City of the Lost (Rockton, #1)

by Kelley Armstrong

[kimbacaffeinate]

I am coming to appreciate Armstrong's gift for story-telling. Casey Duncan is a homicide detective with a dark secret. When her friend's ex-begins stalking her again, and Casey's past meets her present, the two relocate with the help of a contact to the remote town of Rockton. The community is rustic, and the residents are all hiding from their pasts.  Casey joins the local law, as a detective under Sheriff Eric Dalton and begins working the murder mysteries. Things get complicated as bodies pile up and Casey gets the lay of the land so to speak.

The worldbuilding was brilliant, providing readers with just enough information to visualize Rockton and the surrounding landscape. There are no cell phones, electric or computers. Rockton is wholly cut off from the outside world with its own currency. No one can get in or out without the help of the council.  The "council" is a secretive (faceless) group who have control over the town. Sounds like a government experiment right? The town is full of dysfunctional folks, most for safety reasons but we quickly learn that politics and money sway the council. For every detail, we learn new questions arise.

Armstrong does an excellent job of delivering characters that allow the readers to become emotionally connected. Some you admire and others you will loathe. I like Casey. She is a tough, somewhat jaded heroine who is a damn fine investigator. Sheriff Eric Dalton seems cold at first, and the man can be gruff, but we quickly learn his story, and I enjoyed the interaction between Eric and Casey. Secondary characters, suspects and others added depth and kept the pacing tight.

The story has some dark elements from rogues in the woods to mutilated bodies.  I loved this darker thread. When you add in the town, council, and residents you get a creepy vibe. We are treated to a romantic thread that moves from trust and respect to something unexpected. It felt genuine from wicked banter, to shared interests. While I don't necessarily need a romance, this thread was useful in making the characters, and their circumstances feel realistic. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer