There are books that are hard to classify by genre and The Wolf Tree is such a novel. The riveting story by Aussie author Laura McCluskey is part supernatural, part folklore and a combination mystery and true crime. Throw in a heroine on the verge of addiction to painkillers and the resulting tale is a web of lies and half-truths. All of which makes the plot twist believable and unbelievable at the same time.

The dank, cold, windswept island of Eilean Eader, isolated in the North Atlantic Ocean, provides the perfect location for McCluskey’s multifaceted story. Remote and only accessible by sea, the sparsely populated locale lends itself to self-reliance and self-rule.

Inhabitants are leery of outsiders and those moving into the community face the same barriers to acceptance found in all rural, isolated hamlets across the globe. Transportation is limited to bicycle and foot. So, everything is at a slower pace.

Georgina “George” Lennox is the lead character in the story. Fresh off a medical leave for injuries suffered in a case, she and fellow inspector Richard “Richie” Stewart travel through stormy seas to confirm a suicide is the correct ruling in the death of a teenager. Autopsy findings are uncertain.

Opposites in age, experience and investigative approaches, the partners’ working relationship has been strained since George rushed into a scene without backup and barely survived. The tension increases on the barren island as George combats physical pain and self-doubt. Her police instincts have disappeared. And she questions the unbelievable sights and sounds of the island. Are they real or imagined?

An array of villagers complements the story. Everyone from the grieving mother to the outgoing postal clerk to the young mother- a contemporary of George. Then there is the priest. Father Ross is not only in charge of village society, but he also has a great concern for the souls of its’ inhabitants. The suicide has impacted everyone.

Laura McCluskey posits an alternative ideal of justice. Readers and book clubs will be pondering the outcome of The Wolf Tree for years to come. The novel is very entertaining, and I always enjoy stories with wicked twists at the end. The author delivers a winner in this first novel. Hopefully we will see more of George and Richie in the future.