I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Deepest of Secrets
by
Kelley Armstrong
crime thriller in a Kindle edition that was published by Minotaur Books on February 15, 2022 and has 368 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Broken, Personal Demon , Living with the Dead, Men of the Otherworld, Tales of the Otherworld, Frostbitten, Dates from Hell, Exit Strategy, Made to Be Broken, The Reckoning, Spell Bound, The Gathering, The Awakening, "Hidden", The Calling, Aftertaste, Kisses from Hell, The Rising, Omens, Wild Justice, Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions, Visions, Deceptions, The Masked Truth, City of the Lost, Empire of Night, Forest of Ruin, Betrayals, A Darkness Absolute, Indigo, Rituals, The Unquiet Past, This Fallen Prey, Stolen, Rough Justice, Dime Store Magic, Industrial Magic, Haunted, Broken, Waking the Witch, Portents, Missing, Alone in the Wild, Watcher in the Woods, Otherworld Secrets, Wherever She Goes, "The Case of the Half-Demon Spy", "Escape", Otherworld Chills, A Stranger in Town, "Bargain", Hex on the Beach, "Recruit", "Checkmate", "Framed", Cursed Luck, High Jinx, Bitten, Driven, "Forsaken", "Dead Letter Days", Men of the Otherworld, The Boy Who Cried Bear
Seventh (and last) in the Casey Duncan crime thriller series revolving around the secret town of Rockton in the wilds of the Yukon Territory.
My Take
It’s a great ending, but I don’t want it to end!!! And, okay, considering that Eric and Casey knew the council was closing them down, I don’t know why it was such a surprise. They’re at least doing some planning with Phil’s project in analyzing Rockton’s infrastructure. Fortunately, there is a spin-off coming — Murder at Haven’s Rock in the Haven’s Rock series, which will carry on (when it’s released 21 February 2023).
Armstrong uses first person protagonist point-of-view from Casey’s perspective, so everything we see, feel, and hear are what she experiences. I did have to laugh at Phil’s irritation with the garden-variety whining. Yep. I’d be ticked off as well.
Armstrong has had some “fun” with April as a character dealing with autism as well as her need for challenges, which this series more than delivers. More “fun” is that Casey and Eric know who the council spies are. Yep, people with ethics and a willingness to look beyond the end of their noses.
The “other” citizens are such a bunch of hypocrites. They all want to know other people’s stories, why they’re here in Rockton, but they don’t want to expose their own. They all know the rule about revealing a person’s past. Unfortunately, this doesn’t prevent these idiots for insisting, pushing, nagging. Of course, they’re bigots as well, since Will is “a Black man . . . . [who] is [therefore] violent . . . [and] should not hold a position of authority”.
The Deepest of Secrets feels like our current world mess with manufactured blame and sh*it-stirring. Marissa does her own stirring and taps out as the lawyer stereotype. I do so love the karma she sets herself up for, lol. It’s quite the practical incentive Casey is handing out. Where the other side gets the idea that they can toss someone out for having done something wrong in the past . . . ? No, I don’t get it. If that’s true, can you toss out some of the nastier people?
Oh, lololol, Ted’s ticked off that Frieda is a bit of a “feminazi”. Considering why he’s here in Rockton, he should STFU.
Oh, yeah! April is making progress. Socializing, taking an evening off. Woohoo. That and other bits of gossip make it obvious that gossip is an important part of policework.
*More laughter* Rockton is a lot like my apartment building. The only people here who care about the tenants are the tenants. Management is purely interested in profit. I feel so special, lol. And just like the real world, no one wants to get involved, looking out for themselves.
You’d think the Rockton police would have a lot more leeway . . . sigh . . . After listening to Tamara throughout the story, I was absolutely thrilled at the end with Casey’s, Eric’s, Phil’s and more responses to the council.
Blackmail has been a theme throughout, and not just with residents of Rockton. The council flings their threats about at every opportunity, as well.
The Deepest of Secrets is definitely character-driven with plenty of action. To be honest, I’m kind of surprised that Casey and company didn’t stop caring a long time ago, once they knew the council was firm. Then, in that last 15% of the book, I could’ve sworn I knew what the council was really doing . . . and I kept waiting and waiting. It was almost a letdown when it truly ended . . . although I did cheer that one! It just feels kind of tame.
The Story
Rockton is supposed to be a town for non-violent offenders or victims. Only, the council that rules it can make more money if they send violent criminals. Without letting anyone know.
It’s coming to a head, with Casey, Eric, and others fed up with the lies and manipulations . . . with the danger that puts them all at risk.
The Characters
Homicide Detective Casey Butler, er, Duncan, had fled to Rockton with her best “friend”, Diana. Storm is her black Newfoundland trained as a tracking dog. April is her estranged older sister with undiagnosed autism, a brilliant, if cold, neurosurgeon/neuroscientist who moved here in Watcher in the Woods, 4.
The town of Rockton is . . .
. . . camouflaged in the Yukon Territory and used to hide white collar criminals (and violent offenders!). For a price. There are no cell phones, no internet, no mail, and no way of getting in or out without the town council’s approval.
The police include Sheriff Eric Dalton and his common-law wife, Casey. Jacob is a settler who reconciled with his brother, Eric. Jacob and the pregnant Nicole, a former Rockton resident (A Darkness Absolute, 2), have returned. Gene Dalton had been the previous sheriff and Eric’s adoptive father. Deputy Will Anders, a.k.a., Calvin Jones, has his own secret past in the military and is a sweet, outgoing man with a love for spelunking who yet struggles with guilt and alcoholism. Marissa, a lawyer on the outside, now works as a server at the Red Lion.
Phil, the former off-site council liaison, was forced on-site in This Fallen Prey, 3. Now he and Isabel, a former psychologist who runs the Roc (a bar and bordello), are a couple. Brandon is Isabel’s current bartender, and he also organizes the fishing expeditions. He’s not too bright. The Red Lion is more of a saloon.
Brian and Devon arrived within a month of each other and have been together ever since. Brian runs the bakery, and Devon is the town spreader of, ahem, chitchat. The disabled Kenny, a former high school math teacher, is with the local militia and the town carpenter (This Fallen Prey).
Diana Berry is Casey’s ex-friend, a user and abuser, who’s now working for April as a nurse. Petra works part-time at the general store and is a comic book artist the rest of the time — she’d been special ops in an earlier life. Her grandmother, Émilie, is one of the founding members of Rockton. Maryanne, a biologist who had been taken by hostiles (This Fallen Prey), needs reconstructive surgery. While Maryanne is gone, Jolene is helping with the stables. Cricket is one of the horses. Mateo is the backup stable keeper. Jen is a nasty bully with a rep for verbal abuse. Gloria is relatively new and shy. Conrad thinks he’s all that and wants essential-worker privileges as a dentist. Ted, a college dean who had blackmailed female students for sex, is another of the permanent malcontents. Frieda is Ted’s girlfriend. Arnie, Neil, and Tina are more residents.
Sebastian is the youngest resident, a sociopath who killed his parents (Watcher in the Woods, 4). Raoul is a wolf-dog that belongs to Mathias, the town butcher (and former psychiatrist, as well as spy for the council).
Tyrone “Ty” Cypher was a hit man in the outside world before he came to Rockton and became its sheriff. Ty’s retired now to live off the land and he’s seeing Jen. Larry, a former resident, set a precedent. Mick had been Isabel’s bartender and boyfriend in City of the Lost, 1.
The Council is . . .
. . . the true rulers of Rockton. Val had been the firm representative and client liaison back in the early “days” of the series. Tamara is the current faceless voice on the radio, acting as the council liaison. And I’d be willing to live in Rockton if I could knock her off . . .
The First Settlement is . . .
. . . the first group of Rockton residents who broke away. Edwin, a former lawyer, is their leader. Felicity is his granddaughter and heir.
The hostiles are those who lost their humanity and had turned more animalistic. The truth about them was discovered in Alone in the Wild, 5.
Blaine Saratori had been Casey’s boyfriend and a drug dealer who intruded on the wrong turf. Leo Saratori is his angry, mobbed-up grandfather.
The Cover and Title
The cover is vibrant blues, black, and white. It’s twilight with a cloudy sky of blues, the black silhouettes of trees, bushes, and plants framing the serene blue and pink river with Casey in silhouette herself, standing on the far side of the water. The text is all in white with the larger text in a distressed font. The title starts to the left of Casey’s lower half and descends past the halfway point of the water. Tucked in between and to the right of the of is the series info. Towards the bottom of the cover is the author’s name and an info blurb beneath that.
The title refers to why these people are here in Rockton, The Deepest of Secrets that encourage them to hide.
