Touchstone, July 19, 2016.
Four Stars
Clare O’Dey has been sent into the small town of
Blackmore to find out about the disappearance of a woman named Shayna Fowles – but
the most interesting part is that we don’t know who Clare is or why she is
looking for Shayna. Both women are around the same age and have a similar
appearance, yet they have never met. It is only slowly revealed to us why Clare
is in Blackmore and what she is really looking for.
The locals of Blackmore are suspicious of Clare, who
poses as a photographer and says she just happened to be passing by. However,
her questions about Shayna don’t go unnoticed, especially by the many shady
characters who become suspects in Shayna’s disappearance. Everyone has secrets
in Blackmore, including Shayna’s ex-husband Jared, her drug dealer Charlie, and
even her parents. Because no body has been discovered, it is just as likely
Shayna left town on her own, and her friends and family seem surprisingly
unconcerned.
Drug use is rampant in Blackmore, and Charlie’s
business is booming. When Clare temporarily moves into a trailer on Charlie’s
property, she becomes involved with his group of friends and their dangerous
lifestyle, drinking with them at the local bar and popping random unmarked
pills. Clare struggled with addiction in her past, and she begins spiraling downward
once again, all while convincing herself that it’s just part of her
investigation. Almost all of the characters are unlikeable, but it’s easy to
understand why, considering their damaged lives.
Clare seems to be just as lost and confused as the
girl she is searching for, and we can’t really trust anything she says. Clare
isn’t the hero, storming into town to save Shayna – in fact, she is equally in
danger. The threats to her are enhanced by the shadowy, desolate setting – a foggy,
mountainous landscape that inspires mystery with its dark hiding places. There
also happens to be a creepy abandoned mine just outside town, and it’s the
location of a deadly accident years before that is somehow connected to Shayna’s
disappearance.
Still Mine is not really a thriller, and I wish it wasn’t being compared to
the recent rash of “Girl” thrillers. It is more of a slow-paced mystery with a
focus on Clare as an individual – how she sees the world, and how her past
affects her version of events. The gentle pace of the novel belies the danger that
surrounds Clare, and while there is no outright violence, there is the constant
threat of it gathering like a storm cloud. The ending leaves plenty of room for
a sequel, with Clare’s past coming back to haunt her. While there were definitely
some unbelievable aspects to the novel, I still look forward to the next book.
I received this novel from Touchstone and NetGalley in
exchange for an honest review.
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