Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Release Date: February 9, 2021
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Mystery / Suspense
In #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong's latest Rockton book, 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.
A Stranger in Town is the Sixth installment in author Kelly Armstrong's Rockton series. In this story, Detective Casey Duncan and Sheriff Eric Dalton will have to solve multiple mysteries while also trying to figure out how to save Rockton's future. As the story opens, Casey and Eric are out in the forest on a training exercise with their dog Scout. After catching up with some teens from the First Settlement and asking questions about former residents of Rockton who have apparently reverted back to a primal instinct, Casey encounters a woman who staggers out of the forest barefoot and bloody and with horrific injuries.
It's obvious that the woman been attacked but by what or whom? It's obvious that she's an outsider and not one of the Settlements by how she’s dressed. But where did she come from? The next problem is that she doesn't speak English which is required in Rockton. She speaks a language that no one recognizes. Luckily, a new resident just happens to speak Dutch and he is able to get her name. But Casey doesn’t have a good feeling about any of this. She’s got pretty good instincts when it comes to her spidey senses. When she and Eric do more searching, they find more bodies which makes Casey even more nervous that the Hostiles have finally decided to target the town.
To top off Casey's day, a woman named Emelie, one of the original founders of Rockton, decides to pay Rockton a visit. The Council has made it known that they don’t consider the Hostiles to be a threat but Emelie may know more than she can say. In fact, she may be the one person Casey can finally get her questions answered. It will be up to Casey to uncover the truth from the hyperbole. Casey has been pondering the reluctance of the council to admit to the problem of the hostiles, and as things go from bad to worse, Casey becomes more certain that the council is responsible for the hostiles, not simply for wanting to avoid doing anything about them.
Things are changing in Rockton. Residents who once had two years before they had to return to their former life’s, are being denied extensions to remain in Rockton. Rockton, it seems, is in trouble of being closed down because of the number of strangers who have been showing up in Rockton uninvited. Casey and Dalton have been trying to unravel the mystery behind the origination of the hostiles and how they ended up so far gone to the point where violence against Rockton and its residents is a given. If they can solve the mystery, maybe they can save the town.
When you understand that this story takes place over the course of several days, you can believe that Casey and Eric are burning themselves out. 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. It is fair to say that this story foreshadows what to come next. Casey and Eric's relationship remains strong and they make a great team, personally and professionally. The most curious character, again, is Sebastian. Even though I don’t trust the boy, his character growth is remarkable. It is even possible that he’s made a friend from the First Settlement. I do believe that every single major character who has appeared in this series shows up in this book. From Isabel, to Will, to Matthias, to Diana, to Phil. Each plays some minor part in what happens during the story.
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