3.7 Stars

A new town is being built deep in the Yukon wilderness. It is Casey and Eric’s dream project after Rockton was destroyed. However, the project manager asks them to come and find two missing employees. The site had one simple rule – don’t go into the forest. Turns out, quite a few people did not follow the rule. 

Now, Casey and Eric have to find the missing crew. It shouldn’t have been hard. But the couple finds a lot more than they expected. With many threads to follow, it is hard to untangle the mess. But they should, that too before things get even more complicated and dangerous. 

The story comes from Casey’s first-person POV (with a Prologue in the third-person). 

I haven’t read the Rockton series but started with the connecting novella to get a better idea. This one happens a year after Dead Letter Days. 

From what I gather, the lead couple wants to rebuild Rockton, but according to their ideas, to minimize the risk of threat (which would make this series boring, so the murders will have to continue). 

I enjoy stories set in the woods, so this one does make me happy to a good extent. Limited access to technology means the mystery has a touch of old-world charm, which is another plus. And there’s no mention of social media. Yippee! 

The action scenes are fun to read and entertaining. Quite a few characters are rude (with some reason/ backstory to justify their actions. This can go either way. I didn’t mind since I’m yet to connect to the lead pair and feel strongly on their behalf. I do like the new character, though. 

The pacing is slow and drags in the middle; a surprise since I expected a fast-paced mystery. Still, it isn’t boring. There are enough twists to keep the reader interested. The book ends on a mild cliffhanger, though the case is solved. 

To summarize, Murder at Haven's Rock is a decent beginning to a new series with characters from an established one. I can’t say if you’ll like it more if you read the previous series. You might know the characters, so find it easier to follow. Or, you may find it a rehash of the same thing in a new setting.