Stillwater

Luke is an intelligent young man reluctantly caught up in a world of organized crime through his father, Quin, and a man named Gus—a criminal and brutal bully. With his mother dead from 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 recognized his potential and began grooming 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, Stillwater is a gripping tale of greed, trauma, and survival. Tanya Scott superbly weaves together several distinct strands of the story until they coalesce into a single, compelling narrative with Luke at the center. The action becomes quite brutal at times, but it is never gratuitous, even as the atmosphere and tension build with each chapter.

The novel unfolds across two timelines that blend together seamlessly: one describing Luke’s difficult childhood and Gus’s gradual grooming of him for a life of crime, and the other set in the present as Luke tries to shake off the trauma of his past and forge an honest life.

Luke is such a strong character—compassionate yet morally conflicted—and you can’t help but root for him and hope he survives everything that’s being thrown his way. Scott, a doctor with experience in mental health, clearly draws on that background to portray Luke’s dysfunctional childhood and the lasting trauma he endured.

The supporting cast is equally well-drawn, with some characters trying to drag Luke back into the underworld and others supporting his quest to escape it. Alongside his hopeless father Quin and the controlling, unpredictable Gus, we meet Phil—a young man with mental health challenges who Luke helps care for—Phil’s sister Emma, who shares a mutual attraction with Luke, and their wealthy but morally corrupt father.

The novel starts as a slow burn, immersing readers in the horrors of Luke’s childhood and his recruitment by Gus, before the pace quickens to a stunning climax. Stillwater would make a terrific TV drama, and I heartily recommend it to anyone who enjoys a gritty, character-driven thriller.