Audiobook Review: Murder at Haven’s Rock by Kelley Armstrong
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Murder at Haven’s Rock by Kelley Armstrong
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Series: Book 1 of Haven’s Rock
Publisher: Macmillan Audio (February 21, 2023)
Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Therese Plummer
When the Rockton series ended, I was relieved to learn that it won’t be the last we’ll see of Casey Duncan, Eric Dalton, and the gang. Enter Haven’s Rock, the new spinoff that’s really just a continuation of Rockton under a new name, though given all the new changes it’s easy to see how a rebranding might be in order.
Theoretically, Murder at Haven’s Rock could work as a jumping point for new readers, but I wouldn’t recommend it. While the mystery plot itself may be able to stand alone, you’ll still be missing out on years’ worth of character histories and dynamics. More importantly, Rockton is just so good, you would be doing a disservice to yourself not to start from the very beginning.
On that note, please also be aware this review may contain spoilers for the Rockton series—especially the ending. As certain events ultimately led the closing of the original town, Casey and Eric have decided to oversee and finance the building of a new one, and they have named it Haven’s Rock. Like its predecessor, it is meant to be a refuge for those who don’t wish to be found. Even now, construction is being carried out with the utmost secrecy, taking place in the middle of the Yukon wilderness.
However, things are not off to a great start. Before the town can even officially open its doors, two members of the construction crew suddenly go missing in the night, and Casey and Eric are called in to help track them down. The situation only goes downhill from there when a body of a woman is found in the woods, confirming Casey’s worst fears. They thought they had chosen the perfect place to build Haven’s Rock, a safe place to start over. But soon, as her investigation leads to more death and more foul play, the mounting evidence leaves no room for doubt: there is a murderer on the prowl, leaving the future of their new town in question.
I really enjoyed Murder at Haven’s Rock, but to fully understand why, we must go back to my reviews of some of the later Rockton books. Namely, I’d noted things were starting to feel a little stale, given how we were six or seven books deep in a series that took place in the middle of nowhere and we were starting to see some repeating patterns in the storylines or plots that became increasingly ridiculous just to keep things fresh. Well, this series fixes all that, shaking up the status quo and ensuring everyone gets their chance at a brand new start. Meanwhile, all the things I loved about Rockton, like the fantastic setting and the locked-room style mystery plots, are happily preserved.
My favorite part though, is that feeling of limitless potential. I’ve missed that. Hats off to Kelley Armstrong for all the work she put into the set up of Murder at Haven’s Rock to ensure that it ends with a lot to lead into the next book. These characters are amazing, though if you already were a fan of the Rockton novels, I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir, but it still fills me with delight to see Haven’s Rock giving Casey and Eric a new purpose, taking them to another level of their game.
I also had the pleasure of reviewing the audiobook edition, and if you haven’t been initiated to the voice talents of Thérèse Plummer yet, I highly recommend her narration. She became one of my favorite narrators after listening to the original Rockton series and I was so thrilled to listen to her again in Murder at Haven’s Rock. I look forward to the next book.
The BiblioSanctum 
I had no idea it was Thérèse Plummer who narrated the Rockton series! With her name only you convinced me to add it to my list of books to read!
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Yes, it’s her! She’s great, isn’t she?! 😀
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Oooh nice! I can’t wait to read this one! I might try reading the prequel novella first since I didn’t have time for the ARC when it was available! Glad to hear the magic that was Rockton still holds present in this new series!
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What, I didn’t know there was a prequel novella! AHH, now I’ll have to track that down 🙂
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I’m glad this series is still going strong. It’s one I’d love to start one day!
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I’m just so glad we got a sequel series 🙂
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Why haven´t I tried her yet!
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Oh, I thought you would have read her already!
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I’ve read and enjoyed a number of your reviews of this author’s Rockton series and have wanted to try it, so when I saw this one there was one question in my mind, and you answered it in the 2nd paragraph. Probably better not to start with this one, but instead head back to book 1 of the 1st series. Always good to know that ahead of time, so thanks. 🙂
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Exactly. I think you’d be fine to start here, and the author intended it as a new reader jumping on point, but honestly you’d be missing so much great history!
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I still need to finish up the Rockton series, but I’m glad that the continuation is worthy thus far! The only thing I worry about is that she’s killing off half the Yukon populace throughout these series;)
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Haha, it’s true, she’s the most dangerous thing to ever happen to the Yukon. I think you’ll be quite pleased with the way the Rockton series turns out, hopefully you’ll be able to get to this one soon!
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I’ve read the first couple of books in the Rockton series – but then I sort of forgot about them. This enjoyable review has inspired me to read more of the original series so I can enjoy this one. Thank you for sharing:)).
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You’re very welcome! I hope you’ll get to continue the series real soon 🙂
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