Review--The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong

 

In The Boy Who Cried Bear, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong keeps readers on the edge of their seats while detective Casey Duncan tries to locate the threat before it’s too late. . .

Haven’s Rock is a well-hidden town surrounded by forest. And it’s supposed to be, being that it’s a refuge for those who need to disappear. Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton already feel at home in their new town, which reminds them of where they first met in Rockton. And while they know how to navigate the woods and its various dangers, other residents don’t. Which is why people aren't allowed to wander off alone.

When Max, the town’s youngest resident—taught to track animals by Eric—fears a bear is stalking a hiking party, alarms are raised. Even stranger, the ten-year-old swears the bear had human eyes. Casey and Eric know the dangers a bear can present, so they’re taking it seriously. But odd occurrences are happening all around them, and when a dead body turns up, they’re not sure what they’re up against.

I am past due for a Kelley Armstrong read, so I landed on The Boy Who Cried Bear, the second book in her Haven's Rock series which is a continuation of her Rockton mysteries but a new town means a new name for Casey and Dalton's adventures! While this one was definitely a somewhat chilling read, I can't help but feel like something was missing. Some kind of spark of intrigue to make things really exciting. While it was still an enjoyable read, it just felt like something was missing.

Casey and Dalton are still still trying to get everyone settled in their new Rockton, Haven's Rock and things are going as well as they could be. But there are still many dangers and problems surrounding them in the wildness that's pretty much in the middle of nowhere. You have the group of people looking to escape the modern world, the group of people who are more wild and unsavory, and then there's the new mining group who shares property lines with Haven's Rock. Things remain steady...until they upheave.

Max is one of the youngest residents of the town. His mother moved him and his brother to the town to escape serious dangers from down south that left their mother injured. Max begins to think he sees a bear walking the edge of their property lines and the thing is, he thinks he seems it actually walking...as it right side up, like a person, but totally covered in the thick hide of a bear. And then the unthinkable happens, Max goes missing.

Soon Casey and Dalton are scouring the forest looking for any sign of the young boy and trying to work with the miners in getting permission to enter "their" land. It's not long into the search that they find a dead body that begins a whole new set of problems.

I don't know why, but this book felt almost too simple compared to Armstrong's previous books. Or perhaps I'm still getting off my fantasy kick and this mystery just felt too easy for me. I think with having finished a few books with a more complex plot going with characters deceiving others that this one just came off as too clean cut. Like you knew the villains right from the get-go and you were just waiting for the heroes to figure it all out.

There was also a bit of personal complications going on with Casey and Dalton that will likely continue onto other books, which should prove for interesting developments given the situation. I'll be curious to see what other side characters might be popping up in this series to bring about new mysteries. It kind of gives you Angela Lansbury feels where there's always a killer running about wherever they go! Lol.

As far as pacing goes this one was pretty good; I'd put it at moderate. Not too slow, not overly fast, but just right for a mystery of this caliber. Did I solve the whodunit? Not quite, I'll be honest! Lol. I felt like there were factors I couldn't foresee until Casey started doing her investigating!

All in all I felt like The Boy Who Cried Bear was an intriguing read and a good segment of the Haven's Rock series. It wasn't quite a bone-chilling mystery, but it was a mystery filled with some twists and a few shudders that's for sure! As with any Kelley Armstrong novel, I am eagerly anticipating the next one...which happens to be in my TBR pile somewhere! Lol.

Overall Rating 4/5 stars