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    This Fallen Prey: A Rockton Novel
    This Fallen Prey: A Rockton Novel
    This Fallen Prey: A Rockton Novel
    Audiobook12 hours

    This Fallen Prey: A Rockton Novel

    Written by Kelley Armstrong

    Narrated by Thérèse Plummer

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    In This Fallen Prey, the next installment of New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s thriller series, Casey Duncan is about to face her toughest job as police detective in Rockton yet.

    When Casey first arrived at the off-the-grid town, an isolated community built as a haven for people running from their pasts, she had no idea what to expect, with no cell phones, no internet, no mail, and no way of getting in or out without the town council’s approval. She certainly didn’t expect to be the homicide detective on two separate cases or to begin a romantic relationship with her boss. But the very last thing she expected was for the council to drop a dangerous criminal into their midst without a plan to keep him imprisoned, and to keep others safe.

    Of course Oliver Brady claims he's being set up. But the longer Brady stays in town, the more things start to go wrong. When evidence comes to light that someone inside Rockton might be working as his accomplice, helping him to escape, Casey races to figure out who exactly Brady is and what crimes he’s truly responsible for committing.

    In the next page-turning entry in Kelley Armstrong’s gripping series, life in Rockton is about to get even more dangerous.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateFeb 6, 2018
    ISBN9781427295712
    Author

    Kelley Armstrong

    When librarians finally granted Kelley Armstrong an adult card, she made straight for the epic fantasy and horror shelves. She spent the rest of her childhood and teen years happily roaming fantastical and terrible worlds, and vowed that someday she'd write a story combining swords, sorcery, and the ravenous undead. That story began with the New York Times bestselling Sea of Shadows and continues with Empire of Night. Armstrong's first works for teens were the New York Times bestselling Darkest Powers and Darkness Rising trilogies. She lives in rural Ontario with her husband, three children, and far too many pets.

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    Reviews for This Fallen Prey

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    • 5/5
      I love this series so much! And the audiobook is stellar.
    • 5/5
      This most recent adventure with Casey Duncan in the isolated and hidden town of Rockton starts with the Council flying in a serial killer despite the fact the the town isn't at all equipped to keep him securely. Keeping him gagged and isolated polarizes a number of the other people in town who are torn between lynching the threat and letting him go.Oliver Brady is accused of being a particularly brutal serial killer. When his gag is removed, he insists that he is being framed by his stepfather Gregory Wallace who wants Oliver to die before he gains a trust fund that should be his on his next birthday.Casey and Eric have no idea who to believe but it really doesn't matter since their only job is to keep Brady under control. However, they are having some trouble keeping him safe. First he's shot at while being taken on a walk in the forest and Eric is hit instead. Then, there is an attempted poisoning. Then a fire is started with pulls attention to fire fighting and allows Brady to escape with a hostage. Casey and Eric immediately organize a search but things get complicated in a hurry. Brady seems to have an accomplice in the town. Casey tries to figure out who that could be but would an accomplice try to kill his partner?When Gregory Wallace comes to Rockton full of apologies for dumping his serial killer son on the town. He joins the hunt too. While hunting they encounter settlers who are suspicious of anyone from Rockton and hostiles who have reverted to something like savagery. They are also being hunted by a sniper who is taking random pot shots at them.This was a fast paced, action packed thriller with more twists and turns than your average roller coaster. It seems like everyone by Casey and Eric have secrets that are impacting the events in this story. No one can be trusted. Everyone is lying. I am so eager for the next book because the ending of this one leaves lots of hanging plot threads.
    • 3/5
      On the one hand, I'm glad to go back to Rockton, and I want to know what happens next. On the other hand, it is so rife with betrayals and mysterious pasts that I kind of think they should just shoot everyone in town and have done with it. I mean, they'll get around to it eventually, right? And anyone who truly is an innocent bystander will no doubt become a hostage or die anyway, so they might as well get on with it.

      Also, every single time they go into the woods they get attacked. Usually lethally. That just doesn't seem right. I feel like there's a bigger conspiracy with the hostiles looming, a la x-files, but it's not quite wandering out into the light yet. And even with that background, I just had no idea that the woods in the Yukon were so amazingly full of lethal individuals and predatory animals just waiting for human snacks. Remains a good read, but the tether to reality is getting longer and longer.
    • 5/5
      SPOILERS!!!!!This has been my favourite Rockton book so far. A murderer is flown into the town, escapes, gets hunted but through complications lots of people die and Oliver Brady is not wholly guilty.
    • 4/5
      Therese Plummer is the narrator of this great, twisty-turny audiobook.
    • 4/5
      In This Fallen Prey, Kelley Armstrong's latest novel set in the remote off the grid town of Rockton, Detective Casey Duncan and Sheriff Eric Dalton are blindsided when an extremely dangerous criminal is literally dropped in their midst without warning.

      With nothing but a letter from the council detailing his savage crimes, Casey and Eric are tasked with guarding Olivier Brady for the next six months. Not only does Rockton lack a secure facility to house him, but Casey and Eric attempt to keep depravity of his crimes under wraps in order to minimize the residents' reaction to Brady's incarceration. Rockton's citizens are divided on the police force's handling of the prisoner and half of the town thinks he might be innocent while the other half are demanding immediate punishment. Before work on secure building is completed, Brady manages to escape with a hostage. Casey and Eric immediately send out search parties but will they recapture Brady before it is too late?

      Before Oliver escapes, Casey cannot quite decide whether or not his protestations of innocence are the truth.  She remains highly suspicious he is attempting to manipulate everyone into letting down their guard. She also tries to isolate him from Rockton's residents but key members of the militia want to ensure the prisoner receives fair treatment. The situation quickly careens out of control and Casey and Eric are then forced onto the defensive after Brady is on the run.

      With very limited resources and no way to contact anyone outside of Rockton, Casey and Eric must rely on their skills and trusted townspeople to search their escaped prisoner who has quickly disappeared into the surrounding forest. They are not only battling the elements as they try to locate him; they must also contend with the first settlers and the Hostiles. Various residents make dubious choices and there is plenty of self-doubt and self-recrimination when things go wrong. Underlying all of these issues is the question of whether or not Oliver is guilty of the atrocious crimes he is accused of committing. Casey and Eric encounter more problems with the unexpected arrival of more outsiders and Oliver's guilt or innocence becomes even more murky.

      This Fallen Prey is another intricately plotted mystery that is full of shocking twists and turns. The storylines becomes rather convoluted at times but there is plenty of action to keep readers glued to the pages. The town of Rockton is on the periphery of the unfolding drama since most of the hunt for Oliver takes place in the forest surrounding the enclave.  Kelley Armstrong skillfully builds the tension to a fever pitch as Casey and Eric frantically try to recapture a wily and potentially dangerous felon.  While the main mystery is solved by novel's end, a few dangling threads will leave fans impatiently awaiting the next installment in the Casey Duncan series.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyed the story. Didn't like the ending - just seemed too contrived. Will have to wait until the next in the series to see how it flows from this one.
    • 4/5
      This Fallen Prey is the second book in Kelley Armstrong's police procedural mystery series. There's nothing paranormal in it, just a solid mystery with plenty to keep the reader guessing. Casey Butler (real surname, Duncan), homicide detective for an off-the-grid town (village, really) in the Yukon, is our heroine. Our hero is her lover, Rockton sheriff Eric Dalton. Rockton is a secret for the safety of its residents and the profits of its absentee council. In the first book, City of the Lost, we learned that some of those who have bought refuge here really belong in jail. Others technically should be in jail, but there were extenuating circumstances. Casey herself and Deputy Will Anders fall in that second category.The living conditions are more rural 19th Century than 21st. The town is made of wood. Candles and kerosene lamps provide light. Fireplaces provide heat. There's a lumber house and an ice house. Top tier residents get their own house. (Casey and Eric are top tier). Middle tier residents get one floor of a house. The rest get bachelor apartments. The women are very much outnumbered by the men, but there is a brothel staffed by volunteers. No pets are allowed, but Casey has a puppy being trained as a tracking and cadaver dog. Rockton residents' nearest neighbors are settlers and hostiles, and the settlers aren't that friendly. There are dangerous wild animals around, too. Residents are not supposed to walk in the forest whenever they feel like it.Rockton's council accepts plenty of money to allow a young serial killer six months' residence. The story is that the killer's stepfather is hoping Rockton will make Oliver Brady willing to be exiled to an island. What warning do Casey and Eric receive? Brady is dropped off, bound and gagged, with a letter listing his crimes, and some coffee.Of course Brady claims he's innocent and his stepfather wants him dead. Before we find out the truth more than half-a-dozen men and women will die, not all of them cannon fodder characters.NOTES:Chapter 1: a. Aside from Sharon, the heart attack victim, see book two, A Darkness Absolute, for how the women being buried died.b. Mentions: Bay Street, Dawson City, and sour toe cocktailChapter 3:a. See book one, City of the Lost, for more details about what happened to Casey when she was 19.b. Oliver Brady is 27. We learn a little about his alleged crimes.c. Isabel Radcliffe has managed to stay in Rockton for more than five years, the usual maximum stay. Casey tells us why the former counseling psychologist has power in Rockton that's second only to the Sheriff's.d. Mentions: Harvard, Monopoly, Park Place, and BoardwalkChapter 4: Casey holds a 'press conference' about Oliver Brady. Chapter 5: Mentions: Newfoundland and, TinderChapter 6 Mentions: Monte Carlo, Young Republicans, and GreenpeaceChapter 7:a. Look here for Mathias interviewing Oliver Brady (heh).b. Mentions: San Jose and AlaskaChapter 8: The 'honey and vinegar' Val Zapata talks about is the old saying that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.Chapter 11: We meet Freckles, the nursing mother wolf-dog.Chapter 14: a. Casey explains how she's become a Victorian-era detective as she processes fingerprints.b. Will (Army) and Sam (Navy) are the only two residents known to have prior military experience. Casey explains why Kenny's experience doesn't count. c. Mentions: Air Cadets, the Canadian Navy, and Georgia, USAChapter 15: a. Petra was a comic book artist before she came to Rockton.b. Casey is still trying to train that raven.c. The population of Rockton is 200 if 50 names on a petition counts as one-quarter of them.Chapter 16: Here is where new resident Roy makes trouble at the police station.Chapter 20:a. Dalton has seen water hemlock only once or twice, but false hellebore is easier to find in forest. b. We learn about the bell that was installed in Rockton and what happened to the first person to ring it for a joke. c. There's a fire in town.d, Mentions: Australia and WhitehorseChapter 24: a. Here's where one of Freckles' wolf-dog cubs is found in the brush.b. Casey shoots a Sig Sauer P226 (uses nine millimeter bullets), Dalton a .357 Smith & Wesson, and Anders a Ruger Alaskan . 454.Chapter 25: a. Casey talks about the way she used to learn things, such as forensic anthropology, just because she wanted to know. (She calls herself a Jack-of-all-trades, but she's really a Jill-of-all-trades. I think we women should insist on the feminine form in order to show we don't feel inferior about being women no matter how some men feel about it.)b. Storm the Newfoundland puppy, is eight months old.Chapter 26: Casey and Duncan visit Brent the cave dweller. Brent has a gift for Casey.Chapter 27: Brent played for the Canadiens ice hockey team 50 years ago.Chapter 28: Casey and Dalton meet with Ty Cypher.Chapter 29: a. That study about silver foxes in Siberia is real. I remember watching an item about it on TV or Youtube.b. Casey talks about the effect Cypher had on Dalton when he was a boy.c. There's an encounter with a black bear.d. Mention: SiberiaChapter 30: Casey meets a cougar. Since this series isn't set in Ms. Armstrong's Otherworld, we needn't wonder if it's a skin-walker. Chapter 31: a. Casey tells us how she got the tiny scar on her jawbone and her mother's reaction.b. Mention: roller bladesChapter 32: Storm makes an unpleasant discovery.Chapter 34: Mathias has a suggestion about the rescued wolf-dog cub, which he says is part Australian shepherd.Chapter 36: a. Casey and Duncan encounter some settlers. One of them recognizes Dalton as Steve Dalton's son and Jacob's brother.b. Casey claims she's Eric's wife because of the way the younger male settler is eyeing her.Chapter 37: a. Casey and Dalton talk about a possible vacation.b. Mention: VancouverChapter 39: We learn that the older woman of the settler hunting party is the grandmother of the girl, Harper, as the settlers are encountered again..Chapter 42: a. Casey tells a joke about Whitehorse.b. Rockton has two visitors.c. Isabel invited Casey to a poker game.Chapter 43: Isabel has to remind resident Artie about the Roc's new rule regarding approaching women.Chapter 44: a. Casey talks about the three levels of occupancy in Rockton in the first paragraph.b/ Once again Ms. Armstrong annoys me by using the myth about losing one's scent in water that was thoroughly busted on 'Mythbusters', although those two episodes did involve a bloodhound, not a Newfoundland.c. Dalton has an argument with Phil the council member. He brings up Harry Powys and Abbygail from book one.Chapter 46: Casey and Dalton visit the First Settlement.Chapter 48: Casey talks with the head of the First Settlement, Edwin, in Mandarin. (She says her Mandarin is the equivalent of a four-year-old's.Chapter 50: Loved Casey's crack about a company's 'new & improved' version of one of their products.Chapter 53: There's an encounter with Maryanne, a former Rockton resident.Chapter 55: Dalton talks about his birth parents. We also learn if he's ever killed someone before.Chapter 57: The sniper hits someone.Chapter 60 a. We hear a story about Val's past.b. Mention: Les MiserablesChapter 61: We meet Harper again.Chapter 62: Casey mentions her neuroscientist/neurosurgeon sister, April.There are so many lies and half-truths being told, not to mention new things to learn about supporting characters, that this book gets to keep readers guessing. Kelley Armstrong is just as good with a straight mystery novel as she is with adult and juvenile urban fantasy.Cat lovers: there's a cougar.Dog lovers: Besides Storm the Newfoundland, there are a couple of wolf-dogs.Horse lovers: Cricket and Blaze appear.
    • 4/5
      Another excellent thriller by one of my favourite authors. This is the third time we visit the hidden town of Rockton and this time the Counsel has sent Dalton and Casey a resident that they are unprepared, and unequipped, to deal with.It's been many years since a book store employee pointed to a large display and asked me if I'd ever heard of Kelley Armstrong. I picked up Bitten and became addicted to all things Kelley Armstrong!
    • 4/5
      Note: Slight spoilers for previous books in this series.Casey Duncan, 30, is a detective in the town of Rockton, a hidden place in the Yukon that takes in people on the run. Twelve years earlier she killed her former boyfriend - not that she went to meet him intending to kill him, and not that he didn’t deserve it, but it happened, and it haunts her. It also made her “eligible” for life in this town, especially because the sheriff there, Eric Dalton, needed a detective. Rockton only has around 200 residents, but they are people, as Casey understands, who have “either done bad shit or have got serious baggage.”Since the series began, Casey and Eric have entered into a close personal relationship, as well as being partners on the job. This makes them vulnerable in a way, since when danger comes, they are more apt to protect one another than to do what needs to be done.Moreover, they are now training a young Newfoundland dog, Storm, to be a tracker, and they both feel protective about her as well.In this “episode,” a plane arrives in Rockton (a rare event), with the pilot delivering a prisoner to them. A note explains that the Town Council in charge of Rockton has agreed to let this prisoner, Oliver Brady, 27, stay in Rockton for six months, for a large fee attractive to the Council.The Council also tells them this arrangement is being paid for by Brady’s stepfather, Gregory Wallace, who has done this to protect Brady’s mother. Brady’s alleged crime? He’s a “thrill killer,” the note says. He tortures and kills because he enjoys it.Brady maintains he is being set up by his stepfather, who wants Oliver’s inheritance due to him in a year when he turns 28. Unfortunately, in Rockton, there is no way for Casey and Eric to check the veracity of his story - they have no access to phones, internet, mail, or any way at all to contact anyone but the Council. They can’t even get in or out of Rockton without the Council’s approval. But they also don’t have adequate facilities to serve as a prison for Brady. In a short time, he escapes. Before long, their Council contact Phil shows up with Gregory Wallace, who wants to make sure they are able to recapture Brady.When Casey, Eric, and the “militia” from the town go out to look for Brady, they run into lethal obstacles. Not only do they find bodies along the way, but a sniper is following them and periodically attacks. They have no idea what is going on: is Brady guilty or is his stepfather lying? Who from Rockton is aiding Brady? And who is the sniper trying to kill them all?Evaluation: Armstrong had me guessing until the denouement, which followed a tense run-up with everyone in danger, including the dog. The ending made clear that while this particular incident wrapped up, the story isn’t over yet. It’s not my favorite series by Armstrong, but she is one of my favorite authors, and I enjoy all of her work.
    • 4/5
      This is the third book in the Rockton series and was another excellent book in the Rockton series. This would have been 5 stars for me but the ending knocked it down to 4 stars. The ending just felt very rushed, incomplete, and contrived. There were so many twists and turns that the whole thing didn't make much sense and felt unfinished.Casey and Eric are thrown a new loop by the council when the council sends them a serial killer, Oliver Brady, to watch. They really aren’t equipped for this type of activity. They don’t want to panic the town by telling them about the awful things Oliver Brady has done. However, they don’t want the town to be sympathetic to the harsh treatment Brady is receiving either. It is a tough line to balance.When other mysterious incidents start happening around town, the situation with Brady gets even more complicated. Especially when the natives outside of Rockton get involved in things.This remains a very engaging series. I love all the survival elements of Rockton combined with the thriller and mystery elements. The natives outside of Rockton are getting more and more involved in things and the council is taking too many liberties with the safety of Rockton’s residents. Rockton is basically a pot that’s about to boil over and I am so curious to see what happens when it does.My only complaint about this book is that the ending felt really contrived and forced. There were too many twists and turns sandwiched together and the story ended up feeling very unfinished; not at all like previous books. This knocked the rating down on this book a bit for me.Overall a wonderful continuation of the Rockton series. I love the blend of mystery, thriller, psychological, and survival elements here. I would definitely recommend this series; it is fast-paced and very engaging.
    • 4/5
      This series continues to deliver! Considering that the premise of the story is a 'locked room' mystery, Armstrong continues to find new ways to create a mystery and involve various people from the town. I highly recommend this series but this is not the book to start with - you need to start with book #1 "The Lost City" in order to truly understand the characters and the setting.
    • 5/5
      It was -21°C (-6°F) the day I sat down to begin the This Fallen Prey, the third installment in Kelley Armstrong's City of the Lost Series. The cold and snow falling outside was the perfect setting to immerse myself in the Yukon town of Rockton. An off the grid town that doesn't exist on any map, where people go to disappear...Protagonist Casey Duncan is one of those who came to Rockton to hide. She's a former cop and is now the only detective on Rockton's small police force. Maintaining law and order in a town where everyone is hiding something isn't easy. And it's made even harder when 'the council' sends a serial killer to Rockton for the small force to imprison.I really enjoy this series. Why? Casey is a great protagonist - she's tough, smart and determined, but isn't perfect. The setting allows for a large cast of supporting characters. They're all just as interesting and fleshed out. The other lead is Sheriff Eric Dalton. He's the only resident actually born in the area. He's also Casey's love interest. I'm not a big romance reader, but Armstrong does it well. Their relationship is believable, not 'over the top' and enhances the book, rather than being the main focus.The mysteries are always intriguing and not easily figured out. The plot in This Fallen Prey was excellent. I honestly had no idea who was telling the truth and who was lying. There are a number of twists and turns that changed the direction of the investigation - and the final whodunit - which was a surprise to me. This Fallen Prey is action filled with danger always around the corner. (And on the next page. I admit it - I did flip ahead a few times....)"It's a puzzle of configuration, and each place in it has two sides - guilt or innocence - and the meaning changes depending on which side I place up....Two ways of looking at everything, leading to two ways of investigating."The premise of a hidden town full of residents with shady (to say the least) backgrounds is brilliant. It allows for so many avenues of possibilities. But not just in the town of Rockton. Outside of the town limits there exist others - a settlement, loners and those referred to as "Hostiles'. We've been given a closer look at these groups in This Fallen Prey, but there is more to discover.The case is solved by the final pages....but the door is open for more. More questions, more lies, more deceit and more cases to come. And this reader cannot wait. Write faster please Kelley!
    • 4/5
      This was such a good book! I really enjoyed the first two book in this series and was very eager to get started with this newest installment. I went into this book expecting really good things and I was not disappointed. This story was almost impossible to set aside and I ended up reading most of the book in a single day. This was a really thought provoking story filled with a whole lot of excitement. I had a lot of fun reading this book.This is the third book in the Rockton series which works best if read in order. This story starts off with a bang right from the start. Casey, Eric, and the rest of the town are given a task that I would have never seen coming. They must keep a suspected serial killer in their town for the next 6 months. They don't even get any time to prepare for this event since he is dropped into their town with little more than a note as warning. Casey, Eric, and Will have to figure out how to safely contain the prisoner which proves to be a very difficult task.I think that I like the characters from Rockton just a little bit more with each book. Everyone in the town is flawed or they wouldn't be there. We see things from Casey's point of view and I really enjoy seeing how she puzzles through certain situations. Eric takes on so many responsibilities and he takes them all very seriously. It is nice to see how much Casey and Eric respect and care about each other both personally and professionally. Storm, their puppy, also played a huge role in this book which I loved. Storm is a great dog and we really learn a lot about other characters in the book from the way that some of them chose to interact with her.I loved the way the story was told. The mystery was very well done. There was just enough doubt given from time to time that I found myself in a constant state of wonder. There were times that I wondered what Casey was piecing together while other revelations hit me totally by surprise. I thought that it was great that a lot of this book takes place in the Wilderness outside of Rockton. It was interesting to see things play out with other groups in the region. I thought that the pacing was very well done with some really action packed moments offset by others that added a piece to the overall puzzle.I would highly recommend this series to others. I think that this book was incredibly exciting with a mystery that kept me guessing right up until the very end. The characters and the whole concept of the town of Rockton are all very well done. This book did leave a few threads that I am sure we will see picked up in the next installment. I can't wait to read more of this wonderful series!I received an advance reader edition of this book from St. Martin's Press - Minotaur Books via NetGalley.
    • 4/5
      3.5 Once again we return to Rockton, that off the grid community where people are given a second chance. On the run from their parts this community is supposed to offer safety, but it sometimes doesn't seem that way. In this offering, Casey and Eric are not offered the choice, when a man is unceremoniously dropped in their midst. The council rules, and a great deal of money is on offer, an offer they have no intention of refusing. This man, and his past crimes will place this small community in danger.I am fascinated by these novels,the idea of such a place hidden in the Yukons, the different people that come here, and the many reasons they come. Enjoy the back stories of these characters and their varied personalities. The new life Casey and Eric are trying to forge together, along with their new tracking pup in training, Storm. I didn't rate this one as highly as the previous two in series, though I did enjoy the reading. Felt there was almost two much going on by books end, hard to keep track of who was doing what to who and why. Too much danger from too many different elements. I did though, like the very end when a person who definitely needed a comeuppance, got one. Looking forward to seeing where that goes. So a good read, but a little too cluttered for this reader. ARC from Netgalley.
    • 4/5
      Yes!!! Another chapter in the Rockton saga. I love these Casey Duncan books. I somehow stumbled on them right at the beginning and have enjoyed them all. I did not realize that the author was the one and same Kelley Armstrong who did all those paranormal books. I finally put 2 and 2 together! SMHThe town of Rockton is somewhere up in Northwest Canada. The reader isn't really given a lot of detail and neither are the residents. Rockton is about 15 square miles (I think?) and is surrounded by forests and mountains in which a lot of bad things, animals and people reside.Rockton is a town of victims. Each resident has paid a huge sum of money to disappear off the grid. The books have many attributes in that they are mysteries, action thrillers, family life, survival and together with a little romance (no sex scenes).This series became one of my favorites with book number 1!Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.