People disappear to Rockton so no one can find them. But the trouble is people also disappear from Rockton. In this sequel to her #1 national bestseller, City of the Lost, New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling author and master of thrills Kelley Armstrong returns to Rockton for more page-turning suspense.

Everyone's got a secret in Rockton—secret pasts, secret identities, secret crimes. And in a town where everyone's running from something, it's not clear who's a victim, who's perpetrator, or when the lines blur, who is both. Take Casey Duncan: she came to Rockton to help her ex-best friend Diana, until she was betrayed and almost killed. But she's also killed a man and almost gotten away with it. Now, after being drawn in to helping the town solve a series of grisly murders, Casey has settled in Rockton as its chief homicide detective, aided by her town sheriff boyfriend, Eric Dalton.
When a case tracking a runaway from town leaves Casey and Deputy Sheriff Will Anders stranded in a blizzard, they take shelter in a cave, only to discover a woman imprisoned in a deep well. Nicole Chavez—presumed dead after she went missing last year, is apparently alive—though barely. But Nicole doesn't know her captor's face, she's never seen him. When the bodies of two more women are found in the cave system, it becomes clear that Casey needs to solve this case before another victim goes missing. But how do you find a killer in a place where everyone's got a sordid secret?

When librarians finally granted Kelley Armstrong an adult card, she made straight for the epic fantasy and horror shelves. She spent the rest of her childhood and teen years happily roaming fantastical and terrible worlds, and vowed that someday she'd write a story combining swords, sorcery, and the ravenous undead. That story began with the New York Times bestselling Sea of Shadows and continues with Empire of Night.

Armstrong's first works for teens were the New York Times bestselling Darkest Powers and Darkness Rising trilogies. She lives in rural Ontario with her husband, three children, and far too many pets.

Kelley Armstrong's profile page

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

“This sequel to City of the Lost is, simply, terrific. . . . Kelley Armstrong’s plot is complex and shows why Casey Duncan is a detective to watch.” —Margaret Cannon, The Globe and Mail

“Kelley Armstrong follows up City of the Lost with . . . more page-turning suspense.” —49th Shelf

“Armstrong keeps the plot turning and cranks up the tension from one chapter to the next. She’s already shown she’s good at that, and A Darkness Absolute is no exception.” —The Oklahoman

PRAISE FOR NATIONAL BESTSELLER CITY OF THE LOST:
“A locked-room mystery on steroids; readers should prepare for an all-nighter to finish it.” —Booklist

“Best known for her books set in the supernatural Otherworld universe (Otherworld Secrets, etc.), bestseller Armstrong introduces homicide detective Casey Duncan, who’s haunted by a violent crime she once committed, in this excellent first in a new thriller series. . . . A highly unusual set-up sets the stage for a distinctive cast of characters and a page-turning plot.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The eerie descriptions of setting and chilling character backgrounds give the tale an almost supernatural edge.” —Kirkus Reviews

“[A] good thriller to read by the fire on a weekend evening. The ending will be a surprise to most readers.” —The Millstone

“Armstrong has always been adept at keeping us guessing, as she also does here, about the identity of the serial killer who is picking off Rocktonians in an inventively gruesome way. It's Rockton itself, though, that keeps us turning the pages. Armstrong has fun playing with genre tropes in City of the Lost, and she doesn't limit herself to the paranormal or to crime.” —The Sydney Morning Herald

“City of the Lost is one of those books that can keep you reading long after you should have been in bed, asleep. I'm looking forward to a sequel.” —The Oklahoman

“[City of the Lost] may be one of my top favourite reads from Armstrong, and that’s something considering I’ve been a fan from the early days.” —Lost In a Great Book (blog)

“I am excited to see where this story is going. I’m especially curious about this mysterious town.” —Big City Bookworm (blog)