Member Reviews
The scene is tense: Clare is barely conscious, her attacker lurking nearby. She's an investigator, having left her abusive spouse, Jason. He hired Malcolm to find her, but now Malcolm has vanished. Clare's search for him takes her to his seaside town, revealing she didn't know him well. Trust becomes a crucial question.
Amidst corruption and a manipulative wealthy family, Clare battles her own demons—addictions, fear, and anger. Despite this, she bravely uncovers layers of deceit. The story builds suspense with steadily unfolding clues, but the resolution feels rushed, missing opportunities for more suspenseful twists. While the ending falls a bit flat, the overall story shows promise, leaving me intrigued to read more from Amy Stuart.
Still Here was an enjoyable read. While I enjoyed the mystery, and the search for the missing girls, I felt that the characters felt a little flat. Clare has gone through so much, but that does not truly show in her personality. I felt we were told of her struggles, but not led to experience or feel them.
Throughout the book Clare was terrified of her ex- husband. The obvious eventual meeting however was rather lacklustre. There was no emotional, or really even any exchange between the characters.
I felt that the storyline itself was good. The writing was excellent. It was simply the one- dimensional characters that held me back.
The build was there. Mystery, intrigue, everyone with a different story and view. One that dragged and revealed things that led to nothing. That's what this book felt like. The cover is mysterious. The description captivating. The first 3rd of the book keeps your attention, and then from there I just felt lost. Every character was unlikeable. Every page felt like it had a secret look that was between the author and her brain, but it never really got out to us. With the end not having the big revelation that I felt was coming because of the rest of the book, it all just fell flat. Over all, just meh and clearly took me a long time to get around to finishing and reviewing it because I just wasn't in it. A lot of mystery without the thrill.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the arc.
Such a great 3rd book to an already phenomenal series!
Bravo Amy! I was luckily gifted the first 2 books by Amy in a giveaway on Instagram as signed copies, so receiving the 3rd book via NetGalley - I was completely enthused and so grateful.
A slow burn that did not disappoint!
A huge thank you to NetGalley, Amy Stuart and Gallery Books for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
Riveting! Exciting read. You don't know what's around the next corner until you get there! This is an excellent follow up to Still Waters. Loved it!
Here is another thriller form author Amy Stuart and it was definitely full of secrets. It is technically a standalone, though I definitely suggest reading the other two books before. It just helps set up the back story and you get to meet/understand Clare a bit more. Following the classic tropes of a mystery involving missing people, I really enjoyed this book.
I didn't realize that this was the third in a series and I think it might have helped to have read the first two, so I connected more to the characters and knew the backstory. The book is well-written and well-paced, but I found I didn't really click with it as much as I would have probably if I'd read the first two. I'll go back and look for them though!
Really interesting book! I particularly enjoyed the characters and how they interacted with each other. I had heard good things about this book. I was so excited to read an advanced reader copy, but unfortunately it got pushed down to the bottom of my list... by the time I did finish, it had been out for awhile already. Oops! Still really enjoyable to read and I'll be looking for more from the author.
Thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, and to Netgalley, for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Easy four stars here. Easy flow and I was gripped from the beginning. I’ve not read this author before, and I’m not keen on reading books out of order. I realized this seems to be book three of a series. I still have copies from other favourite series that I refuse to delve into, as they would be out of sequence.
I’m not upset that I took the liberty here of not following my own silly patterns. Great book and a new author to follow. I really liked the protagonist. I loved her supporting characters, and I LOVED her pace. I just finished two books that I thought were going to be great (mega popular), and I was sadly disappointed in both of them. This book has plenty of building reveals that just keep it rolling steady. I really liked it all. A few edits I emailed to the publisher, but they did not take away from the story. I’m very eager to read the other books that came before this one and will be buying them shortly.
I was also very pleased to see that this author is of my native Canada.
Thanks again, Netgalley. Another great read from you and a new author to invest in their work. So appreciated.
Thank you to the publisher for my copy - all opinions are my own.
I LOVE this series by Amy Stuart and I am just a little sad that it is over. I have so thoroughly enjoyed Clare as a character that I don't want to say goodbye to her!
This is the amazing third book in this series, and it picks up immediately after the events in the second book. As always, I love that Clare is a perfectly flawed, human character who is desperately trying to rebuild her life while still running from her past. I loved the mystery at the center of this story, and the tenacious doggedness that Clare always has as she finds her way as an investigator.
I don't want to say much, as I don't want there to be spoilers for anyone new to this series, but I will say if you love a good thriller and love a good kick ass female lead character, this is the book/series for you.
I absolutely love Amy Stuart's novels, and this one is no exception! She is a master at keeping you on the edge of your seat, and guessing what might come next. A real page turner!
Highly recommended!
This is the third installment of the "Still Mysteries" by Amy Stuart. Although it is considered "stand alone", it would definitely be an advantage to read the two previous novels for the back story and character viewpoints of Clare. Those books are: Still Mine and Still Waters.
In this fast paced thriller, Privste Investigator Clare O'Dey is on the hunt for a couple of missing persons. This time it's very personal...
Malcolm and his wife Zoe are missing. Not a trace can be found, and well Malcolm may be involved.
Clare needs to find her colleague and friend, along with his missing wife, to prove his innocence. But time is running out as the leads go cold.
Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster, and the author Ms. Amy Stuart, for the opportunity to read this Advanced Readers Copy of "Still Here". The opinions expressed in this review are mine alone.
I enjoyed reading this book for pleasure and the author held my attention with the pace and plot development. Somewhat predictable events but a good read. would recommend
A new Amy Stuart Book?! Sign me up!!!!
Amy Stuart is a fantastic author, and this series has completely enthralled me.
I am a sucker for a good series, and this fits the bill. I like the characters, the story is captivating, and it is just an all around enticing read. This is the third in a series featuring PI Clare O'Dey, but it could be read as a stand-alone if someone hasn't had the pleasure of reading the first two. The first scene involves Clare waking up in a bathroom, bleeding. From there, we go back in time to when Clare began searching for someone from her past, and the story moves forward from there.
I like this series because it is filled with flawed characters, and twists and turns. I could not see the end, which to me is always the hallmark of a good mystery/thriller.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes PI books that focus on the development of the Investigator over the course of the series, and an easy to read, engrossing mystery that takes place in a descriptive setting. I personally enjoy following a character through different books and situations, and feel that the character of Clare is evolving over the books as I go. This was a great weekend read, where I could really get into the story without interruption.
I would say this book is a perfect read for someone looking to become engaged with a good thriller, without having to commit to the series (but it is a good series, so you probably want to!)
Overall, a good ride, a great read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with a digital copy for review!
I came late to this psychological thriller trilogy, only reading the first two (Still Mine and Still Water) at the start of the pandemic. This third novel, which can be read as standalone but recommend reading the other two as well, is a great ending to the trio. Like its predecessors, Still Here is about Clare, a private investigator with a troubled past involved in a missing persons case which may have ties to the past she’s tried so hard to escape and to her new relationship with fellow PI, Malcolm.
Well-written, great characterization of Clare, and well-plotted, Amy Stuart has another winner on her hands!! Thanks to Simon and Schuster who provided this free copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Pick this one up - along with Still Mine and Still Water!
The third and final book in the “Still” trilogy about Clare O’Dey a battered wife who leaves her husband and creates a new identity as a private eye who specializes in finding lost people. There is so much backstory that I don’t want to give away but this is an amazing series and you have two months to read the first two novels before the last one comes out!
I liked this book.
I also really wanted to like this book.
As mysteries go, I did not find too many surprises but that may just be because I have read a lot of this genre. The likable characters were likable, indeed. This helped when plausibility was perhaps stretched just that tiniest bit too far.
Perhaps a stronger editing hand would help as some of the less essential story parts seemed to drag on.
If you read this book, I hope you choose to enjoy it because there is a lot here to enjoy. Thank you so much for Simon and Schuster as well as Netgalley for my review copy!
Still Here is marketed as a stand alone novel and while I think it is possible to enjoy it on its own, my personal recommendation would be to read the three "Still" novels in written order. I think to know the characters Clare and Malcolm fully, you need to start from the beginning.
I enjoyed the pace of this story and how the characters and mysteries intertwined. It was an interesting thriller, but it was also fairly predictable. The twists, turns and surprise elements were missing for me.
Though Still Here didn't knock my socks off, I would be interested to read a fourth book should the series continue.
______
*Complimentary copy for review provided by Simon and Schuster Canada. All opinions expressed here are honest and entirely my own.
Wow! What a book! I just loved how the hunter was the hunted.! Couldn’t put it down! Highly recommend.
This has been a gritty and dark series. It’s violent, disturbing, and often a bit depressing yet for some reason I have absolutely loved it! I suspect this is because of my affection for the main character. Clare is one of my favourite detective protagonists. She’s a damaged addict and at the beginning of her arc she’s a hot mess but trying to change. She’s on the run from her violently abusive husband and needs to be clear headed to stay one step ahead of the monster on her tail. By this, the third book in her story, she has evolved into a strong, smart, kick-ass investigator. She still fights her addiction and sometimes loses her self-confidence but these “flaws” just make her more real and human. She is one of the most interesting detectives I’ve come across. We are used to seeing male detectives who are alcoholics or have dark personal stories but Clare is unique. She has all the damage one would expect but being a female on the run from an abusive husband who is literally hunting her adds a whole other dimension to her personality. She seethes with anger and fear and yet manages to solve cases and do good things in the world. She’s an inspiration that no matter how low and dark your rock bottom may seem it is always possible to pull yourself up and move on.
I see that this book is meant to be the end of Clare’s story and I’m kind of disappointed, not by the ending which was fantastic but because I want more of Clare, especially now that her main reason to be running scared has been resolved. I want to see her get her happy ending not just the hints of it we get here! I think the series could go on with Clare as a P.I. and continuing to track down missing women. I’d also love more of Somers who is an absolute delight! I think there’s a lot more of these stories to tell and although I can use my imagination to fill in Clare’s future I’m not ready to let go of these characters. I’ve very much enjoyed this series and I can’t recommend it enough but please do yourself a favour and start with the first book so you can truly appreciate Clare’s journey. Each book is amazing and you won’t regret the journey.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.