Happy Pub Day to Kelley Armstrong’s latest Haven’s Rock novel The Boy Who Cried Bear. In this installment, the first residents of Haven’s Rock, the secret community in the Canadian Yukon designed to provide safe haven to those running from their pasts, have arrived. Unlike Rockton (the original community on which Haven’s Rock is based), they are admitting families with children which means a new way of operating things. When 10 year old Max reports seeing a strange bear with human eyes, the town is mixed on whether or not to believe him. Then Max goes missing and Casey and Dalton realize something is definitely afoot.

The Rockton series was my first introduction to Kelley Armstrong as an author and she is now truly one of my favorites. She can seemingly write anything—current day thrillers, historical mysteries, time travel romances—she even has a rom com coming out later this year. While The Boy Who Cried Bear could be considered the 9th book in a long running series, Armstrong still manages to keep things fresh and interesting. The Haven’s Rock reboot has allowed her to start over with engaging new characters and new threats. Here we are starting to get a sense of how the mining outfit that emerged nearby is more than it seems (and potentially a problem for Haven’s Rock longer term). I also really liked how Armstong manages to keep Casey and Dalton’s (now well established) relationship from getting stagnate (although to say more would be to reveal definite spoilers). I am certainly looking forward to seeing how the series progresses!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the e-ARC; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

A lovely play on the boy who called wolf - Haven Rock provides shelter for those seeking to refuge. With strict policies and rules. Max and his family are new residents - the first children as well as Latinos, they struggle against racism. Done so well showcasing human tendencies. Max spots a bear - a man bear. And disappears.
Dalton and Casey race to find him - struggling to maintain their respectful distance from the miners nearby. As their search continues, it's clear the miners are hiding something - and involved.
Great suspense, plot and character development.

Publication date: February 20, 2024

The Boy who cried Bear is the second book in Kelley Armstrong’s Haven’s Rock series. This is a spin off of the Rockton series where many of the characters come from.

Haven’s Rock is a hidden community in northern Yukon. It’s beyond off the grid and is meant that way. Detective Casey Duncan and her husband Eric Dalton are the leaders of the community. They welcome the residents who need to be forgotten from their real lives. Whether they are running from their past or witness protection wasn’t enough to keep them safe. The community of Haven’s Rock don’t ask many questions, they just accept you.

For the first time, Haven’s Rock accepts a mother Dana and her two young boy Carson a sullen teenager and Max a curious 10 year old. After witness protection failed them and they lost their husband/father to the criminals they were hiding from, they were sent to Haven’s Rock.

After Max claims he saw a Bear/Man on one of the community hikes, the team investigates the possibility of having a wild mountain man so close to their community. While they determine how to approach the search, Max goes missing and the hunt to find Max alive begins.

As Casey and Dalton continue to run into roadblocks every time they think they’re getting close, Max is waiting to be found and has to stay another night with his captor or alone in the deep northern Yukon woods. Time is running out and Max’s life depends on them figuring out who took him and where he is.

I really liked this second book of the series. You definitely need to read this series in order to really understand Haven’s Rock and the characters. I also loved the personal family drama that was overlaid around the mystery and loved the ending. It certainly leaves plenty of room for the next book. This a 4 star for me!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #kelleyarmstrong #theboywhocriedbear

Haven’s Rock is a sanctuary built in the Yukon for people who need to disappear. Recent arrivals include Dana and her two sons, Max and Carson, who recently survived a home invasion. They were in witness protection, but when her husband was killed they came to Haven’s Rock. The community is run by Casey Duncan and her husband Eric Dalton. Max is ten years old and has been learning about the forest surrounding the compound from Eric. On a group walk Max spots a bear, but it is walking upright as it stalks them and it has human eyes. A bear poses a risk to the residents. As sheriff of the community, Eric organizes a hunt to find the bear, but their dog loses the scent. When Max sees the bear again from a perch in the compound he tries to get Carson to listen, but his brother ridicules him. By evening Max is missing, taken by a man disguised by a bear hide. While they search for Max, suspicions are also raised in the town. Dana believes that Gunnar, one of the town’s workers, is responsible. He befriended Max and was seen with him shortly before his disappearance. Louie, one of the residents, believes that it is Dana’s fault that Max disappeared. He falsely assumes that her husband was involved in something illegal and Max’s disappearance is caused by revenge. There is a mining camp in the forest that is heavily guarded. Casey and Eric must deal with the manager to gain access to search their land for Max. There is something about the camp that has Casey and Eric questioning whether they can be trusted. Finally they stumble upon a body that had been viciously attacked. The search intensifies before Max becomes another victim.

Casey and Eric created Haven’s Rock deep in the forests of the Yukon after a similar sanctuary had been compromised. While they have a close relationship, Casey is holding a secret from Eric. She has discovered that she is pregnant, but an attack and assault in her past left it questionable whether she could carry a child to term. While she deals with how to tell Eric, she must also contend with the physical changes she is experiencing and their effects on her ability to contribute to the search. Kelley Armstrong keeps the tension building as she switches from Max’s story to the desperate search for him. He has suffered trauma from the loss of his father, but his lessons from Eric in the forest play a part in his ability to survive. Armstrong’s story adds some unexpected twists that will have you glued to the pages. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur for providing this book for my review.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. For being number two in a series I thought I would be missing more information, but this worked well for a standalone book. There were times where I thought things were a little drug out but that would be my only complaint. Great plot, multiple POV, and likeable characters.

The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong is the second novel in the Haven’s Rock mystery series. Set in a remote, secret village in the Yukon, Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, have their hands full when a young boy goes missing and reports of an irregular bear led them to suspect foul play. A gripping tale perfect for a cold winter’s day.

Everyone is settling into the new town, including newcomers, and this time there are children. Because the area is still new and with discovery of the miners, the townsfolk have been limited to organized walks in the surrounding woods.

Max, the town’s youngest resident, has been learning to track thanks to Eric’s tutelage. When he reports of a strange bear walking on its hind-legs, it alarms Casey & Eric. When Max spots the bear again, he runs off into the woods to track it and goes missing. But the townsfolk don’t know that, and soon accusations are made. The tale that unfolds hooked me with the mystery, daily life and troubles they face.

Armstrong has created quite the spin-off, welcoming both newcomers and those like me who devoured the Rockton series. We are meeting new players, dangers and allies. The missing person’s case was intense, with plenty of twists and foul play.

While Casey & Eric are married, an unexpected complication has unrisen. I loved this thread and look forward to learning more.

Fans of isolated small-towns, danger in the wilderness and mystery thrillers will find a lot to love about the well-paced, action-packed story/series.

Ahoy there me mateys!  If ye have not read the Rockton series, then I do not recommend that ye start here.  This spin-off builds off of the first series and honestly, I do believe a new reader would have a hard time because of the history and interpersonal relationship drama that feeds directly from the first series into this one.

I loved loved loved this book.  On a hike, ten year old Max believes that he saw a bear with human eyes.  Casey and Eric, the town leaders, feel that Max is not quite clear on what he saw due to his recent trauma.  Though a bear is nothing to take lightly. Of course life in Haven's Rock gets more complicated when Max goes missing.

Aye, this series continues to be excessive with animal encounters and has silliness but this was such outright fun.  It matched me mood exactly.  I loved Max as a major character and enjoyed getting chapters from his point-of-view.  The interactions of Casey and Eric with the miners was also fun.  I thought that overall the solution to Max's situation was well done.  I particularly like that Max had some agency - unlike many of the adults throughout the troubled town's past.

But ultimately, it is watching the recurring characters evolve that continue to make this series delightful.  There were a couple of particular episodes of Casey and also with miners that suggest intriguing future possibilities.  Can we also please have more of Mathias?  I need the next one!  Arrr!

I sometimes forget how much I love this series. But, once I started reading I could not put this book down. This is the second book in the Haven's Rock series, which followed the Rockton series. When the Rockton series ended I was so sad, because the series was so good. Then the Haven's Rock series started. It is wonderful to be immersed in the world of Casey and Eric and all the odd characters who make up their small isolated town.

This story revolves around Max who is a 10 year old boy who is kidnapped. The entire town tries to determine what happened to Max with Casey, Eric, and Anders leading the search. The plot is very similar to many of the books in this series, and maybe that is what is comforting about this book. You have faith in where the author is going, and you are just along for the ride.

The best thing about this book are the characters. The main characters are well developed and I truly enjoy stepping into a part of their lives. The secondary characters are interesting also, and many times because you really don't have a clue who they really are. The setting of the Yukon perhaps is the main character, and the descriptions of this wilderness are very well done.

I will continue to read the rest of the books in this series and hope they are as well written as this one is.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur for the ARC

#TheBoyWhoCriedBear:

Thank you always to @minotaur_books and @macmillan.audio partner, for my gifted copies!

My husband and I both love Kelley Armstrong, so usually I’ll read it and let him read it when I get done. His exact words after I told him I was done were, “man, you haven’t finished a book that fast in a while” I NEEDED this Casey Duncan book y’all.

I am in the firm belief that you cannot read these as stand-alones. I think you had to read the Rockton series to truly understand the dynamics that have now come to play in Havens Rock. I also feel like you’ve had to read the first Havens Rock to understand who their neighbors are, what their intentions are, kind of this new understanding of their community. I love these books so much, and Armstrong gives you so much in each book that I don’t think coming in on a whim really helps you truly understand the journey.

Casey’s big dilemna was so good. I was not expecting it and I’m so attached to these characters. Is it a major spoiler? Yes. While she’s over here trying to figure out her dilemna, we’ve got big problems with a missing kid. I was sucked in and did not want to sleep until I knew everyone was safe and sound.

Audio always 10/10. Thérèse Plummer, always going to make it a hit. I always will recommend the audio because Plummer keeps me on the edge of my seat.

Overall, dare I say my favorite Rockton/Havens Rock book? It is! I loved the mystery and the internal conflict happening. We are one step closer into understanding the neighbors and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Out tomorrow.

QOTD: Name a favorite author.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

This is book two of a break off series featuring Haven Rock. I loved the original series and highly recommend starting there to get full character development and background story. This book is still enjoyable even if you didn't start with the Rockton origin series.

This book still focuses on our main couple Casey and Eric (who I will forever ship!) and the newly established town. There are some of our past residents who make an appearance but most on page are the newbies. Of course, we have murder, mystery and secrets...this time our story surrounds a missing boy who sees a bear with human eyes. That is the start of the suspense filled storyline trying to answer all the questions and unravel the mystery of the here and now plus the past lives of the residents. There is a side story dealing with the personal life of our married couple who I absolutely adore and every scene with the two of them.

Another strong installment and I can't wait to see what happens next.

4 stars

Haven’s Rock, the town founded to replace Rockton, is now up and running with Casey and her husband, Eric in charge. Many of the original inhabitants from Rockton are now settled in this new town as well as a few newcomers. Among the new families is a woman and her two children. The youngest, ten-year-old Max, has adapted very well to this new environment. Because of its isolation in the Yukon, hikes are conducted through the forest surrounding the town. On one of these hikes, Max spots what he thinks is a bear except he swears it has human eyes. Then a dead body is discovered and Max goes missing. The town is put on lockdown as Casey and Eric search for the lost boy with the aid of their dog, Storm.

The Boy Who Cried Bear is the second in the Haven’s Rock series and it is one hell of a page turner. It is well-plotted with the narration split between Casey and Max. There’s a great deal going on here with plenty of suspense, action, and twists and turns. It was fun to reunite with many of the old characters from Rockton as well as meeting new characters, both likeable and not, but all interesting and well fleshed out. There is a cliffhanger at the end but, honestly, I’m okay with that because it means there will soon be another addition to this series and I can’t wait to see where it takes us in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

#TheBoyWhoCriedBear by #KelleyArmstrong is a decent enough book at least for the amount that I read.
Honestly I DNFd it a little less than halfway through. Set in a community isolated in the mountains everyone that lives there is running or hiding from something. When a mother and her sons comet to stay it seems danger has decided to follow. The youngest son swears he has seena grizzly bear more than once in the woods, but the second time he see's it he ins't alone. The only problem is that the man who is with him didn't see everything he did, didn't see the human eyes within the bears face.
Now the boy is missing and must be found, was it human or animal that abducted him?


Thanks to #Netgalley for the chance to read #TheBoyWhoCriedBear in return for a fair and honest review.

This is the first book I've read by this author and while I was able to keep up with the many characters, I have a feeling it would have been a richer read if I would have also read the first book. That aside, the premise of a secret town in the Yukon for people in need of remaining hidden is intriguing. There are multiple layers to how things work in the town, including the secrecy of the extent of Detective Casey Duncan and Sheriff Eric Dalton's involvement.

The townspeople have been warned that there are dangers in the woods and that they are not to go into them alone. Then Max goes missing after he went into the woods alone, and the search is on to find him. There is plenty of danger as Casey and Eric search for Max and some very confusing clues, including the fact their dog loses his scent. Thankfully, Max has been taught some survival skills which helps him survive. But even when it seems the case is solved, there are more surprising twists.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Boy Who Cried Bear is book two in the Haven's Rock series by Kelley Armstrong.
I’ve been waiting so patiently for this book to hit. I loved Murder at Haven's Rock so I was excited when I was approved for this title.
I’m a big fan of Armstrong and her writing always keeps me so entertained and excited for more.
This is well-written and entertaining story with a solid mystery and complex characters. Her characters and storytelling is exceptional.
There were plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the thrilling end.
I enjoy Kelly Armstrong’s writing style she is incredible at writing atmospheric stories. She makes you fell like you are right in the middle of it all.
I devoured this in one sitting, it is full of mystery and intrigue that doesn’t disappoint. It is full of twists and turns wrought with intensity that holds your interest all the way to the satisfying ending that will have you filled with anticipation for the next book in this series.

Thank You NetGalley and Minotaur Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

When I choose this book to read, I didn't realize that it was the second in a series and apparently the characters were introduced in a previous series. I feel like I was missing a lot of necessary details, although I warmed up to the characters eventually. A ten year old boy goes missing after reporting that he saw a bear just outside a tiny well-hidden forest town. As the search for him intensifies, it becomes clear that it wasn't an animal who took him, it was a person....and there aren't many suspects in the isolated wilderness.

I just finished The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong and this is my review.

Detective Casey Duncan and her husband Eric have their refuse up and running. Haven’s rock is hidden from the world by a forest. It’s a place for people to disappear. A fresh start. The woods are dangerous so people aren’t allowed to go off alone.

When Max, 10 years old and a tracker, thinks a bear might be stalking a hunting party. He also swears the animal has human eyes. Taking the kid seriously but accepting this is very odd but the weirdness doesn’t stop there… When a dead body shows up, no one knows what it is that they are up against.

The book is the second in this series and like the first one, it started out slow but it is steady and strong. I love the build up and the book is wonderfully plot driven with just enough character storylines to keep even those who love character development entertained.

The author has this beautiful talent in leading you down paths of wrongness. Making you think you know what's going on then BAM! You get spun around again. It definitely found itself in this book. Book 1 was trying to lay the groundwork and build the foundation for the series. This one took off running. If you like slow and careful suspense series, this one has to be on your list.

I love Casey. She gets better and better for me. I am really excited to see what is coming next. The ending will blow your mind and I am confident that you will love this series too.

4.5 stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @minotaurbooks for my gifted copy

Christmas comes four or five times a year for me, when new books by favorite authors are released. On rare occasions those releases turn the day into April Fool or Halloween
I can happily say Kelley Armstrong’s The Boy Who Cried Bear (Haven’s Rock #2) is a Christmas present. Haven’s Rock is the follow up to the beloved Rockton series. Rockton was a small secret town hidden in the depths of the endless miles of the Yukon forests. Rockton was originally built as protection and sanctuary for committed anti-war protestors. It then switched over to providing sanctuary to others. With its third set of ‘owners’, Rockton started taking in serial killers, child predators, and others who could pay high premiums. Can we say “bye-bye Rockton?
Back to the real world, there were a lot of broken-hearted readers who were devoted to Rockton and its fascinating denizens. Ms. Armstrong heard our wails (or so I like to believe) and here we now are with the fascinating second book of the new series, Haven’s Rock. A core group of former residents of Rockton decide to join Casey and Eric in building a new and better town named Haven’s Rock, open only to those who truly need sanctuary. Exceptions are made for certain occupations.
The new majority owners of Haven’s Rock, the sheriff, Eric Dalton and his wife and detective, Casey Butler have decided to loosen up a bit on Haven’s Rock rules. They accept a mother with two sons who were tracked down in Witness Protection in an epic and tragic security failure.
The youngest, a ten-year-old boy named Max, claims to have seen a bear with human eyes stalking a guided hike. Everyone believes him about seeing the grizzly, no one believes him about it being a bear/man.
“Things fall apart, the center cannot hold”. Once again Haven’s Rock is plunged into multiple crimes, then the ugliness between residents begins. Matters worsen when Eric and Casey are forced to initiate contact with the mysterious miners who have built their secretive camp after Casey and Eric did all of the scouting to ensure the new location would be absolutely isolated.
One of the enduring, most loved aspect of Rockton and now Haven’s Rock are the basic decency of the main occupants of the town. Especially the love affair and marriage between Eric and Casey. They confront their problems together, no false histrionics, no invented drama. In The Boy Who Cried Bear , they have more than the usual problems in secretly running the small town while trying to keep it safe.
My wishes for future books would be for more Isabel and April and Will and……well, still waiting for those killer rabbits.
Then again if all of my wishes for this book concerning relationships, characters and setting were met, this book would be at least double in size.
The plot is a busy one, several threads are woven, some seem to be red herrings, some are straight forward. When will we learn what is being mined?
Max is a terrific new character, smart, brave, and observant. Hopefully the vigilante psychiatrist who is now a meat butcher will be able to help Max’s brother Carson, while the psychologist turned madam, bar owner and now just bar/coffee shop owner will be able to help Max. Reread that sentence and you will have the essence of Haven’s Rock.
How can one not be fascinated by this series and the one before it?
The Boy Who Cried Bear , as are all the previous Rockton/Haven’s Rock books are a mixture of fascinating crime, love, and adventure stories.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press/Minotaur books for an Advanced Readers Copy.

The second in the Haven's Rock series, The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong takes place in wild and rugged Yukon where bears and wolves outnumber people. In Haven's Rock, small houses blend in with the environment as an extension of nature. Animals predate and stalk which is thrilling at times but terrifying at others.

Young brothers Max and Carson had been left fatherless when their dad was killed and their mother was injured. All three severely suffered emotionally and coped in different ways. Max and Carson's relationship was at times full of angst and when Max saw an animal (he knew animal signs), Carson wasn't exactly encouraging. But when someone goes missing, residents wonder whether the culprit is beast or human. Suspicion is rife as Detective Duncan and her husband Sheriff Dalton poke around and ask questions.

Count me in for wilderness stories, the more secluded the better. The setting grabbed me tightly. I liked the quirky characters and unique remote mentality. However, the story sadly didn't for some inexplicable reason and my mind wandered elsewhere. My heart wasn't invested.

My sincere thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this novel.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Kelley Armstrong for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Boy Who Cried Bear coming out February 20, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I didn’t read the first book in the series, but I received this from NetGalley directly. So I decided to read it anyway. I love wilderness crime type books. I love that it was set a remote place and the community was really small. They were parts of the book that I thought were really suspenseful, but I the characters as I thought I would be. I just wasn’t really feeling this. I’m not a huge fan of the pregnancy trope.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys crime novels.

Kelly Armstrong returns following Murder At Raven's Rock, with her popular Haven Rock's series with #2, THE BOY WHO CRIED BEAR —Detective Casey Duncan tries to solve a threat/mystery before it is too late in this chilling suspense.

Haven’s Rock is a well-hidden sanctuary town in Yukon, surrounded by forest and a place of solace and safety for those who need refuge (and to disappear).

Picking up from the last book, Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are pros, but they know the woods can be dangerous, and they encourage the residents not to wander off.

They now have 24 residents, including Max's family. Rockton did not allow children or couples, so they changed that. Max's family are the newest residents. He, his older brother, Carson, and their mother. They survived an attack on their family in which their father was killed.

Max (adorable), is the youngest resident and was taught to track animals by Eric. He is ten and swears there is a bear with human eyes. Since Max said he had nightmares about people sneaking up on him, Eric had been teaching him how to track sounds in the forest.

He tells his brother Carson they are being stalked by a predator. Casey and Eric take it seriously. Then things start happening, and someone goes missing. Then a body is found.

What stranger is hiding out in their woods? A serial killer? Or could it be one of their own?

I was hooked after reading the first book in the series and was delighted to return to Haven's Rock and catch up with all the diverse characters.

Atmospheric, action-packed, a well-written mystery crime series with a locked-in thriller vibe blended with psychological suspense and family dramas.

While this novel can be read as a stand-alone, I recommend reading the first in the series (which I enjoyed) to learn the key players and the backgrounds. Fans of Kelley Armstrong and the Rockton series will enjoy this one. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advanced review copy.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: Feb 20, 2024
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