In This Fallen Prey, the next installment of New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s thriller series, Casey Duncan is about to face her toughest job as police detective in Rockton yet. When Casey first arrived at the off-the-grid town, an isolated community built as a haven for people running from their pasts, she had no idea what to expect, with no cell phones, no internet, no … phones, no internet, no mail, and no way of getting in or out without the town council’s approval. She certainly didn’t expect to be the homicide detective on two separate cases or to begin a romantic relationship with her boss. But the very last thing she expected was for the council to drop a dangerous criminal into their midst without a plan to keep him imprisoned, and to keep others safe.
Of course Oliver Brady claims he’s being set up. But the longer Brady stays in town, the more things start to go wrong. When evidence comes to light that someone inside Rockton might be working as his accomplice, helping him to escape, Casey races to figure out who exactly Brady is and what crimes he’s truly responsible for committing.
In the next page-turning entry in Kelley Armstrong’s gripping series, life in Rockton is about to get even more dangerous.
more
And the adventures continue with this third installment in the series. I get that it’s a series, but, wow…is there ever any rest in Rockton? And, of course, I preordered the fourth installment. In this #3, Casey and Eric are stuck babysitting for a rich, snobby presumed mass murdered whose step-father has paid the council to store for six months. The story goes back and forth on whether you believe this rich, snobby serial killer or, once his step-father has arrived, him. It concerns me some of the more interesting characters are being eliminated, but I’m certain Kelley Armstrong will dream up more characters in the coming installments.
I really enjoyed this book
Kelley Armstrong is am amazing writer and I love the Casey Duncan series – so interesting, odd and compelling. The characters have depth, not just the main characters but also the secondary characters – even the dog!
The isolation of this town is so creepy – love it!
Casey, Will, & Dalton make a great team & work well together.
This story is thrilling, suspenseful, mysterious, & page-turning from beginning to end.
There’s one twist after another & just when you think nothing else can happen, you’re back sitting on the edge of your seat.
Just love this series.
Casey is settling down in Rockton which is a small town in the Yukon that’s totally off the grid. It’s supposed to be a safe place for people who need to escape their past. However, they have just had a man delivered to them who’s an accused serial killer. They’re supposed to keep him for six months but they’re not prepared to keep a prisoner that long. In addition, he’s getting help from someone in town and when he escapes things get bad fast.
I’m really enjoying this series and this book was no exception. It’s well-written with well-rounded characters, some of whom you’ll like and others you won’t. Full of action, intrigue, and suspense, this book captured me from the beginning and kept me entranced until the end. I’m eager for the next book. I highly recommend both book and series which I suggest you read in order.
Book 3 in the Series. Have you ever watched a TV series, several seasons, and get to the end of the season and are stunned. No they cannot stop there. Your happy because some questions have been answered however new issues arise. Great writing, I must read the next book.
The meaning behind the title of Kelley Armstrong’s latest Rockton crime novel, This Fallen Prey, still alludes me. Does This Fallen Prey refer to the victims of the serial killer who is dropped off bound and gagged without warning? There are several victims in this fast-paced thriller. Or is the thrill killer, himself, This Fallen Prey?
Oliver Brady claims to be the victim of a rich and powerful step-father bent on cheating him out of his inheritance. Gregory Wallace has $15 million reasons to frame his step-son as a serial killer, and has paid a million dollars to send him to Rockton for a six-month stint. The problem for our heroes, Sheriff Eric Dalton and Detective Casey Butler, is what to do with Brady while he’s there under their watch. Once the townsfolk discover they’re housing a psychotic serial killer no one will be safe, including Brady.
This is Armstrong’s third Casey Butler detective novel. It is as fast and flawless as City of the Lost, the book that introduces us to this dysfunctional Yukon town. Rockton is a fabricated town, built in the wilderness to house people who need to go missing. Many are victims in need of protection; others, like Casey, have been both victimized and killed. In the second book, A Darkness Absolute, Casey seals the deal with rugged backwoods sheriff, Eric Dalton, and becomes mama to a bouncing Newfoundland puppy named Storm.
In fact, the dog, who is now eight-months-old and learning to track, is a major character in the novel, as is the setting. Much of the story centres around the search for Oliver Brady, who escapes early on with the help of one of Rockton’s citizens. Casey and Dalton must battle hostiles and wild animals, while avoiding snipers; all the while, trying to keep the puppy safe. Anyone who owns a dog will understand what it’s like to hike with a dog in the woods. Dangers lurk everywhere. And, Kelley Armstrong has done her canine research.
In my favourite scene, Storm lurches free of Casey’s grip and bounds after a mountain lion with the detective in pursuit. Casey chases, knowing that the cat is heading for a cliff where it can turn around, leap onto her dog’s back, and break her neck. Casey shouts out a series of commands—too many words and pointless—as Storm is too far away to hear and focussed on nothing but chasing this kitty. This creates sheer terror for Casey, who must somehow save her puppy, and any reader who has ever lost control of her dog. Like Casey, Storm is not just there for show. Armstrong not only uses the dog to heighten the adventure, but as a clever device to advance the plot.
This is Casey’s story. Though she’s searching along with her partner, Eric Dalton, everyone defers to her, including the sheriff. A tiny Mandarin-speaking murderer turned detective, Casey is fearless, intelligent, intuitive, and scarred. Sometimes, she makes mistakes, and sometimes she knows the truth with just a look. Preferring to sleep out on the balcony under the stars, Casey provides us with an opportunity to experience this secret dystopian Yukon town and its surrounding wildness.
As the search continues, Dalton and Casey discover corpses. By chapter forty, I write in my journal: Brady appears to be a ruthless murderer but there must be a twist. If there isn’t, I will be disappointed. Then Brady’s step-dad arrives and I’m not disappointed. By chapter sixty, I’m still wondering, along with Casey, if Brady is a serial killer, or if he really is being framed by his step-dad. He almost has me convinced. Is he, or isn’t he? How will Casey discover the truth? And who will die in the process?
It’s like a never ending Agatha Christie, where people are thought dead and then are the killers. A good quick read, but it will be continuing…
I love love love Kelley Armstrong. If you haven’t read her books, do it now!!
Love all Armstrong’s books & this one is a good example of why her work is so addictive.
This is book three in the Rockton series and I truly hope there will be a book four, although Ms. Armstrong could just end it here. Each of the books in the series stand alone, but I highly recommend you read books one, City of the Lost, and book two, A Darkness Absolute, first. They are also excellent and set up the world of Rockton. For Kelley Armstrong fans, be advised this is not one of her paranormals, but the writing is the same strong and compelling story with characters both good and bad that will pull you in.
Love everything she writes!
I enjoyed the book, but not quite as much as the prior ones in the series.