Bea Reviews A Stranger in Town by Kelley Armstrong

Series: Rockton #6
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes, but not recommended
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: Feb. 9th, 2021
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
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Blurb from goodreads:

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.

My Thoughts:

Wow, this was intense, with a lot happening. There's actually more than one stranger in town and all of them are bad news in one way or another. Casey and Eric are trying to solve multiple mysteries while also trying to figure out Rockton's future. Each book in the series gives us more information about Rockton;  how it was founded, who founded it, and its residents past and present. This one pulls together threads from earlier books and wraps up most of them, though Rockton's future is in doubt at the end of the story and I am curious to see where Armstrong takes this in the next book. 

Casey uncovers extensive information about Rockton's founding and the subsequent splinter groups. At times the information was overwhelming and I had to backtrack to keep track of it all. The story itself got confusing at times and there were a lot of people to keep track of. Despite that, I was fascinated and the story was engaging. It was hard to put down. It was interesting to see which of my theories, and which of Casey's, were wrong and which were right. 

I love the relationships Armstrong has developed; relationships and characterizations are some of her strengths as a writer. Casey's relationship with her sister April is explored in more depth and we see Casey come to understand her better and reevaluate their relationship. Casey and Eric's relationship remains strong and they make a great team, personally and professionally. All of the characters are well developed and continue to grow and change.

"A Stranger in Town" was twisty, full of surprises, and more than enough action to satisfy anyone. If you are new to the series, don't start here. The books should really be read in order and they are worth reading.