When Luke Harris accepts a temp job in disability support during his exam period, the biggest problem he anticipates is running out of time to study for his economics exams. But the job – looking after an autistic man named Phil while his brusque father, Jonathan, is at work – draws Luke back into the orbit of people he wishes he could leave behind in his past. It also brings him into contact with Jonathan’s daughter, Emma. With Jonathan offering to pay him cash in hand, and feeling a sense of obligation to look after Phil – and if he’s honest, Emma – Luke stays even though his senses tell him that something isn’t quite right.
The thing is, Luke isn’t who he says he is, and he has returned to Melbourne with a new name, intending to turn his life around. Seven years earlier, Luke was Jack Quinlan, who as a teenager, found himself in the employment of local crime figure, Gus Alberici. A smart kid with no reliable or suitable father figures in his life, Jack was an angry teenager who felt stuck, and Gus was the only one offering him any opportunities to have more than his lot. Too bad most of it wasn’t legal. But the thing about owing a crime lord is that soon you realise they own you. It’s very difficult to get out.
But get out Jack did – he has a new name, and all he wants is to be normal. Settle down, get a house and a dog and a job that pays well and have the kind of stable life he missed out on when he was younger. Unfortunately, life has other plans, and when Gus learns that ‘Jacky’ is back in town, he seeks him out and gives him a task – to track down his father, Quin, and his mate Kevin, who no one has heard from since a job gone wrong several years earlier. He believes that if anyone can track them down, it’s Jack; and if he succeeds, Jack can go on being Luke and Gus will leave him alone. If he fails, the consequences will be dire. How is a person supposed to pass their exams under such conditions?
Stillwater, the thrilling debut novel by Tanya Scott is a fast-paced action novel set in the world of Melbourne underground crime. It can be read as an engaging adventure, with readers on the edge of their seats to see how Luke gets himself out of the tangle of allegiances that he finds himself in, and whether or not his smarts and unique set of skills will see him through in the end.
But, it can also be read as a thoughtful exploration of how a person finds themselves in difficult situations, and it is clear that Scott has written this novel with a lot of empathy for the young people who do find their lives going off track in such a way. The central question of this novel is more than just a case of ‘will he find his father and get the girl?’ Readers will be wondering “Will he survive?” at first; but, before too long, they might also find themselves wondering if Luke is really who they should be worried about – or if, indeed, he can be trusted.
Scott’s clever plotting and use of flashback to explain key moments in Jack’s adolescence paint a vivid picture of how someone might find themselves in this situation. She is a writer with a nuanced understanding of desperation and mental health, and though the book is written in third person, you feel at all times like you understand where Luke is coming from, even when he’s on the wrong side of the law.
On top of this, her use of specific details bring the world of the book to life, from explaining what the role of a disability support worker might look like to evoking Luke’s culinary genius when it comes to making nice food out of whatever is left over in the fridge. At all times, Luke Harris, Jack Quinlan, or whatever his name is, feels like a fully realised person who might walk off the page and in through the door of whatever cafe you are reading in at any moment. Scott’s ability to create a sympathetic main character out of a morally grey one is impressive indeed.
While the plotting of this one does get a little bit complicated at times, and there were a few moments where I had to backtrack, I felt at all times like I was in the hands of a capable writer, and I know that Tanya Scott is going to be a name to watch in Australian crime fiction in years to come.
There is immense spinoff potential for this novel, and while I hope that readers will see Luke again in future instalments in a potential series, part of me also hopes that he just gets to settle down with that house and dog. After a 300-odd page rampage through Victoria, packed with violence and intrigue, plus all those exams he had to fit in, I think he’s earned it.
This one will appeal to readers who love Michael Trant‘s Gabe Ahern thrillers or anyone who usually devours the latest Reacher adventure as soon as it comes out. But try this one out on anyone who likes well-plotted, character driven novels too, because even though I’d say it definitely wasn’t my usual kind of book, I could not put it down.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Tanya Scott’s Stillwater is out now through Allen and Unwin. Find a copy at your local bookshop HERE.
