Sophia Rose Reviews: The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelly Armstrong

Today Sophia Rose returns with her review of, The Boy Who Cried Bear, Book two of Kelly Armstrong's Haven's Rock series a spin off of her Rockton Series.
Enjoy!

The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong

#2 Haven’s Rock

Thriller

Publisher:  Minotaur Books

Published:  2.20.24

Pages:  343

Rating: 5 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  NetGalley

Pre Order from:  Amazon Available 2-20-24

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Synopsis:

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.

Sophia Rose's Review:

Away from civilization in an off the grid town, a boy who saw a bear-man goes missing.  Every moment counts, but is the threat out there in the wilderness or closer than they think for Casey and Eric.  The latest installment in the Haven Rock series kept the suspense taunt from cover to cover.

 

The Boy Who Cried Bear is the second in the Havens Rock series which is a follow up series to the Rockton series.  One could read this latest out of order in a pinch, but for the full, wonderful experience getting the original Rockton series and then this series in order is for the best.

 

The first book, Murder at Haven’s Rock, placed Casey, Eric, and the wonderful Rockton gang into a new setting and also introduced a few more characters who are settling in as wonderful, quirky recurring figures who I was glad to encounter again.  Even that ominous group in the mining camp and the interesting and isolated lady photographer and her wolf add to the color.

 

The focus of the book is a missing child, but of course there are layered elements surrounding the situation so Casey and Eric have a multi-layered case to solve involving some of the newer residents of Haven’s Rock with their secret pasts and potential secret agendas.  The intrigue that this world of books is known for is building as the series arc moves into the second book.  I like feeling that build even as there is a current adventure going on.

 

Also, on a private and relational level, Casey and Eric’s relationship has come to the point when the question of starting a family has come up.  Casey’s traumatic past comes into play as she wonders if she can even carry a baby to term and if there would be more than the usual complications in delivery.  They said they wanted kids at some point in the future and would put a pin in that discussion, but Casey is spotting physical evidence right and left that she might have accidentally blew past that discussion when she accidentally missed taking her daily pill.  My heart was there with her as she wrestled with this and wondered about Eric’s reaction all while they are burning every waking moment searching for a missing child.

 

There were some great twists toward the end and the climax was as riveting as I could want.  The denouement was good wrapping up some matters and leaving others tantalizingly open so I’m anticipating the next book hard.

 

I can’t recommend this series and the earlier Rockton series enough.

 

Author Bio:

Kelley Armstrong 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.

Website:  https://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose