The Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
**4.5-stars rounded up**
The Wolf Tree is an Adult Mystery novel set on a remote Scottish island. Late last year, I saw a few of my trusted book friends reviewing this one quite favorably.
As is my custom, I was immediately filled with uncontrollable FOMO, so I sought out a copy. Then as is also my custom, I let it sit on my unread shelf for months and months and months.
Recently, I finally decided to give it a go, wanting a strong Police Procedural Mystery full of atmosphere and intrigue. Oh baby, did I get what I wanted.
This story follows George Lennox, and her partner, Richie Stewart, who’re embarking on their first big detective assignment since George suffered a terrifying accident on the job that left her with a serious head injury.
The powers that be have finally decided that George is ready to get back out there, and she and Richie are sent to Eilean Eadar, a remote windswept rock, best known for the unsolved mystery of the lighthouse keepers who vanished from there back in 1919.
The small community who lives on the island, easily more sheep than people, are used to self-sufficiency. They live a remote and rugged life and are used to looking after one another, through good times and bad.
George and Richie are sent there to investigate after a young man, Alan, is found dead at the base of the lighthouse. The islanders, led by a ubiquitous priest, Father Ross, seem determined to thwart the DIs’ investigation. The local story is Alan took his own life, but is that really what happened?
Due to it’s remote location, the detectives are forced to stay on the island for the duration of their investigation. The more they interact with the locals and learn about their culture and history, the more George becomes convinced that something is seriously off here.
I had so much fun with this one. I became completely invested in the mystery and loved the partnership of George and Richie. They’re definitely a detective duo I want to read more of. I like how McCluskey gave them an interesting history in addition to the mystery they were solving.
McCluskey also nailed the island atmosphere and I found this to be spooky in addition to mysterious. I loved the feel of the locals. They were believable, yet also untrustworthy. It gave the whole thing an unsettling feeling from the start.
I did have moments where I felt challenged to keep up with a lot of the side characters, but for the most part, I think McCluskey did a great job creating a thick web of intrigue, while also keeping it accessible and understandable.
About halfway through, I was curious if this was going to become a series, and I’m so happy to report that there is a 2nd-book, The Cursed Road: A new gripping Scottish crime thriller from the bestselling author of THE WOLF TREE, set to release very early next year.
Y’all, I will be first in line for that. George and Richie are such a great match, their skill sets playing perfectly off one another. Richie, as a more aged, experienced detective, of course feels protective over George, and for her part, she’s just testing her limits.
I would recommend this for fans of Caz Frear’s Cat Kinsella series, the DC Morgan series by Clare Mackinstosh, or the DCI Jonah Sheens series by Gytha Lodge.
Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I cannot wait for the next book to release!