A tale of loss that is also a gripping thriller, a realistic study of grief that skirts the margins of fantasy, this story walks wolf-like between worlds and genres.

When 15-year-old Lucas survives the car accident that kills his parents, one memory stays with him - the wolf that caused the crash.

Forced to leave his home and live with his Nan in the Lake District, Lucas struggles to adjust to his strange new world. And when he learns that a wild creature is killing livestock on the mountains, he knows it's the wolf, that it's come for him and that he must face it. But that means a confrontation with Nan, school bullies and the authorities. It also means going onto the high fells in a hunt that becomes a matter of life and death...

'A tale of loss that is also a gripping thriller. Bold, sinewy and uncompromising.'
Jonathan Stroud

'One of the most stunning books I've read in years. An astonishing exploration of grief and love and wildness.'
Hilary McKay, author of The Skylarks' War

'Compelling debut. Introduces a significant new voice - has something of the shock effect of Piers Torday's There May Be a Castle and the raw force of Patrick Ness's A Monster Calls.'
Sunday Times

'A writer to watch, Lambert's award-winning poetic pedigree stands out in the sparse, gut-punch power of his language.'
Guardian

'Richard Lambert's debut novel is phenomenally poised, from its shocking opening till its haunting final pages.'
Financial Times

'A haunting, involving study of compassion, wildness and family for teens.'
Literary Review