The Recommended Reading Order
For the best experience, we recommend starting with Amy Stuart's signature work, the Clare O'Dey "Still" Trilogy, before diving into her standalone thrillers and collaborative projects. Reading the trilogy in order allows you to follow Clare's personal development, her evolving search for missing persons, and her run from a dangerous past.
1. The Clare O'Dey / "Still" Trilogy
This psychological mystery series follows Clare O’Dey, a woman fleeing her own toxic life who finds a knack for finding other missing women. The trilogy should be read in chronological and publication order:
- Still Mine (2016) – Clare arrives in the remote, drug-ravaged mountain town of Blackmore to find a missing woman named Abby. While searching, she must keep her own identity hidden from the townspeople and her dangerous husband.
- Still Water (2018) – Clare travels to a transitional home for women in the town of Prospect, seeking another missing woman while trying to piece together her own fractured memory.
- Still Here (2020) – Clare has returned to Toronto, but when her investigator mentor Malcolm goes missing, she must follow a trail of clues that leads her back into the path of the dangerous people she has been running from.
2. Standalone Thriller
Once you finish the trilogy, move on to Stuart's standalone psychological fiction:
- A Death at the Party (2023) – A tense, claustrophobic mystery taking place over a single day. The story opens with the protagonist, Nadine, standing over a dead body in her basement during a party she is hosting, before winding back to detail the hours leading up to the tragedy.
3. Nonfiction & Collaborations
If you enjoy Stuart's writing style and have an interest in sports biography, check out her high-profile collaborative work:
- Home and Away (2024) – A memoir co-written with former Toronto Maple Leafs captain and hockey legend Mats Sundin, detailing his journey from Sweden to NHL stardom.
Publication Order vs. Chronological Order
Because Amy Stuart's fiction is tightly plotted with a linear timeline, her publication order matches her chronological reading order. There are no prequel novellas or complicated timeline shifts, meaning you can confidently read her books in the order they were published.
What to Know Before You Start
Amy Stuart's books are known for their dark, atmospheric settings and character-driven suspense. The "Still" series deals with heavy themes, including domestic abuse, addiction, and gaslighting. Unlike cozy mysteries, these books lean into psychological realism, following a protagonist who is deeply flawed, vulnerable, and trying to recover from her own trauma while assisting others. The narrative tension relies heavily on Clare's internal state and the claustrophobia of tight-knit, secretive communities.