Title: First Sign of Danger
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Mystery, Thriller,
Published on: February 17, 2026
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Source: E-Arc (NetGalley)
Pages: 352
Goodreads Synopsis:
Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are entering a new chapter of life as parents to their six-month-old baby. Their family is hidden away in the sanctuary town of Haven’s Rock where they can live safe and private lives. But when they encounter hikers too close to the borders of Haven’s Rock, they realize they’re in danger of being exposed.
When they find one of the hikers dead the next day, they realize that their paranoia was justified, but they’re no closer to finding out who these people were and what they were doing in the vicinity of Haven’s Rock. Only by tracing the hikers’ movements, as well as examining the recent behavior of their closest neighbors, the workers of a secretive mining camp, will they be able to figure out where the threat is coming from and shut it down. Otherwise, the lives of everyone in Haven’s Rock–and their safe, secure new existence–are at risk.
My Rating: 5 stars
I want to start off by saying thank you to the publisher for this advanced copy to review.
I’ve been a fan of Kelley Armstrong for a long time. My first exposure to her writing was her Darkest Powers trilogy when I was in my late teens. I have purchased many of her books whenever I can. So, when I saw an opportunity to read an advanced copy of the newest book in a series, I own the first few books for (but sadly haven’t read yet) I jumped on it.
I was worried at first since I hadn’t yet read the first three books of the series, but flipping through the first few pages quickly remedied this concern. At the beginning was an introduction to the world of Haven’s Rock for those who hadn’t read the previous books, or maybe just needed a refresher.
The book’s writing allows it to be a standalone. Though there are references to earlier incidents involving the settlement, these are not something you need to know for the story being told in this book. Which is great and has now motivated me to make sure I read the other books in the series throughout this year before the last instalment of the story releases next year.
I flew through the pages as the writing was simple enough to follow but detailed enough to grasp and picture in my mind what was happening. Each character had a unique voice. This is consistent with everything I’ve read previously of hers.
The story is told from the perspective of the character Casey, who, along with her husband Eric, works toward solving the mystery of the now deceased hiker they met while hiking themselves a day prior. Their investigation uncovers clue after clue, which often ends up leading to more questions than actual answers. Until, of course, they find the one piece of information that ties all the pieces of the puzzle together. All of this while juggling the responsibilities of new parents and keeping the residents of Haven’s Rock safe.
I really enjoyed how Kelley wrote action scenes in this book. I could feel Casey’s resolve and focus, but also the moments of panic and anxiety throughout it, the fear she felt during specific scenes that I won’t specify to keep this spoiler-free.
This book sufficiently satisfied me. It checked all the boxes of books that I absolutely love. I’m now curious to know how the story will continue in the next book of the series. I am also equally curious about going back to the earlier novels of the series to see how it started.
If you’re a fan of murder mystery stories or TV shows like Murder in a Small Town, or you are someone who has read only the fantasy genre books by Kelley Armstrong, I would highly recommend this book.
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