Review: First Sign of Danger by Kelley Armstrong

 

First Sign of Danger (Haven's Rock #4) by Kelley Armstrong

Publication Date: February 17th 2026 by Macmillan Audio & Minotaur Books

Pages: 352

Audio Book Length: 9hrs 38min

Narrator: Thérèse Plummer

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Libro.fm | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

First Sign of Danger is the fourth installment in the Haven’s Rock series, and while each book features its own mystery, the ongoing character arcs and history make it far more rewarding to read in order. Better yet, start with the original Rockton series to fully appreciate how this off‑the‑grid refuge came to be.

 

Like Rockton before it, Haven’s Rock is designed as a sanctuary for people who need to disappear. Victims fleeing stalkers or abusive partners, individuals escaping unjust convictions, anyone who needs a second chance. Every applicant is vetted to ensure they pose no threat to the community.

 

In this installment, Casey and Eric encounter a couple hiking near the settlement under circumstances that immediately raise red flags. Are they harmless backpackers, or are they spying on Haven’s Rock? Hunting for someone inside the community? Or connected to the nearby mining camp that’s been a growing concern?

 

The situation goes from uneasy to dangerous when they discover one of the hikers dead the next day. Casey, Eric, Anders, Yolanda and the usual crew at Haven’s Rock work the evidence to figure out what’s going on. All the while keeping an eye on the miner’s camp. There’s also a curious break-in without theft in town that seems unrelated. Casey and Eric examine all the details at every angle and a darker picture emerges.

 

First Sign of Danger starts quietly but soon spirals into the kind of tense, layered mystery this series excels at. I was genuinely surprised by how the pieces ultimately fit together, and by the thrilling revelations that set the stage for the upcoming final installment!

 

I’ve alternately read and listened to the entire series and I recommend either version. Thérèse Plummer narrates the audios and they are fantastic! She expertly performs male and female voices and a variety of age ranges and emotion.

5 Stars

Book Description:

New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong continues the atmospheric Haven's Rock series as Casey Duncan investigates a threat to their off-the-grid Yukon town.

Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are entering a new chapter of life as parents to their six-month-old baby. Their family is hidden away in the sanctuary town of Haven's Rock where they can live safe and private lives. But when they encounter hikers too close to the borders of Haven's Rock, they realize they're in danger of being exposed.

When they find one of the hikers dead the next day, they realize that their paranoia was justified, but they're no closer to finding out who these people were and what they were doing in the vicinity of Haven's Rock. Only by tracing the hikers' movements, as well as examining the recent behavior of their closest neighbors, the workers of a secretive mining camp, will they be able to figure out where the threat is coming from and shut it down. Otherwise, the lives of everyone in Haven's Rock--and their safe, secure new existence--are at risk.