the town is protected and sheltered from the outside world. This enables them to provide a safe place for victims and endangered people to live without worrying about constantly having to look over their shoulder. The small population has been carefully vetted to be sure that no one is let in who could endanger someone else.

In this storyline, a new family has come to town - - a mother and her two sons. There is speculation amongst the townspeople as to what happened to them prior to arriving there. And the mother is very jumpy. Then a bear....or is it a bear man....appears in the woods and there's chaos.

This book pulls you in and doesn't let go. It's a well written mystery with a community that feels like family. I look forward to reading more in this series.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The narration of the audiobook was really well done. I was able to completely immerse myself in the storyline. 4 1/2 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook.

This is the next book in the Haven's Rock series, which is a follow on from Kelley Armstrong's Rockton series. Boy was I delighted when I learned she was continuing to write about these characters.

This story is a proper mystery as opposed to a thriller. A mystery is where the information is laid out for the reader as we follow the people investigating what is going on, and sufficient information is laid out for us to work out, maybe, some of, or all of, the answer. Armstrong, as usual did a good job with this. I don't like to describe the plot/story in these reviews, because they joy of reading a mystery or a thriller is discovering, along with the characters, what is going on/happening next.

The joy of this series/the Rockton series, is of course the location and the characters. These books are so rich because we enjoy the people, and watching their lives progress and unfurl as well as the immediate problems they are dealing with.

You do not need to have read the earlier books to understand what is going on, but why would you miss out on the earlier wonderful installments? Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ms. Armstrong is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. I enjoyed the characters and the way they interacted with each other. This is a fast paced, suspenseful and mysterious read. I can’t wait to read more in this series. I would recommend this to anyone who is a big mystery fan.


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

The Bear Who Cried Bear picks up right after Murder at Havens Rock. While you could figure out what's going on without reading book 1, there is a lot of character development in this one. A 10 year old boy is kidnapped from the small, remote town of Havens Rock and our main characters, Eric and Casey, are going to do whatever they can to get him back. This keeps you reading from page 1 and doesn't stop until the end. However, I think this one landed on more of a cliffhanger. There is alot more going on in the Yukon than Casey and Eric ever thought. This is a great mystery/thriller series to pick up and would definitely recommend!

After binging all of Rockton last year​ then promptly diving into the spin-off Haven's Rock, book 2 in ​t​his​ series​ has me reconsidering whether I will continue reading​ it.

Set a few months into the start-up of Haven’s Rock we see some returning Rockton characters, but ​most weren't more than a mention and I felt the lack. Instead the story focused o​n new faces who all for some reason came with a side of racism (some being the racists, some receiving the racism). I​t felt cheap and superficial. Of course racism exists, but the way it was tossed out to create caricatures did not sit well.

I also did not enjoy how this story focused on a ten year old’s capture and his belief that it was a man-bear. It took him entirely too long to understand it was not in fact a hybrid science experiment of a creature.​ And the why of this kidnapping, honestly I would not have picked this book up had I known.
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And then there is ​Casey & Dalton and ​the pregnancy. I appreciate that babies are a fact of life​, and previous Rockton books were leading here. But the story spent ​A LOT of time focused on the pregnancy and that’s not what I’m here to read about. I can’t imagine how this will get worked into future books or if this ​is heading towards the end of the series.

Overall the Haven’s Rock series started enjoyably but this one fell flat for me.

While this book could be read as a standalone, The Boy Who Cried Bear is actually the second book in the Haven’s Rock series which is actually a spin-off series (or maybe sequel series?) to Armstrong’s excellent Rockton series. Rock Haven is a town hidden deep in the Yukon, a place for people to remain hidden. Detective Casey Duncan and her husband Sheriff Eric Dalton are back, of course, with a new mystery solve. This one starts with Max, one of the first kids to move into the town, swearing he has seen a bear…walking on two legs…with human eyes. Sounds hard to believe, but even so bears are serious business. Then a dead body turns up, and things heat up. And of course it’s up to Casey and Eric to figure what is really going on. While this wasn’t my favorite of Armstrong’s, as with the previous book, as well as the books from the Rockton series, this is an exciting and well thought out procedural that is sure to pleasure longtime fans, as well likely make a few new ones. I’d like to thank St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Boy Who Cried Bear.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R35ZQ1G382HN74/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I want to like this spinoff from Rockton. I adored Rockton. This one gets a solid 3.5 from me. Even though it's the second book in the spinoff series, it still feels like we're in the freshman growing pains of the story rather than picking up with a continuation of our favorite characters. Still, I'll keep going because I'm in it for the growth of Eric and Casey as a couple.

The second Haven’s Rock book. The residents are here now and include 10 year old Max who sees a bear during a hike in the forest. When he goes missing Dalton and Casey have to search for him. ARC from NetGalley.

Casey & Eric’s new settlement, Haven’s Rock, have some new residents, including a family with kids. The mystery in this book somewhat revolves around Max, their 10 years old resident, who thought he saw a bear and reported it. As they live in the wilderness, any bear sightings or sign of dangers are taken very seriously. So Casey & Eric with their pup, Storm are off for the search. Of course other weird and mysterious things started happening. And there are also lots of drama amongst the townsfolk, and quite a few are acting suspiciously. Overall, this was another fun adventure and Casey & Eric also got a surprise that will hopefully be good for their future. We are really leaving Rockton behind.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love this series! We get to meet more town residents and have a ton of time with Casey & Eric in this book. There are elements of mystery, forrest survival, and murder occurring throughout this story. I enjoyed the entire book and was intrigued by the semi-open ending that this book has. It makes you think you know what’s going on at the neighboring mining operation, but do you you really? 🤨🧐I’m very interested to find out what the mining operation is really up to in later books. Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of this book! I listened to the audiobook too and it was a great listen, as always!
📘Net Galley ARC
🎧Audible

It pains me to say this, but the second book in the new Haven’s Rock series may be my next-to-last. Most of the time, it felt like I was reading a “Rockton” *second hits* story. The only substantive change was that a child played a prominent role.

The “situation” with Casey came out of the blue and is not a welcome change. I fear this will derail their efforts in Haven’s Rock.

I still love the Rockton series and was excited about the continuation with the Haven’s Rock series, but I am underwhelmed thus far. This book seemed like a filler, and I hope to see a course correction in the 3rd installment.

Sorry, I cannot recommend this book at this time.

I fell in love with Detective Casey Duncan and Sheriff Eric Dalton and the many town characters in the Rockton series and what I loved most about that intriguing little hidden town has followed over to their new refuge of Haven's Rock. In the first book everyone was settling in and getting the town set up, but in this second book, the action starts right away and just seems to ramp up. And just when you think Casey has it figured out, there's yet another plot twist. This could be read as a standalone and a good introduction to an action packed great series, but in my opinion you'd get even more enjoyment by starting in Rockton first.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for the advance copy of this book. The opinions in this review are my own and given voluntarily.

This was fantastic! I am a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong’s writing and the characters featured in the Rockton/Haven’s Rock series hold a special place in my heart. I know this is listed as the second book in the Haven’s Rock series, but that series is just a continuation of the Rockton series, so I would recommend starting there and reading the books in order if possible. You could probably get away with jumping right into this book but the whole series is great so you don’t want to miss it.

I was quickly pulled into this newest mystery and couldn’t wait to see how Eric and Casey would get to the bottom of things. A boy disappears from the hidden town of Haven’s Rock after claiming to have seen a bear in the woods. I love that this series always seems to keep me guessing and this book was no exception. It turned out that bears were not the scariest things in the wilderness surrounding the small town that Eric and Casey. There are some developments in this story for Eric and Casey that should play an important role in future installments that I am pretty excited about.

I usually read this series with my eyes but this time I listened to the audiobook and thought Therese Plummer did an excellent job with this story. This narrator has been one of my favorites for a very long time and this performance was up to her usual high standards. I felt like I was right there with Casey and Eric trying to find this boy in the woods. The voices that she used for the characters really brought the story to life and I thought that she added just the right amount of emotion to her reading. I am certain that her performance added to my overall enjoyment of this story.

I would highly recommend this series to others. I have found this series to be very smartly written with characters that feel like friends. Kelley Armstrong has earned a spot on my favorites shelf and I cannot wait to read more of her work.

I received a review copy of this book from Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio.

A great fan of the original series, I am glad Kelley Armstrong continued with this spinoff.
A slightly different flavor of the newly established town but the most important reason for been allowed in this town is still the same. People whose lives are endangered and need to hide. Even now, with detective Casey Duncan and sheriff Eric Dalton having more control over the systems we still see some of the same problems been encountered. For some it is hard to go by the rules. Been used to better living quarters and now been stuck having to do manual labor is not easily accepted.
For the first time we also have two children in the picture. Max is a 10-year-old and his older brother with an overly protected mother which is understandable after the trauma they went through. Max insists on the bear that was following them has human eyes. Of course, everybody feels he is making it up so not much attention is given till Max disappears. That also when mistrust and finger pointing start towards other residents.
As with her other books in these two series we see lot of twists, colorful characters, power struggle, passion, living without most of the modern convenience we are all used to, and much more.
This book can be read as a standalone but highly recommend that you at least read the earlier book to get a better understanding of the dynamics of the characters.

February 3, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley, who provided me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The spinoff of the Rockton series continues in this second installment, which is solidly written, delivers the storyline at a good pace, and presents readers with dynamic characters from previous books in the Rockton series as well as intriguing new characters. Admittedly I was a little reluctant once I discovered one of my least favorite tropes of all time, but I am glad I kept going. As with all subjects that are tricky to maneuver, Armstrong handles the details of this matter with aplomb and consideration from multiple angles.

There is probably a lot more analyzation I could do of the characters, the writing, and the plot, but the main thing that I cannot state enough is that I will be here to read anything that Armstrong publishes. I have a theory already about the next book, but even if there isn't even a hint of what I suspect might be there, I know I won't be disappointed.

uch a fantastic atmosphere for a police/detective mystery. I love the wilderness and mountainous setting coupled with the remoteness of the town, I just LOVED it! The characters are wonderful too, both the main characters Casey and Eric a couple of secondary casts have good backstories. If you enjoy a well-written, terrific pacing, and suspense, be sure to give this one a shot.

Interesting second book in the Haven's Rock series (it's not necessary to read the first book, but I recommend it). I enjoyed the descriptions of the town, the mysteries, and the twists and turns kept me flipping pages to read what happened next. It was fun interacting with some of the townspeople, and catching up with Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton. The ending wrapped most things up, but there were little tendrils left for the next book in the series.
Definitely Recommend

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.