Stillwater by Tanya Scott (Audiobook)

 

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.

My thanks to NetGalley and W. F. Howes Ltd for a review copy.

Author Details

Tanya Scott is a writer, doctor and medical educator. With years of experience working in mental health care, 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.

She is 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. Stillwater is her first novel.