The Wolf Wants In
Named a Best Book of the Year by Library Journal
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.
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Praise for The Wolf Wants In
“Calling all fans of Sharp Objects and the third season of True Detective: You need to read Laura McHugh.”—Refinery29
“A perfect thriller . . . a thoughtful commentary on America’s opioid crisis and an utterly satisfying mystery.”—Janelle Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Watch Me Disappear
"Elegant plotting, finely honed character studies, and lyrical prose draw the women’s lives closer as Sadie and Henley deal with their own small-town ennui. This emotionally resonant tale will also appeal to literary-fiction readers." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Sometimes you pick up a book so beautifully written and resonant that you want to savor every word and swirl it around in your mouth like fine wine. Laura McHugh’s third novel, THE WOLF WANTS IN, is such a book. The combination of McHugh’s lyrical yet vivid writing and her honest, insightful portrayal of grief results in a haunting story." —The Big Thrill
"If you love a dark, atmospheric, beautifully written rural mystery, The Wolf Wants In by the very talented Laura McHugh impressively delivers." —Gilly Macmillan, New York Times bestselling author of The Nanny
"Chilling and chillingly realistic." —St. Louis Post Dispatch
"McHugh...delivers a disturbing story of an entire dysfunctional community affected by opioids...[a] sobering, hard-hitting mystery."
—Library Journal (starred review)
"Both gripping and moving, a fabulous read." —Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door
"Readers will become invested in the struggles of the well-drawn lead protagonists...atmospheric grit lit with emotional depth."
—Kirkus Reviews