Member Reviews
Kelley Armstrong's book 3 in the Haven's Rock series, Cold as Hell, is a gripping mystery thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The author weaves a tale of suspense, secrets, and compelling plot twists. The characters are well-developed, and the setting is vividly depicted, adding to the feeling of unease and tension. I felt the author's writing was sharp and evocative.
Cold as Hell is a good read for fans of the genre and anyone looking for a captivating story that will send shivers down their spine.
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Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is the third book in Kelley Armstrong’s Haven’s Rock series about a town that is hidden in the wilderness as a sanctuary.
Casey returns to solve another mystery while she is eight months pregnant. A resident of the town, has been drugged , with a town full of suspects. This well written book developed had excellent character development, although there were a lot of characters to remember.
Well, she did it again. Everything Kelley writes is gold. I've been a fan of this series since day 1 and I'm so glad it's still going.
Cold as Hell follows a very pregnant Casey (no, it's not that kind of pregnancy trope) and Eric as they do what they do best; solve a mystery. The one thing about a KA book is that you will not figure out who did it until the characters do. There are no hints, no mentions until the characters do their sleuthing and figure it out.
I will warn those who read this, there are undertones of sexual assault. It's not overt but I mentioned and I haven't seen trigger warnings so I wanted to mention it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.
I enjoyed this book a lot once I reached the 50 percent mark. The pace picked up here and the ending was the fun type of ending you expect from a book titled “cold as hell”.
Casey was a fun detective to follow and her pregnancy really kicked up the tension.
The mystery part was a little hard to keep track of with all the names and talks but it worked out in the end. I do like a few more clues throughout a mystery to follow.
Kelley Armstrong's books are always a delight and the Rockton/Haven's Rock novels are a list topper for me every time.
Casey is back on adventure where despite having a remote town of less than 100 people, crime never sleeps. With a blizzard in the air and a baby on the way, the biggest concern for our favorite heroine is time.
Personally this was one of my least favorite in the series. To put that into perspective, I still finished it in 2 sittings. I'm not a huge fan of the baby/pregnancy trope or vibes and that and me not nail biting with anxiety really are my two biggest detractors, and that is me looking for cons.
I will say I've read almost everything Kelley has published, and I can never fully guess the plot twists she has cooking. Cold as Hell still serves up the perfect mix of mystery and thriller with an easy to follow narrative and this series has become a book club special.
I love, love, love this serious. I really like the Rockton series, but Haven's Rock has definitely surpassed it. Constant twists and turns, and a great who done it that I didn't see coming at all. The character development has been great through every book in this series, and you really cheer for a lot of characters. I definitely recommend. I would say it does need to be read as the series though to get the full effect.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own.
I am a massive Kelley Armstrong fan, and her newest addition to the Haven’s Rock series is yet another hit for me.
The mystery is interesting, a case of whodunnit but also who is who. Armstrong does an impressive job of making sure that each mystery is unique, despite it occurring with the same small group of people in the same isolated, small setting.
The series is meant to be written in a way that each novel could be read as a standalone, but when you read them all in order (including the Rockton series), you learn a lot about the characters and the backstories that make the series special. With that being said, the ending wrapped up well so that it remained a standalone story - but it may have been fun to leave us on the cliffhanger of our culprit surviving what should have been a sure death, and the unknowns of how that may impact the town in another book.
For fans of Haven’s Rock or Rockton, this will not disappoint.
This is the 3rd book in the Rock Haven series (spun-off from the Rockton series), and Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton are battling a wicked winter storm while investigating a brutal crime in their new town. This book focuses squarely on Casey, who’s expecting a baby any moment after a difficult pregnancy. The storm has essentially trapped them in Rock Haven, and one woman narrowly escaped a kidnapping and another is found sadistically murdered, and Casey is struggling to conduct an investigation while battling the elements and her own condition. The author does a great job putting the reader right in the middle of the blizzard, and there’s tension on each page as the duo comes to terms that there’s a killer amongst their midst. Cold As Hell is another great addition to this series, as the reader experiences the evolution of the new town along with the residents as they all try to find their footing. While the author tries to provide some backstory, it’s helpful to have read the first books in the series (you’ll love them) which will give insight into the characters. Fans will not be disappointed, this is a winner! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I definitely enjoyed Cold as Hell! It’s the third book in Armstrong's Haven’s Rock series which is itself a spin off of her Rockton series. This sequel series does stand alone though, and each book in it so far has it's own stand alone mystery. So I do think it's possible to just pick up this book and understand the plot without having read the previous two (or previous seven of the first series), if that's something what you want to do. That being said I don't recommend doing that. You'll be able to follow the plot, and I do think Armstrong does a good job catching readers up if they've forgotten characters or previous plots. But if you're a brand new reader to the series, I think you're going to be spending too much of your time trying to catch up and you might still be confused. It's hard for me to truly judge how coming into this book blind would really be, but I just feel like you'll be missing out on the character relationships that have developed and the weight of certain situations for those characters. But do what you want! I think the mystery itself will be enjoyable for any thriller/mystery fans!
I thought the pacing of Cold As Hell was pretty good. This is standard for Kelley Armstrong books in my experience and I was not let down! I was curious about how Casey's pregnancy would be effecting her and her role in Haven's Rock. This book did are good job with balancing that plot, and the actual murder mystery plot. Perfect amount of action as well as time for important moments between our main characters. This books is really fast paced in the best way and I really enjoyed how this story unfolded. I absolutely could not put this book down! The twists were some of the more compelling ones in this series or even in the first series. And the ending was the best part I thought. Definitely well-done!
In some ways ( and in particular in some moments) this book reminded me of the second book from the Rockton series. That was a great book and I liked that this one (also set in the winter) had call backs, so to speak, to that one. I couldn't say if that was intentional or if I was reading into it but nevertheless I liked the similarities that I personally felt I saw.
I loved that Mathias had more of a role in this book. He'd not gotten as much time on page since the Rockton series ended, having only a minor role in the last book and barely anything in the first one (or the novella set in between). The same goes for Sebastian. They're both such compelling side characters and I enjoyed having them in the story again!
What's great is that the new characters are so excellent that I really love what they're bringing to this series! I really like Kendra and Gunnar, and even Yolanda is growing on me! I'd love to see more of Kendra in future books. I liked getting her POV to start this book. Actually I think that's a neat feature that all of the Haven's Rock books have that separates them from the Rockton series. They all start with a character other than Casey's POV (the second one had several chapters from another POV of course but still). I like the effect it has on how as readers we are being introduced to the mysteries that Casey will have to solve. And I hope future books keep up that trend!
And of course our main characters Casey and Eric and Anders are awesome as always. They are such a solid trio and I really enjoyed the important moments they share in this book.
I will mention, having now finished the third book in this series, I'm confused where certain characters are and why they haven't been mentioned at all. I went into this book with it in the back of my mind to see if they were mentioned and as I did expect, they were not. There's a character who was in the novella set between the two series, seemingly developing the skills necessary for a role in Haven's Rock, who is just not there and even more weird to me, not mentioned by name once in three books. Another who was mentioned once or twice in the first book just to essentially introduce another character and then never again.
It was my expectation that not every character from Rockton would be going to Haven's Rock and that makes complete sense. I guess I'm just surprised there was never an explanation of why these characters in particular didn't come, or where they are now, beyond Casey thinking in a general sense that she's sad some of the people she knows aren't coming. Nothing about anyone specifically. I'd thought we'd get that by book two when everyone who was going to be coming to town would have been settled in for a few months. And considering how now after three books our cast of characters have been at Haven's Rock for almost a year, I feel like it's too late to get any closure on this without it feeling jarring. It doesn't effect my enjoyment of the story I just read at all, but I'm just so curious about the choice that went into doing that. I can only assume it's to not overwhelm readers who are just picking up the Haven's Rock series without reading the Rockton one. Which is fair, I just wish there was more of a balance between not overloading new readers with useless information and satisfying old readers curiosity.
Cold as Hell is a must-read for people who have been following the Haven's Rock series. And if you haven't read the series yet I strongly suggest you start if you enjoy mysteries. I think this is a great time to catch up. Read the two books that are already out and get this one in February! It's a brilliant mystery, with incredible stakes and a thrilling and deadly winter backdrop. I think this book will have readers hooked from the first chapter to the very end. The suspense and twists were just delicious and everything I could ask for. I devoured the last twenty percent of this book and I cannot wait to read the fourth installment of Haven’s Rock when it comes out. I am looking forward to future story lines, like seeing Casey and Eric explore a new chapter in their life and how that impacts their job. I also hope to see some plots introduced in previous books come back in future installments, as I strongly suspect they will.
I have read 5 different books by Kelley Armstrong this year, in a range of genres, and I don’t know how she does it. She’s consistently great across them all – horror, fantasy, romance, thriller. There’s a reason she’s an auto-buy author for me, and Cold as Hell just cements that for me.
The Haven’s Rock series is a sequel series to her prior Rockton series. You don’t have to read that before this, but you’ll definitely be missing out if you don’t. Cold as Hell is book 2, and our characters are all settling in to their new town, secret and hidden deep in the Yukon. Haven’s Rock is a place of safety for people running from danger down south. Or at least, it’s supposed to be. When a woman is drugged and attacked, Casey and Eric need to investigate and find the attacker as soon as possible – because Casey is 8 months pregnant and they need to leave town for a hospital as soon as possible. Of course things escalate just as a white-out blizzard sweeps in.
The tension in this book was insane. Lots of suspects, red herrings, and everything was fast paced and ramped up into an explosive finale. I was practically biting my nails at the action packed climax. There’s a great ensemble cast in these books, and I love the setting and premise so much. Being off the grid in the far north, having a little community helping each other to survive, all the stuff that goes into making that work – especially when all of the residents are there under assumed names, their pasts unknown to almost everyone. It’s a perfect set up for all kinds of thriller scenarios.
If you like Kelley Armstrong’s writing, then you should definitely check out both the Rockton and Haven’s Rock series. And if you’ve never picked up anything by her but like a good detective/murder/thriller, then these series are a great place to start!
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an early copy in exchange for my honest review!
Cold as Hell is absolutely incredible. This series just keeps getting better I was completely riveted to the plot as Casey in her last month of a complicated pregnancy must find a killer before he strikes again. This next book picks up with things having settled down after the mining incident. They have new protocols in place and are getting closer to what they believe is a smooth running well executed and prepared town. That is until a woman is drugged at the town tavern and dragged into the woods. A resident here’s her and comes to her aid. However, this leaves a problem. They have a predator among them because a stranger could not have entered the town tavern unnoticed to spike her drink which means it’s someone she knows. To complicate matters she was one of three woman at the table. Was she the intended target or just the luck of the draw for who drank the drugged drink? This leaves Casey and Eric trying to wrap up the investigation because Casey needs to fly to a larger city to give birth and needs to leave soon.
Eric is hyper vigilant and determined to keep Casey safe and she has to remind him she can still work just a bit slower now. When another woman disappears with tragic results they must come to terms with the truth women are in danger and time is of the essence. But clues won’t last long as an unexpected blizzard moves in.
The action and plot pacing was incredible ramping up with every new twist and turn. I could hardly believe how things played out and Casey is an absolute force of nature. That final fight absolutely epic!
I loved this book I love both the author and the series! I highly recommend reading it. Start from the beginning though because this is a series that builds on previous books. It can probably stand on its own as each book has a different story arc however the story is much richer when you have read the books in order and grow to live the characters as they evolve and grow. Get the series it’s an all night binge worthy read that will keep you on your toes as you devour every page!
I’m loving this spin off series of Haven’s Rock. In the latest book Casey is heavily pregnant—with some complications—and has to solve a mystery, and an eventual murder.
As always, these books are page turners and full of adventure. While not completely necessary, you should probably read the preceding books in the series first. Absolutely a must read!
4.5 / wow. what a shocking plot twist i did not see coming. kelly armstrong really builds up her stories and picks the suspect you least expect or never even thought about. this was a great read and really had me putting in some detective work.
I devoured this book! Kelley Armstrong is one of my most favourite authors, and I love this series, so I had to pick it up! What with her finding out about her pregnancy in the previous book, well, I had to know how things would progress!
After the last book where it dealt a lot with the group of miners a lot, this one was much more contained to the town of Haven's Rock. Sure, they still go out into the wilderness, but the suspects are restricted to those that are in town, which was great, to get to know some of the people they're protecting better, and see just how their policies are working.
The investigation is also dealing with the fact that she's pretty far along in her pregnancy, which was pretty high risk anyways. That she had to deal with her investigative instincts versus pretty much everybody's protective instincts, yeah, Casey and Eric have to have a few conversations.
Finding out the way that everything worked out the way that it did was so satisfying! With every case, they're learning more and fine-tuning their town. That final showdown, that was so intense, and Casey was such a badass, I loved reading it so much, and how everything worked out in the end!
Completely loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by Kelley Armstrong!
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 stars
We are back in Haven's Rock, a small town in the Yukon. A very pregnant Casey and her husband Eric are still working on building their settlement while figuring out which vetted resident drugged and attacked a woman in town. Another solid addition and I can't wait for the next book.
4 stars out of 5.
I really enjoyed reading this book but I did like book 2 in the series the best so far. This is the third book in the Havens Rock series but I think we get enough background information that you could read this as a standalone. The book started off pretty strong but I found it dragging a bit in the middle but wow, it picked right back up and I could not turn the pages fast enough. I did not guess the mystery in the book and was very happy with how everything was tied up in the end. I can't wait to see what Kelly Armstrong has up next! If you are looking for an exceptional page turning mystery, look no further. I highly recommend.
In Cold As Hell, we are back at Havens Rock. Detective Casey and her husband Eric are expecting their first baby and Casey is nearing the end. She still has her job to do because a resident was drugged and almost dragged into the woods but is saved. Casey needs to find out who is doing this before the baby comes but then another victim wasn't so lucky. She finds another resident frozen in the woods after a snow storm but who could be doing this? People are not who they seem.
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
4.5/5 stars
Cold As Hell is the third book in the Haven's Rock series. Kelley Armstrong is my favorite author. And this is my favorite series. So I could not be more excited to read this book.
Haven's Rock is a spinoff to the Rockton series. Both series have the same narrator, female detective Casey Duncan. Each book contains a standalone mystery. However the main characters are the same in both series.
I loved this book! Bad things are happening in Haven’s Rock. And Casey and Dalton are trying to solve the case before they needed to go out of town.
There were definitely times when I felt super anxious for Casey. However I trust that this author would not hurt Casey. So I was able to read without freaking out. The last chapters were so good. I am completely obsessed with these characters and this book was amazing. I cannot wait to see what happens next!
Thanks to netgalley and Minotaur Books for allowing me to read this book.
"Cold as Hell" is quite the page turner with stakes higher than they've ever been for Casey Butler. I appreciate that Armstrong is letting the character's lives change over the course of the series.
It’s back to Haven’s Rock where Casey is in the last stages of her pregnancy and all seems to be status quo, that is until a female resident is drugged and dragged into the woods. Eric, ever protective, tries to get Casey to leave Haven’s Rock and head to the city to give birth in a hospital. April, of course, agrees, but Casey Duncan is not one to leave in the middle of a mystery, especially when another resident turns up missing. As usual, there are lots of twists and turns and the result is an exciting thrilling page turner right up to the very last page. I love every strong, flawed character from sociopath Sebastian to the masochistic psychiatrist turned butcher, Mathias. Make sure you start with the Rockton series to get the full experience. Love love LOVE Kelley Armstrong and all of her series. Thank you Minotaur books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in return for my honest review.
What a read! Hands down, one of the best yet in the series. While I found it started a little slow, the twists and turns in the story made it an exciting, well paced murder/mystery. One could not ask for a more perfect ending!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGallery for the advanced copy in return for an honest review. Can't wait for the next installment!