Review: Alone in the Wild by Kelley Armstrong

Alone in the Wild (Rockton #5) by Kelley Armstrong

Publication Date: February 4th 2020 by Minotaur Books

Pages: 368

Source: Publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | iBooks

About the book:

In #1 New York Times bestseller Kelley Armstrong's latest thriller, the hidden town of Rockton is about to face a challenge none of them saw coming: a baby.

Every season in Rockton seems to bring a new challenge. At least that's what Detective Casey Duncan has felt since she decided to call this place home. Between all the secretive residents, the sometimes-hostile settlers outside, and the surrounding wilderness, there's always something to worry about.

While on a much needed camping vacation with her boyfriend, Sheriff Eric Dalton, Casey hears a baby crying in the woods. The sound leads them to a tragic scene: a woman buried under the snow, murdered, a baby still alive in her arms.

A town that doesn’t let anyone in under the age of eighteen, Rockton must take care of its youngest resident yet while solving another murder and finding out where the baby came from - and whether she's better off where she is.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong again delivers an engaging, tense thriller set in perhaps the most interesting town in all of contemporary crime fiction.

My Thoughts:

Rockton is unknown to the general population, set up in the Yukon, off-the-grid, and a place formed for those on the run from danger.  An abusive husband, a stalker, unfair conviction? Rockton is your place to hide until the dust settles. Supposedly inhabitants are vetted so that no violent criminals are allowed in, but in the past books we’ve learned that this isn’t true. 

Eric, the Sherriff of Rockton and Casey, the town’s Homicide Detective are a close team working together to keep order, their residents safe, and to solve whatever crimes. However, they’re more than that, and have been almost from the start, and part of the big draw to this series for me is their romance. There’s no drama stemming from unnecessary relationship conflict, rather the drama is from the danger they face daily from residents, the Hostiles, or from the outside Settlements.

In Alone in the Wild Casey and Eric find a very young baby, clutched in the arms of a murdered woman. Was this baby taken from her family, and if so why? They need to find a killer as well, so they set off to find answers from the two Settlements, and Tyrone Cypher the former Sherriff of Rockton.

I’ve been eagerly looking forward to Alone in the Wild and was pleased to finally get answers about the Hostiles, and a glimpse into the lives of the Settlers, people who chose to stay in the area rather than go back home after their five years at Rockton were up. Were introduced to a few new, interesting characters and a couple that sent shivers done my spine, anticipating the threats and danger they may pose in the future. I think this installment really set things up for future dealings with the Settlements and maybe some interventions with the Hostiles?

Eric and Casey, as usual, make a phenomenal team, although there was a scene where I wanted to shake Casey for being reckless, but it was a minor annoyance.  With being stuck with a baby, Casey and Eric faced some fears and made a plan for the future, whatever it may bring. I loved their approach!

Rockton is one of my all-time favorite series’ and Alone in the Wild was another riveting installment fans won’t want to miss! If you haven’t tried this series yet, I highly recommend it! For audio book junkies (like myself) the audios of Rockton are amazing! The talented Therese Plummer narrates, and I’ll be buying a copy to start on Thursday with the hubby (he’s a huge fan of the series, too!).

4.5 Suns