A Darkness Absolute

I was looking forward to this one after discovering Kelley Armstrong last year in City of the Lost. And it didn't disappoint. If anything I liked this one more. I mean the premise is established, the town is set up, all the cast are in place, and Armstrong can just tear into her story. And man does she ever. This is a dark and chilling read that kept me guessing right up to the end.

Just to recap the premise. Casey is a detective who has come to Rockton to escape the mob and she's settled in after the events of the first book. She's in a relationship with Dalton, the sheriff, and the two of them are the law in the town, along with Anders the deputy. Rockton is a town off the grid- it's a place up in the Yukon with no connection to the outside world, a place where people can go to hide- if they can afford to get in. White collar criminals have to pay to get in and Casey was accepted because they needed someone with her skills.

The first book was all about Casey solving several murders as she acclimated to life in Rockton, and at the same time she and Dalton built a relationship. As I mentioned above that's all in place and the story here takes off. And I liked that. The story opens with Dalton off on a supply run, and Casey and Anders are out looking for a resident who took off. What they find though is a girl being held in a cave with no way to escape- someone has kept her there as a prisoner for over a year.Casey gets her back to town but not before running into the kidnapper- and a cat and mouse game begins as Casey and Dalton have to find out who did it.

The perpetrator is still out there and he seems able to get into town whenever he wants- is he a resident or one of the outsiders? The outsiders consist of both settlers, those who have chosen to live in the wilderness, and hostiles- those who have basically reverted back to savagery. There's a lot of tension as Casey finds herself in some very precarious situations- like I said this is a chilling read. Armstrong evokes the snowy forest and the remote atmosphere so well- people step from behind trees and hooded figures attack in the snow- I was on the edge of my seat a few times. Add to that the suspicion that no one can really be trusted, and you have a top notch suspense read.

There are secrets in Rockton too- the shadowy council that runs the place doesn't tell Dalton everything, and there are those within the town who may report back to the council. Who can Casey really trust? There are several suspects and I thought the ambiguity was perfect- several times I thought maybe I knew who the perp was but there are some surprises. The romance element is also well done- Casey and Dalton have a relationship that is free of all the stops and starts from the first one. They're mature and they have a grown up relationship, they talk to each other and that was so refreshing.

As I said we learn more about settlers and hostiles here, and the differences between them. Dalton has a history with the settlers, and we get more of his brother Jacob as well as a new addition to the cast- Tyrone Cypher, who is a larger than life loner who lives in the wilderness. He's charismatic- his banter with Casey was one of my favorite parts- but again I went through this book not knowing if he could be trusted. If anyone could. I've thought since the first book that we might get a paranormal element with the hostiles, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

This was a fun read and I like where Casey and Dalton are at, I love the location and I never really felt like Casey was safe. I think Armstrong did a fabulous job ratcheting up the tension and establishing an eerie vibe.