Watcher in the Woods is the next gripping installment of #1 bestselling Kelley Armstrong’s riveting Casey Duncan series. The secret town of Rockton has seen some rocky times lately; understandable considering its mix of criminals and victims fleeing society for refuge within its Yukon borders. Casey Duncan, the town’s only detective on a police force of three, has already faced murder, arson, … already faced murder, arson, and falling in love in the several months that she’s lived there. Yet even she didn’t think it would be possible for an outsider to locate the town and cause trouble in the place she’s come to call home.
When a US Marshal shows up demanding the release of one of the residents, but won’t say who, Casey and her boyfriend, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are skeptical. And yet only hours later, the marshal is shot dead and the only possible suspects are the townspeople and Casey’s estranged sister, smuggled into town to help with a medical emergency. It’s up to Casey to figure out who murdered the marshal, and why someone would kill to keep him quiet–before the killer strikes again.
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I will start off by saying that I have not read the first 3 books in this series. Having said that you can enjoy this book even not reading those. I did feel I was missing some background but not enough for me to not to enjoy this book. I got sucked right into this book. I found the premise of this book fascinating. To have a place in the middle of nowhere that hides all types of people and only the counsel gives the orders was a fun read. I loved this book so much that I want to go back and read the first 3 books.
*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
Rockton #4, First off it is wise to read this series in order, this book picks up almost right after the end of the last book and that ended in a way that was teasing about what would happen next. Rockton is a quiet little town in the middle of the frozen Yukon where people go to disappear, if they have enough money. It’s a town straight out of the wild frontier days no T.V., no phones, no internet, and regulated electricity. Where there is no money people work on a credit basis, if you help out and do work duty you get credit to buy splurges, and if you don’t work you don’t eat. Because of the location there are plenty of rules to follow that are in place to keep you alive, break them at your own peril.
Casey and Eric make a quick trip to Vancouver to ask for her sister’s help. One of the residents was shot in the back and the placement of the bullet is to close to the spin for either their medic or butcher to attempt. April is a neurosurgeon but she’s genius and a brilliant surgeon. Reluctantly April agrees. On the homebound journey though they are followed and before they know it April isn’t the only stranger in Rockton. U.S. Marshal Garcia claims he’s there for a certain person who is probably more dangerous than they think. But the dickwad doesn’t tell them anything and ends up getting shot before Casey and Eric find out who he is there for.
With just about everyone in town having a reason for being there and more than half of them lying about why, Casey has a hard time tracking down the truth and in the process she learns more about supposed friends and their newest resident. Armstrong once again left threads dangling parts of the story that weren’t concluded in this book and left it open for the next.
Overall, another outstanding Rockton book. I love Casey and Eric they are so real to me. The whole book just weaves it’s magic and transports you there it keeps you on the edge of your seat and if I had my way I would have ignored the world until the book was finished. Told in first person through Casey’s perspective which help adds to the mystery of the story.
Watcher in the Woods is a fantastic addition to this series. If you haven’t read the earlier books I recommend reading them before this you don’t have to but there is a lot of reference to earlier books. Again we have a thrilling mystery and several very complicated characters. This is pure entertainment for the mind. A devious puzzle and a masterful storytelling.
An absolute delight to read. Casey and Dalton make an impressive pair both as a couple and as the law in Rockton. The unique personalities of each character is like being at a banquet and faced with a host of exotic dishes. Each one needs to be opened up, tasted and savored to get the full effect of what and who they are. This is brilliant work by the author. The pace is quick, without being confusing. There are splashes of fun and color even among the murder and mayhem. I would definitely read this more than once.
Can I possibly explain how excited I was to get my hands on this book? My introduction to Rockton and it’s inhabitants occurred a few weeks ago. I read the first book in the series, City of the Lost, from the library and had my name on the wait list for the next two but couldn’t wait! I bought them both immediately after finishing the first one. Cue long nights of reading and (kinda) ignoring my family.
This latest novel in the series picks up right where the last one left off. I love the pacing of these books, the plot is driven by plenty of excitement, but you still get character development. I get so disappointed in books where the characters are flat and only seem to exist to move the plot forward. This is so not the case here! The main characters are an integral piece to the puzzle, as well as the setting. Rockton is such a fascinating place and Armstrong does an amazing job of describing the terrain and the ingenious ways people live, and die, there.
Watcher in the Woods continues the adventures of Casey Butler as she builds a life in the last place on Earth she ever thought she’d fall in love with. Her back story is fleshed out even more with the inclusion of her sister. I honestly read these books for both the exciting mystery and to learn more about the characters. This is a knock out series that I am so grateful I found!
This is the first book I’ve read in this series. But the book would work well as a standalone. Though I think having the background and history of the previous books would help. Though I’m not a fan of romance novels, this one has enough twists and turns to keep your attention. The characters are well developed so you can begin to see relationships developing between them.
Thank you to NetGalley and Double Day Canada for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Rockton, a secret town deep in the Yukon, has seen its shares of trouble, and Casey, the town’s only detective, has had a lot on her plate with more murders than she’d like. But when a strange man claiming to be a US Marshal comes to town out of the blue, neither Casey nor Dalton are prepared. They’re both skeptical of his story but before they can dig deeper someone shoots and kills the man. Now Casey must confirm the story and find a killer as well as figure out how the man found Rockton in the first place.
I’m really enjoying this series and this book is a prime example of why. Full of action and intrigue with lots of twists and turns, this book captured me from the beginning and kept me hooked until the end. It was well-written with well-rounded characters, some of whom you’ll like and others you won’t. The various relationships, from friendships to romantic partnerships, are done well and are believable. I’m very eager for the next book. I highly recommend both book and series which I suggest you read in order.
Who is The Watcher in the Woods?
Book Four in Kelley Armstrong’s Casey Duncan crime series follows fresh on the heels of Book Three; in fact, it’s so fresh the bodies are still decomposing in the woods. Without divulging too many spoilers, one of the men who pursued the serial killer in the last story is shot in the back. A bullet is lodged near Kenny’s spine and there are no surgeons in Rockton—just a butcher who was once a psychiatrist.
Intent on saving Kenny’s life, Detective Casey Duncan and Sheriff Eric Dalton fly secretly to Vancouver to appeal to the best neurosurgeon they know: Casey’s older sister. They must sneak her into town for security reasons. Of course, in a town the size of Rockton, it’s hard to sneak anybody anywhere. The introduction of April as a major character opens up Casey’s family history and peels more layers from her backstory. But the sisters’ relationship is tenuous as April is about as gifted and gregarious as “House.”
Rockton is a town built on secrets. Imagine living in a place in the middle of the Yukon wilderness. A place that is not on a map or visible by plane or satellite or hooked up to the Internet. A place hidden from the world. Imagine that everyone who lives there, all two hundred of you, have been brought here for a reason. Refuge. You’re either a victim of crime or a criminal yourself. The butcher may have murdered his entire family. The madam who runs the bordello may have ripped off the elderly for their life savings. Your neighbour may have been a hit man for the mob. It’s an idyllic prison, of sorts. Even our fearless detective is hiding out for a reason: she is a killer. Not a “line of duty” kind of killer—a “woman who went looking for a man with a gun in her pocket” kind of killer.
Into that mix, throw a man who claims to be a U.S. Federal Marshal in search of a fugitive. Let him track down the hidden town, watch from the woods, then come in bold-faced and search among the townspeople for his target. Idealism turns to chaos. Everyone is certain the marshal is there to drag him or her back to face justice. The marshal claims the person he is seeking appears normal but is criminally insane—a description that fits several of Rockton’s residents. But he won’t reveal who he’s hunting. Now, what would happen if the marshal was found murdered? If indeed he is a marshal. How difficult would it be to determine who shot him?
With a police force of three, a volunteer militia, and an unreliable council who deals out its own brand of justice, anything can happen. In the previous book, the leader of the council was removed. I won’t tell you how that happened. But, the new leader is adversarial and just as sketchy as his predecessor.
The romantic sub-plot takes a back seat in this book. Now that Casey and Eric have settled into their relationship, Casey focuses on protecting her newly-adopted town from itself. She suspects everyone of murdering the U.S. Marshal, except her boyfriend. Even her estranged sister, who appeared in Rockton at the same time as the man, is suspect.
And then there are the hostiles—residents who’ve left Rockton to take up residence in the wilderness. Intriguing and terrifying, these shadow-creatures are something between reavers and zombies. With just a hint of humanity, they appear when least expected. In this book, Armstrong throws in a delicious twist that makes us wonder how they evolved—or rather devolved. Fodder for another sequel? Please.
Armstrong’s clean, tight, present-tense narration propels this crime thriller through rock-strewn paths to the big reveal. With a town like Rockton, and so much more to learn about Casey Duncan and her partner, Eric Dalton, this series could go on indefinitely.
from the Ottawa Review of Books, March 2019
Kelley Armstrong is one of a few authors that can write a book with a multiply story lines going and have it flow so well that you do not lose sight of who is who and what is going on. This is book #4 of her Rockton series and I have loved each book but I think the first one and this one are my favorites so far. This book/series is what “suspense” books are all about! It was very hard to put down, I can not wait for the next one to come out!
Very good book very well written love this series
This is another great Rockton thrilling story ! This is told from Casey’s viewpoint since she is the detective. Her “partner” is Dalton, the sheriff. This story addresses all the residents of Rocton and the council who control who comes and who stays, and who leaves. This means any investigation has to take all of this into account too.
Despite this being the fourth book in the series, it can be read as a standalone.
Rockton is a very remote town in the Yukon, surrounded by wilderness. Rockton is seen as a safe haven for those seeking to escape. There are no cell phones, or much in the way of modern technology. The town is overseen by a council, that are unknown. The council has the power to interject from time to time; also allowing who comes and goes.
Casey Duncan is the sole detective of Rockton. Casey fled with her friend, and despite attempts to keep contact with her only sister, April, there is a disconnect between them. Casey is also involved with the Eric Dalton, the sheriff in Rockton. With no doctor, and in need of one, Casey swallows her pride and goes to speak to her sister, in the hopes that her sister will lend her expertise. What Casey doesn’t expect, is April, stating that she’ll actually go to Rockton herself. Eric and Casey sneak April in.
Shortly after April’s arrival, an interloper appears claiming they are a U.S. Marshall, and they’ve come to collect a certain member of the town, who is wanted. The interloper, doesn’t give much information and while he is disarmed and sent on his way, he plots his own plans. Everyone in town becomes suspect, and a lot of secrets will be spilled.
I really enjoyed this book, so much that I want to go pick up the rest of the books in the series. My favorite sentence: “We see others through a window fogged with condensation, catching only a warped and shadowed image and presenting the same.”
I received an ARC from NetGalley via St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest review.
A primitive town somewhere in the Yukon wilderness.
Not only is the town a secret but is also full of secrets. The secret past of each resident within the community. The population is a mix of people that needed to disappear and hide either from the media, gangsters or the justice system. Only the Council (back in the civilized world) knows who is who and occasional provides a safe sanctuary for major criminals in exchange for financial funding. This kind of situations leads to a lot of confusion and mistrust of each other within the community and also of the Council members.
This was the first book I read by this author and was intrigued enough by her writing that I checked amazon for other books by her. To my surprise I found that this was the fourth book in the series which explained why I occasionally fell a bit short in background history. I put the three books on my wish list so that I could get back to it at a later date.
Watcher in the Woods: A Rockton Novel (Casey Duncan Novels Book 4) Kindle Edition
by Kelley Armstrong
I received an advanced copy via NetGalley and am leaving a fair and honest review
I am an ardent and rabid fan of Ms. Armstrong’s Otherworld series. My love of the series stems not from the amazing world building and the struggles and love stories but for her writing!
My first trip to Rockton was no different. I fell in love with the characters, and I fell in love with the town. But most of all I fell in love with the writing.
Starting with the characters, Ms Armstrong’s talent shines through dialogue, or in the case of new arrival to Rokcton, Sebastien’s monologue:
“If you’re in front of me in the morning coffee line, and there’s one muffin left, I immediately think of all the ways I could get that muffin. Not kill you, of course, but only because it’s unnecessary and excessive. Before I trick you into leaving the line, I must stop and remind myself that you have as much right to that muffin as me. I can be trusted never to hurt you for that last muffin. I cannot, at this point, be trusted not to hurt a roommate who really, really pisses me off.”
As usual, Ms. Armstrong has, in a few sentences, defined what goes on in a character’s head. In this case, a sociopath. Hundreds of pages have been written by psychological thriller writers that haven’t defined it as well. I can’t wait to hear from Sebastien again. He is that broken boy that young women toss themselves at.
This is not the only case where a character reveals his or her true self in a bit of throw away speech. I can think of half a dozen more!
Casey Duncan is the town’s only detective. And Rockton is like no other small town. A sanctuary for those who need it, there are a few more crimes that one would expect to find in such a place. When one of her neighbors is shot in the back, Casey sees no other way to help him than that bring her neurological surgeon sister to the town – under the wire, on the down low, against all the rules. Unfortunately, as with all well laid plans, something goes way asunder! Not only is her sister discovered, but a murder is committed. Not everything is as it seems in the Canadian Yukon.
Casey, like many of Ms. Armstrong’s heroines, has a unique outlook. It is from the character’s eyes and Ms. Armstrong’s brilliance. Ms. Armstrong does what all writers dream of doing. She takes an everyday moment and distills it down into simple text. That simple text is deceiving, because we learn a new way of looking at something or reconsider how we feel. This happens in these few sentences:
“We see others through a window fogged with condensation, catching only a warped and shadowed image and presenting the same. We squint to see through that condensation, but we use our fog, too. We hide behind it. Wiping it away lets us see clearly . . . and lets us be seen clearly.”
Of course, the dog being adorable didn’t hurt! Long live Storm!
I’d give this suspenseful, strong, mystery more if I could but I can’t so:
5 stars out of 5
https://www.amazon.com/Watcher-Woods-Rockton-Duncan-Novels-ebook/dp/B07D2BXN27
The Book Nerd is packing her bags for a trip to the Yukon and Rockton.
Watcher in the Woods by author Kelly Armstrong is a very interesting book, not only for the suspense but also the concept of the sanctuary town, Rockton, located in the harsh Yukon wilderness. . Casey Duncan is the detective in Rockton and has to be hyper-vigilant about the anonymity of the citizens. Some are there for protection and others are there evading punishment. Casey has a relationship with the Sheriff, Dalton who has lived a rather secluded life in this wilderness. Casey must take a calculated risk and ask her estranged sister, April to come and remove a bullet from a member of their militia. Within hours of her arrival, a stranger is seen in the edge of the woods which naturally rings an alarm for Casey and Dalton. After they capture him, and find out he is a US Marshall they know there is trouble. No outsiders should have knowledge about Rockton or the citizens. Has the location and list of residents been revealed to the outside world of law enforcement? Is there a sinister murderer living among them?
This is the first book I have read of this series, and I would be interested to go back and read the previous books if it was not for the excessive use of profanity by Dalton. I enjoyed the story but abhorred the repetitive profanity. After the first couple of chapters, I considered putting the book aside because of objectionable language. Even if a character is tough and rough, continual profanity just gets old really fast, and that is a shame to ruin an otherwise good book.
Loved this book and loved Casey too. Not one to sit on her haunches, when things heat up with the Marshall showing up she is quick to take control. Will has no problem with her taking charge it’s the little schemes she puts in place to prove a theory that get his panties in a bunch. A great read filled with action and twist that will keep you pondering guilt over guiltier. With plenty of stuff going on and keeping your interest this author proves her salt by keeping us on track and the killer at large until the very end. Throw in some personal battles for Casey and you have a well rounded clean read. This is the 4th book in the series of standalones. Yes there is mention to past actions but nothing that you have to read the others to understand but hey if they are as good as this one they will be added to my tbr stack.