Review: The Boy Who Cried Bear

The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Warning - the end quarter or so of this book deals with the discussion of pedophilia.

I highly recommend that if you haven't read them already, you read the Rockton Series to get yourself acquainted with many of the characters in this one. You don't HAVE to, as there is plenty of backstory. However, reading those books will make you comfortable with this off-shoot all that much quicker.


This exciting book showed that Haven's Rock might not be the ideal place it's cracked up to be. We ended the last book "Murder at Haven's Rocl" at the tiniest bit of a cliffhanger, and we are quickly brought right back to it. The Miner's *said with a spooky/ominous voice* the group of men that are next door and that Casey and Eric never expected to have to deal with in this span of wilderness.

While out on a hike, the youngster (and boy, did the author really ratchet up the tension by adding kid's to this series) Max and Gunner (another member of the town) see what appears to be a human/ bear; well, it had human eyes at least. Come to find out, a member of the mining camp appears to have seen it too, and been attacked by it. Of course, no one believes either of them, and they need to go into the forest to prove themselves.

Well, just remeber, the first rule of Haven's Rock is to not go alone into the forest!

I can't wait to re-read this book!

*ARC Supplied by the publisher Minotaur Books, the author, and NetGalley.

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"In The Boy Who Cried Bear, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong keeps readers on the edge of their seats while detective Casey Duncan tries to locate the threat before it’s too late. . .

Haven’s Rock is a well-hidden town surrounded by forest. And it’s supposed to be, being that it’s a refuge for those who need to disappear. Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton already feel at home in their new town, which reminds them of where they first met in Rockton. And while they know how to navigate the woods and its various dangers, other residents don’t. Which is why people aren't allowed to wander off alone.

When Max, the town’s youngest resident—taught to track animals by Eric—fears a bear is stalking a hiking party, alarms are raised. Even stranger, the ten-year-old swears the bear had human eyes. Casey and Eric know the dangers a bear can present, so they’re taking it seriously. But odd occurrences are happening all around them, and when a dead body turns up, they’re not sure what they’re up against."

Review: Random in Death

Random in Death by J.D. Robb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 for the pure horror of this plotline! Another half-star because we didn't have to hear so much squealing about Peabody's new house. Then a subtraction of half a star for a lot of the incomprehensible (to me at least) modern cant.

58 books with another coming up Passions in Death #59 on September 33 -you have to expect some bumps in the road, but I sure felt this one was smooth sailing all the way!

The idea behind this novel and the author's execution of it was so horrifying that I can see this happening, although not in quite this manner, in this day and age. And that makes me very glad I don't have any kids, although now I'm going to worry about my nieces and nephew!

The stomach-churning tension and horror make the ending to this particular story so much more satisfying!

*ARC was supplied by the publisher St. Martin's Press, the author Nora Roberts, and NetGalley.


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"In the new crime thriller from #1 New York Times-bestselling J.D. Robb, a small and easily concealed weapon wreaks havoc, and the killer is just a face in the crowd.

Jenna’s parents had finally given in, and there she was, at a New York club with her best friends, watching the legendary band Avenue A, carrying her demo in hopes of slipping it to the guitarist, Jake Kincade. Then, from the stage, Jake catches her eye, and smiles. It’s the best night of her life.
It’s the last night of her life.

Minutes later, Jake’s in the alley getting some fresh air, and the girl from the dance floor comes stumbling out, sick and confused and deathly pale. He tries to help, but it’s no use. He doesn’t know that someone in the crowd has jabbed her with a needle—and when his girlfriend Nadine arrives, she knows the only thing left to do for the girl is call her friend, Lieutenant Eve Dallas.

After everyone on the scene is interviewed, lab results show a toxic mix of substances in the victim’s body—and for an extra touch of viciousness, the needle was teeming with infectious agents. Dallas searches for a pattern: Had any boys been harassing Jenna? Was she engaging in risky behavior or caught up in something shady? But there are no obvious clues why this levelheaded sixteen-year-old, passionate about her music, would be targeted.

And that worries Dallas. Because if Jenna wasn’t targeted, if she was just the random, unlucky victim of a madman consumed by hatred, there are likely more deaths to come."