I had not read the previous "Still" books, but fortunately that was not necessary to follow the plotline of this book. In fact, I wasn't even aware this was part of a series. Clare has been sent to a small coastal town to find her missing boss. As expected, things are not as they seem. She becomes involved in a story that includes a murder, several missing women, organized crime, and sex trafficking. Not to mention that her violent, abusive ex-husband is likely to follow her there.

This is an action packed story with lots of twists and turns. I could not stop reading, but I just didn't really care about Clare or (really) any of the people in the book. It's not bad, just only fair. Maybe I've just read too many mystery/suspense novels, and now I'm jaded and/or just expecting too much. This one is just ordinary.

I didn't realize that this was the third book in a series when I requested it, but I decided to give it a chance and read it out of order. To my delight, I really, really enjoyed it. It does mention things from the other two books, but I didn't feel lost and the story was still gripping. I can't wait to go back and read the other two books now and look forward to future installments.

Such m an enthralling story. I loved this book. I hated for it to send, but at the same time, I couldn’t wait to get there.

I did not enjoy this one sadly. It did not hold my attention. I may just not have been in the right place at the time to properly read and enjoy this book.

I did it again. I started book number three in a series, out of order. Again. Normally, I will wait and read the first two in chronological order but I was already so caught up in the story of a private investigator looking for her missing mentor/colleague Malcolm and his wife. There are many references to the previous novels/storylines and I probably would do have given this five instead of four stars had I read them correctly. So, loving this one, I’m ordering the previous two and will probably retirn and change this to five😄

Private Investigator Clare O'Dey is missing her colleague and friend ... and Malcolm's wife. The wife was first to disappear and Malcolm was the prime suspect. When he started looking for her himself .. that's when he went missing.

Clare is certain there is more going on .. maybe something that has nothing to do with Malcolm, and maybe everything to do with his wife's past.

The more Clare digs, the more she's troubled by what she's finding in Malcolm's history .. and he just might be guilty of what he is accused.

And while she's searching for two people ... she, herself, may be the next person to disappear.

Although third in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone. However, I would highly recommend starting at the beginning. The backstory of the characters are intriguing, to say the least. The intricate plot features characters that are solidly drawn. There are varied suspects to watch, and even the town seems to be harboring secrets better left in the dark. The conclusion was unexpected.

Many thanks to the author / Gallery Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Thia is the third book in a series, but it could be read as a stand-alone book, just realize that there are references to events that happened in the other books. Clare is a PI looking for her previous partner/boss Malcom while running from a past that is trying to catch her. This book will have you thinking you know what will happen next just to be surprised that it twists and then twists again so you keep being surprised. I can’t wait to go back and read the first two books and see what else this author has in store for the future.

Thank you NetGalley, Amy Stuart and Simon & Schuster for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

When I first requested this book, I didn't realize that it was a book in a series. I had heard many say that you can read it as a standalone, but I decided to purchase the first two books before reading this one, and I am so glad that I did! This series is fantastic and has become one of my favorites

The third book, Still Here, shows our main character, Clare, as she searches for Malcom. Malcom is a very prominent character in the first two novels, so having this background information helped the story to flow better, and it just made it harder to want to put the book down! Clare arrives in his hometown and begins her investigation to figure out where Malcom has disappeared to and to dig deeper into his past. Clare is such a fun character to read about, and her relationship with Malcom is one of my favorite things about the story. If you haven't read the first two, I would definitely recommend reading those before this one, to get the full effect of the story!

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Having read Still Mine and Still Water, I knew I had to get my hands on Still Here. While Still Here can technically be read as a stand-alone- to truly appreciate Clare, Malcom and the conclusion of the series- you really need to read the first 2.

From my Goodreads review: “Twisty and turny- and wrapping up lots of questions I have had about this series- it’s a must read for fans of the series.”

What I Liked:

The cover. All of Amy’s covers have a good look to them- a little dark, a little mysterious and this fits in with her brand. Plus I love that red coat flying out- looks so eye catching!

Clare. At times, Clare has shades of an unreliable narrator to her. You know her basic story, but there are def more secrets to her.

The dynamic between Malcom and Clare- part mentorship, part something that is hard to describe- these 2 characters need each other and trust each other- but are experts at keeping secrets from one another.



Bottom line: Great conclusion to the STILL series. I really enjoyed this book.



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

​ Favorite Quotes:

Those looks of yours are currency, Clare’s mother used to say. Spend wisely.

The guy couldn’t catch a squirrel if he was holding a bag of nuts.

I took this job at a restaurant, and right away it set in just how hard it would actually be to build a life from scratch. Everyone else already had their lives… People don’t like to make room for strangers.


​ My Review:


My very first Amy Stuart experience and I was enthralled. Still Here was a complex tale with several concurrent mysteries plaguing the main character, who was struggling with as many personal issues as she was professional. The writing was evocative and held the intense and complex storylines taut and from beginning to end and I grew increasingly curious with each twist and new character, most of which were oddly enigmatic, multi-layered, and untrustworthy. The foundation kept shifting under my feet and I couldn’t settle on a theory, I suspected everyone, and rightly so, they were all as crooked as a snakes trail. I started this series on book three but didn’t suffer a tick of confusion, although I covet the previous two installments as well any new offerings that sprout from her listing, I am greedy that way.

I wish I had known this was part of a series. However, it can stand alone and overall was a good book. We follow Amy who is a PI looking for Malcolm, who got her started in the business of being a personal investigator. This was a quick read and overall enjoyed it. I wish there had been more of a shock factor for the ending.

In Still Here, PI Clare is looking for her missing mentor Malcolm and his wife, Zoe, in their hometown of Lune Bay. Zoe has been missing over a year. Malcolm is missing for only eight days. Malcolm is more than just Clare’s mentor. He helped her escape an abusive relationship and encouraged her to become a PI. Clare has to find him and learn why he left.

Beginning a story at the end of the tale is a great way to get readers involved in the plot and compel them to continue to read the book. However, Still Here goes so far that the perpetrator is easy to determine in literally the first chapter. No one wants to see behind the curtain in a mystery book. I spent the rest of the book already knowing the conclusion. Therefore, I give this book 3 stars.

Thanks to Galley Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I vow to be better at paying attention when requesting books to read and review. I HATE reading out of order and think all books that are in a series need a disclaimer LOL After getting over that this title is #3 of the series, Still Here, I found this such a quick and easy psychological thriller read.

Clare’s boss is missing, and now she’s been hired to find him. She decides to go back to the beginning, and head where it all began, and what she finds instead is an entire community full of secrets, lies and a complex family than she ever could have imagined.

Missing women, deaths that have been covered up, and city cops and officials who seem to be in on it. Could Clare herself be in danger?

Stuart’s writing immediately caught my attention, I could not believe how fast this story seemed to move for me! I’ll definitely be picking up other titles in the series next time I’m looking for a new thriller to read!

The third book in the series does not disappoint! An intriguing mystery thriller with a touch of suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more. The characters are well-written and develop at a steady pace in a fast-paced story that issue to stay with you long after reading.

All the twists and turns in this story gave me whiplash. Just when I thought I knew where it was headed it did a complete 360 and went in the opposite direction. Unputdownable. I wasn't going to put this down until the last page. It has it all. It's tense, riveting and suspenseful. A must read. Happy reading!

Obviously part of a series but I was able to read as a stand alone without much difficulty. It just took a little while longer to figure out the characters and fill in a few blanks. It would probably be better to read the other two books but is not necessary. It's a very good mystery ,police procedural, PI, book. Characters are interesting and it moves along quickly. I wanted to yell at the main character for keeping so many secrets and being so naive! Good read.
I was provided an Advanced Reader Copy of the book and was under no obligation to provide a review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Thanks to the author,publisher,and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Book Review ✨

Still Here by Amy Stuart

⭐️⭐️/5

The Blurb:

Malcolm is gone. Disappeared. And no one knows where or why.

His colleague and fellow private investigator, Clare, is certain she can find him, as she holds the key to his past. She arrives in the oceanside city where he last lived and starts digging around. Not only is Malcolm gone without a trace, so is his wife, Zoe. Everyone who knew the perfect couple sees Malcolm as the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance. Everyone except Clare. She’s certain there’s more at play that has nothing to do with Malcolm, a dark connection to Zoe’s family business and the murder of her father years ago.

As Clare pulls back the layers, she discovers secrets the entire community is trying desperately to leave in the past. As for Malcolm, his past is far more complex—and far more sinister—than Clare could ever have imagined. He may not be innocent at all. As she searches for the man who helped her build her career as a private eye, Clare discovers that many women are in grave danger. And she is among them.

The Review:

Thank you to @Netgalley and @GalleryBooks for the e-arc!

I was really excited to read this based on the blurb and the first page was a strong start. However, within the first chapter there were so many plot points that seemed too preposterous to believe. The details of the premise and then the “twists” are so silly that I couldn’t suspend belief throughout the story.

Additionally, characters the readers are supposed to root for act so senselessly and recklessly (particularly with guns—way too much life-threatening gun pointing with absolutely no provocation), that I lost all interest in them.

There also seemed to be a lot of interesting build-up to big plot twist with no real payoff and too many loose ends in the conclusion.

That being said, I enjoyed the writing style and I really wanted to like Clare, but overall this was disappointing. There was a lot of potential for a great story here, it just didn’t pan out in a satisfying way for me.

Still Here by Amy Stuart is the third book in the series but can be read as a standalone. Having read all the books in the series I would recommend reading them all before starting this one because I found all the books to be enjoyable and you will understand the background of the characters more. I loved this story. I found the characters interesting, the storyline intriguing and the plot moved at a steady pace. I highly recommend this book and this series.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

This is the third in the series but I have not read the first two and while it can be read as a stand alone and enjoyed I think it would have helped to know some of the information that was probably given in books one and two.

I enjoyed the story and the writing. I thought Clare was an interesting character and I like her tenacity. However I was a bit, just a bit, disappointed in the end, not because it was bad but more like it was the expected ending. There were a number of different ways the ending could have gone but this was the obvious one.

That being said it was still a good read.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Still Here is your typical police procedural, but with an added private investigator. To me, this book fell flat. It took me a while to get into the book. I feel that if I had read the previous 2 books, my experience would have been greatly enhanced. I did care about the main character's, but the background knowledge would have been nice. Overall, I liked it, but didn't love it.