City of the Lost: A Rockton Novel: 1 (Casey Duncan Novels)

I’ve been lost in a fanfiction abyss for the past few months and started a few books hoping to find something interesting. Wow, did this not diasappoint. I like Kelley Armstrong’s writing anyway and I’m a huge crime fiction fan (Karin Slaughter, Alex Kava) so I ordered the sample of this and I literally couldn’t put it down. I bought It immediately. Strong female lead, really intriguing and different plot concept. I was actually a bit freaked out and had to do a bedroom-toilet dash and back in case something got me haha. Loved it. Couldn’t put it down. You know you’re reading a good book when you’re in work thinking about how you can’t wait to get home to it. Definitely read it, at least try the sample.

Very well written and exciting book with a unique setting. I was bored and disappointed with the conversations between the two main characters in the last remaining chapters.

I first read this book as a gradual online author release for her subscribed fans & was hooked from the first page. When the book later came out in it’s entirety and officially kicked off the Rockton series I bought it again in that form and pre-bought all other books in the series as soon as they followed! Kelley Armstrong has been an ABSOLUTE favourite author of mine since I first read ‘Bitten’ of the ‘Otherworld’ urban fantasy series and I love her stories & her characters so much. I think the Rockton series and getting to know Casey and the other Rockton residents has come a very close second to her ‘otherworld’ series for me. In the Rockton series we get the same complex & well rounded characters that we know Kelley Armstrong for and wonderful detail of a contemporary frontier life and exciting mysteries. I’ve reread the Rockton series a few times & i’m keeping in time with the subsequent ‘Havan’s Rock’ series which i’m also enjoying greatly.

Another author recommended Kelley’s latest Rockton book and I decided to start from beginning of the series. I’m so glad I did. City of the Lost was gripping and enthralling and so different from anything else I’ve read. Well written, multi-dimensional characters with secrets galore. No one is who they seem to be at first sight, but nothing is contrived. Excuse me, I’m off to get book 2 now!

I absolutely loved this book. As usual she had a strong female protagonist and lots of different characters, no one dimensional fillers in here. The plot was convoluted and - despite the rather fanciful premise of a hidden town - felt very real: the bits in the caves actually made me feel claustrophobic. I read the book in one sitting and immediately bought the next (which is proving just as good). Some reviews imply this is the first section of a 6 part story, that might originally have been the case but the kindle version I got was the entire book.

I loved Kelley Armstrong’s Rip through time series, Rockton is slowly growing on me.

Another intriguing series from Kelly Armstrong! Her "otherworld" books are intelligently written, fun to read and gripping. This new series, while not containing any supernatural references whatsoever, is just as fascinating! The premise of a hidden township for "outcasts" is a good one, with the potential for development in a number of ways. I thoroughly enjoyed this first book in the series and would recommend it to anyone.

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.

Are you being abused by a partner? Are you a white-collar criminal? Has your past finally caught up with you? Then Rockton is the town for you. In the middle of the Yukon off the grid with no mobile phones or internet and no electricity it is basic living. Casey goes to Rockton to be with her friend Diana who is being stalked and abused by her ex-husband. Casey has martyr tendencies therefore she thinks she deserves for her life to be uprooted. Seeing as Rockton is in need of a detective it is now the perfect time. I love the setup of Rockton, it has a wild west feel to it, add in the original settlement where people left and turned either into settlers or hostiles it is the perfect place for mayhem or in this case murder. There are so many twists and turns which I loved. The author has created something unique with in-depth characters that I want to know more about. Book boyfriend for 2019 is most definitely Eric Dalton.

City of the Lost is the first book in an exciting new series by Kelley Armstrong. I picked this book up as a beach read and ended up finishing it in 2 days! Casey Duncan is talented young detective who carries a heavy secret; she once killed a man. Her secret leads her to pack up and leave everything behind and move with her best friend Diana to a secret town in Yukon called Rockton. Rockton is no ordinary town, it's a place where people go to disappear. Once Casey arrives she discovers a series of murders has recently rocked the little town and she must work together with the towns sheriff to solve them. The villagers in the book are as unique as the town itself. Each has their own secrets for being in the town, but are they worth killing for? It's a fast paced thriller with a romantic undertone that leaves you guessing until the very end. Looking forward to the second installment.

I LOVE this book. I LOVE this series. Casey Duncan is an incredibly dynamic protagonist. Armstrong gives her depth, edge, and warmth. The mystery is really intriguing. Dalton is a fantastic character as well. But the real winner is the setting. I want to go to Rockton. I want to explore the forest. I want to drink whiskey with Isabel and eat warm chocolate chip cookies with Anders. This book starts the Rockton/Casey Duncan series. I have read the entire series at least 4 times. I find something new to like EVERY TIME. If you like smart women, dynamic characters, unique settings, and complex mysteries, this book and this series is for you.

How do I explain how much I genuinely enjoyed this book? This was everything I needed especially to kick off October - my new favorite couple (can’t wait to see how they develop) a full on annoying and horrible “best friend” honestly Diana can go get lost in the woods 😂! The major plot twist - I did NOT see that coming when trying to figure out who was killing everyone. The setting! I absolutely love the town of Rockton and everyone has a story, no one is perfect and most of them have character development. I supremely enjoyed Casey, and Will and Dalton, and even Val who goes by under the radar. While I do feel that the reveal was a little bit fast and had some reallyyy minor issues in some interactions I still loved this book and can’t wait to read the second one in the series.

I loved it. I thought it had a perfect combination of mystery, action and budding romance. The characters were varied, interesting and well developed. Please find a great narrator and put this series on Audible