City of the Lost

Starred review from March 14, 2016
Best known for her books set in the supernatural Otherworld universe (Otherworld Secrets, etc.), bestseller Armstrong introduces homicide detective Casey Duncan, who’s haunted by a violent crime she once committed, in this excellent first in a new thriller series. Duncan’s best friend, Diana Berry, also has a traumatic past: an abusive ex-husband determined to find her. After the latest beating, Diana persuades Duncan to go on the run with her once more—this time to the self-sustaining town of Rockton in the wilds of Canada’s Yukon Territory, a place for people seeking refuge. Rockton’s sheriff is reluctant to let the two women join the community, but Duncan’s skills as a detective are needed to investigate a series of gruesome murders. Duncan finds that some residents have made it to Rockton under false pretenses—and are more dangerous than anyone imagined. A highly unusual set-up sets the stage for a distinctive cast of characters and a page-turning plot. Agent: Helen Heller, Helen Heller Agency (Canada).

March 1, 2016
In a land of the amoral, the moral relativist is a worthy protagonist. Armstrong (Forest of Ruin, 2016, etc.) isn't kidding in the title that kicks off her new series, which focuses on a commune of people who are outsiders for good reason. Casey Duncan, at least, would definitely describe herself that way to her latest therapist. Not all the good work she does as a detective can erase the fact that she once killed a man who didn't deserve it. Casey channels her desire to do good into helping her friend Diana escape her own bad choices, especially her choices in men. But when Diana's ex returns to town willing to do serious harm, Casey wrangles the two into Rockton, an off-the-grid sort-of commune of 200 souls for people looking for similar escapes. Though Diana's story of abuse gains her admission, Casey has to earn her stay as the new detective in town. The current sheriff, Eric Dalton, isn't pleased to have the help but needs more hands now that there have been two murders in less than a year. Dalton is rough, a lifer used to the oddities of the place, though he's begun to suspect some of the citizens who claim to be there for protection are fleeing criminal charges rather than threats to their well-being. If that's the case, it's possible that a town meant to serve as sanctuary for the inhabitants is more dangerous than the real world. It's up to Casey and Dalton to find out. The eerie descriptions of setting and chilling character backgrounds give the tale an almost supernatural edge. Armstrong veers off the rails in her introduction of this creepy place but is firmly back on track by the end.

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December 1, 2015

In a series debut from the No. 1 New York Times best-selling author, homicide detective Casey Duncan hides a little secret--she killed a mobster's grandson while in college--and is happy to disappear to an off-the-grid town with a friend running from an abusive ex-husband. But it's no safe haven.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2016
Casey and her college boyfriend, a mobster's son, are mugged; he takes off, leaving her to get beaten nearly to death. When she is sufficiently recovered, she kills the boyfriend and is never caught. In an ironic twist, Casey becomes a cop, quickly moving up the ladder to homicide detective. Her only personal relationships are with a bartender she's using for sex, and her friend Diana, whom she protects from a crazy, abusive ex-husband. The mobster finds Casey, and Diana's ex shows up; in desperation, they decide to try to get into Rockton, a nearly invisible town in the Yukon where people go to disappear. They apply and are accepted; it seems there has been a murder in Rockton, and a good detective would be an asset. Rockton is completely off the grid and is ruled by martial law. There are more gruesome murders, and in a town this small, everyone is suspect. At heart this is a blood-soaked, locked-room mystery on steroids; readers should prepare for an all-nighter to finish it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)