Score: 3/5 Bookmarks

Thank you to Minotaur Books for sending me a review copy of Alone in the Wild by Kelley Armstrong.

I’d read some wonderful reviews for this book before starting so I definitely had high expectations. However, it is the fifth book in the Rockton series and within the first few chapters I realized I really needed to read the other four books before this one.

Some books stand alone really well, despite being part of a series, but the background of Alone in the Wild seemed too complex to make a lot of sense without having read the other books. The premise was really interesting, but I had so many questions about the community, the area, The Settlement, the people, that just weren’t answered to my satisfaction in this book alone.

I liked the characters though, and as I mentioned, the premise of the story is a really interesting one but I had a lot of trouble immersing myself into the story without the benefit of that background information. I just had too many unanswered questions. SO, having said that I’ll add the synopsis below so you can read it for yourself, and at some point I’ll re-read this after reading the other books in the series and then reassess my opinion of it.

If you’d like to grab your own copy, click the button below.

Synopsis:

Every season in Rockton seems to bring a new challenge. At least that's what Detective Casey Duncan has felt since she decided to call this place home. Between all the secretive residents, the sometimes-hostile settlers outside, and the surrounding wilderness, there's always something to worry about.

While on a much needed camping vacation with her boyfriend, Sheriff Eric Dalton, Casey hears a baby crying in the woods. The sound leads them to a tragic scene: a woman buried under the snow, murdered, a baby still alive in her arms.

A town that doesn’t let anyone in under the age of eighteen, Rockton must take care of its youngest resident yet while solving another murder and finding out where the baby came from - and whether she's better off where she is.