A gripping and atmospheric debut crime thriller set on an isolated Scottish island ... where outsiders are not welcome.

Shortlisted for General Fiction Book of the Year at the ABIA's 2026

Longlisted for Best Debut Fiction in the Indie Book Awards 2026

'There's always someone whispering about something.'

On a small island off the coast of Scotland, an isolated community is grieving. Eighteen-year-old Alan Ferguson was found at the foot of the lighthouse - an apparent suicide.

DIs Georgina Lennox and Richard Stewart are sent to investigate. A raging storm keeps them trapped on the island for five days. And the locals don't take kindly to mainlanders.

As George and Richie question the island's inhabitants, they discover a village filled with superstition and shrouded in secrets.

But someone wants those secrets to stay buried. At any cost.

'Absorbing, unsettling and deeply accomplished' Dervla McTiernan

'Smart, deliciously creepy and simply pitch-perfect - I tore through this spectacular debut!' Hayley Scrivenor

'An impressive crime debut dripping with atmosphere and threat, Laura McCluskey's The Wolf Tree will take you to a chilling cliff edge of suspense, then hold you there until the very last page' Hannah Richell

'An exciting new voice in crime fiction' Pip Drysdale

'Cold Atlantic noir. An eerie debut' Matthew Spencer, author of Black River

'McCluskey is masterful at building suspense' Kirkus

Details

ISBN13: 9781460765586
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 352
Edition:
Publication Date: 28 Jan 2026
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd
Publication City, Country: New South Wales, Australia
Dimensions (cm): 19.8(H)x13(L)x2.3(W)263
Weight (gm): 263

Author Biography

Laura McCluskey is a writer, editor and actor. She is also a co-founder of Sybilline Films and the Three Fates Theatre Company, and has performed across theatre, film and television. Her debut novel, The Wolf Tree, the first in a series featuring Scottish detectives George Lennox and Richie Stewart, was published by HarperCollins in 2025, and will be followed by The Cursed Road in 2026. She lives in Naarm/Melbourne.

Reviews