Tanya Scott's Stillwater grabbed me by the neck and never let go. From the first page to the last, I was totally invested in the story of Luke… or is his name Jack? Is he a hero? An anti-hero? Just a guy doing his best under difficult circumstances with a diverse skill set? The title feels like a play on words: It's the name of a key location in the story - an outpost in the Australian bush - but it also describes Luke because his still waters run deep. A neglected and traumatized child, he could have grown up to abuse as he was abused, but instead he did the work to process his trauma and heal enough to unearth other qualities: protectiveness; patience; gentleness. I might have fallen a little in love with him when he shared his internal world and the history that informed it.

For an action thriller, this book has a lot of heart. I cared about Luke, and through him, I cared about other characters who play key parts: a young woman named Emma, and her autistic brother, Phil. The bad guys are very, very bad. Heck, even the good guys aren't all that good. I liked the nuance, the three-dimensionality, and the way Scott took her time to reveal how the past will always inform the present. For as fast-paced as the story is, it never felt rushed or undercooked. Stillwater is a five-course meal, complete with wine pairings and palate cleansers. It made me want to go read everything else the author has written.

Thank you, Grove Atlantic, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the prologue; it had a lot of dark ambience and intrigue. The start is kind of rushed and doesn’t feel complete yet. There are a lot of short scenes with unnecessary dialogue and strange transitions as it’s setting things up.

All the characters are okay, but they need a bit more work to become fully fleshed out. For example, Luke is a little too perfect at everything he does and needs some flaws that can affect the story more. It would also be nice if Gus had other motivations besides wealth and power, as right now he’s kind of one-dimensional. I enjoyed Emma’s involvement in the plot as it progressed, but it would be cool if she did more sleuthing on her own. I didn’t really care about the ex plotline, he was kind of just there to cause problems for no real reason.

The best parts of Stillwater are Luke’s flashbacks. They begin a little too late in the story but contain a lot of really interesting details about his past. It would be nice if they were broken up and used more strategically throughout the plot, as they add a lot of depth to Luke’s character. The ending was interesting, but also a bit rushed. The plot is kind of predictable, but there is some nice lead up to the conclusion.

All in all, Stillwater has lots of potential, but I think it still needs some work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the advanced reading copy!

It is really hard to believe this is a debut thriller. I would have thought the author had written countless others. Luke, previously known as Jack, is an absolute badass. He tried to get away from a life of crime, but is suddenly thrown back into that life. It reminds me of like a mob life story.

The parts that I loved the most are the flashbacks of how he got into this life. They found a young boy in need of a true father figure and exploited that. At times it seemed like they were helping him until it became something different. It felt so realistic about what I imagine it is truly like.

There is lots of action in this book and every character is somehow interconnected and woven together. In the beginning you don’t realize how much each character is important and connected. Also, there is some romance but that definitely is not the main point of the story. This is definitely a crime thriller.

I would absolutely read this author again.

Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review. 🩷