The Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey is a suspenseful mystery set on the remote Scottish island of Eilean Eadar, where Detectives George Lennox and Richie Stewart investigate a suspicious death at a decommissioned lighthouse. George, recently back from medical leave, is eager to return to fieldwork, but the islanders’ hostility and secrecy complicate the investigation. The dynamic between impulsive George and diplomatic Richie adds depth to the procedural, as they navigate folklore, isolation, and eerie local traditions. The novel’s atmospheric worldbuilding—complete with storms, forests, and haunting legends—enhances the tension and sense of unease. Though the pacing slows at times, the story delivers twists, historical intrigue, and a gripping conclusion that leaves readers wondering if George and Richie will return in a sequel. This is not the general type of book I read, but the overall setup was compelling, so I can see why others would enjoy it!

I enjoyed this book - it has similar tone to Beautiful Ugly - reminiscent of a locked room mystery where the room is an island and everyone has a reason to commit the murder. Defiinitely, this book made me invested in the characters of the investigators and will be lookking for more of their adventures to keep up with.

"An island lost in time. A cryptic, pagan past. Secrets that should stay buried."
The Wolf Tree takes place on a remote Scottish island that has secrets and more in this captivating read where I could not stop turning the pages. The author wrote this so well and I enjoyed every character in this. Every twist and turns in this book was so good. Overall, I highly enjoyed this one and would recommend to any reader who likes mystery reads. Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for this great read in exchange of my honest review of The Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey.

This was an interesting read. Set on the isolated Scotish island of Eilean Eadar that has a small population and hasn't seen police in years. The islanders are surprised when Inspector Georgina ‘George’ Lennox and her partner Richie arrive to investigate if the death of a young man at the foot of the abandoned light house. The islanders resent them for investigating a fall that is clearly an accident but George has some doubts. An interesting cast of characters and a good mystery makes one hope that George will be back in another book.

Slow burn police procedural set in an isolated island off of the west coast of Scotland. Atmospheric plot that slowly builds until the end and then seems to quickly wrap up.

Detective Inspector George Lennox has worked hard to get to where she is professionally, even if it’s meant treating her own youth and prettiness less as advantages than as obstacles to being taken seriously. Her partner, the older Detective Inspector Richie Stewart, has his own concerns as to her ambitions. Foremost among these is how eager she’s been to return to the field since a near-fatal accident landed her in the hospital.

Their boss in Glasgow has given them an assignment that they all recognize as a compromise. If George and Richie can successfully close the case on the alleged suicide of an eighteen year-old on the remote Scottish island of Eilean Eadar, then perhaps George will be ready to assume her full caseload once more.

Alan Ferguson was a bright young man who hadn’t seemed quite sure whether he wanted to stay on the island or leave for the wider world. Instead of choosing either option, he’d apparently decided to leap from the island’s abandoned lighthouse to his death in the mud below. The inspectors are sent to determine whether that was really the case, as certain details surrounding the incident do raise questions. How long before his demise had those grip marks on his arm been sustained, for one? And why had he chosen to jump to a much less certain death on the landward side of the lighthouse instead of seaward?

The inhabitants of Eilean Eadar meet the inspectors with varying degrees of hostility. Religious and mostly suspicious of outsiders, many of them need to be encouraged to talk to the inspectors by local priest Father Ross, whose affability doesn’t do much to hide his determination to ultimately protect his flock and their unorthodox symbols and ways:

QUOTE
“I suppose it must seem unusual to a mainlander,” he says. “The old ways aren’t so dutifully kept over there. But Celtic culture predates Christianity by twelve hundred years at least. Just because we adopted the latter doesn’t mean we abandoned the former. And since becoming the island’s priest and inheriting the responsibilities that come with this position, I’ve come to see that the two go hand in hand.” He gestures to the spiral. “It was here long before I arrived, and long, long before we got carpet and heating.”

“What does it mean?”

It’s not Father Ross who answers.

“It represents a balance between two opposing forces. Birth and death, creation and destruction, light and dark. [...] Not that we’d expect anyone from the mainland to understand that[.]”
END QUOTE

Despite these less than friendly interjections from the locals, not everyone is unwilling to help the inspectors get to the bottom of things. Cecily Campbell is a former mainlander who quickly bonds with George, to the surprise of them both. Postmistress Kathy MacKinnon knows almost everyone’s business and wants to make sure that George gets the full picture, too, especially as it pertains to the lighthouse and its murky history.

Perhaps most surprising to the inspectors are the revelations from Alan’s ex-girlfriend Fiona Bell. A champion boxer, she’d ended things with Alan after he cheated on her, but has apparently moved on as part of her bigger life plan. She’s thus perfectly candid when the inspectors come to interview her:

QUOTE
“Your family didn’t hold a grudge against him?” Richie asks.

“We didn’t hang out anymore, but like I said, I’m barely here. And probably won’t be for much longer–there’s a manager on the mainland who’s trying to get me into the US circuit. And when that call comes, it’ll be a one-way trip.”

Richie seems surprised. “You wouldn’t want to come back?”

“Fuck no. Why would I?”

“It’s your home, isn’t it?”

She opens her mouth, then shakes her head. “If anyone has told you that they’re happy here, they’re lying through their fucking teeth, all right? This island is a prison, only you don’t know if you’re a prisoner or a guard until someone hands you a uniform.”
END QUOTE

Had Alan’s death been due to his inability to escape this prison? Or is something even more tragic than the despair of a teenager to blame? As the inspectors investigate, their own bond is sorely tested. Will one of them become the next victim of this strange, wild island, or will the truth they uncover finally set the islanders free?

This is a fascinating look into an insular community bound by a potent mix of tradition and superstition, and the needless death that will change them all irrevocably. The secret at the heart of this novel is genuinely one of the most stunning perversions of justice I’ve ever encountered in my long reading career.

The main characters are well-drawn, with flawed, unstable George, especially, being haunted as much by the island’s peculiarities as by her own inner demons. The contrast between her and Richie’s differing approaches to health and career is striking, with both having good points and bad. I was just as invested in them working out their differences as I was in their effort to bring the law to Eilean Eadar. The results aren’t necessarily pretty when you’re shining the light of the 21st century on a place more than happy to be mired in the past, but it certainly does make for terrific reading.

Lots of twists, a murder or suicide has happened. George is recovering from an injury and is out her first case with partner Richie. A remote island with superstitions and a past unsolved mystery. The islanders are not friendly with outsiders. Great characters, a must read for mystery lovers.

A thrilling police procedural mystery that takes place on a remote Scottish Island. Yes, please! The Wolf Tree is an atmospheric and dark look at the islands history and its inhabitants. There was a lot going on here and it was a fun read.

**A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic ARC and the opportunity to review this book.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy, all opinions are my own.

Terrific, creepy thriller, set on a remote island off the coast of Scotland. A young man falls to his death, was it suicide or murder? Two detectives arrive during a storm and have 5 days to figure it out. What they uncover is crazier than they ever thought possible.

Truly one of the creepiest books I've read all year, the writing had me turning on all the lights! Loved it.

George, recovering from an on the job accident, joins her partner Richie on the small island of Eilean Eadar in Scotland to investigate a mysterious death of a young man. When they arrive, the islanders are wary, if not downright hostile, to what they view as an intrusion from the mainland. What follows is a twisted tale of suspense - of lies and secrets that long to stay buried but are destined to be unearthed.

Excellent character development, with a plot that keeps you turning the page, this book was hard to put down. Great debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital ARC of this title!

Wow! I loved this book. I loved the characters and the setting. I hope there is another book withtheses characters or even more than that. Great writing and suspense

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. I could not get into the story and was not able to finish it.

This debut mystery is suspenseful, creepy and full of twists and turns. I was hooked right from the start and the payoff was very satisfying. The isolated, island setting is moody and atmospheric and suits the story perfectly. If you enjoy dark police procedurals and suspenseful crime dramas you should definitely pick up The Wolf Tree.

This was an okay book! I didn’t enjoy it enough to recommend but it was decent! Not the intended audience

👉🏻 For my friends who like police procedurals, unsettling settings, and Scottish accents.

THE WOLF TREE by Laura McCluskey (Kirsty Cox, Narrator)

🎧Thanks, @prhaudio, for the #gifted audiobook and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the review copy via #NetGalley. #PRHAudioPartner #sponsored (Available Now) 10 Hours 42 minutes

“You’re jumping between theories like a flea at a dog park.”

On a tiny and isolated island off Scotland's coast, the Eilean Eadar community knows how to take care of their own. But a questionable death is suspicious enough to warrant two “big city” inspectors braving a dangerous boat ride to investigate.

I enjoyed the partnership between Detective Inspectors Georgina (“George”) and Richie, especially as she’s on her first case back to work after a nearly career- and life-ending on-the-job accident. She’s prickly and defensive, and he is mature and supportive. I liked that his family always invited her to dinner for the holidays. “Sometimes when she’s listening to him put his feelings into words with such unforced ease, she pictures herself as a lizard and Richie the sun-warmed rock beneath her.” Their relationship is being tested, but I could feel the strength of their history behind it.

The story itself was wonderfully convoluted: we meet almost all of the ~200 island residents at some point (I’m kidding), and the setting is harsh and creepy enough to feel like a key character. I especially enjoyed this as an audiobook since I adore great accents. But file this one under “slow burn” so you know what to expect: this was a fascinating exploration of people, personalities, and what can happen in tightly woven and isolated communities.

I was not impressed with the beginning of this book, as not a lot was happening, except for the interviewing of the residents, who were all pretty much keeping shtum. But, a third of the way through, boy, did this story get exciting. This is the kind of folklore tale that I love to read, laced with pagan beliefs and rituals, and a village where the residents look on outsiders (mainlanders) as suspicious…think of movies, ‘The Wicker Man’, and ‘Midsommer’.

Detective Georgina "George" Lennox is finally back to work with her partner Richie after recovering from an accident - a bit desperate for action and ready to do anything to prove that she is capable of taking on cases again. Their first assignment doesn't quite feel like a "real" one though, being sent to a remote and windswept Scottish island, population 200ish, to investigate the apparent suicide of an 18-year-old boy. It's most likely to be cut-and-dried, but there are some strange findings in the autopsy, and some even stranger things popping up during George and Richie's stay on the island, where the locals are highly suspicious and even hostile toward mainlanders. The dark secrets of the island's history and present swirl around, and kept me turning the pages even with a very slow burn plot. It has all of the elements I love from this kind of mystery along the ones by Tana French and Jane Harper - evocative setting that plays into the tension, broody detective fighting her own past as she tries to work in the present, UK/Ireland setting (Australia works too though, thanks Jane Harper), slow burn with secrets slowly being revealed and pace ratcheting up - and adds an element that I don't see as much but also enjoy for what it brings to the vibes: the female detective with older male partner who is a good mentor, rather than an antagonist (brought to mind the Cat Kinsella series by Caz Frear). As a Jane Harper read-alike it reminds me most of her newest ones (The Searcher and The Hunter) for the very small community vibes, the attitudes towards the protagonist as an outsider to that community, and the type of mystery where part of the tension comes from wondering, along with the protagonist, whether there actually IS a mystery, or whether the suspicious goings-on are all in their head... A solid read from this debut author, and I hope for more to come!

I found the first part of the story, with all of the interviews, pretty slow and boring. But there were several twists, and tons of atmosphere. The ending was great.
Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Update: February 19, Posted on Toktok. Please excuse the delay.

This was a remarkable book, unusual, charming, and chilling. The cover and title grabbed me, and I ended up reading it nearly non-stop all night and into the next day.

An irritable young Detective Inspector and her older partner are dispatched to investigate a possible suicide of an eighteen year-old on a tiny island with a population of two hundred and seven souls.The setup was leisurely, yet it suited the insular, low-tech island. The island with its harsh weather and secretive people came alive for me. The tension toward mainlanders along with the intriguing history and lore captivated me. The characterizations shine. 

The challenging investigation kept me in suspense and I became invested in George's quests. Although she’s bristly, she's fierce in a good way. I resonated with her damage and her ability to tune into where she needed to go. She's one of the most memorable detectives I’ve read in a long time.

The book felt larger than life with its dark underpinnings giving gothic and folk horror vibes. The relationships, symbolism, and social issues were handled well. 

The author's creativity makes this a standout book. When you read dozens of book descriptions a week, most of them fall into too-familiar patterns. The Wolf Tree was a sweet discovery. It's necessary to exert a strong suspension of disbelief and it pays off beautifully. 

I’m delighted to have discovered Laura McCluskey. I hope to see more of her unusual and appealing detective duo. 

Strongly recommended for seasoned readers of thrillers, detective fiction, and gothics.

Thank you, Penguin Group / Putnam for the E-ARC for consideration. These opinions are solely my own. I'll post to Tiktok and add the link closer to the release day.

I love the sense of place in this one. The atmosphere is special. I love that this is wholesome too. It is a little too wholesome for me but I loved it.