Title: Crone

Author: Keith Rosson

Release date: September 22nd, 2026

*Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital ARC!*

I’ll admit I’m late to the Keith Rosson reading game. Somewhere on my Kindle lies his collection ‘Folks Songs for Trauma Surgeons’ but I’ve just not managed to get to it. When people told me I HAD to read ‘Fever House’ I checked it out, but I’d read a lot of rockstar character books over the last few years and needed a break, so I’ve not gotten to it. Then ‘Coffin Moon’ arrived & sadly, I’m vampire-d out as well lol. So much so, that when I was writing my own novel, ‘Churn the Soil,’ I started with vampires as the forest guards but swapped them to ancient-earth entities that resemble dimorphodon’s because I couldn’t bring myself to do vampires. Now, this may all sound negative – and I promise I’m trying not to sound negative – I’m just letting you know why I’ve not read a Rosson book yet.

And then came ‘Crone.’ The synopsis had me hooked, I loved the cover and the title made me intrigued over what Rosson would do with something in the woods. And by now you should know I love all things ‘something in the woods.’

What I liked: The novel, for the most part, follows Eli Lamp. A former detective who lives near Portland, his wife died during childbirth and when his daughter was a teen, Hannah disappeared, taken by someone in a van on the outskirts of town. Since then, his life has fallen apart, but he’s rebuilding. Though no longer an addict, he’s still beholden by the drug gang he grows for, in their debt for keeping him alive after he sought retribution in Portland.

All is ticking along. Until the son of the gang leader turns up dead in a river. And after he’s buried, he returns. And all hell breaks loose.

Rosson sets things up nicely in the first quarter. We get the lay of the land, the constant uncertainty of life under the thumb of a deranged ruler and we see how Eli keeps chasing ghosts while keeping the deals in place between the law and those living on the other side of it. We grow to tolerate Eli, though I found I never was able to fully like the man. Why? I’m not sure. But it made for an interesting experience and kept me riveted as the story progresses.

The other portion of the novel is told through Avery’s POV. Avery was Eli’s daughters friend, with her on the night she was taken. Avery’s returned to town, strung out on drugs after having stolen a bunch of cash from her boyfriend. She’s returned because she saw her friend in a dream and her friend said she needed to come back.

Avery’s storyline works well to not only show us how Hannah’s disappearance created a ripple effect around those who loved her most, but also a way to introduce the crone, the thing that lurks in the trees.

As the story progresses, more and more truths are revealed and its in these moments that Rosson highlights the human element of the story, which really makes this one hum along. In lesser hands, these moments may not be even included, which would’ve kept this novel fairly surface level when it came to emotions and progression.

The final quarter was solid and when the shit hits the fan, it hits the fan solidly. We get answers to questions each reader will definitely have and we learn the history behind the thing in the woods, which was great to learn.

What I didn’t like: While I really enjoyed Eli’s storyline, I personally don’t enjoy the whole backwoods drug gang stuff. It kind of felt a bit like Sons of Anarchy, which I really struggled with watching. So, keeping focused on Eli and Avery, made sure this one hit the right notes. Additionally, (slight spoiler aspect FYI) we do learn about Hannah’s disappearance, and I almost wish we hadn’t, though it did make for a really great section.

Why you should buy this: If you’re already a Rosson fan, then this one’s a no-brainer and you’ll be all over it. If you’ve never read anything from Keith yet, I think this one’s a great jumping in place. Tight, explosive and repulsive in the right amounts, this novel hooks in and keeps you hooked. The pacing was spot on and the atmosphere throughout was really well done. And most importantly, this isn’t your tried and true familiar crone or witch character. This one was fantastically transformed. This book will keep you up long after you should’ve gone to bed. And you won’t even regret it.