Critics' Opinion:
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Published Aug 2019
272 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
In a small town ravaged by the opioid crisis, a woman confronts a dark secret about her brother's shocking death—a gripping novel of suspense for fans of Sharp Objects and S-Town.
Sadie Keller is determined to find out how her brother died, even if no one else thinks it's worth investigating. Untimely deaths are all too common in rural Blackwater, Kansas, where crime and overdoses are on the rise, and the small-town police force is consumed with the recent discovery of a child's skull in the woods. Sadie is on her own, delving into the dark corners of a life her brother kept hidden and unearthing more questions than answers.
Eighteen-year-old Henley Pettit knows more than she'd like to about the seedy side of Blackwater, and she's desperate to escape before she's irreparably entangled in her family's crimes. She dreams of disappearing and leaving her old life behind, but shedding the past is never easy, and getting out of town will be far more dangerous than she ever imagined.
As more bones are found in the woods, time is running out for Sadie to uncover the truth and for Henley to make her escape. Both women are torn between family loyalties and the weight of the secrets they carry, knowing full well that while some secrets are hard to live with, others will get you killed.
Like Laura McHugh's previous award-winning thrillers, The Weight of Blood and Arrowood, The Wolf Wants In is an atmospheric, beautifully told novel that barrels toward a twisting, chilling end and keeps us turning the page to find out how these small-town secrets will unravel—and who will survive.
"This emotionally resonant tale will also appeal to literary-fiction readers." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Readers will become invested in the struggles of the well-drawn lead protagonists; the stoic and resourceful Henley will especially remind Daniel Woodrell fans of Ree Dolly, the heroine of Winter's Bone. Inspired by the still-unresolved sudden death of McHugh's brother, this third novel is atmospheric grit lit with emotional depth." - Kirkus Reviews
"If you're looking for a writer who understands Midwestern life from the grand scales of economic and social contracts down to its tiniest customs and stoic beauty, look no further. Laura McHugh is the queen of the haunted heartland. Every scene simmers with hope and dread, making it impossible to rest until I knew these characters' fates. An absolute must-read." - Mindy Mejia, author of Leave No Trace
"Laura McHugh's thrilling third novel, The Wolf Wants In, puts her right alongside Daniel Woodrell and Bonnie Jo Campbell as a leading voice in rural noir. In taut yet evocative prose, McHugh unfolds an intricately plotted mystery of three murders in a small Midwestern town ravaged by the opioid epidemic and generational poverty. As the pages fly toward their devastating conclusion, we never lose sight of the way grief unravels individuals, families, and entire communities. Masterful and chilling." - Amy Gentry, internationally bestselling author of Good as Gone
This information about The Wolf Wants In was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Laura McHugh is the internationally bestselling author of The Weight of Blood, winner of an International Thriller Writers Award and a Silver Falchion Award for best first novel, and Arrowood, an International Thriller Writers Award finalist for best novel. Her work has also been nominated for a Barry Award, Alex Award, Goodreads Choice Award, and Pushcart Prize. McHugh's latest novel, The Wolf Wants In, will be published in August 2019. The author lives in Missouri with her husband and daughters.
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