Early Review – A Stranger in Town (Rockton, Book 6) by Kelley Armstrong (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Length: 359 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Release Date: February 9, 2021
ASIN : B08BXX8WQ5
Stand Alone or Series: 6th book in the Rockton series
Source: eGalley from NetGalley
Rating: 5/5 stars
“Detective Casey Duncan has noticed fewer and fewer residents coming in to the hidden town of Rockton, and no extensions being granted. Her boyfriend, Sheriff Eric Dalton, presumes it’s the natural flux of things, but Casey’s not so sure. It seems like something bigger is happening in the small town they call home.
When an injured hiker stumbles from the woods, someone who seems to have come to the Yukon for a wilderness vacation but instead is now fighting for her life, it’s all hands on deck. What – or who – attacked this woman, and why?
With the woman unconscious, and no leads, Casey and Eric don’t know where the threat is coming from. Plus, the residents of their deeply secretive town are uneasy with this stranger in their midst. Everyone in Rockton wants this mystery solved – and fast.”
Series Info/Source: I got this book as an eGalley from NetGalley to review. This is the 6th book in the Rockton series, there are 7 books planned for this series.
Story (5/5): I really enjoyed the story a lot. Many of the mysteries around the hostiles and around how/why Rockton was formed are exposed and solved in this story. In addition to the larger mystery, we get a more focused mystery around missing Danish tourists. It was all very well done.
Characters (5/5): I continued to really love the cast of unique characters in this story. A couple new characters are introduced and we run into many characters from previous books as well. The characterization is definitely a high point of this series for me.
Setting (5/5): I love the town of Rockton and continue to enjoy this setting. I really enjoy the survival aspects and logistics of running such a remote town. It’s an amazing setting that I never get tired of reading about.
Writing Style (5/5): Armstrong is a seasoned writer and you can tell. Her writing style is always very polished and easy to read. The intricate detail allows you to picture settings perfectly. She does an amazing job with characterization and with creating mysteries with a lot of intriguing twists and turns to them. Her mysteries are always engaging, never predictable, and they don’t feel contrived. Armstrong is hands down one of my favorite writers (even if I didn’t really enjoy her Women of the Otherworld series).
My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this book, it was everything I hoped for and more. I love the characters, the mystery, and just Rockton as a whole. I also really loved all the great progress the main storyline makes in this book and how many fascinating mysteries are revealed. I am really looking forward to the final book in the series! I would highly recommend this book to people who enjoy mystery/thrillers set in remote locations.
