What a great read! Aussie crime fiction is blowing me away lately! This one kept me guessing all the way through and held so many emotions for the struggles people face and the unknown secrets they could be hiding.

Amazing! Thrilling!… I was HOOKED from the first page!!… That whopper of a twist at the end!?! I LOVED it!

The publishers are promoting Tanya Scott’s debut as great for fans of Lee Child and Jane Harper. While I wouldn’t compare this crime thriller to either of those authors (Jane Harper’s ability to evoke atmosphere and tension is pretty hard to match), it was a pacy and gritty read.
While Luke, our protagonist, may lack the detached charisma Reacher manages to exude, he does have a morally grey side. However, this is less of a choice and more driven by need, having had a troubled childhood, growing up in a family with links to organised crime. He’s made a break from that lifestyle but finds it’s not quite as easy to stay away from it as he was hoping.
The timeline hops backwards and forwards, between Luke’s childhood years all the way up to the present day, providing colour and depth to his character as we learn how his experiences have shaped him. As the timelines drew closer, I found I had to concentrate to keep track of which timeline we were in, but it didn’t spoil my enjoyment.
There are several twists in the latter part of the story, as you’d expect from a thriller. Lloyd Allison-Young does a good job with the narration.
A satisfying thriller, so a solid five stars from me, with thanks to NetGalley and WF Howes Ltd for the chance to read an ARC. Stillwater published on 1 August.

All Luke Harris wants to do is earn enough money to survive on while studying. A new placement brings him face-to-face with the dangerous past he thought he'd escaped from.

Luke Harris is a man with a past, one he hoped he'd escaped from by leaving Melbourne years ago. In Stillwater by Tanya Scott, Luke has returned to his hometown to study. To make ends meet, he works as a disability support worker, and it is during a new placement that his past comes crashing back. Luke is an engaging and likeable character; he's intelligent, empathetic and composed, skills which serve him well working with adults with learning difficulties.

As a child, Luke's homelife was chaotic with a drug-addicted mother and a father involved in petty crime. One of Melbourne's crime lords, Gus Alberici, saw something in Luke and took him under his wing. As the story moves back in time, we learn that Luke was originally called Jack Quinn and through Gus, he was taught skills to help Gus's criminal endeavours. Since returning to Melbourne, Luke has kept his head down, hoping that this, along with the name change, will stop Gus finding him and dragging him back into a life of crime.

The story is action-packed, with some of it being quite violent, as Luke's past and present collide. When Gus discovers Luke/Jack is back in the city, he quickly gets his claws into him. Luke is desperate to protect the people around him, so he goes along with Gus's plans, hoping to find a way of getting Gus off his back for good. Gus is trying to track down Luke's father, who has disappeared with a large amount of money belonging to Gus; the problem is that Luke hasn't seen his father in years.

I enjoyed the chapters that skipped to the past and gave us a glimpse of Luke's childhood; we gained a greater understanding of the decisions he makes in the present. Life, both now and in the past, is a fine balancing act for Luke, trying not to upset Gus, who is a violent and unforgiving man. As Luke tries to do what Gus wants, and keep a distance between him and his new life, we slowly realise that there are secrets he desperately wants to keep hidden.

As the two timelines merge, we reach shocking conclusions in both. A host of secrets are revealed, and some ghosts are put to rest. For Luke, there is a chance that he can continue the new life he has forged for himself however; I hope this isn't the last we see of the character.

Luke Harris is trying to build a good and honest life for himself, away from his troubled past. But when that past catches up to him, he finds himself in a very tricky situation as his past and present collide.

Luke, on the surface, seems like an ordinary young man but as the timeline is switched to his childhood, it is clear that he has faced a huge amount of trauma and even though he has changed his name, there are people that don’t want to let him move on.

The plot was very clever in how it brought all of the characters together as the layers of Luke’s life were peeled away. There wasn’t actually a mystery as such, this was more about Luke as a person and the characters who had influenced his life. I enjoyed it, but it didn’t really grip me in the way that I had hoped.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Stillwater
Tanya Scott

Stillwater is Tanya Scott’s debut thriller where we are introduced to Luke Harris, a man trying to move beyond his criminal past but finds himself thrust back into his old life. Jack Quinn’s mother died of a drug overdose and Gus somewhat stepped in to raise him; Gus a ruthless crime boss who see’s how whip smart Jack is. Jack goes along with it but knows where this sort of life is going to lead him. When the time is right, he’s getting out.

'I don't trust him, not as far as I could-‘
'Calm down.’ Jack forced his fists to relax.
'Kev's my friend. This is—it's a betrayal.’

Seven years later, Jack is now Luke Harris, putting himself through university for a career in finance. Jack’s past is coming back to haunt Luke 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.

‘But as Hong would have said: No plan survived contact with the enemy.’

This is fast paced and easy to become immersed in. The split storyline’s from Jack’s childhood vs Luke’s adult life were choppy and sometimes jarring but push the propulsive plotline forward.

Luke was a fantastic character. Smart, resourceful and likeable, the perfect guy to have around as he can do anything and everything. I spent the book rooting for him in every outcome.

I particularly loved that it wasn’t bogged down in descriptive details or watery pose. It was sharp dialogue and action backed. Easy to comprehend and enjoy.

The narrator did such a wonderful job with this book. It was engaging and captivating reading. Certain characters had rather aggressive dialogue and it was evident in the narrators delivery. Really well done.

(Review posted 8th August 2025).

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC of Stillwater by Tanya Scott. This was an amazing debut that drew me in immediately. Luke Harris is a former criminal trying to build a better life working in care but when an old associate resurfaces, his new life is put at risk.

Luke is torn between his past and maintaining his future, and the moral tension of his choices gives the story real depth. The audiobook narration was excellent. The narrator captured Luke’s vulnerability and the shift between characters felt authentic. It was easy to stay engaged, even in the darker moments of the story.. This is a powerful story second chances, it is both gripping and thought-provoking.

Another fabulous debut Aussie crime book! We have been so spoilt in recent years and Tanya Scott is another name to look out for. Stillwater is a dark yet emotional story that you won’t be able to stop reading.

I really enjoyed the dual timelines, learning about Luke getting his life together today, and hearing about his really tough childhood. When the 2 worlds collide once again and bring those he has grown close to into danger, Luke really struggles to go back to that place. I loved the Melbourne setting, always enjoy reading about a location that I know well.

The narrator was excellent, really pulled me into the story and made me want to keep listening.

Thank you so much to WF Howes for the chance to listen to the audiobook.

A great debut crime thriller from an author I will definitely seek out again.
Luke is trying to re-invent himself . He has changed his name, started a University course, works part-time in disability support and is enjoying life on the straight and narrow following a traumatic upbringing where he was raised amongst a great deal of criminal activity.
Unfortunately, just as things were looking up for him, Luke is recognised by gangster Gus Alberici and is drawn back into a world he was desperate to escape from.
Told across two different timelines ( the present and Luke's childhood) we understand the trauma and complexities of his upbringing and his battles to overcome the impact of these on his current living experiences.
Lots of twists and turns, very suspenseful, well-developed characters and great insights shared into the impact of trauma on mental health.
I am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced listener copy of this highly recommended and very well narrated audiobook.