REVIEW: City of the Lost

City of the Lost
Author: Kelley Armstrong

Casey Duncan is running from her past. Years ago she killed a man and she knows his relatives are mixed up in organized crime. Someday they will be coming for her. Casey's best friend, Diana, isn't fairing much better. She is in a relationship with a violent man and just can't seem to escape from him. When Diana gets beat up once again, the two women decide to disappear. There is a town, Rockton, where people can pay to disappear. No phones. No internet. No outside contact. People have to apply to be admitted to Rockton. Normally they don't accept murderers and other violent offenders. Casey wouldn't normally be admitted to town, but she's a detective and they need her investigation skills. There's been some disappearances, murders....  Something is going on in Rockton. And Casey can help them solve the case.

I listened to the audio book version of this story. Narrated by Therese Plummer, the audio is almost 14 hours long. I liked Plummer's voice and reading style. She read at a nice steady pace, did the character's voices convincingly and helped build the suspense of the story. All in all, a nice listening experience!

The story had me hooked from the start. A cop who murdered someone and was never caught......a cop who lives with real guilt and self doubt, but still manages to excel at her job. Awesomely creative and very suspenseful plot! I enjoy thriller/crime novels. But when I come across a series that has a plot angle that's new to me, creative and different....it makes me so excited! I loved every moment of this story, and I'm going to jump right into the next book! There are 3 books in this series so far, with a 4th (The Watcher in the Woods) coming out in Feb 2019.

I like Casey Duncan as a main character. She is intelligent and driven, but also very flawed. She has a hard time with real relationships and carries the scars, both physical and mental, of her past.  She is always ready to jump into an investigation and gives it her all...even when it might be incredibly dangerous. She is also a loyal friend. This first book has a lot of character and place development. The concept of a hidden settlement completely off the grid for people who need to disappear is intriguing. And the side characters fit that concept. Most are rough. Some are dangerous. But they all pitch in and help in an emergency. They all need each other to survive off the grid.

This is the first book by Kelley Armstrong that I've read. She has written several other series that look so interesting! When I have caught up on the Casey Duncan series, I'm definitely going to read some of her others! I love it when I discover a "new to me'' author that I really enjoy! I already have book two of this series, A Darkness Absolute, checked out at the library! Binge read! Binge read! :)