Search This Blog








2023 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas
- California (5)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland (2)
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan (1)
- Minnesota
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (4)
- North Carolina (3)
- North Dakota
- Ohio (1)
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia
- Washington (2)
- West Virginia (1)
- Wisconsin (1)
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (3)
- Canada (6)
- England (12)
- France (1)
- Ireland (2)
- Scotland (1)
- South Korea (1)
- The Netherlands (1)
-Vietnam (1)





2023 Build Your Library Reading Challenge







Saturday, June 09, 2018
Moody Broody Mystery a Not Very Satisfying Read
8:07 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Blackmore isn't the kind of place that takes kindly to a stranger nosing around asking uncomfortable questions. The 2500 people still surviving in the gritty, down-on-its luck mining town are as rough and hopeless as their dying village. As a newcomer, Clare O'Day sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb. She doesn't look like a cop, but her inquiries into the recent disappearance of Shayna Fowles—a local junkie—make her suspect. What is Clare doing in Blackmore? Why is she asking about Shayna?
Clare has her own issues, although she's not about to unload them on anyone in Blackmore. Her job is to observe, ask questions, find Shayna, and leave. It soon becomes clear, however, that her task will not be as easy as it sounds. No one in Blackmore trusts Clare and vice versa, but to solve her own problems, Clare must find Shayna. What happened to the woman? Did someone harm her? If so, who? With a town chock-full of menacing suspects, Clare hardly knows where to start. One thing, however, is becoming painfully clear—Clare's in more danger every day she stays in Blackmore. Can she discover the truth behind Shayna's disappearance? Or will Clare become the next young woman to vanish from the sinister, dead-end town?
Still Mine, a debut novel by Canadian author Amy Stuart, is a moody, broody thriller that's unsettling and just ... weird. It's atmospheric, with an eerie vibe that sets the stage for a mystery that could go in any direction. The characters are a rugged, violent lot who are almost wholly unlikable. Plotwise, Still Mine is compelling, but its premise is unconvincing and its ending just made the whole novel feel pointless and depressing. While Stuart's prose is solid, I found almost everything else about this novel unappealing. I finished it, but overall, Still Mine just wasn't a very satisfying read for me. Bummer.
(Readalikes: Blackmore reminds me of Acker's Gap, West Virginia, the setting for the Bell Elkins series by Julia Keller)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (no F-bombs), violence, depictions of illegal drug use, and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: I bought a copy of Still Mine with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
6 comments:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)




Reading
Zero Days by Ruth Ware

Listening
Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen



Followin' with Bloglovin'



-
Sunday Salon: June 4, 20231 hour ago
-
-
-
-
Slowing Down Is Good for Me10 hours ago
-
110. Home Away From Home11 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
Monthly Wrap-Up May 202323 hours ago
-
Audiobook: Big Gay Wedding1 day ago
-
-
Sunday Post 5071 day ago
-
-
-
A Blind Eye by Marion Todd1 day ago
-
Books read in May2 days ago
-
Reading Wrap-Up: May 20232 days ago
-
-
Randomness...2 days ago
-
-
-
-
-
The Ferryman by Justin Cronin4 days ago
-
-
How I Select Books to Read5 days ago
-
cleaning wins!5 days ago
-
-
-
-
5/20/20232 weeks ago
-
A Couple of Recipes!2 weeks ago
-
-
This feed has moved and will be deleted soon. Please update your subscription now.3 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
-
Dotty Beanie with Ears4 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?7 months ago
-
-
HEARTS OF BRIARWALL by Krista Jensen9 months ago
-
A Final Farewell (+ book recs!)10 months ago
-
-
-

Grab my Button!



Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ▼ 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
I was going to say that the town sounds like the one in the Keller series, but without a 'Bell'. Did you know, by the way, that there is a new 'Bell' novel coming out in August? I didn't know. Preordered it right away. Can't wait!!
ReplyDeleteBlackmore definitely needs a Bell to save it. Yikes!
DeleteMy contact at Minotaur sends me all the Bell Elkins books, so I've actually already read BONE BY BONE. It's another good one and I LOOOVVEE the ending :)
Well, that’s a shame. Sometimes these types try so hard that they just end up being weird.
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
DeleteThat's too bad. This one sounded like it could have been so good!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you didn't like the book very much. :(
ReplyDelete