KIRKUS:
The idealistic attempt to carve a new town out of the Yukon snow runs into criminal complications that threaten to reduce the tiny population to zero.

Det. Casey Butler has every reason to be deeply invested in Haven’s Rock. She and her husband, Rockton Sheriff Eric Dalton, have financed the new settlement, breaking away from the marginally more established refuge of Rockton, with money Casey inherited. Her eventful history with Rockton makes her eager for the new town, whose every resident will be hand-picked by Dalton and her, to succeed. So she’s alarmed to learn that three of those residents ignored the place’s paramount rule—don’t go into the forest—and only one of them returned. Yolanda the contractor, last spotted walking into the woods with Bruno the engineer, is back safe and sound, but finding Bruno will become the top priority of Casey and Dalton and their canine and human cohort. Soon after he’s rescued, Bruno goes AWOL from his hospital bed without more than hinting at what happened in the forest, and this time he turns up dead. Even worse, Penny, the architect who followed Yolanda and Bruno when she first saw them walking away from the town in progress, remains missing, presumed dead—until Casey and Dalton find a dead woman who turns out to be Denise, the second wife of Mark, a prospective resident who’s on a secret mission of his own. Few readers will be able to name any of the suspects an hour after putting this spinoff down, but they’ll still be shivering with cold.

Armstrong’s new twist on her Rockton franchise scores higher as wilderness adventure than as mystery.

Welcome to Rockton's spinoff, another adventure for Casey and Dalton. Kelley Armstrong does it again with this crime fiction. I reread the entire Rockton series just to get to this one again and of course it was so much fun to read. A new murder to solve and new character's brought in what is not to love. Kelley even dialed back Dalton's constant dropping of the F bombs' although to be honest I didn't mind it as much, sure at times it got cringe and unnecessary but it became part of Dalton's charm. Either way I like it.
I am not so sure about the new character Yolanda, I was a bit on the fence about her. Her demeaner just seemed to be too much for me, either she was secretive or she was bossy or she was mean, like pick one, lol. I think she will grow on me it's only her first intro into the story so not too upset about it.
highly recommend for crime fiction fans as always. :) ( )

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Haven's Rock series. I borrowed this on ebook from my library.

Thoughts: This is the first book in the Haven's Rock series which is a spin-off series from the Rockton series. I enjoyed this just as much as I enjoyed the Rockton series (which I absolutely loved). This is a wonderful blend of survival, mystery, and police procedural (kind of), with wonderful characters and a great setting.

Just like Rockton, this series is set in the Yukon wilderness. Unlike Rockton, Haven''s Rock is supposed to be an un-corrupt refuge for those who need it. Basically, it's like a really secluded and remote witness protection program for those who need to hide away from the real world for safety reasons.

Casey and Eric end up heading out to Haven's Rock before construction is completed because two of the construction crew have gone missing. They will have to sort through the unknown mysteries of the region and the agendas of the construction leaders to figure out if the crew members are still alive and lost, or if some more sinister plan is afoot.

I continue to love the amazing secluded setting, which incorporates a lot of survival and rustic living. I adore Casey and Eric and their dog. Some of our favorite characters from Rockton end up back in the story (like Casey's sister) and some wonderful new characters are added too.

This is super easy to read and very engaging. I had trouble putting the book down. I enjoyed the setting, the characters, the mystery, and the history. It's just a very fun blend of story elements that I thoroughly love. Armstrong keeps you guessing until the last page with a lot of very well done twists and turns.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I really loved this; so far this is just a well done as the Rockton series. If you enjoyed Rockton, I think you will enjoy this spin-off series as well. The mystery is clever and well done with a lot of twists and turns and I continue to love the remote setting and the quirky but capable characters. ( )

Murder at Haven's Rock is the first book in the series and one I am so glad to read as I was upset upon learning the 'Rockton' series was ending. This series sets our favourite people on a new path, onto new adventures, deeper into the Yukon wilderness, and this book does not disappoint. The town is not even built, but Casey and Eric are called to discover the whereabouts of a missing woman hired as part of the construction crew and discover much more than they expected.

This was an interesting book as the town has yet to be functional, but people being people, it was inevitable that drama would happen right from the get-go. As always, I enjoy the banter between Casey and Eric and have enjoyed watching their relationship develop and grow. It was nice to see new characters in this book and I spent the time trying to figure out how they were going to fit in this new environment, something I enjoyed. I may sound cryptic here, but I don't want to mention any of the characters as I think it is better if you go in without knowing anything or anyone, as I did, and just enjoy the ride. I am happy that some of the characters from the 'Rockton' series will be returning for this series, and look forward to seeing how the new and the old will interact. There should be some interesting times ahead. I was also happy that April was in this book as I love her character. I really feel the author has done a great job depicting a character with functioning autism.

The plot was far more complex than I thought it would be originally. There was one main rule, don't go in the forest, and naturally, that rule got broken. The Yukon is a beautiful place, and I enjoyed the setting, but it can also be extremely dangerous, not just weather-wise. There are a lot of predators roaming those woods and a lot of nefarious goings-on, some of which is hinted at in this book. The action moves fairly quickly and as soon as something happens, something else happens. I actually needed to stop and process once in a while just to take in what I learning. It is a whole new world our characters are entering, with different rules and expectations, much rougher even than what they are used to, and I think Casey and Eric are going to have to tread very carefully.

Verdict
Murder at Haven's Rock introduced some new characters and a brand new setting. This book was a lot of fun to read and I thought the plot moved along rather quickly, although it was more complex than I thought it would be at first, introducing some possible future conflicts, even if this one had a more than satisfactory resolution. Even though the town is half-finished, Casey and Eric learn there are already people who will shortly be arriving due to their emergency situations, setting up some interesting scenarios. But there is just something about those woods, that call to enter despite being told they are forbidden. I, for one, would have broken that rule as well. Even though this is a spinoff series, it felt fresh with a mix of new and old characters, and interesting twists and turns. I am looking forward to the next book. ( )

Rockton has been literally dismantled and shut down, but Haven's Rock is being built from its ashes. Casey Duncan and Sheriff Eric Dalton as well as a select few other former Rocktonites are branching out to re-create the promise of Rockton without all of the profit-driven bureaucracy. When a member of the construction crew turns up dead, Casey and Eric must take up residency sooner than expected to solve the mystery. Of course, they're going to find out how hard it is to keep a new town secret, even if it is buried deep in the Yukon. This is the kick-off of a new series similar to Rockton but without some of the baggage.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for access to a digital ARC on NetGalley.