Rockton - A place to go, if you need to disappear and start fresh, for a price.
Casey Duncan’s best friend Diana has heard of a place where you can go to disappear and start fresh, no one knows about this place and its a good place to hide out and escape. Which is what Diana needs, a place to escape from her abusive ex. Casey on the other hand has her own dark past, so when that past seems to resurface and she is attacked they both decide to apply to this place, and luckily for them they need a detective and Casey Duncan just happens to be one.
Rockton is off the grid, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by forest. Hard to get in and hard to leave. People are ending up dead, someone is making addictive drugs in the community, there are hostile people that live in the forest (who could be cannibals), and not all the people who have gone to Rockton are who they appear to be.
An interesting mystery, crime thriller book. I absolutely loved it and am looking forward to reading book 2. Definitely recommend reading this.


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City of the Lost: Book 1 in the Rockton Series Paperback – 10 January 2017
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Kelley Armstrong
(Author)
Kelley Armstrong
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Product details
- Publisher : Sphere; 1st edition (10 January 2017)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 480 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0751562556
- ISBN-13 : 978-0751562552
- Dimensions : 12.6 x 3.4 x 19.6 cm
-
Best Sellers Rank:
301,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 2,968 in Women's Adventure Fiction (Books)
- 7,570 in Mystery Action & Adventure
- 7,832 in Crime Action & Adventure
- Customer Reviews:
Product description
Review
Best known for her books set in the supernatural Otherworld universe (Otherworld Secrets, etc.), bestseller Armstrong introduces homicide detective Casey Duncan, who's haunted by a violent crime she once committed, in this excellent first in a new thriller series. . . . A highly unusual set-up sets the stage for a distinctive cast of characters and a page-turning plot. -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred review)
The eerie descriptions of setting and chilling character backgrounds give the tale an almost supernatural edge. -- KIRKUS REVIEWS
[A] good thriller to read by the fire on a weekend evening. The ending will be a surprise to most readers. -- THE MILLSTONE
Armstrong has always been adept at keeping us guessing, as she also does here, about the identity of the serial killer who is picking off Rocktonians in an inventively gruesome way. It's Rockton itself, though, that keeps us turning the pages. Armstrong has fun playing with genre tropes in City of the Lost, and she doesn't limit herself to the paranormal or to crime. -- THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
City of the Lost is one of those books that can keep you reading long after you should have been in bed, asleep. I'm looking forward to a sequel. -- THE OKLAHOMAN
[City of the Lost] may be one of my top favourite reads from Armstrong, and that's something considering I've been a fan from the early days. -- LOST IN A GREAT BOOK, blog
I am excited to see where this story is going. I'm especially curious about this mysterious town. -- BIG CITY BOOKWORM, blog
The eerie descriptions of setting and chilling character backgrounds give the tale an almost supernatural edge. -- KIRKUS REVIEWS
[A] good thriller to read by the fire on a weekend evening. The ending will be a surprise to most readers. -- THE MILLSTONE
Armstrong has always been adept at keeping us guessing, as she also does here, about the identity of the serial killer who is picking off Rocktonians in an inventively gruesome way. It's Rockton itself, though, that keeps us turning the pages. Armstrong has fun playing with genre tropes in City of the Lost, and she doesn't limit herself to the paranormal or to crime. -- THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
City of the Lost is one of those books that can keep you reading long after you should have been in bed, asleep. I'm looking forward to a sequel. -- THE OKLAHOMAN
[City of the Lost] may be one of my top favourite reads from Armstrong, and that's something considering I've been a fan from the early days. -- LOST IN A GREAT BOOK, blog
I am excited to see where this story is going. I'm especially curious about this mysterious town. -- BIG CITY BOOKWORM, blog
Book Description
Where would you go if you suddenly had to disappear? In her new standalone thriller, bestselling author Kelley Armstrong delivers us to Rockton, a secret town where the hunted go to hide. And where a hunter has now come to play.
About the Author
Kelley Armstrong lives in rural Ontario, Canada, with her family and far too many pets. She is the author of the international bestselling Women of the Otherworld series, and many other highly acclaimed novels, including the Darkest Powers and Darkness Rising YA trilogies, and the Cainsville series.
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4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
479 global ratings
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Reviewed in Australia on 22 April 2018
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Reviewed in Australia on 14 June 2020
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This is the first book I have read from this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have just purchased the second novel and can’t wait to start it. City of the lost started well and finished strong. Casey is one of my new favourite characters to read about. Highly recommend
Reviewed in Australia on 29 March 2019
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What a great book I had to keep reading till I finished, so no sleep. The characters are very well written, I loved Casey and Eric they fitted each other so well and of course Will and the banter between the three of them, it keeps the terrific storyline moving along without becoming too serious.
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Reviewed in Australia on 27 May 2020
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Genre defying. It's gripping, non-traditional, atypical crime fiction, starring an awesome female detective who also bucks the trend by not being white for once and also by having a genuinely less than pristine "dark past." But it also blurs a line with dystopic fiction despite being set in the current day. It does a brilliant job building a slightly different world to get lost in and I honestly didn't want to leave. I immediately bought book two, smugly thrilled to bits that there's so much more time to spend in Rockton.
Reviewed in Australia on 16 February 2019
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This book was so hard to put down. Absolutely loved it and can't wait for book 2 in the series. Awesome author.
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Reviewed in Australia on 24 October 2018
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Entertaining throughout
Reviewed in Australia on 3 May 2016
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Like all of Kelley Armstrongs work it is engrossing from start to end.
Reviewed in Australia on 3 May 2016
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oojj
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Bookworm 262
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent thriller.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 April 2018Verified Purchase
I originally bought this in 6 parts when it was first published as a serial. I have recently bought it again as a single file as I loved the book but got irritated at reading it in the broken up format.
This author has written paranormal thrillers in the past, This is NOT one of those. This is a straight thriller.
The book is about a woman detective with a dangerous secret who needs to disappear. Luckily for her there is a settlement based in the Yukon where people can disappear for a few years. So we get a chance to see modern day people transported to an almost 19th century frontier style world with no phones, very basic living conditions and a murderer at large.
As usual with Kelley Armstrongs' books the protagonist is a tough woman with "issues" and a flexible moral code that allows for the difference between justice and law. The descriptions of the Yukon are detailed and feel very real. The characters are complex and have all had to make some hard choices. I enjoyed the mystery as well as the human stories of people so threatened they give up the comfort of 21st century living to survive.
I thought this book was great and I have since bought the rest in the Rockton series but be warned, it has some seriously gruesome bits and there is a fair bit of bad language as well as adult themes.
This author has written paranormal thrillers in the past, This is NOT one of those. This is a straight thriller.
The book is about a woman detective with a dangerous secret who needs to disappear. Luckily for her there is a settlement based in the Yukon where people can disappear for a few years. So we get a chance to see modern day people transported to an almost 19th century frontier style world with no phones, very basic living conditions and a murderer at large.
As usual with Kelley Armstrongs' books the protagonist is a tough woman with "issues" and a flexible moral code that allows for the difference between justice and law. The descriptions of the Yukon are detailed and feel very real. The characters are complex and have all had to make some hard choices. I enjoyed the mystery as well as the human stories of people so threatened they give up the comfort of 21st century living to survive.
I thought this book was great and I have since bought the rest in the Rockton series but be warned, it has some seriously gruesome bits and there is a fair bit of bad language as well as adult themes.
5 people found this helpful
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MB
3.0 out of 5 stars
It sounded bloody fantastic. But
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 January 2017Verified Purchase
I was interested in reading the book from the first time I saw it. A town for people that needs to get away. A secret town in the middle of nowhere. It sounded bloody fantastic. But, sometimes my expectations are too high, and when it came to this book did I expect a more mysterious and darker story.
Now, I don't say that the City of the Lost is a bad book, it started off interestingly with Casey and her friend Diana needing to get away, especially Diana after she once again had problems with her ex-boyfriend who beat her badly. Casey's problem is a bit more complicated, she killed a man when she was in college and have since then been waiting for the day the past would catch up with her. And, now it seems that it has happened. For them is Rockton a perfect solution, although Casey because of her past has a hard time getting approved for going to the town, in the end, is she allowed, but there are some conditions for her and one of the reasons they agree to accept her is because they need a homicide detective to solve a murder.
It's in Rockton that I felt the story started to drag now and then, it just went on and on, sometimes it felt that the investigation didn't go anywhere. I was also a bit disappointed with the town, it felt that it was just really bad people there and if you were a woman then you had to watch out (I think I had a town like the one in Pines (Wayward Pines by Blake Crouch in mind, normal but mysterious). There were some promising things with the story, the rumors about cannibals were interesting, it just never becomes much more than a rumor. Then, the obvious and expected romance occurred (I have read reviews of the books so I was prepared), and it took more time away from the investigations, but at the same time was it an important part of the story that I can't discuss since it would spoiler the book.
The ending, well it was good, perhaps not fantastically good, but Casey did solve the murder and all. She also discovered some secrets that someone close to her had kept and I loved the confrontation between Casey and this person.
So, City of the Lost did not turn out to be this fantastic book I had hoped for. It was more of a bumpy ride with both ups and downs. Would I read the next book? Yes, I would! I did enjoy more of the book than I disliked. I just hope the next book will have a less bumpy ride.
Now, I don't say that the City of the Lost is a bad book, it started off interestingly with Casey and her friend Diana needing to get away, especially Diana after she once again had problems with her ex-boyfriend who beat her badly. Casey's problem is a bit more complicated, she killed a man when she was in college and have since then been waiting for the day the past would catch up with her. And, now it seems that it has happened. For them is Rockton a perfect solution, although Casey because of her past has a hard time getting approved for going to the town, in the end, is she allowed, but there are some conditions for her and one of the reasons they agree to accept her is because they need a homicide detective to solve a murder.
It's in Rockton that I felt the story started to drag now and then, it just went on and on, sometimes it felt that the investigation didn't go anywhere. I was also a bit disappointed with the town, it felt that it was just really bad people there and if you were a woman then you had to watch out (I think I had a town like the one in Pines (Wayward Pines by Blake Crouch in mind, normal but mysterious). There were some promising things with the story, the rumors about cannibals were interesting, it just never becomes much more than a rumor. Then, the obvious and expected romance occurred (I have read reviews of the books so I was prepared), and it took more time away from the investigations, but at the same time was it an important part of the story that I can't discuss since it would spoiler the book.
The ending, well it was good, perhaps not fantastically good, but Casey did solve the murder and all. She also discovered some secrets that someone close to her had kept and I loved the confrontation between Casey and this person.
So, City of the Lost did not turn out to be this fantastic book I had hoped for. It was more of a bumpy ride with both ups and downs. Would I read the next book? Yes, I would! I did enjoy more of the book than I disliked. I just hope the next book will have a less bumpy ride.
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Tabatha Stirling
2.0 out of 5 stars
Meh.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 April 2020Verified Purchase
So incredibly disappointed. Always rated Kelley Armstrong since reading the Bitten Series & the premise was so interesting. A town full of residents with dark pasts - a town where they could disappear off the grid. And it started off promisingly with rumours of cannabilism & a few quite brutal murders with motives, secrets & suspects aplenty. And then it turned into a hybrid romance/cosy mystery/thriller which went on for far too long & had a ubiquitous love story which by the end was both irritating & monotonous. The final twist was ridiculous & patronising & by this stage I was checking the percentage on my kindle willing myself to carry on. There have been plenty of 5 stars so it clearly worked for many readers. Just not for me. Romance & dark fiction do not mix. They don’t gel at all. Getting hot & heavy after you find an arm in a cave is highly unbelievable. Not for me.

Rani
3.0 out of 5 stars
So much Potential Here
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 December 2018Verified Purchase
A mix of mystery and some romance this is a very slow building story - although for me it wasn't so slow that things got annoying. It’s not a book I regret picking up.
We are introduced to a town filled to the brim with people who needed to get away/disappear, a town that for Detective Casey Duncan and her best friend Diana gives the promise of a much-needed new start. But when they get there…well peace and bliss isn’t exactly on the menu. As Detective Casey tries to find her feet with the town, its inhabitants and her new boss Sheriff Eric Dalton, she also comes to some revelations about her best-friend who I seriously didn’t like, whilst also having to solve a murder.
The romance between Casey and the Sheriff felt like it needed to be developed more, and it would have been nice if some of the intrigues and rumours (e.g. of cannibalism) surrounding the town were delved into rather than touched upon fleetingly.
Overall this was an ok read, the bones of the book had the potential to be deliciously engrossing – sadly that didn’t happen.
We are introduced to a town filled to the brim with people who needed to get away/disappear, a town that for Detective Casey Duncan and her best friend Diana gives the promise of a much-needed new start. But when they get there…well peace and bliss isn’t exactly on the menu. As Detective Casey tries to find her feet with the town, its inhabitants and her new boss Sheriff Eric Dalton, she also comes to some revelations about her best-friend who I seriously didn’t like, whilst also having to solve a murder.
The romance between Casey and the Sheriff felt like it needed to be developed more, and it would have been nice if some of the intrigues and rumours (e.g. of cannibalism) surrounding the town were delved into rather than touched upon fleetingly.
Overall this was an ok read, the bones of the book had the potential to be deliciously engrossing – sadly that didn’t happen.
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Meggy
5.0 out of 5 stars
An absorbing thriller
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 January 2019Verified Purchase
I absolutely loved this book. As usual she had a strong female protagonist and lots of different characters, no one dimensional fillers in here. The plot was convoluted and - despite the rather fanciful premise of a hidden town - felt very real: the bits in the caves actually made me feel claustrophobic. I read the book in one sitting and immediately bought the next (which is proving just as good). Some reviews imply this is the first section of a 6 part story, that might originally have been the case but the kindle version I got was the entire book.
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