Review--Watcher in the Woods by Kelley Armstrong

 

In #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong's latest thriller, the town of Rockton—and her fans—are in for another hair-raising adventure.

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 and falling in love in less than the year that she's lived there. Yet even she didn't think it would be possible for an outsider to find and cause trouble in the town she's come to call home.

When a US Marshal shows up in town demanding the release of one of the residents, Casey and her boyfriend, Sheriff Dalton, are skeptical. And yet only hours later, the marshal is shot dead and the only visible suspects are the townspeople and her estranged sister, in town for just the weekend. It's up to Casey to figure out who murdered the marshal, and why they would kill to keep him quiet.

 

 

After a long hiatus, I finally got back to Kelley Armstrong’s Rockton series and though it had been awhile, I found I was easily able to sink back into this world with Watcher in the Woods! What’s nice about these books is how they can standalone for the most part, yet the character arc continues to carry on through the rest of the series. Things were definitely shook up in this one and I can’t wait to read more!

With one of their own injured with a bullet inside of him, Casey and Dalton make the call to bring in April, Casey’s sister, who happens to be a doctor of sorts. Though Casey and April never really got along all that well, they are desperate to save Kenny. With a lot of pleading they’re finally able to convince April to come up to Rockton. But it would seem they gained more troubles after this trip for an intruder is spotted in the woods of Rockton and he’s clearly hunting for someone inside the town.

The intruder is revealed as a Marshal who is looking to bring a citizen of Rockton in to be arrested for a past crime. The only problem is, exactly which of the citizens is he looking for? For in Rockton, the people there pay a pretty hefty fee to be offered the protection that Rockton has. But it’s not long before the plot thickens and the Marshal is killed. Now there’s a definite murderer in the town and it’s up to Casey and Dalton to find out who it is and rid their town of him. The Council who financially runs the town does not like rule-breaking citizens.

Since I read this over the course of a few days, I can’t honestly say I had pinpointed the murderer down. I kept making guesses and I may have landed on the killer at some point, but after a while I was too absorbed in the story to try to think logically!

Though I may miss Kelley’s paranormals fiercely, I have to admit that I love her mysteries too! They may not have the paranormal edge I adore, but the characters are definitely ones I enjoy reading about. Even the characters I grow to hate because they’re deplorable! Kelley has a certain magic with her words and stories that makes pretty much anything an enjoyable and enticing read! Every book of hers has been spellbinding and worthy of the “page-turner” description.

There is still a little bit of romance to be had as well. Though Casey and Dalton rarely have time for such frivolities what with mysteries needing solved, but I like that they take a timeout every now and then.

The hardest part to overcome was trying to remember who’s who. There’s quite a few people in this town and since I haven’t read the previous book in a few years, it was hard to remember if I liked this person or not. If they were on Casey’s good side, that kind of thing. But that’s more of a me issue anyway. Lol.

Watcher in the Woods was an intense mystery filled with murder and a town full of probable suspects. It’s a read that will keep you guessing and have you enjoying the time spent reading yet another amazing Kelley Armstrong novel!

 

Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars