A Rockton Novel (Casey Duncan Novels) - City of the Lost

City of the Lost is an exciting start of a new series by Kelley Armstrong. I normally don't read thrillers, but gladly make an exception when Kelley Armstrong writes them and I am glad I did. There are some gruesome scenes, but they didn't impact me as much due to the awesome writing style. The beginning was a bit slow, but soon I was really into the story and had a hard time putting the book down, I just wanted to keep reading. I loved seeing the story and mystery involve. See the relationships between the characters evolve. There were some awesome plot twists, especially towards the end and the mystery kept me guessing and who the murderer was took me by surprise. Yes it was awesome. Then there are the characters, who aren't good or evil, but something in between. I liked how that made the characters complicated and everyone had a secret, some did something bad, but they are still good people. And the romance was pretty much perfect, slow building, with lots of banter and them connecting before building up towards more. Gah there are so many great scenes between these two and I wanted them together so badly, but it's also so worth the wait. All in all this is an amazing start of a new series and I would recommend it to everyone who loves a good mystery, thriller, a book with characters who aren't good or evil, a perfect romance or a compelling story set in an isolated town in the wilderness.

This book contains mature language. There is profanity on almost every page. I quit reading at 20%. I had already encountered the f-word at least a dozen times. There was also every other sort of profanity in this novel including anatomical, derogatory, religious and scatological terms.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I should have quit reading sooner. The story wasn't worth slogging through all the coarse language. I do not plan on wasting any more money on another one by this author.

I loved Nadia Stafford. I liked Bitten but not the rest of that series and I never saw the TV show.

Now that my allegiance has been defined, let me just say that I enjoyed this book and will recommend it to my friends who appreciate the books that I do. I love Armstrong's slow pacing, her style and voice, and I have actually been to the Yukon so I have a great mental picture of the area she describes and I think she does a great job. Forest for as far as you can see...

However (spoilers) this book, to me, read like a B- version of Nadia Stafford. Heroine with a crime of vengeance/justice in her past-check. Grumpy attractive male hero who the heroine isn't sure likes her (because of COURSE we know he does)-check. Alternate 'nice guy' almost could be the boyfriend beta male-check. Just saying, A. felt like Quinn, recycled and Eric was like a Jack who talks more (bring back Jack! haha).

Did I like it, absolutely. I LOVE that her romances are slow burns and not graphic. I really liked the world building-I like that this Canadian author isn't afraid to set her books in Canada! (even if there's some America cross over).

Real Peeves: Diana. Ugh. the back and forth and drama was a bit much. Made me doubt Casey a bit more, esp. as this is her only female friend? Really? Even after everything that happened to her, its pretty hard to believe that someone who makes such a big hit in the small town had so much trouble finding any decent friends before. The Mystery: sorry, but it didn't link up smoothly to me. Maybe it makes sense to Armstrong--the string of who-did what but I felt like it was pretty garbled.

I love the Nadia Stafford books and if you did too, read this. But just think of it like all three Nadia books jumbled into one. And yeah, a more chatty Jack.

I was interested in reading the book from the first time I saw it. A town for people that needs to get away. A secret town in the middle of nowhere. It sounded bloody fantastic. But, sometimes my expectations are too high, and when it came to this book did I expect a more mysterious and darker story.

Now, I don't say that the City of the Lost is a bad book, it started off interestingly with Casey and her friend Diana needing to get away, especially Diana after she once again had problems with her ex-boyfriend who beat her badly. Casey's problem is a bit more complicated, she killed a man when she was in college and have since then been waiting for the day the past would catch up with her. And, now it seems that it has happened. For them is Rockton a perfect solution, although Casey because of her past has a hard time getting approved for going to the town, in the end, is she allowed, but there are some conditions for her and one of the reasons they agree to accept her is because they need a homicide detective to solve a murder.

It's in Rockton that I felt the story started to drag now and then, it just went on and on, sometimes it felt that the investigation didn't go anywhere. I was also a bit disappointed with the town, it felt that it was just really bad people there and if you were a woman then you had to watch out (I think I had a town like the one in Pines (Wayward Pines by Blake Crouch in mind, normal but mysterious). There were some promising things with the story, the rumors about cannibals were interesting, it just never becomes much more than a rumor. Then, the obvious and expected romance occurred (I have read reviews of the books so I was prepared), and it took more time away from the investigations, but at the same time was it an important part of the story that I can't discuss since it would spoiler the book.

The ending, well it was good, perhaps not fantastically good, but Casey did solve the murder and all. She also discovered some secrets that someone close to her had kept and I loved the confrontation between Casey and this person.

So, City of the Lost did not turn out to be this fantastic book I had hoped for. It was more of a bumpy ride with both ups and downs. Would I read the next book? Yes, I would! I did enjoy more of the book than I disliked. I just hope the next book will have a less bumpy ride.

This is my first Kelley Armstrong book…I've never read any of her paranormal stuff of which she is well known for. Her writing in this was easy to listen to and her characters were easy to root for. Especially, Casey…she kind of rocks. I wish I could have gotten with who she chooses to be her love interest more, but I was left liking the other guy…I think it may have been the voice that Therese Plummer chose for him, I just didn't really care for it.

City of the Lost is a "city" out in the Yukon, somewhere between Alaska and Canada I believe, that is sort of like it's own little commune, minus the religion. The people go there to live and get away from their problems in the real world, whether it's an abusive ex or a crime they've committed, they are all running from something or someone. They even pay money for the privilege of going there to live. I never really understood where the money goes to, some sort of council that doesn't even live there…sounds fairly sketchy to me. But otherwise, a worthwhile and fascinating story, with everything from possible cannibals, wild dogs, cats, grizzlies and a red fox; to drinking, drugs, casual sex and oh-so-much more. Including some unforeseen twists that will have you reeling.

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~~~~~MY RATING~~~~~
☆4.3☆STARS - GRADE=A-
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~BREAKDOWN OF RATINGS~

Plot~ 4.2/5
Main Characters~ 4.3/5
Secondary Characters~ 4.5/5
The Feels~ 4/5
Pacing~ 4.5/5
Addictiveness~ 4.5/5
Theme or Tone~ 4/5
Flow (Writing Style)~ 4.5/5
Backdrop (World Building)~ 4.5/5
Originality~ 4.5/5
Ending~ 4/5 Cliffhanger~ Not really…
Book Cover~ It's okay…
Narration~ ☆4.5☆ for Therese Plummer, she does so many different voices very well.
Series~ Rockton #1
Setting~ Rockton, Canada
Source~ Audiobook (Library)

I have just found a new series to read as I can’t stop thinking of this novel. Imagine a dark forest that the area village is afraid of entering because it contains creatures and dangerous individuals. The forest is there for hunting and for punishment, some individuals have been in the forest for years. I didn’t want to put this novel down once I got started and when I had to put it, I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters and what might happen next. There were plenty of twists and secrets inside this novel and they kept coming right up until the very end.

The story begins with Casey telling her therapist that she killed a guy and she’s telling the truth. She did it in self-defense and the event has turned her life upside down. Casey is basically a loner and she confines in her best friend, Diane. Diane is a punching bag for her boyfriend, Graham and has been for years. Diane has a on-off relationship with her boyfriend. Casey is secretly dating a bartender who ends up getting shot one evening after work. This shooting is tied to the guy that Casey killed.

Diane begins talking about a safe town where individuals can go to escape for a while but Casey ignores her. Casey tries to protect Diane from her abusive boyfriend and it frustrates her when Diane gets beat up. She doesn’t know how to protect her but she doesn’t believe in this safe town that Diane has been talking about. Diane ends up finding a phone number for his safe town and Casey makes the call and puts things in motion for the two of them to make the trip.

The town is called Rockton and there is a time limit that most individuals stay. Population now is 200 people and it seems like a great place, a self-sufficient town but nothing is perfect including this small town. They have issues and not everyone knows or cares. Once individuals come into Rockton, they change and its usually not for the better.

Oh, how I liked this freaky little town and its citizens. It seemed that they tried to create their own community to help others but what is this controlled society really attempting to do? What a fantastic read, I can’t wait to get back to it!

City of the Lost is a strong first installment for another series by Kelley Armstrong. Casey Duncan and her best friend Diana need fresh starts. Casey's a homicide detective whose luck outrunning the murder she's hiding in her own past has just run out, and Diana's abusive ex-husband has turned up on the scene yet again. Diana thinks she's found the answer: she's heard rumors of a small town that's so off-grid that you might as well be vanishing into thin air.

Rockton might be off-grid, but it's not an idyllic escape. It's an eclectic bunch of citizens living together under an authoritarian rule. The sheriff explains, "'The women are mostly running from bad choices in men. The men are mostly running from bad choices in life.'" Even then, though, not everyone is who they say they are - something that becomes even more crucial as the town becomes rocked by a string of murders and disappearances that threatens their fragile sanctuary. Casey has to search for the truth behind everyone's stories while acclimating herself to this entirely different way of living. At one point, Casey muses how "Rockton has taught me that you can't underestimate the speed with which we humans can undo a thousand years of civilization. We aren't nearly at Lord of the Flies level inside town limits, but if you walk a mile into the wilderness, you'll find Golding's world come to life." It's an intriguing and unique setting for a crime fiction novel, and you're left wondering the whole way through if the sadistic killer is a hostile savage in the forest or a sinister force living right there in their midst.

The murders are brutal and the story is fast-paced and captivating as Armstrong's mysteries always are. I couldn't put this book down. Nevertheless, to me, the strongest points of this novel are the moments that slow down and watch Casey fall into place in Rockton. Her relationships with the other characters are incredibly fun to watch build, and so is her relationship with the town itself, somewhere that she never truly wanted to be in the first place. The romance that builds is natural and never feels urgent. In much of the novel, Casey simply acknowledges that the possibility exists and moves on to the more important building body count. It makes for a satisfying conclusion when she's finally ready to act on the feelings that have been budding slowly throughout the novel.

Kelley Armstrong really has a remarkable talent for building new universes, and this first taste of Rockton has already made me excited for what other stories are hidden within the town limits. I'll definitely be tuning in for the next installment.

So I did something that I haven't done in years; I read a crime thriller. Not the typical sci-fi/urban-fantasy/paranormal erotica that I have been reading for years. Even stranger? I really liked it!!! My ex reads this stuff and I'm always saying how I couldn't read that stuff because the stories are too real and how that stuff actually happens. I prefer my unreal sci-fi/urban-fantasy/paranormal erotica. Sooo much more entertaining.

Sooo wrong!!! Armstrong's City of the Lost captured me in the first chapter with Casey's therapy confession. I was so engrossed in this book, I finished it in two sittings and even stayed up until midnight, on a work night, just to finish it. I've already got the second book and can not wait to start it. While there were some gross parts describing the murders, they weren't too bad and I got through them ok.

This is not the first Armstrong book I have read. She actually is more of a urban-fantasy writer than a crime writer but because I've liked some of her previous books, City of the Lost was one of the books that Goodreads recommended. I had a similar experience with Rebecca Zanetti, who I love and thoroughly enjoyed her urban-fantasy Dark Protectors series so when she ventured into her two recent Brothers crime thriller series I read those too and really enjoyed them.

I guess sometime for me, it's more about a really good writer than a specific genre. It seems some really good writers can write about a lot of different genres.

Okay I have always loved Kelly Armstrongs writing and I must confess, I couldn't put this book down. I had to at 4 am in the morning but finished it the first things I could in the morning.

The story is very interesting and draggs the reader in. It is a very well developed and though of story with a red thread even if there is a lot of things going on. There is new life, hope, problems, darkness friendship, enemy, breakups, love, trouble and mystery. Everything a great book need and everything is in good proportions. You dont get annoyed or frustrated. This is a real page turner. I love how the story is developed and flows easy to the reader. It dont feel forced in any way like some stories can do.

The characters it a perfect bunch of imperfection. I love hos Kelley Armstrong has made the story with how people came to the city and how they all have their problems and secrets and how they are trying to deal with it. The characters makes you feel and some you love, some you hate, some annoys you, some you want to hug an some you just want to slap in the face... with a chair.. made of Iron.

Overall A really awesome book and I didnt expect anything else from Kelley Armstrong who is one of my favourite authors and has been sense I picked up her book "Bitten" in my teens.

I am shocked by how much I ended up liking this book. The story grabbed me immediately and I never lost interest. This was one of those books where just as soon as I thought I knew where the story was going, something would happen and I would realize that I was completely wrong. This really was the kind of book that can really hard to put down.

This is the first book in the Casey Duncan series and after reading the first two books in the series, I do recommend that this series be read in order. This book really does set the groundwork for the next book in the series. This was a book that started in one manner and by the time it was over it was a completely different book. I loved that this book kept me guessing until the very end.

Casey is a detective. A detective with a past. She is very protective of her friend, Diana, who has been the victim of domestic violence. She has even moved before in order to support her friend. Diana learns about a town where people like her can go to hide and desperately wants to go. She wants Casey to come along with her. They end up going to Rockton, a town off the grid, in the Canadian wilderness.

Rockton is filled with interesting characters. Casey is put to work right away with Sheriff Dalton who more or less runs the town. The mystery in this story really took a lot of twists and turns that were completely unexpected. I had no idea which characters could be trusted from one moment to the next. I had to keep the pages turning just to find out what would happen.

The writing was wonderful. I was sucked into the story from the first sentence. Literally the first sentence. The pacing of the story was perfectly done. There were points in the book that were focused on really getting to know the characters while others were actively working on the mystery. The mystery was complex and believable. I honestly cannot believe that this is the first book by Kelley Armstrong that I have read because it seems that I am really missing out.

I would highly recommend this book to mystery thriller fans. Although Kelley Armstrong is known for writing books filled with supernatural elements, this book is a straight up mystery thriller. And it is a good one.

Well, she fooled me with this one. All the clues pointed to the other guy, yet, they also pointed to the actual murderer.

Casey Duncan is playing roulette with her life. She confesses that she murdered a man to several therapists hoping that she can find one that will go around their oath and report her. She does not feel guilty for the murder, her boyfriend had left her in an alley when his drug deal soured and the men beat her within inches of her death. Once able to leave the hospital, she confronted him, unfortunately the gun went off.

Casey's best friend, Diana, is on the run from an abusive ex. All Diana talks about is an idyllic off the grid town that harbors people that need to disappear. A place that is available to them for a few years as a sort of reprieve where they can shed their old lives. Imagine no cell phones, no Internet, no mail, no computers, very little electricity, and no way of getting in or out without the town council's approval. After the interview process, they discover that the town will only take Diana if Casey goes with her. This is not in Homicide Detective Casey Duncan’s plans, but she will play along for six months to get Diana settled.

Rockton is beyond isolated in the Yukon wilderness which begin to lead to problems all of their own. Drugs and alcohol are rampant. Women will resort to whatever means to earning credits and this puts Casey in a very precarious position with the townsfolk. Turns out that this town is also in need of a police detective, they have a murderer on the loose and Sheriff Eric Dalton needs help.

Everyone in Rockton has a secret. No one is who or what they seem. People are going to die. The town council has their own agenda and once again, Casey will put her life on the line not realizing that she was being played the whole time.

City of the Lost is my first book by author Kelley Armstrong, who I found to be a very talented writer. She knows how to move a story along with suspense and chilling detail. The plot here intrigued me - detective Casey Duncan and her friend Diana discover a town where people can disappear off the grid. Each has a reason to escape their current situations and seek application to the town of Rockton, which is deep in the Yukon Territories. Once there, residents are allowed no contact with the outside world and life is decidedly less idyllic than anticipated. When several murders take place, no one knows who to trust and everyone becomes a suspect.
While I liked the writing, I didn't feel much of a connection to Casey, the lead character in this new series. But the plot twists kept me intrigued until the final chapters when Armstrong seemed to wrap up loose ends with a randomness that was sometimes hard to follow. Otherwise I did enjoy the book and many of the supporting characters so I expect I'll read any follow up in this series even though Casey herself isn't what drew me in.

This is the first book in the Casey Duncan series.
I fell in love with Kelley Armstrong’s tales through her Other world series. Bitten is the first in that one. So, I discovered Nadia Stafford, not supernatural and loved that trilogy. Then this book came out, and I was interested.
Imagine a place in the middle of middle of now where, where a person can shed their old life for a while, start fresh, but at a cost…A place that was designed for those who truly need to disappear. But Rockton, has its own secrets and its first murder.
So, enters Casey Duncan, a woman with her own secret, and her friend Diana, who can’t escape her abusive ex. Rockton, needs a detective, Diana needs a fresh start…
Soon after you start this tale, it grabs you and takes you on a wild ride, with twist and turns that keep you wanting to see how it all ends.
I really enjoyed this story and wasn’t disappointed at all. Looking forward to the second book. A well written thriller. Worth the time to read.

Yukon Territory

Casey Duncan is a detective that is both talented and young. She also killed a man once and got away with it. Though that isn’t the reason she needs to find a refuge. Diana is her best friend and Casey has been hiding her from an abusive ex but now he has found Diana again. In Diana’s support group she has heard of a mythical town that she knows she will be safe in because they take people like her that are escaping from all that threatens them if she can only find it. It turns out the town actually exists and is called Rockton. The town council will accept Diana but only if Casey goes too.

The laconic town sheriff is completely capable of sobering up drunks and dispensing his own frontier justice, but now the town is being rocked by a series of brutal murders. Suddenly the question is what is happening? Is it the town of Rockton turning on itself or is the victims’ pasts catching up with them. Whichever it is it is threatening the survival of the town. The sheriff hates to rely on anyone but himself but he needs the help that Casey can offer.

What started out as a sacrifice that Casey is willing to make for her best friend shows her that she just might need the town of Rockton as much as it needs her.

This is an amazing start to a series that will have readers wanting the next book right now. The characters are intriguing and move the story along at warp speed. Just as readers think they know what is going on in the town of Rockton a twist is thrown in and will have them wondering if they know what is going on in the town at all. This story keeps the reader guessing until the very last page. It will be interesting to see where the series takes the reader. For those that enjoy thrillers this is definitely a book to check out.

First things first, if you know Kelley Armstrong from her very successful Women of the Otherworld urban fantasy series, be advised that there are absolutely no supernatural or paranormal aspects to this story. What does carry over from that genre to this one is Armstrong's ability to take an interesting premise and build an equally interesting story around it.

Casey Duncan is a 30 year old homicide detective who has more or less been going through the motions of a life ever since a tragic event in her past twelve years ago. Her only real contact is her best friend, Diana, who comes saddled with her own baggage. When dangers from both their pasts rear their heads, Diana offers a possible escape option: a secret town for people who need to disappear.

I had a bit of a rough start with this book. I was questioning Casey's choices several times in the first few pages alone. Once I accepted that certain things had to happen in order to get Casey to Rockton, the secret town, I was able to settle into the story and just enjoy the ride. The interest factor also picked up for me once Casey actually makes it to Rockton. It's a city with very limited electricity, no cell phones, no internet, where people make do with lanterns and wood stoves. The residents all come with secrets of their own and pasts from which they're hiding.

Rockton, it seems, is experiencing a series of disappearances and gruesome deaths so Casey has to hit the ground running as the town's sole detective. She is guided in her efforts by the local Sheriff, Eric Dalton. At first he seemed like just another prickly ass but this is a false impression. Eric's unique history just means that he's not privy to all the social and emotional games and manipulations that everyone else has grown up learning how to play. He doesn't suffer fools gladly, he says exactly what he means, and he means everything he says - and he expects the same of others. I really liked him from the start, prickly ass and all. :-)

The solving of the mystery felt a little rushed near the end and this is probably due to the story spending a chunk of the last half of the book on the romantic developments in Casey's life. Since I was pretty interested in these developments too - and they offered some insight into the pasts of other characters - I didn't mind. Plus, I'm guessing that this is the first published effort in this new genre by the author so I'll allow for these pacing missteps.

Truthfully, I should rate this as 3.5 stars but I'm feeling generous AND the story did make me eager to spend more time in Rockton. I'll be looking for the second book next year.

Ahoy there me mateys! For those of ye who are new to me log, a word: though this log’s focus is on sci-fi, fantasy, and young adult, this Captain does have broader reading tastes. Occasionally I will share some novels that I enjoyed that are off the charts (a non sci-fi, fantasy, or young adult novel), as it were.

Though this novel is off the charts, the author has been spotted herein before. This is an adult thriller/mystery/crime novel that struck me fancy because it sounded cool and because I highly enjoyed both her fantasy and her young adult novels.

While this was not me favorite of her books thus far, I certainly liked it. I always appreciate this author’s writing style. Her books are fast paced and quick to read. This one took me two days. As usual, I loved her characters, setting, and getting absorbed in me reading.

The setting – an off-the-grid town in the Yukon where people come to escape their old lives. The problem- murder, of course! The main character- Casey a detective with an usual past who is tenacious, kick-ass, and fun and has something to hide. She ends up in the town of Rockton to help find out who-dunnit and maybe find love in the process.

This book was full of plot twists – only some of which I guessed. I didn’t really care about the murders. The how and whys of the investigation seemed kind of lax. However the author certainly tries her best to make every single person a suspect which was amusing. The romance was good in some ways because Casey is a strong willed woman but a little too much junk thrown in to add romance suspense. But overall I just went with the flow and tried not to think too hard about the whys and hows. It worked because I loved Casey, kept reading, and have no regrets about how I spent my reading time.

Apparently book two is currently scheduled for February 7, 2017. Looking forward to it.

If ye liked this review, see me others at [...]

I like Casey Duncan and I can see her personality appeal and how she interacts with solving a case but the town her and Diana escape to was just weird. I wished the characters were introduced before all the killings took place because I could not get a feel for how they connected to even try to solve the crime before the ending was revealed in the book. Almost like the reader was never given all the facts. I would still be interested in continuing with the series to see where it goes.

First in the Casey Duncan psychological thriller series set in the wilds of Canada and revolving around a detective on the run.

My Take
It's a thrilling mystery with plenty of twists and red herrings, anxiety and terror, and it's more of an exploration of Rockton. The investigation is simply the path Armstrong takes to introduce us to the town and its inhabitants, how it evolved, the psychology of living there, and to facilitate that very odd romance. I am curious about those arbitrary lengths-of-stay. If the inhabitants need to disappear from the world, why would a two-year disappearance be enough? Especially when you find out what some of them have done!

That byplay with Dalton at the beginning where he tries to blackball her from coming to Rockton didn't work for me. It didn't make any sense, especially when we get to Rockton. He already knows he needs help, that she's good, so…? To be fair, Dalton does reveal much later that he has good reason to be wary, even as he's impressed with how quickly she gets to the root of other issues he's worrying over. For some reason, Armstrong downplays this big worry of his at the end. It's as if it never existed.

I can understand Casey's concerns about Isabel's establishment setting up a mindset for the men that all the women are available for a price, but I don't understand men who think it's true. Yeah, yeah, yeah, all you guys out there are thinking…"and what about the cost of that dinner, the flowers, the candy, the…" That's totally different from shoving some money at a woman as she's getting out of bed. How can Casey claim Isabel's catering to the men who can't keep their pants zipped is an insult to the men if she's also whining about the high rate of sexual assaults as well as the approaches that have been made to her? And if Casey knows there's a high rate of assaults, that means the cops know about it. Why aren't they doing something about it? They've got lots of chores these guys can do. There's always the forest where they can walk back to civilization. This "sexual exploration" makes no sense to me. It's more like Armstrong dropped it in to sex things up.

Lol, Diana gets pissy when she finds out about Casey's place and it's so much better than hers. It sure reinforces the concept of meritocratic "police state". Those punishments were practical too.

All that said, Armstrong starts off strong and gets stronger. I hated that jerk boyfriend of Casey's, and I think he got off lightly. Of course, I also think Casey was nuts to be blabbin' away to those therapists, although I'd believe as she did that the client confidentiality would hold. After all, that murder was years ago, and it's not like he didn't have it coming.

While Casey is a decent human being (with a huge martyr complex), she is damaged due to how her parents treated her, raised her. Diana's parents should have had to undergo psychiatry to determine if they should have children…right alongside Diana's parents. I did have to laugh later, though. Casey's parents were doctors whose daughter went into law enforcement while Beth's parents were in law enforcement whose daughter went into medicine. And both sets were disappointed.

Gimme a break, even I didn't think the mysterious figure was Ricci. Casey certainly has enough reason to think the situation could be dangerous, and why she fluffs it off, I don't know. I wish Armstrong had played on the emotional attachment between Casey and Kurt more. It's more of a tell that doesn't pull at me. As for Eric, yes, he's a pain. But from the sound of that town, they need an autocratic guy like him, and it sure sounds like the town respects him. Except for that one thing, you'll always know where you stand with him. Nor does he hold anything back when he lets Casey know what he thinks of Diana and her new friends. I gotta say, as the story goes on, I agree with Dalton. Jesus. As for Val. I don't think the woman has ever even talked to Dalton. The man she's describing is not the man I've been getting to know. Although, it is pretty easy to see where she's getting her ideas from. That woman is one sick puppy.

I do like the plan Casey comes up with to counter the extortion the investors are holding over Eric. And that new judgment on Diana has me whooping, and I cannot wait until 2017 for A Darkness Absolute .

The Story
Casey bargains hard for Diana. She's her friend and she's under attack. Again. She's willing to step back to ensure Diana's safety. Instead, she gets six months to prove herself.

It's a captive population in many ways, for all that they have their freedom.

The Characters
Detective Casey Duncan "Butler" began as a police recruit, knocked back, who struggled to come back as a police detective. Cricket will become her horse. Her disapproving parents — Dad is a cardiologist and Mom is chief of pediatric surgery — don't last long. Kurt is her ex-con bartending boyfriend working to make it right…and if this isn't the sweetest guy…sigh…

Diana Berry, Casey's best (and only) friend, is an accountant who can't hold a job and certainly never ascends the ladder of success. She's fleeing her abusive lawyer husband, Graham Berry.

Rockton, Ontario, does…
…not exist, and its population is 70% self-sustaining. Valerie is the firm representative and client liaison, and boy, does she have her issues. The people in charge are the investors, one of whom is Phil. Sheriff Eric Dalton has been in office for five years and has some intense secrets of his own. Blaze is the gelding he rides. His dad was the sheriff in Rockton. Deputy Will Anders has his own secret past in the military and is a sweet, outgoing man. Dr. Elizabeth Lowry fled a potential criminal case and is now the local medico.

Kenny, a former high school math teacher, is with the local militia. Isabel Radcliffe, a psychologist in her previous life, now runs the Roc, a bar and bordello. Mick is Isabel's boyfriend, a former city and local cop. The Red Lion is another bar, more of a Western saloon. Pierre Lang is a pedophile. Jen is a nightmare of an addict. I wouldn't mind if she walked into the forest. Ted. Jerome Hastings is the town chemist. Dalton thinks he's the one manufacturing rydex. Richard (Rich, Dick) and the artistic Petra are some of Diana's new friends. Irene is a horticulturalist on the run. I think Rodrigues works in the greenhouses.

Harry Powys had been a doctor in his past life; he's only the latest. Irene Prosser was Harry's ex-girlfriend. Abbygail Kemp was a young girl who'd had a bad start and was coming back into her own. A sweet girl about whom everyone in town is worried.

Brent had been a mildly bipolar bounty hunter who now lives full-time in a cave. Jacob is a settler and hostile with family issues.

The settlers are those who disapproved of the changes from a communal Rockton to a police state while the hostiles are those who lost their humanity and have turned more animalistic.

Timmons is Casey's partner back in the big city. Detective Stefan Ricci is a new detective from Special Victims. Constable Wiley is something of a jerk. Ms. Lang is a rape victim who was strangled almost-to-death by her abusive addict boyfriend. Britnee Spencer got some "private" lessons from Graham. Larry is a co-worker of Kurt's. Blaine Saratori is a wannabe drug-pushin' thug who is an arrogant coward. Leo Saratori is his mobbed-up grandfather.

The Cover and Title
The cover is a forest of bare trees in silhouette against a foggy winter twilight sky, lonely, with a woman striding into the forest in her black leather coat, her long black hair flowing down her back. The author's name is in a frosty deep yellow with the title below it in a matching frosty white.

The title is what it is, a City of the Lost, those who want to disappear.

4.5 stars, actually.

Casey and her friend Diana are fleeing some bad decisions. Diana's bad decisions involve an abusive boyfriend who put her in the emergency room. Casey's bad decision involves seeking out an ex boyfriend who left her behind the night his drug-dealing habits caused them to get jumped by rival drug gangbangers.

Casey's a cop, so when the very, very secretive town of Rockton in the far Canadian Northern Wilderness suddenly has some unexplained (and gruesome, did I mention extremely gruesome? Like intestines nailed to a tree gruesome) murders...they agree to accept Casey and Diana.

No cellphones, no outside contact, scarce resources, and a wild forest filled with bears, wolverines (not the Hugh Jackman kind), and hostile humans who think nothing of shooting you as a "warning" for venturing into their territory.

Confession: despite knowing this was a straight up thriller-murder-mystery I kept waiting for hostiles to turn out to be werewolves or something (Armstrong is the author of the Bitten series-- made into hokey tv but one of the first paranormals I ever read) but the true horror here isn't supernatural.

Rockton is a psychological hothouse of abused and broken people. Casey slowly uncovers peoples' pasts and the moral line between good and bad gets a bit blurred.

And then there's Eric Dalton-- Rockton's sheriff. He's cranky, and domineering, and is desperately trying to keep people alive and the town together because he literally can live nowhere else. And somehow Casey and Eric find themselves enjoying beers on the back porch and gazing at the stars.

And there's a bunch of betrayals I didn't see coming. Which was fun. Okay, in a twisted way, but fun nonetheless. The book loses half a star do to a somewhat awkward start between Diana and Casey.....but once they get to Rockton its all good.

Psychological thriller murder mystery in a fascinating remote Canadian town with a flawed but strong heroine. The slow-burn romance was icing on the cake.

This is the first book in a new thriller/mystery series by Armstrong called the Casey Duncan series. I got a copy of this book to review through NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a very engaging read with a wonderfully delicious dark and mysterious mystery. I loved the setting and the characters and really enjoyed how the plot unfolded. There is also a little romance in here to balance out the gruesomeness.

Every character in this book has issues...big ones. This made for an incredibly intriguing cast of characters that were unpredictable and engaging.

The setting was amazing. You have all these characters hiding from past people and crimes in an isolated town in the middle of nowhere. The town is fairly primitive and requires the full cooperation of the people living there to survive. Surrounding this town is the harsh Canadian wilderness and...other things. I loved this remote setting and loved the survivalist element this brought to the story.

The plot constantly kept me guessing and trying to figure out “who done it” was a challenge. I loved some of the twists at the end of the story; just amazing.

The main mystery was wrapped up nicely but there are many storylines I hope are fleshed out more in future books. There is a sweet romance that develops between two of the characters as well and that really helped balance out some of the more gruesome scenes in this book.

Overall this was an amazing thriller/mystery set in a intriguing location with engaging characters. I am not a huge thriller/mystery fan but I ended up loving this book. I would recommend to fans of Armstrong’s writing and to those who love mysteries stories that have an element of survivalism to them.

This is one of those books that starts with a sentence that immediately grabs your attention, proceeds to set up a fascinating premise, and almost self-destructs by introducing a character that most readers will instantly dislike. Instantly. BUT, this is also one of those books you need to stick with (I almost DNF’ed it at page 128) because it gets better, moves faster, and the characters are complex.

Detective Casey Duncan has a secret that hangs over her like an executioner’s axe. And after over a decade of strong work on the Chicago PF, she suddenly finds herself dealing with the fallout. Her best friend, Diana, is trying to escape an abusive relationship that has become near fatal. Diana tells Casey she has heard of a place, a town that does not exist on the grid, for people trying to escape their past or present. For Diana’s sake, Casey agrees to disappear to the town of Rockton.

Hidden in the deep woods of the Yukon Territory, Rockton has no electricity, running water or cell phone service. All its buildings are made of wood. Transportation is by horse or ATV. With Sheriff Eric Dalton in charge, the town is a police state for, well, criminals. It’s like Botany Bay took a detour, landed in the Yukon instead of Australia, and built a town reminiscent of the Wild West. No one keeps their real name, their reasons for disappearing to Rockton remain a secret, and an off-site council controls the place. Unfortunately, the sheriff needs a detective as some of the town’s two hundred citizens have met a grisly end.

This is where the book almost self-destructs. The sheriff is, without question, an unlikeable a-hole. He shows no redeeming qualities as he grunts, glares, snorts, ignores and drops the f-bomb as a response to everything. I almost chucked the book because of his constant man-splaining and interrupting anything Casey had to say. It drove me crazy. Then, the permafrost began to crack and melt and he showed a teeny-tiny bit of humanness buried beneath a bunch of baggage. It took a while, almost too long, but it happens.

What offsets the sheriff's swagger is Casey's intelligence and overall kickassedness. The girl has a black belt, is sassy, refuses to let her boss get under her skin, and is a sharp detective. She is great at talking through a situation to break it down so it makes sense. She's the perfect foil for the monosyllabic sheriff because she doesn't take any of his BS. It's her stalwart determination that gets the man to open up and show his true self. She is no priss or damsel in distress or someone who needs a man to make her a whole woman.

Because the story takes place in a town inhabited by mostly felons or damaged souls, there is a lot of criminal activity. Drugs, sex, booze, even prostitution. And true to old west-style justice, offenders might find themselves dunked into a horse trough or tied to a tree for the night or pulling extra duty chopping wood. Casey is kept busy, but her friend thrives. With the high male to female ratio, Diana is fast making friends and forgetting Casey.

There are a lot of twists in this book. I don’t think I’m spoiling the story by pointing out that no one is who he or she appears to be. No one. Every single character is hiding a whopper of a secret. And the answer behind all the dead bodies is not straightforward. I even had to reread that page to make sure I got it right.

I’m glad I didn’t round file this book because I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. It appears to be a series and, if so, I want to read the next one. Casey and Sheriff Dalton work really well together. There are no cliffhangers in City of the Lost, but the setup for the next book is absolutely delicious and guarantees much drama.

I've been a fan of Armstrong's since first reading her YA series way back when and as my tastes have changed and grown and I finally branched out to her adult books, that love has never faltered.

She is a fantastic writer, one that keeps you at the edge of your seat completely entertained and completely enthralled. When I saw a new thriller mystery from her set in an usual setting with characters ever bit as unique, I knew it was something that I needed to try.

I got every single thing from this book that I have come to expect from Armstrong's writing. An original storyline, uncharacteristic characters, and a mystery that kept me not only guessing but turning the pages.

It was hard not falling in love with the foul mouthed surly Dalton and the headstrong and smart Casey as well as the very rustic and slightly off town of Rockton. If you want something different, something different from the norm but so well written and plotted that it is every bit as believable as it is addicting, this is the story for you. I am completely hooked and can not wait for more.

I really enjoyed this book as you can see from my five star rating. I've read and enjoyed some of Kelley Armstrong's previous novels. I was interested in reading this thriller but I wasn't completely convinced it would be up my alley. Casey is a homicide detective with a reason to hide. When her friend Diana needs to get away from an abusive stalker boyfriend they know they need to get away. They find out about a town in the middle of nowhere where people can 'disappear' from the real world. Ok, so if that isn't an exciting premise! The book is interesting enough at the beginning when we are getting to know Diana and Casey but once the story hits Rockton and its inhabitants, I was completely sucked in. There are real disappearances happening in this small, remote town. There are also an awful lot of dead people turning up for such a tiny town. These characters were so well drawn out that I felt invested in them. Eric Dalton is the sheriff and the only life long resident of Rockton. He's gruff and has a bunch of secrets of his own but there always feels like so much about him is genuine. The twists and turns were solid and unexpected. I won't lie, I flipped through the book and accidentally saw what I thought was a spoiler. And guess what? It had so many twists even on that little bit that I read, that I still ended up completely surprised. I'm not sure how they can make this a series and stay in this tiny town, but it just has to be so, because I'm craving another book about Casey and company now.

Kelley Armstrong has been one of my favorite authors since first picking up her Tales of the Otherworld series back in 2008. She is one of those authors that I always watch out for because she has such a great skill in creating authentic, likable characters and putting them in relationships worth rooting for and in situations that keep the pages turning, no matter what genre the book falls into - urban fantasy, teen fantasy or mystery/thriller novels like this one. Here, Armstrong starts a new series featuring police detective Casey Duncan. This smart, thirty-year old detective has a bit of a past, but with a strong sense of loyalty and fearless in the face the danger. It's a fast-paced story that makes it so easy to to keep reading for "just one more chapter" as the chapters are fairly brief and the pages just fly by! I ended up staying up much later than I had planned, reading it in practically one sitting!

The Rockton, Canada setting makes for a very unique backdrop and the town's cast of characters not only nicely populates this book, but makes a solid foundation for more books to come in the series. And it seems ready-made for a television show (ScyFy channel already has adapted Bitten into a series) with its visual prose. It's a wonderfully exciting read and one that highlights all of the reasons why I just love Armstrong's writing - from the plot, the characters and their relationships. I am really looking forward to seeing what comes next in the series! I like Casey a lot as a central character and Rockton is a great backdrop!

I've been a fan of Kelley Armstrong for awhile, and yet I still hesitated to pick up her newest heroine book City of the Lost, the first novel in what I'm guessing will be a series with detective Casey Duncan.
It just seemed that a little town full of people hiding from the law and various situations was TOO far fetched, even for me. But, I went on a whim and wound up engrossed in the book from start to finish. The way the town is described does make it seem less of a stretch and very believable.
This was a fun thriller read, but not without a few faults. For one, it felt to me like the introduction to too many characters at once, so getting and keeping them straight was a little much at the beginning. But, they were well thought out, and given pretty decent dimension.
The other flaw was how I felt Armstrong was so busy trying to keep the twists coming that the ending recap felt too "wait, what?" and I had to reread the recap pages a few times to get them all straight.
A little far fetched, characters a little too flawed, but all in all this was a well paced page turner. I'm debating to pick up the next in the series, but feel like this was a good enough start to at least try the next.

I really liked this one. I was drawn in from the first sentence and wanted to find out how it was all going to be woven together. I was sure I had it all figured out and then was hit with a great surprise (or a few of them) at the end. Armstrong has written some great characters into a good setting that at times feels absolutely grounded, and then at others, sounds completely impossible. But it doesn't matter...because the mystery is great and getting to the bottom of it is just fun.

Finding out who is killing members of a small rural community is made the more difficult because each resident is a suspect with baggage and skeletons in their closets aplenty. There is some sexual tension between Casey and Dalton- enough that makes it work and doesn't make it feel forced. The dialogue and secrets are paced well and little by little, the layers unfold- leaving you wondering and wanting a bit more. Rockton could be a real place if we stretched our imaginations just a little bit- and isn't that exactly what good books make us do?

I am intrigued by what happens next for Casey Duncan and plan on reading the next one in the series.

Casey Duncan confesses her crime to therapists to gauge their reaction, she tells herself that is the reason. That is how the book pulls you in on the first page and it doesn’t let up. It’s the perfect blend of introducing you to the story and the characters. Casey’s boyfriend is an ex-con who owns a bar, her girlfriend is a victim of husband abuse, and she is the youngest to make detective on the city’s police force. The story peels away the layers of deceit, mystery, and the character’s psyche’s with just the right amount of action and description and dialogue. It is a murder/mystery book layered on top of Rockton, mysterious town in the middle of the wilderness with no contact to the outside world for its inhabitants.

If there was a paranormal aspect to the story it could be part of the Otherworld series, it has a strong, smart, professional street savvy quirky woman as the main character, the remote forests of Canada, a mystery, and love interests. I am a fan of Kelly Armstrong and read all of the Otherworld books as they are published. Kelly Armstrong is a master storyteller and her name should be spoken in the same breath as James Patterson and Dean Koontz.

Tightly written, this is the another in a long line of Kelley Armstrong crime/mystery novels I highly recommend. Driven by guilt, Casey Duncan, flees her life when her best friend is set upon by her ex-husband. When her own lover is threatened, Casey gets out of town to an isolated community in the far north, in Rockton, Yukon. Totally off the grid, Casey takes on the job of detective, much against the wishes of the town law, Sheriff Dalton. One of the most enigmatic men she's ever met, Casey soon finds herself mired in a series of mysterious disappearances and murderers where the suspects grow more numerous with each passing day.

The town was set up to allow people from abusive relationships and bad lives to escape their pasts. But when it turns out some of those lost souls are more than they appear to be on the surface, Casey finds herself embroiled in a world of lies and deceptions she has to untangle to prevent more murders. When even her best friend is exposed and everything she every thought was true in her life may turn out to be a lie, Casey is faced with hard decisions. Trust her heart or face the truth head on. Either choice may prove disastrous for everyone she cares for.

Kelley Armstrong has been one of my favorite authors since first picking up her Tales of the Otherworld series back in 2008. She is one of those authors that I always watch out for because she has such a great skill in creating authentic, likable characters and putting them in relationships worth rooting for and in situations that keep the pages turning, no matter what genre the book falls into - urban fantasy, teen fantasy or mystery/thriller novels like this one. Here, Armstrong starts a new series featuring police detective Casey Duncan. This smart, thirty-year old detective has a bit of a past, but with a strong sense of loyalty and fearless in the face the danger. It's a fast-paced story that makes it so easy to to keep reading for "just one more chapter" as the chapters are fairly brief and the pages just fly by! I ended up staying up much later than I had planned, reading it in practically one sitting!

The Rockton, Canada setting makes for a very unique backdrop and the town's cast of characters not only nicely populates this book, but makes a solid foundation for more books to come in the series. And it seems ready-made for a television show (ScyFy channel already has adapted Bitten into a series) with its visual prose. It's a wonderfully exciting read and one that highlights all of the reasons why I just love Armstrong's writing - from the plot, the characters and their relationships. I am really looking forward to seeing what comes next in the series! I like Casey a lot as a central character and Rockton is a great backdrop!

I've been a fan of Kelley Armstrong for awhile, and yet I still hesitated to pick up her newest heroine book City of the Lost, the first novel in what I'm guessing will be a series with detective Casey Duncan.
It just seemed that a little town full of people hiding from the law and various situations was TOO far fetched, even for me. But, I went on a whim and wound up engrossed in the book from start to finish. The way the town is described does make it seem less of a stretch and very believable.
This was a fun thriller read, but not without a few faults. For one, it felt to me like the introduction to too many characters at once, so getting and keeping them straight was a little much at the beginning. But, they were well thought out, and given pretty decent dimension.
The other flaw was how I felt Armstrong was so busy trying to keep the twists coming that the ending recap felt too "wait, what?" and I had to reread the recap pages a few times to get them all straight.
A little far fetched, characters a little too flawed, but all in all this was a well paced page turner. I'm debating to pick up the next in the series, but feel like this was a good enough start to at least try the next.

I really liked this one. I was drawn in from the first sentence and wanted to find out how it was all going to be woven together. I was sure I had it all figured out and then was hit with a great surprise (or a few of them) at the end. Armstrong has written some great characters into a good setting that at times feels absolutely grounded, and then at others, sounds completely impossible. But it doesn't matter...because the mystery is great and getting to the bottom of it is just fun.

Finding out who is killing members of a small rural community is made the more difficult because each resident is a suspect with baggage and skeletons in their closets aplenty. There is some sexual tension between Casey and Dalton- enough that makes it work and doesn't make it feel forced. The dialogue and secrets are paced well and little by little, the layers unfold- leaving you wondering and wanting a bit more. Rockton could be a real place if we stretched our imaginations just a little bit- and isn't that exactly what good books make us do?

I am intrigued by what happens next for Casey Duncan and plan on reading the next one in the series.

Casey Duncan confesses her crime to therapists to gauge their reaction, she tells herself that is the reason. That is how the book pulls you in on the first page and it doesn’t let up. It’s the perfect blend of introducing you to the story and the characters. Casey’s boyfriend is an ex-con who owns a bar, her girlfriend is a victim of husband abuse, and she is the youngest to make detective on the city’s police force. The story peels away the layers of deceit, mystery, and the character’s psyche’s with just the right amount of action and description and dialogue. It is a murder/mystery book layered on top of Rockton, mysterious town in the middle of the wilderness with no contact to the outside world for its inhabitants.

If there was a paranormal aspect to the story it could be part of the Otherworld series, it has a strong, smart, professional street savvy quirky woman as the main character, the remote forests of Canada, a mystery, and love interests. I am a fan of Kelly Armstrong and read all of the Otherworld books as they are published. Kelly Armstrong is a master storyteller and her name should be spoken in the same breath as James Patterson and Dean Koontz.

Tightly written, this is the another in a long line of Kelley Armstrong crime/mystery novels I highly recommend. Driven by guilt, Casey Duncan, flees her life when her best friend is set upon by her ex-husband. When her own lover is threatened, Casey gets out of town to an isolated community in the far north, in Rockton, Yukon. Totally off the grid, Casey takes on the job of detective, much against the wishes of the town law, Sheriff Dalton. One of the most enigmatic men she's ever met, Casey soon finds herself mired in a series of mysterious disappearances and murderers where the suspects grow more numerous with each passing day.

The town was set up to allow people from abusive relationships and bad lives to escape their pasts. But when it turns out some of those lost souls are more than they appear to be on the surface, Casey finds herself embroiled in a world of lies and deceptions she has to untangle to prevent more murders. When even her best friend is exposed and everything she every thought was true in her life may turn out to be a lie, Casey is faced with hard decisions. Trust her heart or face the truth head on. Either choice may prove disastrous for everyone she cares for.

I really enjoyed this book. I have read only one other book by Kelly Armstrong( the first in the Nadia Stafford series), I loved that book and I really liked this one. I am definitely a fan now. The writing and characters are what kept me reading and I think the plot is on the unique side.
Casey Duncan is a homicide detective that needs to disappear. She and her friend Diana have relocated to a place off the grid.
Her first case there involves a macabre murder that escalates into finding a serial killer amongst the small town population.
I found most of the characters here interesting, especially Eric Dalton, the town's sheriff. The one issue I did have was when Casey disclosed who the killer was, it just seemed as it popped out of no where. It did make sense and she had an explanation but just the way it was mentioned, idk. it seemed off compared to the way the rest of the story flowed.
Overall, I would definitely read the next in the series and finish the Nadia Stafford series as well.

Well, I've found a new favourite author! I've read a few of her paranormals and now two of her thrillers and I can say I'm hooked on Kelley Armstrong. This is a brilliant and unique premise allowing for a creepy thriller and Armstrong delivers! She kept me guessing throughout the entire book, changing my mind right up until the very end. I had my suspicions on too many people to have ever solved this one! There is one of the grossest crime scenes I've ever read in a serial killer mystery and I don't throw names around much but the scene is worthy of Mo Hader (my fav for gruesome scenes). I just loved the whole atmosphere of the book: the abandonment, the loneliness, the Wild West aura, and yet it was pure Canadian. There is a romance subplot, and I know always say I'm not into romance (and I'm not) but the romance part is laid back enough that it won me over and I especially enjoyed the characters. The book ends on a complete note but there are threads that make it possible the main characters could return in a sequel. Which would be totally awesome!

I was somewhat enjoying the book, despite being written in present tense (which I hate), until the Sheriff shows up. Men stomping around and acting like children are a complete turn off. I don't care what the "reasons" are, an adult should act like an adult. I never warmed to him, and although I managed to finish the book, I was so bored. I didn't care about anyone, and had to reread several scenes because I couldn't remember who the characters were or why they mattered. I didn't really care for the protagonist either, though I can't really put my finger on why. Maybe because she wanders off at the first opportunity, despite being warned how dangerous the forest is, or maybe because she is so infuriatingly eager to please the a**h*** Sheriff. I won't be reading anymore books in this series.

The first volume of a set of 6 short novellas is only forty four pages long, but it is packed solid full of action, love, hints of sex, baddies and good guys chasing the baddies. As well as twists and turns and double crossings that don't become apparent until the very end.

There is more than one recurring baddie, and without ruining the reading experience, I don’t want to reveal any details but readers will certainly find themselves satisfied and hugely entertained by the story telling skills on display in this short.

At only $1.99 this book is a steal and is therefore highly recommended. It even ends on a cliff hanger!

Four stars for this one, leaving room for improvement and story establishment in the following volumes.

I can’t wait!!!!!

Casey Duncan is a homicide detective who has a secret. Her best friend Diana has an abusive ex husband who keeps finding her no matter how many times she moves. Diana has heard of a town for people who need to disappear and she wants to go there. After Caseys past seems to catch up with her she decides she needs to go with Diana. The town is located in the remote wilderness, no wifi, heat is by wood stove and no cell phones. Casey will be working as a detective. The remote town of Rockford is not what it seems. People have been walking into the forest surrounding the town and found butchered later. There are secrets that need to be discovered before more people die. Who can be trusted? I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Casey and the sheriff. There were all sorts of red herrings to lead you off on the wrong path. I didn't guess who did it or why the murders happened.

Casey Duncan of Kelley Armstrong's "City of the Lost" is a main character with understandable issues. In her past, she killed a man and she knows that it'll catch up with her at some point. For the present though, she is more concerned with getting her best friend, Diana, out of sight of Diana's abusive husband. This path leads them to a small town in the Yukon.

It is clear that most of the characters in the book have issues so Casey isn't alone. The murder mystery itself is somewhat standard fare, but honestly, that doesn't matter for me. I just enjoy Armstrong's style. She has a good sense of character development and plot that keep me interested from start to finish. Although this story doesn't hit the intrigue level of other Armstrong books, I'm still sufficiently on board for the next Casey Duncan novel.

I've loved Kelley Armstrong's fantasy novels for years, but I typically haven't enjoyed her mysteries/thrillers as much. If you've read her Nadia books, I can tell you that her new Rockton Series is much better. One of the things that Kelley is always good at is creating characters that you have complicated feelings about. She's getting even better at creating "bad guys" who are human instead of monsters. By using the setting that she does, the author is playing to her strengths by creating a world similar to ours, but with its own rules.

Casey leaves town with her best friend to protect her from her ex husband who hurts her physically. She believes it is life or death for her friend and leaves behind her lover and her job. They find a way to be allowed into a city in Canada which is a secret place harboring people who need to disappear. Casey, a detective, is given the job of being the town detective working with the sheriff. She has to get to work right away as people are disappearing and when they are found they are in pieces. Casey, and the sheriff - tall, dark, handsome and a man of few words, work together to find out who is killing them. Excellent story and writing. Will read the next one.

I've read most of Armstrong's works and I've seldom been disappointed. City of the Lost is a fabulous start to a new series. I not only enjoyed the world-building of Rockton and how it worked but the characters were very diverse and complex. Also, the backstory of Casey and Diane really helped add depth and clarity to their present predicament. I'm not sure about anyone else, but there have been several times in my life where I have just wanted to run away from the world and this is exactly what Casey and Diane do; only their are rules. Not to mention that someone has been murdered in Rockton. Thankfully Casey is a good detective but she may unearth more secrets than she was bargaining for. Fantastic and I can't wait to read the next in the series!

Book #42 Read in 2016
City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong

Much different than Armstrong's paranormal fare, City of the Lost is the first in a planned series centered around Casey Duncan, a hardened detective. Casey and her friend Diana head to Rockton, a town where people go to escape from their past or skeletons in the closet. Casey is going to be the town's new detective and with a few immediate murders, she will stay busy. This book has a police procedural gore to it but the mystery is well written and will keep readers guessing to the end. It was a good read. I will continue the series. I received this book from the store Vine in exchange for a honest review.

I really enjoyed this story- it kept me entertained from start to finish. The setting was unique, the characters each had their own secrets and flaws, and there were quite a few twists and turns to the story that I wasn't suspecting. There was also a bit of romance worked into the story between two main characters, which I felt enriched the story. The story does wrap itself up, but leaves lots of room for sequels. I've already downloaded book 2!

4.5/5 stars

City of the Lost is an adult mystery. It was also done as a 6 part e-book series.

This book is listed as Casey Duncan #1. So even though the mystery in the book is solved, maybe this is going to be a series?

Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors. I have read pretty much everything that she has written. I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this as an e-serial or as a book. I decided to read the hardcover book. But I wonder if people will have different reactions to the story reading it as an e-serial?

The narrator of this story is Casey (female). The book is told in first person narration. As an 18 year old Casey murdered somebody. The book begins with Casey (now around 30) in a therapist's office declaring herself a murderer.

I really enjoyed this book. Casey Duncan is now a detective. The book starts off going back and forth explaining to the reader exactly what happened when Casey was 18.

Casey is half Asian. Her mother was Chinese and Filipino. I love that this is mentioned once. But nobody brings it up. Casey is an amazing woman. She is tough as nails. Super smart. She is fierce and sassy. She is independent, feisty and curious. Overall, just a really interesting character. I really liked her.

At the beginning of the book Casey's best friend Diana is having problems with her ex-husband. Casey is having problems to do with the person she murdered. They decide to try to look for a town that they have heard of. It is a town for people who need to disappear. A place where nobody can find them.

I found this premise to be very intriguing and original. But I was curious about the e-serial format. Would there be 5 cliffhangers? And how would this affect the book as I was reading it? So I looked at samples of Parts 2-6. So I could see the layout. I was extremely fascinated by what I found. At the beginning of e-serial #2 there was a detailed description of what happened in Part 1. And this was similarly done at the beginning of Part 3-6. I love this idea. Why don't they do this for series? This would be so perfect and helpful. So I decided to read each synopsis as I was done that section in the actual book. It was actually a fun thing to do.

The mystery town is in The Yukon (North West in Canada). It is called Rockton. It is a small town of 200. And they need a detective.

I really enjoyed the people in this town. And I really enjoyed the mystery. It was so original. And there were definitely some twists and turns that I was not expecting. There was a bit of romance in this book too. Overall, this was a wonderful book. I really hope that we will get more Casey Duncan.

So so so so good. I read a lot of mystery and Thriller novels. Many of them are very good. This book stands alone. I really cannot express how wonderful it is. There is no part of it that is slow moving or boring. It is written in such a way that you have no idea how the plot will twist, but yet the plot twists do not feel artificial or that they are intentionally weird or bizarre. This book is better written than most Mysteries, and it does not follow the traditional formulas that most Mysteries and thrillers, however good they are, tend to follow. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

This book was sooooo long. But if you're looking for a good mystery series to start, Kelley Armstrong has seamlessly transitioned from beloved paranormal romance writer to a police procedural/thriller/mystery writer. She blends her style with level headed heroines with a bit of damage and a suddle romance that creeps up on the reader.
This series is one to start and read from the beginning where Casey Duncan is introduced to a creative new world full of secrets in a town that doesn't exist. Four glittery stars.

Audiobook

For some reason I was expecting paranormal but this is pretty much a murder mystery/thriller book. I really liked Casey. The person who committed the murders was a surprise to me so there goes me thinking these books are getting too easy to figure out. I'm jumping right into the next book in the series. I would recommend this book/audiobook.

City of the Lost is the first installment in Kelley Armstrong's Casey Duncan series. As shocking as it seems, Armstrong can write stories that don't center around vampires, werewolves, demons, or fae. Case in point is the author's Nadia Stafford series which I haven't finished reading yet, but will one day, and the Age of Legends trilogy which I just finished reading. City of the Lost is a story that centers on Canadian homicide detective Casey Duncan.

Casey's life has been hanging in the balance wondering when the shoe will drop on her secret. 12 years ago, she took the law into her own hands and killed someone. Deservedly I dare say. Even though she has been a detective at the top of her game for awhile now, she still worries that one day soon she will say the wrong thing to the wrong person, and the mob will put a quick end to her. So, when her best friend Diana discovers that there is a place for those seeking a second chance, and a way to start over, Casey jumps at the chance.

But, there is always a catch. Everyone must fill out an application, be interviewed, and approved by a council that oversees the town. In a town of 200, the average age of the population 35 and a majority men, the selection process is a curious matter. To further drive home how secluded Rockton really is, there are no cell phones, no internet, no computers, and only a select few are able to leave without being approved by the council. It is also deep in the heart of the Yukon.

Rockton is a place that has its fair share of dark and deadly secrets. Secrets that a newly arrived detective who wasn't wanted in the first place, will have her hands full uncovering who she can trust, and who may be waiting to put a knife in her back. It also has a Sheriff who is as prickly as they come, and keeps things close to his chest. This is a town that welcomes those who have done some damning things in the past. Rockton allows them time to hide from anyone who may be looking for them.

Casey isn't all that likable when you first meet her, but she does get better as the story unfolds, and she starts to understand what she has walked into. Before arriving in Rockton, she was walking around like a zombie and sleeping with an assortment of men to ease her pain. Her best friend is about as useless as those who continue to vote for corrupt politicians over and over again and then complain how corrupt they are.

Casey's exploits in Rockton begin and end with Sheriff Eric Dalton. Dalton is distrustful of nearly everyone except maybe his deputy Will Anders. Upon meeting Casey, he begrudgingly accepts her because he needs a detective. He gives her a sort of probation, if you will, then throws her into the deep end when brutal murders pop up like jack rabbits. Casey and Eric's relationship is a tough pill to swallow at times. But, I hesitate to jump on board for fear of potential rifts ahead.

One of the better aspects of this story is how well Armstrong keeps the killer's identity a secret until near the very end. I do like the fact that Casey grows as a character the longer she is in Rockton. I can take the romance or leave it truth be told. Her relationship with Diana is one of those things that you just have to either grin and bear it, or page through. Will I read the sequel called A Darkness Absolute? Probably.

As I was finishing this book , I was thinking to myself, I hope this becomes a series. I was happy to see it is Book 1 of the Casey Duncan series. Casey is an unusual heroine because she is actually a killer who is a police officer. When she helps a friend move to Rockton, a town for people in hiding she meets Dalton, the sheriff who uses her help finding a murderer. This is a great story with lots of twists and turns as well as intrigue and murder. Can't wait for Casey to return and give us another adventure from Rockton.

I have a new author to read now. I blew through this book this weekend and loved it. The pace was fast or maybe just I was reading fast to keep going with the story. I know a lot of us would look for a safe hideaway if we only could so the premise is interesting all on its own. The characters are well fleshed out and I have no problem with books written in the first person so that was a non issue with me.
It does start a bit slow but once I was caught up I put it down for cooking dinner, bathroom breaks and sleep.

I like thrillers that leave you guessing to the very end and this book is exactly that kind of thriller. Casey is a police detective who has a secret from college. When she finds her best friend beaten up one night she decides that it is time for them both to disappear to a town where you go when you don't want to be found. Only problem is that someone who lives in this town is killing people. What better cover than killing those who don't want to be found. A thriller to the very end.

This is the first book I have read by Kelley Armstrong, but it won't be my last. I put this book on my tbr list and once I got it I was so glad I did. I had no idea that Ms. Armstrong normally writes paranormal books, and this is not her normal genre. I got so wrapped up in the story that I lost track of time. This is one book that I did not want to put down. I am so excited to find out there will be a second book in the series.

This is definitely a five star book! There's a mystery, there's a procedural, there are some really neat complex characters all wrapped into a novel with a uniquely fascinating premise and setting. I had not read Armstrong before but I'll look for her in the future because of her strong stprytelling skills. Casey, Dalton, Isabel, Beth, Diana, Anders, Mick- all of them are very very well done. Highly recommend this for an engrossing well written read.

City of the Lost is a thriller set in Northern Canada. While the plot is complex, twisting and ever interesting, the strength of the book is the characters. Not a single person in the book is thin, stereotypical or throw-away. Here, Armstrong takes her normally complex people and relationships and steps it up a notch with unique back-stories and a town where everyone has a deep, dark past. I was crying at page 58 and I can't wait for the following books!

I borrowed this from the Library & I am glad I did. I found it interesting but it didn't grab me until half way through. There were sudden changes in characters that were't completely explained. The ending had me thinking Huh, didn't see that. However, the story line & the concept of a hidden town grabs my interests. I would give it a chance.

I enjoyed the pages that were visible. Very disappointed that pages at the end of each chapter are blank! My Kindle is fully charged and having no issues with other books. Too frustrating to continue with only parts of the book?

This is the first Kelley Armstrong book I've read and now I would like to go right out and get the next one. The writing is excellent--clearly differentiated multi-dimensional characters and the plot arc is not slow but carefully sustained and intensified. The detail is rich and works to build the realistic world-apart that the characters inhabit. I'm a mystery buff and this was a very satisfying novel. It must have been published as a serial somewhere and I am glad I did not encounter it in that form because I don't think I could have tolerated the waits between parts. There are no paranormal aspects as in her earlier works but there is plenty of weird (and believably weird). There is also plenty of romantic tension but it's critical to the story and not at all mushy. Yep, can't wait for the next one.

Original premise (how often can we say that these days?), strong characters, keep-them-guessing twists and turns. More, more! (If this is a series, (little tiny spoiler) - might have wanted to hold back a little on romantic development...)

​City of the Lost by Kelly Armstrong should come with a warning: Read only if you're willing to stay up late to finish! Ms Armstrong pulled me immediately into the story and I had a difficult time putting this book down. I stayed up way beyond my bedtime to finish the book. Will be reading more by this author.

Loved this start to the instalments! It's quite fast paced and hooks you from the start. I'm already drawn in and can't wait for the next instalment to see what happens. I'm already very fond of Casey, Diana and Kurt! I look forward to the rest of their story!

This started out with promise - a wilderness community where people go to disappear, a female detective with a traumatic past, horrific murders taking place in the remote village community. I enjoyed the Yukon forest setting, with its sense of vastness and isolation. What I didn't like was the talk, talk, talk, talk, TALK. The book weighs in at a hefty 400 pages, and no wonder - cutting the yakky conversations would have reduced the book by at least fifty. When the love story (inevitably) occurs, it gets even more talky - only now the dialogue is banal at best, plain corny at worst. The solution to the mystery is so convoluted my eyes were crossing trying to sort it out. Some judicious editing was in order for what could have been a really good story; too bad that didn't happen.

I really enjoyed this book and I was engrossed from the beginning. The storyline was gripping with twists throughout.

However, I found the end rather rushed and sudden. This was the only part of the book that let it down for me.

Interesting premise, but the main characters, Casey and Dalton were pretty annoying. And then (spoiler!!!) when their passions get the best of them it is just juvenile sex stuff and is distracting from the story. Probably won't read another.

I'm speechless. I loved it. And there were no supernatural elements and I still loved it. Amazing. Strong characters, twists and turns we've all come to expect from Armstrong. I will be reading this again.

Kelley Armstrong is an amazing author. Her books keep you on the edge of your seat. She creates wonderful worlds to visit anytime you open the books. City Of The Lost is no exception. A wonderful book.