Celtic folk horror meets detective fiction in Laura McCluskey’s gripping debut novel, The Wolf Tree.
Off the coast of Scotland, the lonely island of Eliean Eadar looms bleak and remote.
Home to a small, close-knit community, the island is a ghost story to mainlanders after three lighthouse keepers mysteriously disappeared in 1919.
Eilean Eadar is once again under investigation after the tragic death of a young man involving the same lighthouse.
Detective Inspector Georgiana “George” Lennox and her partner Richard “Richie” Stewart receive a hostile welcome as they arrive and question the townsfolk. What is supposed to be an easy open-and-shut suicide case turns into something much more sinister as they slowly follow the breadcrumbs to the disturbing center of Eilean Eadar’s dark history.
McCluskey weaves an utterly addictive atmospheric mystery that envelops the reader from the start. Told in George’s third-person-present narration, the reader is not just a passive observer but an active participant in the intricacies of routine police procedure and sleuthing, feeling the thrill of the investigation.
Eilean Eadrar’s primitive environment solidifies the mood and enhances the suspense. There is no technology on the island beyond one landline and a computer in the post office, and the only mode of transportation is one’s own two feet. Having avoided significant cultural evolution, religion and old traditions are weaponized and used to govern the people, making the setting feel increasingly uncomfortable.
George and Richie’s relationship is a key component of the story. Their humorous banter and their comforting father-daughter dynamic soften the horror aspects of the storyline. But as they delve deeper into the case, their dynamic starts to crack as they unravel the island’s ominous secrets and discover the truths they keep hidden from each other.
Filled with suspense and inspired by a true event, The Wolf Tree is an enthralling mystery that will captivate you at every turn and haunt you long after.
Image via Penguin/Putnam
