In this 3rd in the series, the fact that Casey is pregnant and near her due date does not stop her from getting in on all the action. A female resident is drugged in the bar and dragged into the woods. She fought back and escaped, but who did it?

A blizzard hits the area just as Eric and Casey investigate. Another resident goes missing and their search uncovers her naked, frozen corpse in the woods.

Their search intensifies just as Casey's labor begins. The plot escalates to a violent crescendo as a serial killer targets Casey - and she gives birth to Rory, on very thin ice.

Loved it. Really good and twisty! My first book by her but will definitely be getting more!!! Really good book!

Like many others, I watched my fair share of episodes of the popular TV mystery series “Murder, She Wrote” when it aired. While it was gratifying to note that justice was always served and Jessica Fletcher caught the killer in every episode, one question puzzled me. About half the episodes occurred in the small town of Cabot Cove, ME, with a population of roughly 3,500. So, this town had at least a dozen murders a year (not counting any barroom brawls or domestic disturbances that didn’t require Jessica’s smarts to solve). Why didn’t they run out of people? Why didn’t the town become infamous as the “Murder Capital of America”? I had the same thought when reading Kelley Armstrong’s latest mystery, “Cold As Hell.” This book takes place in Haven’s Rock, in the remote Canadian Yukon territory. This “town” is a handful of buildings that make Cabot Cove look like the Big Apple. Haven’s Rock has only 70 inhabitants, but the town is plagued with murders for its resident police Detective Casey Duncan to solve. (Casey’s husband is the town sheriff.) In “Cold As Hell,” she must also deal with treacherous winter weather and a near full-term pregnancy. The result is an enjoyable page-turner for mystery and suspense fans.

“Cold As Hell” is the third in the author’s series set in Haven’s Rock. The town doesn’t officially exist on any map; it was constructed from scratch in the remote wilds as a refuge for people who needed to disappear from their previous lives in warmer climes. I haven’t read any earlier books in the series (or in a predecessor series featuring Casey that was set in a similar locale). However, I gather that earlier books in both series explored the background and politics of these towns in greater depth. That lack of backstory in “Cold As Hell” isn’t a problem for readers; the book is self-contained. Also, by streamlining the storyline, the author keeps readers from getting bogged down in needless details.

Haven’s Rock comprises a few stores and dwellings and one bar where the residents often socialize. All the buildings are fairly close together, a safety precaution that comes in handy when the multiple blizzards in “Cold As Hell” strike. Unfortunately, those safety precautions don’t help one resident, Kendra. Her drink is spiked in the bar one night, and when she gets lost while trying to go home, she is almost raped. Fortunately, the assault was halted by the fortuitous arrival of a passerby. The next day, Casey begins her investigation, which proves tricky. Although the town has few residents, many of them were in the bar that night, and they all could have spiked Kendra’s drink.

At least Kendra fares better than Lynn, another resident of Haven’s Rock. While Casey is still investigating Kendra’s assault, Lynn disappears. After several hours, a search party finds her dead body in the woods. While the cause of death first appears to be accidental hypothermia, Casey determines Lynn was tied down and left to die. Now, Casey has a murder to solve besides an assault, both probably committed by the same person.

“Cold As Hell” is a relatively good mystery. It’s an interesting riff on classic detective stories in which a murder takes place on a remote island or similar isolated locale, where there are only a few possible killers. Haven’s Rock has 70 residents. However, the author streamlines the suspect list considerably, since the killer would have had to be in the bar that night to spike Kendra’s drink. Readers follow Casey’s interrogation of the various witnesses, which goes on a bit too long and drags. The story’s repetitious pace is especially noticeable before Lynn’s disappearance, when Kendra’s assault is the only crime Casey is investigating. Still, the author does a good job of using Casey’s interrogations and observations of the witnesses to create multi-dimensional characters that feel real. Mystery fans will also appreciate that the author plays fair in “Cold As Hell.” Kelley Armstrong reveals (but doesn’t call undue attention to) the significant clues that allow Casey to guess the killer’s identity.

Discovering Lynn’s killer isn’t the end of the mystery in “Cold As Hell.” Casey researches the killer’s past and discovers an extremely twisted motive for the murder. Some people may not like this type of plotting, but I found this complexity refreshing in a story I thought would have a more straightforward motive. Once Casey learns the killer’s identity, the novel still has another 20% to go. Since Haven’s Rock is a blip in the middle of a vast wilderness, the killer has plenty of places to hide, and they take another woman hostage to make the track down more treacherous. The author brings the harsh environment into the storyline multiple times during the book. At one point, Casey has to fend off an attack from a ravenous wolverine. (You won’t find that in the big city.) The author has thoroughly researched the scientific details surrounding Haven’s Rock, which makes “Cold As Hell” even more entertaining.

One issue I had with the book was the treatment of Casey’s pregnancy. It doesn’t take much imagination to guess that the pregnancy will figure in the storyline. I felt the book had enough going for it without inserting a needless and very predictable complication to what should have been a suspenseful conclusion. Far from building tension, the pregnancy is a distracting complication.

Overall, “Cold As Hell” is an entertaining mystery in a most unusual setting. The book mixes traditional mystery elements with an outdoor adventure thriller. The author’s attention to environmental details is impressive. I didn’t fully understand how easy it was for people to get hopelessly lost in a major blizzard, even if they’re only a few feet from safety. (I also didn’t understand how vicious wolverines are. Hugh Jackman’s Marvel character name makes more sense now.) The author throws in some needless third-act complications involving Casey’s pregnancy when the hunt for the killer at large is ongoing and suspenseful. Still, “Cold As Hell” merits a solid recommendation for mystery and suspense fans.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.

Welcome to Haven’s Rock, an off the grid sanctuary in the Yukon. Its’ seventy residents each work to make it a success, but someone is hiding a background mired in violence. When an assault leaves the community reeling, Casey and Dalton are responsible for the safety of the residents. Casey, a detective, is eight months pregnant but determined to investigate. Dalton, the sheriff, is just as determined to keep her safe. Her pregnancy is high risk and Dalton walks a fine line between letting her do her job and insisting on following her doctor’s advice. In the midst of a winter storm another resident disappears. Casey finds her frozen naked body at the nearby lake. An examination reveals that she died of hypothermia with signs that she had been restrained. Trying to track her movements before her death brings conflicting testimony. The victim’s husband believes she was having an affair. Trouble in the marriage also makes him a suspect. With a twist that I never saw coming, the assailant is revealed when he turns his attention to Casey, who has to fight to save herself and the life of her unborn child.

Kelley Armstrong has developed strong characters who beautifully work together. Each member of the community has had an experience that requires the anonymity that Haven’s Rock provides. They have been carefully screened, but an unexpected flaw in the system has put them all. In danger. This is a series that is best read from the beginning. If you are new to the series, Armstrong still provides enough background to make you comfortable with the members of the community. I have enjoyed each of Armstrong’s stories, but Cold as Hell is her best yet. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur for providing this book.

I loved Rockton and continue to love Haven’s Rock.

Haven’s Rock is a place for people to disappear off the grid in the middle of the Yukon. There is a new mystery to solve with the discovery of a dead body in the woods. Add in the complication of a very pregnant Casey, who needs to investigate, and you have a time limit to find out what’s happening and ensure the safety of Haven’s Rock residents. Solid mystery with an interesting twist.

I love catching up with original characters and meeting the new ones in need of temporary relocation. I look forward to catching up with the town and its residents with each new release.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, and Kelley Armstrong, for the eARC.

3.5
Spoiler Alert: This review contains plot details that may reveal key moments in the story.

Kelley Armstrong’s Cold as Hell is the second book in the Haven’s Rock series, a spin-off from her Rockton books. While it’s part of a larger world, it works well as a standalone, and after reading it, I’m now interested in checking out the earlier books.

The story follows Casey Duncan, a former homicide detective now working as the investigator for Haven’s Rock, a hidden town deep in the Yukon wilderness. When a man goes missing outside the town’s borders, Casey and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are drawn into an increasingly dangerous investigation that uncovers unexpected threats and deep-seated secrets.

The setting is atmospheric and contributes to the tension, though the concept of a remote town of misfits designed as a hidden refuge does feel a little far-fetched at times. That may be because I went into this book without knowing much about the larger series, so some of the backstory felt a bit stiff or contrived. Additionally, one particular moment—Casey giving birth in the dead of winter in the Yukon wilderness—felt so over the top that I couldn’t help but laugh at the sheer oddness of it rather than being gripped by the tension.

While this isn’t my favorite thriller read, it’s well-paced and worth the time. I’d rate it a 3.5—better than a 3 but not quite a standout for me. That said, I can see why fans of the series would enjoy it, and it’s left me curious to explore more of Armstrong’s work.

Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, live in a place where people go to disappear. They have found a way of life Haven's Rock that works for them and have put down roots. Now that Casey is about to give birth, when everything should be great, However, life has a new twist for her. A townsperson is almost dragged into a "forbidden" forest on the outskirts of town, and Casey is determined to find out what happened. She and Eric begin an investigation to find the truth. Just to make things more challenging the town is hit with a winter storm and a body is found. What is going on? How has their safe place become so dangerous? It's an exciting read that keeps you guessing. I can't wait to see what happens next!

I read an ARC via Net Galley. I think this book is a great addition to the series. Kelley Armstrong's writing is great and the story is the typical Haven's Rock/Rockton storyline. Something happens and Detective Casey and Sherriff Eric need to solve a mystery. There is another complication in this story and that is the fact that Casey is pregnant and about to give birth. I really like how Kelley makes Eric and Casey have the same issues all of us have - communication issues with people, insecurities and self doubt.

Kelley Armstrong has done it again! This book is the perfect psychological thriller as we end the winter months, filled with mystic, a serial killer, and character drama. I appreciated the explanations and exploration of how the legal system really works when you are so far and away from everyone else. Also, bonus points for pregnancy being relevant, I loved how that was respectfully addressed.

This is #3 in the Haven's Rock series.
Hands down my favorite so far in this series. I was hooked almost immediately, and I stayed up WAY too late to finish it.
I'm not sure what it was about this one that I enjoyed so much more than previous books, but whatever it was, worked.
Casey is super pregnant at the onset of this book. This brought a new level of vulnerability to our lead, and I really enjoyed seeing this character able to show us this kind of growth. Her willingness to ask for help (on rare occasion!) felt right.
I am very much looking forward to the next book in this series, so see how having a child changes all the things for Casey and Eric!

I've loved Casey and Eric since the beginning when they fell in love in the Rockton series, and now in the third book of this spinoff series, they're settling into their new sanctuary town, Haven's Rock, somewhere in the Yukon wilderness. Despite the dangers of being so far off the grid, Casey is eight months pregnant and Eric is overly protective. They're hoping for a quiet remainder of the pregnancy away from her detective duties, but no such luck. When a woman is drugged and dragged into the woods, she's rescued but all of the women in town are on edge. Then during a snowstorm another woman is found dead and Casey is forced to investigate, despite Eric's protective warnings. Maybe their little town isn't the sanctuary they had hoped...
I'm more addicted to this town with every book in the series! I can't wait to find out how they navigate family life and running the town. It was fun to catch up with all the side characters from previous books like April, Will, and Storm. I love Kelley's writing and her books are an automatic must read on my TBR.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book finds us in the Yukon, in a hidden town called Haven’s Rock. Haven’s Rock is for those who want to disappear. Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are settling into life in the Yukon and Casey is expecting their first child.

It may be toward the end of Casey’s pregnancy, but she cannot sit idly by when a victim has been drugged and assaulted. The pool of suspects in this tiny, hidden town is so small. While investigating in the woods surrounding Haven’s Rock, keep in mind in the Yukon, in the winter, a snowstorm comes in to slow them down. While trying to uncover clues on the assault case, Detective Duncan finds a body. A woman who is frozen and naked. Witnesses as to the murdered woman’s last movements in town are telling different stories about what they saw.

It took me entirely too long to realize the first and last names were used interchangeably, more specifically as to the husband. This may not have been an issue had I read book 1 or 2 prior to diving into this one. Or if I had gone back and read the blurb for the book. Having said that, this book was a bit long winded, but very well written. I’m still freezing cold from reading it and personally don’t know if the Yukon is for me. I definitely didn’t guess whodunit and can't wait to check out books 1 and 2 in this series! When you start to question how much more can go wrong, well, a lot given the climate, isolation and terrain in this book.

KELLY ARMSTRONG'S STRONG STORYTELLING JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER WITH THIS INTRIGUING SERIES AND "COLD AS HELL" IS NOT TO BE MISSED SINCE IT IS A SPECIAL NOVEL FOR HAVEN'S ROCK FOLLOWERS!


Hidden in a secret location in the Canadian Yukon lies a community, unknown to the public for certain individuals to escape from their former lives and find safety and solace with new identities to live in the harsh and sometimes very cruel wilderness without any modern conveniences e.g. as in anything electrical etc. Sounds similar to witness protection but it is not any type of government sanctioned agency. This new story has many exciting subplots evolving not excluding detective Casey, who is now eight months pregnant and has a high risk pregnancy as well and to travel to the nearest hospital a small plane is the only transportation to any nearby city. A member of the community who is single is kidnapped but she is able to get away from her attacker but when a second married woman goes missing during a blizzard,, Casey and Derek know they must hurry to find her due to the freezing temperatures and storms that are headed their way before they become snowbound for several days. There may be a killer in their midst and everyone will become a suspect even some members of their policing team unless they can find this vicious predator before they get the chance to get away amidst all the continuing chaos. Oh, no! What if Casey goes into labor while they're stranded because of blizzard conditions?


I enjoyed this book so very much as I've enjoyed every story that I've read in this exciting series. This book so was hard to put down since something new was happening in every chapter and I just needed to know more so I just couldn't stop turning the pages. Finishing these stories always carry bittersweet emotions as I love getting to the end of the mystery but I hate that I have to wait awhile until 'Kelley Armstrong' writes her next "HAVEN'S Rock" book and I sincerely hope this author continues this series for years and years to come.

These books can be read a stand-alones although I would recommend starting with the first or second books to really understand how this secret community came into existence and how they are able survive in the Yukon wilderness. Readers will not be disappointed! I highly recommend this book and I really can't wait to read the next book book hopefully before it's published!


I want to thank the publisher "St. Martin's Press /Minotaur Books" and Netgalley" for the opportunity to read 'COLD AS HELL' and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given a rating of 5 ATMOSPHERIC AND EXPLOSIVE 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!

Cold as Hell is the third mystery in Kelley Armstrong's Haven's Rock series. Taking place in the Yukon in deep winter, this mystery is chilling in more than one way. With Casey very pregnant, it's not a good time to find a dead body in the woods outside of Haven's Rock. One of the things I love about this series (besides the dynamite mysteries) is how Armstrong balances the returning characters with new residents. I still hope these characters make their way to a screen eventually, but until then, spending a few days with them every year feels like visiting old friends or family, albeit with more murder. This one had one really clever twist that made my jaw drop.

I love this series as well as the previous Rockton series from which this is a spin-off. I've read them all. At the start of this one, it felt as though it was going to be all about Casey's final days of pregnancy and not as much action as usual. About a quarter of the way in, though, that changed. Although the pregnancy continued to be a big part of the story, it certainly didn't hold the action back. Another strong element of the plot was the powerful winter storm. In fact, when I had to set the book down (and believe me, I didn't want to), I would be amazed that there wasn't a storm raging outside. Much of the plot action is based around the cold, snow and wind brought in by the storm.

Casey and Eric are more complex than usual in this book, as they struggle with handling the exigencies of an end-of-term pregnancy with a killer in their midst and a storm cutting off both communication and travel. Both are usually the strong, tough-as-nails type, but in COLD AS HELL they must temper that with the needs of their immanent childbirthing. The storm and the killer it seems to protect also make them reflect upon the shortcoming of the policies they've put in place in Haven's Rock even as they deal with the consequences of those shortcomings.

The ending is one of those that kept me reading deep into the night, absolutely unable to set the book aside. Armstrong is among the best at making an impossibly implausible resolution feel possible in the moment. No spoilers here, but you'll know what I mean when you read this.

This is a strong addition to the series that has me wondering how Haven's Rock will change in book #4.

This book was well-written, mysterious, and action-packed. I was dropped in this atmospheric cold world and I never looked back. Excellent characters. Excellent story. I will admit I was skeptical about this book for two reasons. One - I read a couple of books from this author, and I had some issues with them. Second - normally, when I discover that I've picked up a book that's third in the series, I would shy away. I like reading a series in order because a lot of authors don't do a good enough job filtering in the past. That's not the case with this book on either point.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for providing an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I love the setting of the Yukon Wilderness and the atmosphere. Excited to the continue the goings on of Haven's Rock and Casey and Eric's story. Cold as Hell continues setting up the series as complex, atmospherics thrillers and well-developed characters that grow along the way. I love the relationship dynamics of Eric and Casey. And the supporting cast of characters are interesting and entertaining. The mystery is solid and looking forward to the rest of the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Detective Casey and her husband Eric run a brand new, off the grid community called Haven's Rock, in remote Alaska for individuals who need a safe place to hide, similar to witness protection. In this third book of the series a woman is dragged into the woods, but manages to escape her attacker, but then realization dawns that one of the other women in the community has gone missing. When she is found dead Casey and Eric must determine whether it was exposure as it seems or if there is something more sinister going on. Casey deals with a lot in this one, she truly is one bad ass woman!

I listened to the audiobook version with my hubby as well, and the narrator does an excellent job of capturing the emotions throughout the novel.

This book gave me one of those "book hangovers" and it was a while before I could get this book out of my head. I just love it when that happens, so that's why I'm giving it 5 stars. There's plenty of tension and suspense as a serial killer is uncovered among the Haven's Rock closed community. It wasn't supposed to be able to happen with the extensive background checks and such, but that was the cool part of this -- there was a great explanation for how everyone was fooled.

Casey and Eric are not only running this investigation into the killer among them, but Casey is in the last trimester of her pregnancy, and there's quite a bit of anxiety happening there. But it was the action sequences as Casey and Eric are stalking the killer that kept me on the edge of my seat and I just could not put this book down until I completed that incredibly suspenseful ending.

I just love this series. While this third book does reference action and people introduced in the first two installments, you won't have any trouble reading this without reading the others. Casey is an awesome heroine, and she really proves it in Cold as Hell.

Kelley Armstrong is back in Haven's Rock with her best story yet!

Cold as Hell has all the twists and mystery that if you have read Kelley you have come to expect, but this time there are even higher stakes! This story is so thrilling, but not in an over-the-top way. There was so much mystery and so many moving parts that keep you on the edge of your seat.

Honestly, I do not have any critiques of this book. I will say that you should check out any trigger warnings because there is murder etc.

I love this series, but this particular novel is my favorite yet. All the plot nuances that I have come to appreciate came together perfectly to create a story that surprised me and kept me on edge. Kelley Armstrong has created something really special with her Haven's Rock series and I cannot recommend it enough!