“Wolffile” is an awkwardly titled novel about an island town on the east coast ravaged by mysterious animal attacks. The “animal” in question is a werewolf, and as far as werewolf stories go, Jack Woods’ book isn’t too bad. The story is somewhat routine for this sub-genre, and I’m not sure how I feel about the last-act introduction of an important character. But it’s got plenty of what one might hope for from a werewolf novel: ominous descriptions of wooded areas, graphic dismemberments, and savage local lore, told in hushed voices.
The island’s doctor has just begun a relationship with the spurned daughter of a local millionaire. The rich man’s other daughter has just been married—unfortunately the bride and groom are both attacked; one’s dead, the other missing. The doctor sets out with his new girlfriend, accompanied by an investigator of uncertain origins, to find out what kind of creature is killing the locals, and uncovers some disturbing information about the town’s founders.
Those parts of the story are particularly interesting, at the beginning and throughout, with descriptions of strange architecture and pockets of the forest rife with bad omens and history. Sometimes the narration gets a bit dense; there are details and metaphors that could have been sacrificed in order to move things along at a more reasonable pace. The werewolf mythology is well-done, however, and the violent scenes suitably gruesome.