Luke is an intelligent young man reluctantly caught up in a world of organised crime through his father, Quin and a man called Gus, a criminal and brutal bully. With his mother dead of a drug overdose when he was six, Luke was forced to live with his father in a share house. A smart kid, it wasn’t long before Gus realised his potential and started training him as a teenager to work for him.

Once Luke finished school, his only escape was to run away to Queensland. Now, seven years later, he’s back in Melbourne, studying for a commerce degree and working part time as a disability carer. He’s changed his name and is determined to stay unnoticed by Gus and his criminal associates.

What an excellent Aussie debut novel this is! Dark and gritty, it’s a gripping tale of greed, trauma and survival. The author, has superbly woven together several distinct strands of the tale until they coalesce wonderfully into a single entity with Luke at the centre. The action does become quite brutal at times, but is never gratuitous, even as the atmosphere and tension rise with each chapter.

The novel unfolds in two time-lines which blend together seamlessly. One describing Luke’s difficult childhood and Gus’ gradual moulding him for a life of crime and the other in the present where Luke is trying to shake off the trauma of his past and forge an honest life for himself.

Luke is such a great character, strong and compassionate but also morally conflicted, and you can’t help siding with him and hoping he can survive everything that’s being thrown at him. The author, Tanya Scott is a doctor with experience in mental health, which has clearly helped her imagine Luke’s dysfunctional childhood and the trauma he suffered.

There is a good range of supporting characters, also well drawn, some trying to drag him back to the underworld and some supporting his quest to leave his past behind. Apart from Luke’s hopeless father Quin, and the controlling, unpredictable Gus, there are Phil a young man with mental health problems who Luke is helping to care for, his sister Emma who has a mutual attraction for Luke and their wealthy, but morally corrupt, father.

The novel is a slow burn at first as we learn about the horrors of Luke’s childhood and his recruitment by Gus, and then the pace speeds up to a stunning climax. I can see this making a terrific TV drama and heartily recommend it to all those who enjoy a gritty thriller.

EXCERPT: Dense fog cloaked the forest, clinging to the straight, tall trunks of the ironbarks and hovering suspended over the sparse undergrowth. Grey dawn light filtered through. The silence was absolute, a solid wall; no birdsong, not a hint of wind. The trees held their breath, as still as death. Even the water on the leaves had arrested mid-drip, frozen by the wintry night. The dam's mirror reflected nothing but the white sky.
He moved at last, leaving the dam behind to trudge past the wooden cabin on the narrow, tree-lined track. Overnight, the storm had turned it into a muddy river, carving deep crevices in the dirt. With each step, mud splashed to his knees, and he stumbled and slipped on the slick surface.
The fog thickened as he descended, reducing visibility to an arm's length. At the end of the track, where it intersected with a broader road, a rusty wire gate stood open, choked in place with mud and leaf litter from the storm. He scraped it clear so he could drag the gate across the track, and with a huff - of force, and finality - he slammed it into place. The faded metal sign rattled against the wire. He paused, staring at the single word.

stillwater

Then he squared his shoulders and turned his back on the sign, on the foggy track and the mess he'd left behind, and he set off along the road.

ABOUT 'STILLWATER': Luke Harris is a man trying to move beyond his criminal past but finds himself forced back into his old life and a deadly battle to survive.

When Jack Quinlan’s mother dies of a drug overdose, it’s not his father that raises him, but Gus—a ruthless crime boss who sees Jack for what he is, a whip-smart kid with untapped potential. It doesn’t take long for Gus to forge Jack into a weapon.

But Jack was also self-aware enough to know where this sort of life was going to lead him. When the time was right, he got out. Or so he thought.

Seven years later, Jack is now Luke Harris, a regular guy putting himself through college and aiming for a real job and a real future. Falling in love. But Jack’s past isn’t so easily forgotten, and the bodies in his closet won’t forgive him.

When Luke’s newfound life collides with Gus’s underworld, survival becomes a deadly game. Luke must resurrect his dormant skills and confront the demons that threaten to consume him.

MY THOUGHTS: Wow! Tanya Scott, this is some debut thriller!

I'm not known for my love of thrillers, especially ones concerned with organised crime. But I picked Stillwater up and simply devoured it, riveted and consumed by the storyline, entranced by the characters, particularly that of Jack/Luke. But I have to admit, even the bad guys fascinated me.

The whole way through I was rooting for Jack/Luke as his story in the now alternated with his past. He had a terrible upbringing, caught in a spiral of bad parenting, poverty, petty crime and bullying. Gus Alberici appears to offer Luke the help he needs but, in reality, Gus is anything but the light at the end of the tunnel.

Dark, gritty and brutal, with a rich emotional timbre, Stillwater is the story of survival against all odds, about the past Luke thought he'd left behind catching up with him and his determination not to be consumed by it. Easier said than done.

Jack/Luke's a character I won't forget in a hurry.

A slickly written, debut Aussie crime novel from an author I will follow closely.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#Stillwater #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: TANYA SCOTT is an Australian writer, doctor and educator. She is an accomplished survivor of near misses, including escaping from an engineering degree out of high school, crashing a car with a huntsman (spider, not human) on her lap and getting caught in a rip off the coast of Cocos Island. She also managed to finish medical school with her sense of humour intact.
Over a varied medical career, she has learned more from her patients than from any textbook – not just about physical and mental health, but about humanity, resilience and the absurdity of life. While these themes inform her writing, her love of twisty mysteries has made her an accidental crime writer.
After growing up on the coast in western Victoria, Tanya studied and worked in Melbourne for over a decade, but always knew the beach would claim her back. She is now based on Wadawurrung country, on the Victorian Surf Coast, with her family and pets. When not writing, she can be found with her head in a book or braving the wind at the beach.

DISCLOSURE: Thak you to Grove Atlantic via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of Stillwater by Tanya Scott for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Jack is a child who had to become an adult quite early in life after his mother dies. His father, Quin, leads an erratic life, in and out of jail, his "uncle" Kevin is violent and is always getting himself in trouble and is also in and out of jail, the only strong and stable adult in his life is Gail, but he also feels abandoned by her when she dies of cancer. After some time living with a foster family and being guided into studying, Jack is back again with Quinn and that's when his troubles start. He is approached by Gus, a ruthless outlaw, who places him under his protection and sends him to boxing classes. Jack then becomes Gus' fixer, beating people to receive the money they owe him. After becoming 18 Jack disappears from town and only returns when he has a plan in mind. He starts to work as a caregiver to Jonathan's (a wealthy businessman) son and then he meets Emma who is an aspiring actress and will do anything to help her brother who has special needs. Jack is now known as Luke and he holds as many secrets as Gus and Jonathan. The story is full of mysteries that will be made completely known at the end. Jack/Luke had everything against him but was smart enough to make something of himself in spite of the abuse he suffered. Well-written, fast-paced, Stillwater is one of the best books I read this year! Highly recommended!
I thank the author, her publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

A former crime boss's enforcer tries to escape his past and start a new life, only to have it all come crashing back down. It had all the makings of a tense, action-packed thriller and I was certainly ready for a story about a man wrestling with his demons.

On the one hand, the book did a great job of setting up the dual identity, showing a glimpse of his ruthless past and his sincere desire for a real future. The moments where his old skills resurfaced were definitely exciting and the constant threat of his past colliding with his present created a solid foundation of suspense. The action sequences were well-paced and kept the story moving forward.

However, the book's biggest struggle was in making those characters feel as real as the danger they were in. The "regular guy" Luke and his love story felt a bit underdeveloped especially when contrasted with the ruthless world of Gus's crime syndicate. The emotional stakes didn't always feel as high as the physical ones, and it was hard to truly connect with the "real future" Luke was fighting for when it felt like a thin veneer over his more interesting past.

Overall, while it was a decent read for a quick dose of suspense it didn't quite manage to make me feel invested in its characters or their high-stakes struggles, leaving me more a detached observer than a participant.

(Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for a review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own)

Stillwater by Tanya Scott is a must read slow burn thriller.
A very promising debut—atmospheric, gripping, and set in small town Melbourne.
This book has the perfect ingredients for a satisfying result.

Thank You NetGalley and Atlantic Monthly Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I could not stop listening to this book, and I finished this gripping fast-paced thriller it in one day! I was immediately pulled into the life of Jack Quinlan, the complex morally gray character in this suspenseful crime thriller. The dual timeline perfectly delves out significant pieces of Jack’s childhood, one filled with trauma that shapes the man he is today. He escapes from the criminal family that raised him, and has made a new life for himself or so he thought. As his past catches up to him and drags him back into the dangerous life he left behind, with his survival on the line can he find a way to escape once again?

Stillwater is new crime fiction from Tanya Scott.

"When Jack's mother dies from an overdose, he ends up spending most of his time with Gus, a ruthless criminal. Gus sends him on errands and teaches him how to fight. Jack knows how this life ends up and is desperate to leave. Jack bides his time and thinks he's gotten away - until a chance encounter brings Gus back into his life. Gus puts him right back to work and Jack knows he will have to find a way out if he wants any kind of future."

Jack, also known as Luke, is a bit of an antihero. He's done some awful, criminal things for Gus, but wants nothing of that life. He wants to be an accountant because of his savant ability with numbers. His attempt to stay under-the-radar doesn't work.
This is sort of a dual-timeline story. There's the present and Scott tells the backstory for how Jack got to a certain point. There are several surprises along the way and a wild ending. A couple of Aussie specific items had me stumped - What's a 'ute'?

This was a slow build but great payoff at the end.

He thought he had escaped his past

When his mother died of a drug overdose, Jack's upbringing was taken over by Gus, a crime boss and overall nasty piece of work who saw in Jack a bright boy he could forge into a useful weapon for his criminal exploits. Gus did exactly that, and though Jack ended up a well-trained if reluctant tool he was also smart enough to see that if he continued in that life he was headed for nothing but trouble. When the right moment came along, Jack escaped and started a new life, reinventing himself as Luke Harris. He is now putting himself through college to become an accountant, working as a health care aide to pay the bills. Its not a glamorous existence, he in fact is just barely scraping by, but after seven years he is on a path of his own choosing headed towards a legitimate life. He's making some great money caring for the autistic son of a wealthy man and is developing a friendship (maybe romance) with the client's daughter when a chance encounter one night brings his past crashing back into his new world. Gus has neither forgiven nor forgotten Jack/Luke's desertion, and wants him back in the role for which he was raised. Complications arise as well with the new woman in Luke's life and her family, and Luke must tap into Jack's skills in order to restore order to his life. Can he harness those old demons and still come out on top?
Stillwater is a crime thriller that rises above some of the clichés of the genre, featuring a well-nuanced, complicated protagonist in Luke Harris. Surviving a less-than-ideal childhood and escaping the underworld which seemed determined to own him, Luke has overcome substantial odds to claim a new life. When the past threatens to pull him back under, he has to face what he did in the past in order to do what needs doing in the present. With a narrative that swings back and forth between Jack's childhood and Luke's present challenges, the setting at times in Melbourne and at others the Australian bush, the story probes themes of trauma, poverty, and morality (or lack thereof). Its a gritty tale, and author Tanya Scott's background in mental health brings a psychological depth to the story. Stillwater is a gripping debut, one likely to appeal to readers of Ian Rankin, Jane Harper and Chris Hammer, a 4.5 ⭐️ read rounded up to 5. Many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press for allowing me access to what I hope will lead to a series featuring a unique new character.

I haven’t read a lot of crime novels lately and this debut is fabulous. Although likened to Jack Reacher, the main character is anything but in nature.
All Luke wants is a quiet life. After years away he has returned to his hometown of Melbourne. He is intent on studying accounting and has exams coming up. To earn some money he has taken a temporary position as a care giver to Phil a young man with disabilities. Unfortunately Luke’s life wasn’t always this ordered, and when he runs across Gus Alberici, a criminal he used to work for, Luke is dragged back into his past. In an attempt to stay on the straight and narrow and stay alive Luke must appease both Gus and Phil’s father Jonathan., a hard man in his own right and who seems to have a connection to Gus.
It really is a terrific story that weaves the threads nicely to have a satisfying end. Hopefully there will be more with this character.

#Stillwater. #NetGalley

very well done and gritty debut with some good vibes and interesting feelings. would definitely recommend. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

I never would have believed this was a debut. Stillwater was absolutely fantastic.

It was a slow burn, which oddly resulted in perfect pacing for me. I will stayed up way too late reading this one. The characters were so well-developed and I love how every character was connected. The flashbacks to how Luke/Jack got involved with his past life were super interesting and enjoyable.

Overall, this was an easy read to give 5 stars to. I can’t wait to read more Tanya Scott in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Jack worked hard to escape a life of crime working for a local mob boss. He changed his name to Luke and reinvented himself as a hard working college student. A chance encounter with his former boss pulls Luke back into the dangerous life he left. Can Luke escape with his life again? Swipe 👈 to read the full summary.

This is a solid debut novel. It’s got classic thriller themes like criminal with a heart of gold, bad parenting and childhood trauma leads hero to find a father figure in a crime boss, and hero falls for a girl who’s father is in trouble with the crime boss. The pace of the story is good and the timeline shifts from present to past as Luke recalls the events in his that lead to his present day troubles. There’s even some family secrets and lies thrown in.

Overall, I liked it. I was rooting for Luke to get the life he’s always wanted.

A page-turning thriller, set in Australia and filled with great characters. Jack Quinlan's mother dies of a drug overdose when he is a little boy, and he is taken in by a friend of her's, Quin, a low-level, lowlife criminal who cannot really provide Jack with everything he needs. Jack is noticed by Gus, a sociopathic mobster who takes Jack under his wing and uses him to collect on bad debts, and other criminal things. Jack wants out, and when he comes of age, he changes his name to Luke Harris, hoping to escape the criminal world and Gus. Luke is so sincere and a good person, but he can't seem to escape his past. Eventually, he comes up with a plan, and it is years in the making (and very clever). Readers will cheer for Luke/Jack and marvel at how good he is at manipulating the bad guys. Great story that I look forward to recommending to readers who enjoy books by Harlan Coben.

An interesting take on a genre saturated with a lot of the same general storytelling.
I linked that the MMC had more to him than just big guy who hits people. I liked learning about his past and how that was informing his present.
Perfect for fans of Lee Child or Gregg Hurwitz.

Stillwater was a slow thriller but a good one! The male main character, Luke, was very complex and had a crazy history! I swear this man never caught a break. I loved back and forth between timelines.

I really enjoyed the fact that all the characters played a part in the story and they were interconnected. There were so many characters that I hated but also some that I was a little conflicted on… Gus… I didn’t hate him like I think I was supposed to. I struggled with Luke because I was so mad at him initially like “You got out! Why did you go back?” But I also loved that he was one of those people good after everything and with everyone. And the smart mouth I ate it up !

The story started very slow for me but I knew that it was building up to be something so good! I was ultimately not disappointed.

I liked this book, it is very well written. I found it to drag at first, but the good news is that when it picks up you are happy to continue reading.

This was definitely a slow burn thriller. Not as fast-paced as I usually prefer, but every character had a well-written past that flourished throughout the story. The reader gets involved with the characters and has the need to know what happens next.

About halfway to two thirds through the book, it started picking up speed and I couldn’t put it down! Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for this ARC! #NetGalley #Stillwater

Jack lost his mother when he was young and was raised by his father at times. Sometimes he was with friends sometimes in foster care. He had a rough life full of abuse. . The book flips back and forth between now and his younger years. My only complaint was at times it took a minute to figure out which was which. I enjoyed the book and was anxious to see how Jack/Luke turned out.

Tanya Scott’s first novel is well written. The authors’s ability to develop the characters is that of an experienced novelist.
From the first chapter I think you will “fall in love” with the main character Jack. He’s tough and rough but there is also a soft and righteousness side about him. He lost his mother when he was young and ended up living with his father until the father went to jail. Then it was child services until he met Gus. Gus took under his wing, gave him money for food and taught him how to fight, after that, Gus had a hold on him that took most of his young life on a criminal path. It is fast moving and a great criminal thriller, I give it 4.1/2 stars. I am looking forward to her next book.

You are a disability support worker. You just want to have a lot of money. Enough money to finish your degree, get a proper job, house, and most importantly, a dog. Unfortunately for you, you're the main character of this book, Luke Harris, and your past seems to have different plans for you before it will let you do that.

Writing cinematic scenes is Tanya Scott's specialty. The prologue sets a very mysterious and tense atmosphere, one that will keep you on your toes until the end of the book. You can imagine every scene in your head perfectly like you're watching a movie with one of those actors as main characters. You know the ones. That makes reading this book a very easy going and seamless experience, even when some chunky bits of plot are not exactly flawless.

My main problem was with Emma, and every scene that she was in. Without diving into spoilers too much, I'll just say, her presence in the story felt very forced and unnecessary. You could take her out of the story completely, and 90% of the book would remain unchanged.

Besides our main character, I'll talk about him in a second, everyone elses characterization falls flat. In theory, they all sound like they could be very interesting, but in practice, they're too stereotypical and forgettable.

Luke is this books strongest selling point, right after good quality writing. Luke and his past were solid and tangible. Except when he was with Emma. (I'm afraid she ruined my reading experience more than I was originally aware of.) I don't hate Emma, I dislike that she's the only female character (in the present storyline) and I dislike her role in the story.

Overall, an interesting read that pulls some heavy and shocking punches, even if it drags a little. It's a mix of a plot and character driven story, with strong character development.

I would recommend it to fans of characters like Jo Nesbos Harry Hole, but in reverse. If that makes sense.