Love this series, the crimes the characters and how it all most at a good pace. Kelley is an amazing writer she really gets you hooked. There is enough back story to the character's and the crimes are always different most you don't expect. And I love the comic relief that she throws in there every now and then. ( )

Alone in the Wild
3.5 Stars

While on a camping trip in the woods, Detective Casey Duncan stumbles across the body of a murdered woman half-buried in the snow with a crying baby in her arms. Soon Casey and her partner, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are on the trail of a vicious killer who has no qualms about leaving an innocent and helpless baby to freeze to death in the harsh winter of the Yukon.

In this latest installment in Armstrong's Rockton series, the murder investigation and search for the baby's parents serve as a catalyst for additional world-building. The revelation of the killer's identity and motive take a back seat to the more in-depth details about the various groups residing alongside the small isolated town. While this information is very intriguing, especially the practices and rivalries of the "settlers" and the "others", the lack of focus on the mystery is disappointing and diminishes the tension and suspense of the storyline.

Casey's internal musings on the effect motherhood, or the lack thereof, would have on her relationship with Eric are excessively repetitious. Yes, this is something they need to consider, but does it have to occupy Casey's every waking moment?

Despite these issues, the setting and characters are very appealing and I hope that Armstrong will be continuing with the series.

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Alone in the Wild by Kelley Armstrong
Rockton / Casey Duncan series #5. Thriller. Best read in series order.
In the remote Alaskan town where people pay to hide from the world, children aren’t allowed. When Casey finds a live baby wrapped in the arms of a dead woman, her first instinct is to investigate, but she sets it aside to save the infant. Casey becomes the de facto mother while trying to track down the missing mother.

Casey and Eric discuss terms of “what if” as they do their jobs keeping the town safe.
Riveting with expanded characters from outside of town boundaries. ( )

Dang it. I’m all caught up on this series.

I should be happy. I can get going on the million other series I’m in the middle of. But this author keeps opening up all these possibilities for Rockton, and I just want to hang out there and see what happens next. Alas, I will have to wait.

The found baby storyline is an oldie and not necessarily a goodie, but I didn’t mind it this time. The situation brought up issues that provided continuity and growth for the main characters and the promise of future revelations about the settlers, the hostiles, and Eric’s past.

I like that the characters in these books have layers, and that the role of antagonist is always kind of a moving target. I love that Eric and Casey act like grown-ups and that there’s not a lot of drama to their relationship. A secret town in the Yukon is a great setting, and the author makes the most of it in her mysteries. The series is getting better and better.

I’ll see you in February, Rockton! ( )

Well now, I felt like the last Rockton story wasn't my favorite, but this one roars back into the series that I've come to love. Casey's stubborn refusal to let the mystery drop until the bitter end brings out a whole host of new characters and politics out in the surrounding forest communities.

Advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss. ( )