On a clear, moonlit night, DCI Kelso Strang hears, faint but unmistakable, the howl of a wolf. An unsettling sound, but not the only unsettling thing about the remote township of Inverbeg, where he is taking a break with an old army friend.

Sean Reynolds is obsessive about rewilding his Auchinglass estate and there are rumours that he has taken illicit steps to hurry that on, much to the anger of the local farmers. There are other tensions too. An elderly lady died some months before, officially in a tragic stumble off a cliff path, but she was burdened with many secrets and her closest friend believes her death was not an accident, but murder.

When horror strikes in Inverbeg, DCI Strang fears further retribution is at work. As he gets closer to uncovering the ugly truth, he finds himself in more danger than ever before.