Review by Booklist Review
The third Rockton novel is perhaps the best yet. Readers unfamiliar with Rockton, a very small town in the Yukon, need to know that, technically, it doesn't exist. Rockton was built as a hideaway for people who need to escape from their lives for a while; it has almost no electricity, no internet, no modern conveniences (well, very few). Its residents, including homicide cop Casey Duncan, have something to hide. There's not much in the way of crime in Rockton people mostly keep to themselves but, when the council decides to allow accused serial killer Oliver Brady to come to town, Casey fears the worst. And when a sniper apparently takes a shot at the new arrival, using a rifle out of the town's own armory, she wonders: Is someone in Rockton trying to kill Brady, or is someone working with Brady to take out the town's other residents? Brady's continued protests that he's innocent only serve to muddy the waters. A crisply written thriller that keeps readers guessing, much in the manner of Adam Sternbergh's The Blinds (2017).--Pitt, David Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
At the outset of bestseller Armstrong's gripping third novel set in the Canadian Yukon (after 2017's A Darkness Absolute), the council members who manage Rockton, the off-the-grid refuge for those needing to disappear, receives Oliver Brady, an accused murderer they've agreed to take in exchange for a large sum of money from a classified source. Unprepared to house a dangerous criminal, Rockton's residents scramble to build a facility to imprison him. But they're split on whether Brady is innocent and being mistreated, or a risk to others; riots, maybe even a lynching, threaten to erupt. When Brady escapes with the help of a town insider, he leaves a trail of carnage in his wake, and Det. Casey Butler and her boss, Eric Dalton, face difficult decisions-and the perils of the wilderness-in their effort to restore peace and security to Rockton. The empathetic central characters grapple with the nature of violence and the choices they're willing to make to protect loved ones. Armstrong delivers surprising twists and keeps readers guessing about who the next victim might be. Agent: Helen Heller, Helen Heller Agency (Canada). (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A reclusive sanctuary community plays reluctant host to a dangerous criminal who appears to collude with one of their own to extend his murderous spree.Adjusting to Rockton has taken time for Casey Butler, who left her old life for the off-the-grid Yukon town not long ago. Since moving to Rockton, Casey's become a detective with the three-person police force and helped solve more than one unusual murder case (A Darkness Absolute, 2017 etc.). Rockton is like no other community, having been founded to assist people who need to hide out. With the help of her romantic partner and supervisor, Sheriff Eric Dalton, Casey has become aware that some of the residents are paying the community to hide from crimes they've committed. So maybe Casey and Eric shouldn't be surprised when their latest supply drop includes a bound and gagged Oliver Brady, whose stepfather offers the town council $1 million to shelter him for six months. Before Eric and Casey can refuse or even learn about the nature of Oliver's crimes, the supply helicopter has taken off, leaving Rockton with its most dangerous resident yet. Oliver is highly manipulative and determined to play residents against each other to get his own freedom. And in spite of the vigilance of Casey, Eric, and the ad hoc town militia, Oliver escapes into the woods, leaving Rockton inhabitants and residents of the surrounding area (known as "hostiles") equally unsafe until Casey and Eric can identify Oliver's ally on the inside.Armstrong continues to expand the highly original Rockton world, focusing this time more on the precipitating events rather than the overarching series back story. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
