"Still Mine" by Amy Stuart | Book Review

Still Mine by Amy Stuart

Publishing Date: March 1, 2016
Pages: 320
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Links: Goodreads | Indigo | Book Depository | Kobo

Clare is on the run. She's running from her abusive ex, leaving her old life behind, when she's hired by a mysterious stranger named Malcolm to investigate a missing person. When Clare arrives in Blackmore asking about Shayna, the locals become suspicious of her. Will she be able to find the missing woman and also escape her ex?

I want to start off by saying, Clare is such a great character. We get to know pieces of her background story throughout the novel - she's dealt with abuse in the past and has been lucky enough and resourceful enough to get herself out of that situation. Now, as she learns more and more about Shayna and the people she surrounded herself with, Clare is so determined to find out where the missing woman is. As she gets closer to Shayna's friends and family over the course of one week, Clare suspects that several people know more than they're letting on. Even when Malcolm is ready to give up on Shayna's case and move on, Clare persists, wanting to know exactly what happened to her. She trusts her instincts and they're usually right.

I love books about small towns because you tend to get an in-depth look at what happens when a small group of people are in such close proximity for most of their lives. Not only is Blackmore a small town, it's also a mining town. This affects the town dynamics, especially in a place like Blackmore where there's been a mine disaster. That kind of tragedy can either bring a small town together or tear it apart. Still Mine definitely addresses these small town issues in a big way - and adds a whole lot of drama and suspense.

The story takes place over the course of one week and, as you can imagine, there's a lot of info to be learned in such a short amount of time. All the new information that came up kept me intrigued throughout, and built so much tension. The end was particularly well-written, with all that tension coming to a head and the story coming full circle.

Still Mine is a tense, intriguing story led by a determined woman learning about someone's past while trying to escape her own.

*This book was sent to me by Simon & Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.