This Fallen Prey: A Rockton Novel (Casey Duncan Novels, 3)

This is the third book in the series, each growing from the last, to get the whole story you need to know who these characters are from the previous books. I was almost to the end and I told my husband I don't know who's innocent or guilty at this point, it takes you on a very switchback ride. I did guess about the family tragedy correctly though, but there was a whole lot that was guessing right along with Casey and Dalton. Very good mystery with lots of old and new characters coming in and out during the storyline. Lots left for us to think about for the next book, you never know who your neighbor really is, do you?

Ahoy there me mateys! If ye haven’t read the first book in this series, city of the lost, then ye might want to skip this post and go read the first book. Worth the read. If ye keep reading this log then ye have been forewarned and continue at yer own peril . . .

I love Kelley Armstrong! I discovered her through her young adult book, sea of shadows, and she became me most read author of 2016. I have read the first two books of this series and was excited to continue me foray into Rockton.

This novel continues the adventures of Rockton’s detective, Casey Duncan. For those who be adventurous and are readin’ this post having not read the previous books, Rockton is an off-the-grid town in the Yukon. People pay a council to spend time in this town to hide from their pasts. Some flee domestic abuse. Some flee other more unsavory problems. Suffice to say, the town is not an idyllic wonderland.

Casey has survived a lot of hard times in her short period in Rockton and yet has transitioned rather well overall. The town has settled down, to the best of its ability, and Casey’s content to live in the moment and enjoy her newfound solace. But then the council drops an unannounced problem into town in the form of an accused serial killer, bound and gagged. The council decrees that Casey and Sheriff Dalton must ensure this man’s survival for 6 months until other arrangements can be made. That is not a request. His going to prison is not an option. And with this unexpected arrival, Casey’s yet again in a world of trouble.

I found this setup to be rather ingenious. There are a lot of known dangers in Rockton and tons of less than stellar inhabitants. I wondered how the author was goin’ to up the ante in this installment. Throw a supposed serial killer in the pot, stir, and shake up. I loved that the town is so not prepared to contain an actual known menace. I love the citizens’ take on the situation. I loved Casey’s ambivalence about their charge. Is this man an actual killer or is someone taking advantage of the council and thus Casey?

The first third of the book was an absolute delight. Then me enjoyment began to wane. This for me was the weakest of the three novels so far. While the setup was fabulous, the execution was a bit silly, to be honest. Too much of the novel was wandering in the forest and making small but seemingly pointless forays back to Rockton.

What action did happen in the forest was a bit too comical. I mean, how many fierce, dangerous (and usually shy) animals can try to kill Casey in a sequence? Too many. How many bullets can fly and magically not kill the strategic characters. Too many. How many awesome residents of Rockton were seemingly brought in to help the situation and then weren’t actually utilized? Too many.

I didn’t hate the novel and certainly loved certain elements of it. But the first book was great and the second book took elements of the town and flipped them upside down – to great effect. The stories also were concluded satisfactorily even if elements from book one popped into book two. Book three ends on a rather unsatisfying cliffhanger. I did like revisiting Rockton and Casey and there are some new people that I want more information about. I shall still read the next one in the series. I just hope it turns out as well as books one and two did.

I received a copy of the novel from the publisher in exchange for me honest musings. Arrrr!

Book 3 of the Rockton Series with Casey Ducan.

I was excited for book 3 of this series. I really liked books 1 and 2--I felt like the mysteries were slow and well developed as well as the characters. In my head I thought of it as similar to her Nadia Stafford series (without the love triangle-thank you!)

Plot: in this book, Rockton has a new challenge: housing a serial killer. Who may or may not be falsely accused? Thoughts: It was an interesting premise I liked how complicated it was, to handle the prisoner while not alarming the town, etc. If they let him loose, they endanger everyone. If they explain why they can't let him go free, the town will be frightened/enraged.

HOWEVER.... in previous books, the forest itself was almost a character. Going out into the forest was a huge deal. How was it not a big deal in this book? It felt like the Settlement was just a jaunt away. Off we go to ___, now we're back to Rockton,... now Casey is running off, alone in the woods after storm--...aaaand Duncan is right there. It was almost comical all the flitting about, going back and forth, random animals in the wood. Some other reviewers have called it a thrillingly paced book--to me it felt frantic--or rather, frenetic.

CHARACTERS... in previous books I enjoyed the development of relationships. Eric and Casey especially. But there was barely any interaction it felt like, between them in this book. So... after the "I love you"s in book 2, everything is fine? Sure I like the mystery and world building, but I read it for the characters!

If Armstrong is looking into making this a series, and that is what it looks like, then she needs to read up on great, character-driven series Authors. The "In Death" books come to mind. Ongoing mysteries are good, but there needs to continue to be tension & development between main characters. That is what I come back for, personally. If I wanted dry mysteries for mystery-sake, I would read Agatha Christie. More Eric & Casey, please!

This Fallen Prey continues the exciting story of a remote, off the grid town filled with people looking to disappear, or those who are looking for redemption for past crimes. In this installment, the stakes are incredibly high as Rockton receives a new resident and one that could jeopardize not only the residents of the town, but the town itself - a possible serial killer. Rockton has had its fair share of residents who’ve committed heinous crimes, but never a serial killer, and Casey, Eric, and Anders have to not only figure out a way to keep everyone in the town safe from this new resident, but also figure out a way to keep his crimes a secret from everyone else. Having a killer with a high body count among the residents is bad enough, having them know what he’s done is certain to induce panic and put everyone at risk.

I absolutely adored the first two installments in this series and loved watching relationships develop and characters finally find their place in this odd town. This Fallen Prey, while still containing the elements that made me love this series, fell quite a bit short for me. A serial killer in a town with no escape should have been exciting and pulse-pounding, but much of it felt flat. Instead, we have Casey and her dog taking up an incredible amount of page time and while I am a dog lover down to my marrow, it was too much. I wanted excitement and danger and possible murders, but I got dog training and dog cuddling and worst of all, dog kicking and hitting. Why anyone thought that abusing an animal would be a swell thing to incorporate is beyond me, but it all became too much in the end. There’s still a fair bit of danger, but like Iike I mentioned, the dog overshadowed pretty much everything. Every series has at least one book that doesn’t work, even for the most hardcore of fans, and this one is mine for this series.

Bottom line — there were many aspects of this book that I enjoyed, but much of it fell flat compared to the previous two. I still recommend the heck out of this series, as the premise and the characters and the whole concept of a wilderness town for criminals and people seeking safety is just so incredibly unique and dangerous. I’m certainly looking forward to the next book and hoping against hope that Casey’s dog takes a backseat to the action next time around.

With the secluded, secret town of Rockton as a setting (population around 200), one might think that it would start to get difficult for the author to come up with new ideas to sustain this mystery/suspense series. But when the population is ever-changing (most residents can only stay two years) and the great Yukon forest is itself populated with Settlers and Hostiles AND the town is financially supported by a Council that carries out its own agenda, well, there’s no shortage of opportunities for misadventure.

When the Council drops a sadistic serial killer into Rockton’s lap with no forewarning – all motivated by a very high payoff – and with instructions to hold him for six months, Sheriff Eric Dalton and Detective Casey Butler find themselves scrambling to ensure the safety of Rockton’s residents. It doesn’t help matters when the killer’s pleas of innocence only highlight the mistrust and suspicion both Eric and Casey have for the Council. It doesn’t take long though for things to go wrong and for tragedy to strike… but are things what they seem to be? This is the question that dogs both Eric and Casey as they set about trying to bring safety and order back to Rockton.

Kelly Armstrong has delivered another solid entry into this series. I won’t give away any spoilers so I’ll only say that I kept jumping back and forth about what the truth was and even up to almost the very end I wasn’t sure enough about what was happening to make a definitive call. The ending brought closure in some aspects but, frustratingly, not in others. One thing seems certain, and that’s that both Rockton and the Council appear poised for some changes. These changes will necessarily affect Eric and Casey and I’m very anxious to see how things move forward from here. I can’t help but think these books would make a great tv series, with the Canadian Yukon territory as a gorgeous backdrop. *fingers crossed*

Can’t stop reading this series. I am hooked!

The Rockton books have captured my interest, and Kelley Armstrong continues to show why she is one of the best writers out there with this entry. Following the vents of the previous book, Casey and Dalton recruit a doctor to come to town to help with some much-needed surgery. The additional characters introduced here will most likely play important roles in future Rockton books, and the story was taut and rapidly paced.

This book moves briskly and has some great action and dialogue.

Lots of drama, lots of forest, lots of elements of a "thriller". This was a definite page turner.

Give this series a chance to capture your imagination. It is an interesting story concept and has a good bunch of characters, and some good plot twists to keep you going.

It was a great book but I don't have time to write a full review