Review: Watcher in the Woods by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Date of publication: February 5, 2019

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 less than the year that she's lived there. Yet even she didn't think it would be possible for an outsider to find and cause trouble in the town she's come to call home.

When a US Marshal shows up in town demanding the release of one of the residents, Casey and her boyfriend, Sheriff Dalton, are skeptical. And yet only hours later, the marshal is shot dead and the only visible suspects are the townspeople and her estranged sister, in town for just the weekend. It's up to Casey to figure out who murdered the marshal, and why they would kill to keep him quiet.

Watcher in the Woods is the fourth book in the Rockton series.  I was really excited to read this one because the last book left one of the character's life in the balance.  This is another book that I would really suggest reading the whole series before this one.  A lot happens and things are mentioned that assume you know what is going on in the series.  Watcher in the Woods picks up pretty much right after the events of This Fallen Prey. Casey and Dalton have just snuck in her surgeon sister to perform surgery on a wounded Rockland citizen.  A US Marshal shows up and starts to cause trouble for the secret town.

Once again, this was a really enjoyable mystery.  The events take place over only a few days, so it's fast paced with a couple of twists.  I definitely didn't call the culprit, nor the reason for the US Marshal's visit.  The best part about this installment is that we get to see more into Casey's childhood and how she related to her older sister.  We also get to know more about Dalton's background and where he came from.  But, the most devastating back story is Petra's.  You'll have to read to find out what that is, but it really explains more about why she made the decisions that she did in the last book.

If you haven't read this series, I highly recommend it.  This is a solid addition to it and I can't wait to see what awaits Casey and the citizens of Rockton next.