The Wolf Wants In by Laura McHugh

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this release from 

the publisher in exchange for an honest review

One of my most anxiously anticipated releases of the year, The Wolf Wants In (releases 8/6/19 from Spiegel & Grau) by Laura McHugh did NOT disappoint. I loved McHugh's detailed look at the dark side of small town America⁠ in her 2014 debut novel The Weight of Blood and she delivers another rural noir masterpiece with The Wolf Wants In.⁠
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The common problems of Blackwater, Kansas are the same as a majority of towns affected by the opioid epidemic: poverty, crime, addiction, and overdoses. The already overworked local police force is newly focused on the discovery of a child's skull in the woods, not the death of a young man, Shane, that has been ruled as a heart attack. One timeline of the novel follows one of his sisters as she takes it upon herself to start asking questions about her brother's death. The second timeline follows another young woman dreaming of leaving town and never looking back. Both women are are on their own paths, but in a town as small as Blackwater, everything is connected.⁠
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As a story filled with dark family loyalties, crumbling homes, and broken people, The Wolf Wants in is transportive and atmospheric. When you get to the section where you learn what the title means, it will take your breath away. Perfect for lovers of Daniel Woodrell's Winter's Bone and Mesha Maren's Sugar Run.⁠
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[also pictured my new ferns and flowers...let's see if I can keep these alive for a while]⁠