Watcher in the Woods (Rockton Series #4)

by Kelley Armstrong

Overview

Watcher in the Woods is the next gripping installment of #1 bestselling Kelley Armstrong's riveting Casey Duncan series.

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 the several months that she's lived there. Yet even she didn't think it would be possible for an outsider to locate the town and cause trouble in the place she's come to call home.

When a US Marshal shows up demanding the release of one of the residents, but won't say who, Casey and her boyfriend, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are skeptical. And yet only hours later, the marshal is shot dead and the only possible suspects are the townspeople and Casey's estranged sister, smuggled into town to help with a medical emergency. It's up to Casey to figure out who murdered the marshal, and why someone would kill to keep him quiet—before the killer strikes again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250236708
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/12/2019
Series:	Rockton Series , #4
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 5.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Kelley Armstrong is the author of over 50 novels in mystery, fantasy and horror. She believes experience is the best teacher, though she’s been told this shouldn’t apply to writing her murder scenes. To craft her books, she has studied aikido, archery and fencing. She sucks at all of them. She has also crawled through very shallow cave systems and climbed half a mountain before chickening out. She is however an expert coffee drinker and a true connoisseur of chocolate-chip cookies.

Editorial Reviews

Bestseller Armstrong fuses small-town mystery with high-concept thriller in her propulsive fourth Rockton novel. . . Casey’s present-tense narration heightens tension, while colorful characters with checkered pasts add humor, intrigue, and heart. New readers and longtime fans will enjoy Armstrong’s adrenaline-fueled plot, which cleverly capitalizes upon her inventive series premise.” —Publishers Weekly

“The Rockton novels are fine blends of story, character, and setting. The town of Rockton is not merely window dressing, and its characters aren’t superficially drawn. In fact, two elements feed off one another, with the vividness of the place adding depth to the people who inhabit it.” —Booklist

Praise for the Rockton Novels:

THIS FALLEN PREY

“The empathetic central characters grapple with the nature of violence and the choices they’re willing to make to protect loved ones. Armstrong delivers surprising twists and keeps readers guessing about who the next victim might be.” —Publishers Weekly

“Kelley Armstrong’s solid Casey Duncan Series… is turning into one of the best new finds of the decade. . This Fallen Prey is the best Rockton novel so far, as this town of people with no pasts confront a man who seems to spread death. Is he a killer or a potential victim? Slick plotting and good characters are hallmarks of this clever series.” —Globe and Mail

A DARKNESS ABSOLUTE

“The unusual setup and isolated location increase tension in a fast-paced entry that will keep readers guessing.” —Publishers Weekly

“Armstrong keeps the plot turning and cranks up the tension from one chapter to the next. She's already shown she's good at that, and A Darkness Absolute is no exception.” —The Oklahoman

CITY OF THE LOST

"[A] locked room mystery on steroids; readers should prepare for an all-nighter to finish it." —Booklist

"Excellent first in a new thriller series... A highly unusual set-up sets the stage for a distinctive cast of characters and a page-turning plot." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From the Publisher

2018-12-11

A Canadian town whose population includes people running from criminals and criminals running from the consequences of their crimes is infiltrated by a U.S. Marshal bent on bringing an unnamed resident to justice.

Rockton Detective Casey Butler is on an unusual new mission. Usually something of a maverick working alone to solve crimes, Casey has relied on the help of her sheriff, Eric Dalton, who's not only her technical superior and frequent investigative collaborator, but the first man she's ever committed to living with or calling her boyfriend. The two leave the safe haven of Rockton, a secret town in the Yukon, to recruit Casey's sister, April, a gifted doctor, to operate on Kenny, a resident who's been badly injured. Although Casey and April have never been close, Casey convinces April to sneak into town to save Kenny's life. The bigger hurdle is getting April to Rockton without alerting the town council, especially Phil, its hidebound new leader. Rockton is a planned community of residents hiding from outside threats, but the town's pay-to-play rules mean that some residents are perpetrators of crimes hiding out to avoid paying their debts to society. After April comes to town, Casey and Dalton discover a man camping out in the surrounding woods. Mark Garcia identifies himself as a U.S. Marshal on the hunt for a Rockton resident he won't identify except to say that the fugitive's psychopathic tendencies will endanger residents. Casey and Dalton, uncertain whether it's riskier to work with Garcia or against him, are unable to wrest the resident's name from Garcia before he's shot and killed. Now Casey must work with Dalton to counteract that threat to Rockton as she tries to forge a path to peace with April.

Building on the hidden world she's built, Armstrong focuses less on the moody atmosphere earlier installments (This Fallen Prey, 2018, etc.) have favored than on the politics and interpersonal dynamics of her metaphorical lions and lambs—though it seems like everyone here is a bit of a lion.

Kirkus Reviews