A Stranger in Town: Kelley Armstrong

 

Title: A Stranger in Town

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Publish Date: February 9th, 2021

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Source: Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

In #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong's next Rockton book, A Stranger in Town, the biggest mystery is the fate of the town itself.

Detective Casey Duncan has noticed fewer and fewer residents coming in to the hidden town of Rockton, and no extensions being granted. Her boyfriend, Sheriff Eric Dalton, presumes it’s the natural flux of things, but Casey’s not so sure. Something bigger is happening in the small town they call home.

When an injured hiker stumbles from the woods, the sole survivor of a hostile attack, it’s all hands on deck. Even a member of the elusive Rockton council comes in to help. This council member also comes bearing news: Rockton is being shut down due to the hostile situation.

Casey and Eric must now race to save the town that has allowed residents to have a fresh start, away from the mistakes of their past, while also getting to the bottom of this latest attack.

Penelope's Review

So I need to start this review by saying: I have not read any other Rockton novels! This is my first one and it's the 6th in the series, so obviously, this has affected my opinion of the book. The mystery starts and ends in the book though so technically it can be read without reading the previous books in the series, but after trying this myself I do not recommend it. Kelley Armstrong is one of my all-time favorite authors so believe me when I say it is very difficult for me to give her anything less than 5 stars. 

It took me some time to figure out what Rockton was all about, and who the various characters were, but once I did, I found myself enjoying the book more. It definitely wasn't a "can't put it down" book, it took me about a week to get through. Even aside from the characters that I know are in previous books, I felt like the addition of so many new characters was difficult to follow. There were the tourists, the hostiles, the different settler groups, the discussion of scientists from back in the day, the newcomer, etc. It was just a lot to sort through and I felt like trying to keep up with who was who made the book less enjoyable and a bit tedious. 

I love the idea of Rockton - from what I gather, it is a tiny little community for those who have nowhere else to go. Those who have been caught up in political messes, those who are abused/hunted by people in their lives, those who are wrongfully convicted, etc. This is such a great concept! In this book, however, it seems that those who want to be a part of this community must have a lot of money to donate to be allowed entry. 

I really enjoyed Casey and Dalton. Their relationship was fantastic - supportive, great communication, no toxic traits anywhere to be seen! I liked reading the book from Casey's perspective. 

Then comes the plot of this book. So I have heard many, many times that the Rockton series is superb. I've read some fantastic reviews and have always been excited to get to it one day. I'm hoping that it's just this book, but I didn't absolutely love the storyline here. The mystery was alright, and I did enjoy the different twists and turns that it took, but I just didn't... love it. I went through this book with a kind of "meh" feeling. Again, I hate saying this because I LOVE Kelley Armstrong (adult and young adult series) but this just wasn't what I have come to expect from her. The book felt kind of long and drawn out, and then at the end, it was like all of a sudden a bunch of things happened, and bam! it was solved.

Perhaps it's the addition of so many new characters to keep track of, or the fact that it technically wasn't just one mystery, but 2-3 somewhat connected ones. It just seemed a bit cluttered and messy. That being said, the aspects that I did enjoy have made me decide to start at the beginning and give the other books in this series a try. And if the series continues after this book (which I believe it does), I will be giving it a shot!

Rating: 3/5 Devils