The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong - Book Review

Series: Haven’s Rock #2

Publication Date: 20th Feb 2024

Genre: Mystery 

3.7 Stars 

One Liner: Nice mystery 

Haven’s Rock is a well-hidden town for anyone who wants to disappear. Detective Casey and her husband, Sheriff Eric, are happy with their new town. They set strict rules to prevent accidents in the forest. No one should wander off alone into the woods. 

One day, Max, the town’s youngest resident, fears that a bear with human eyes is stalking their hiking party. Naturally, Casey and Eric are taking it seriously. However, too many odd occurrences cause confusion, and soon there’s a dead body. The couple has to sort out the issue and keep the residents safe. 

The story comes in Casey’s first-person POV. 

My Thoughts: 

Haven’s Rock is fully functional and has residents. Unlike Rockton, they decide to take in kids too, so Dana is here with her sons Carson (teenager) and Max (ten yo). It is an interesting place and has small-town vibes (which it is). I like how the idealistic thought behind the town clashes with the judgmental attitude of its citizens. It creates a nice contrast to show that ‘victims’ aren’t always empathetic to other victims’ pain. 

Max gets a few chapters in the third-person POV, and I liked his voice much more than Cassie’s. His character arc comes out so well in his chapters. (Rounded the rating to 4 stars only for Max)

Unfortunately, I’m still struggling to connect with Casey and Eric. They are good people – smart, competent, capable, determined, and kind-hearted. Yet, I don’t feel the pull. Moreover, there’s a development I’m not ready for. 

That aside, I think my issue is with the repetition. We are told many times that April is not rude and loves her sister. Makes sense to say it once or twice per book since readers need to know the backstory. We don’t need a reminder each time Casey and April interact. Who is Casey assuring? Us or herself? 

The mystery is twisted and good. There’s repetition here, too, and a lot of back-and-forth dialogue (some of which can be edited). Still, the suspense sustains well. I’m not too happy with the reveal, but since there’s a huge lead for book #3, I’ll wait and see where it goes. 

Lilith and Nero make an appearance again, which makes me happy. I wouldn’t mind if they got extra page space. They are more interesting than some other characters. The mining neighbors have a bigger role, though. 

The forest setting is yet again my favorite. Storm is a darling dog, and his almost constant presence makes the story more interesting. I sure wouldn’t mind if we got his POV. Heck, I’d love that! 

To summarize, The Boy Who Cried Bear gives me the same vibes as the book one in the series, which means it is a decent read but nothing great. I might read book #3 as it could have answers to some questions in this one. 

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin (Minotaur Books), for the eARC.  

#NetGalley