Still Water by Amy Stuart
Still Water by Amy Stuart I initially picked up the first book of this series before reading Still Water, I picked it up so I could get the entire intended experience of the series. Still Water is the second installment of the Still Series by Amy Stuart. This book begins with Clare on the run again after the ending of her previous case in Blakemore where Shayna Fowls has gone missing. After Shayna Fowls is found in Blackmore alive and well, Malcolm manages to convince Clare to escape most of the media before it ramps up, exposing Clare and her location to her friends and family from her previous life. Clare and Malcolm spend the next few weeks in a motel where Clare can recover from the gunshot wound she received in the Blackmore mines. Once she has mostly recovered Malcolm sends Clare is to the small town of High River with a new identity, and a new mission.
In High River, Sally Proulx and her son William have vanished overnight, without a trace. Police have no leads, only an eye witness account of unidentified people near the river late at night. Clare finds her way to the shelter that is run by the Haines family. The shelter is the one that has one occupant, who happens to be the last person to see Sally and her son alive. High River is a town of tight knit family and friends, all of which do not trust local police. Clare attempts to follow the leads and finds herself mixed up in a convoluted web of secrets, all of which leaving multiple reasons for Sally and William to go missing.
I liked that Still River feels like a continuation from the previous book, almost as if they could have been written in one book. The time frames of the two stories is only a matter of weeks apart making it easy to settle in on the new story, and move into the mess that Clare finds herself in.
Still River exposed exactly what I was scouring Still Mine for, the story is amazing, but what I wanted to know more about was Malcolm Boon and his story. Malcolm Boon the mysterious man who tracked Clare down and provided her with an opportunity to stay on the road, but make a living at the same time. In the first book Still Mine, there is little to no information about Boon, and his background. Impressively enough Malcolm becomes one of the main characters/themes throughout the second book. In Still River, each interaction between Malcolm and Clare you start to notice growth and development within Malcolm, and rather than being a static character he quickly becomes more dynamic and a little more real.
This page turner is one that I read almost every moment I had free. From reading this series on my lunch break, to waiting for public transportation. This series is one that I had a hard time walking away from. This series is a must read thriller/mystery, for anyone looking for a non-police procedural. I gave this book (*)(*)(*)(*)/5, This is a book/series that I would recommend to my friends and family, and honestly cannot wait for Amy Stuart to come out with the next book
