Marilyn's Mystery Reads

At Haven’s Rock, deep in the Yukon Territory, things are going well for Detective Casey Duncan and her husband Sheriff Eric Dalton.  The remote sanctuary community is functioning well, and the people who live there, who are fleeing from abusive relationships or corrupt police, are able to keep things running smoothly although they are all-too-aware of the dangers they face from outside.

As Casey and Eric and their infant daughter Rory are hiking in the forest just outside the compound, they hear a woman’s panicked voice.  As they approach her, she tells them that her name is Gretchen and that she and her husband were hiking when he twisted his ankle.

Eric and baby Rory return to Haven’s Rock while Casey follows Gretchen to where her husband is sitting on the ground.  His story is the same as his wife’s, and although he’s reluctant to let Casey examine him, he eventually relents and shows her his swollen ankle. She bandages it up, and they go off in the opposite direction from the Rock.

Upon returning to the compound, Casey and Eric tell several of their closest friends the story of the two hikers.  All agree to institute a lockdown for at least that night without telling any other residents the real reason.

There is another issue that Haven’s Rock is dealing with, one that involves their neighbors.  When they founded the Rock, Casey and Eric believed there were no people anywhere near their community, but in fact they discovered that there is a gold mining camp not far away.  Or is it really a mining camp?  The people there seem to be as eager as those living in the Rock to keep to themselves, but it’s worrying that they have armed guards patrolling their camp and the forest that is in between the camp and Haven’s Rock.

When Casey and Eric return to the forest the following day, along with their deputy Anders, they continue going west, the direction Gretchen and Blake had said they were going.  They continue their hike until they hear the sound of a grizzly bear, a clear warning that they are getting too close to its cave.  As they prepare to turn around, they see the back of the bear pulling something along on the ground.  It gets closer, still seemingly unaware of or unbothered by the threesome, and they realizee what the animal is dragging–it’s a human body.

As the bear comes nearer to them, Casey and Eric see that the body is that of Blake.  But where is Gretchen?

First Sign of Danger is the fourth in the projected five novels in the Haven’s Rock series. Many of the secondary characters will be familiar to readers of the earlier mysteries, with a deeper look into what brought them to the community.  They are realistic, well-described, and their reasons for living off the grid are totally believable.

Kelley Armstrong is the author of more than fifty novels, including books for young adults, historical novels, and three in the horror genre.  You can read more about the author at this site.

Check out the complete Marilyn’s Mystery Reads at her website.  In addition to book review posts, there are sections featuring Golden Oldies, Past Masters and Mistresses, and an About Marilyn column that features her opinions about everything to do with mystery novels.