Wolf Season

by Wesley King

In the remote Montana wilderness, a prodigal son’s search for his missing father reunites him with the love of his life in a town marked by eerily unexplained murders, masterfully crafted by award-winning author Wesley King.

In the stark, remote beauty of rural Montana, Everett returns to his hometown after his father, the local sheriff, mysteriously disappears while investigating the murder of a teenage girl. Driven by duty and a deep-seated longing for Bernadine Armel, the girl’s older cousin and the woman he has loved since childhood, Everett plunges into untangling the twisted cases.

The Armel family is shrouded in mystery, the men long since killed in a horrific ‘accident,’ with rumors of more disappearing on their land. And as Everett delves deeper into the family’s past, he uncovers a sinister pattern of murders and hints of supernatural phenomena he can’t explain.

Torn between his quest for justice and his love for Bernadine, who may be implicated in the crimes, Everett faces moral dilemmas and danger at every turn. Wolf Season is a gripping debut that blends supernatural horror with detective fiction, exploring the search for truth in a world where nothing is as it seems.

Genres: Mystery, Horror

320 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication October 20, 2026

About the author

The author of fourteen novels so far, Canadian author Wesley King has received over twenty literary awards and seen his books published worldwide, optioned for film and television, and translated into numerous languages. King is best known for his collaboration with Kobe Bryant on the #1 New York Times Bestselling Wizenard Series, as well as the Edgar Award-winning OCDaniel, which was also a Bank Street Best Book of the Year and Silver Birch winner. His adult debut, Wolf Season, will be released in 2026.

Reviews

[Micronova]

Wolf Season by Wesley King
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4 stars

Nothing says welcome home quite like returning after seven years because your sheriff father has disappeared while investigating the murder of a teenage girl. Everett Johnson heads back to Killdeer, Montana looking for answers and pretty much walks straight into old grudges, family drama, suspicious townspeople, dead bodies and Bernadine Armel. The woman he never really got over. Because apparently the missing father and murder investigation weren’t enough to deal with.

I really liked the whole vibe of Killdeer. Tiny, isolated Montana town where everybody knows everybody, people remember shit from years ago and there are secrets all over the damn place. Then there are the Armel women. Reclusive, surrounded by rumors and just… weird. I couldn’t decide exactly what was going on with that family for a while, but I knew SOMETHING was. The supernatural stuff creeps in around the edges without completely taking over the mystery, which I liked. It kept me wondering how much of what was happening had a normal explanation and how much absolutely did not.

The pacing moved along pretty well once Everett really started digging into his dad’s investigation and I liked getting pieces of the past here and there and slowly figuring out how it all connected. Everett and Bernadine have some serious history between them and I was definitely invested in seeing what the hell happened there. Connor, Everett’s brother and now acting sheriff, brings his own issues to the family mess. And between the Armels, the Johnsons and the rest of Killdeer, I spent a decent amount of this book mentally pointing at people and going, “You. I don’t trust you.” Sometimes I was right. Sometimes I was just accusing innocent fictional people of crimes. It happens.🤷🏻‍♀️

Overall, Wolf Season was a really good mix of murder mystery, small town secrets, family drama, romance and supernatural weirdness. The Montana setting worked really well, the characters were messy enough to keep things interesting and every time I thought I had a decent handle on what was happening, something else popped up. I had theories. Some were good. Some should never be spoken of again. 😂 Definitely enjoyed this one.


Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the digital advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Expected publication date: October 20, 2026

[Alyssa M]

Everett’s estranged father, the town sheriff, goes missing, pulling Everett back to the small town he left behind seven years ago to help find him. And this town is creepy.

The story is told through multiple pov’s, shifting between past and present. There’s the Hill Man, who lives in seclusion on the mountain and has become the subject of ghost stories. The Armel women, who live on their farm and the men who tragically died there. And the youngest Armel daughter, who was murdered in the woods.

Then there’s Bernadine, the girl Everett loved and the woman his family never wanted him with. There is so much tension and mystery in this story.

This is a dark thriller with an unexpected supernatural element. It took me a little while to fully get into the story, but once I was invested in the mystery, I was all in. I needed to piece everything together, and by the end, I was binge-reading just to figure out what was going on.

If you like eerie small towns, dark mysteries and a little supernatural sprinkled in, this one is worth adding to your tbr!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

[Rachel Hultquist]

This had a lot of potential but the pacing was off. So much of it is a police procedural and then it’s very not. The explanations were cool and would’ve been WAY cooler if they’d been woven in throughout the narrative. And it was all too simplistic. This is a complex topic and I don’t feel like it was given sufficient respect and understanding. Or even page time. Also this could’ve been 100 pages shorter.
TW: body horror, physical abuse/assault, SA

[Cheryl Hanzidiakou]

Review of advance copy received from Netgalley

Well that was excellent! Wolf Season is a suspenseful mystery thriller with a moody atmospheric feel that I really liked. The story grabbed me right from the get go and had my full attention to the end. And speaking of the ending….unexpected in the best way. Add this one to your TBR for sure!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria/Emily Bestler books😊

[Off Service Book Recs]

A prodigal son returns to a home steeped in death mystery. His father is missing. A teenage girl is murdered. And above all, the deep-seated yearning he has for the girl's older cousin and his long-lost childhood sweetheart, Bernadine Arnel, still burns as brightly as the day he left. Driven by duty, once and future sheriff Everett turns his attention to picking apart the blood-soaked strings of these twisted cases. For though his father's disappearance and the young girl's death are fresh, their fates are tied into the history of the land - to the reclusive, all-female Arnel family, whose men died in a tragic 'accident'; to the preferential investigative abilities of a small town police force; to the strange man who has lived in the hills longer than anyone can remember; and to the sinister, supernatural forest and the victims its claimed over the years. When it seems Bernadine and her family may be implicated in the crimes, Everett becomes torn between his quest for justice and his only love, and with each passing moral dilemma the forest and those who'd let dead men tell no tales become more restless...

I don't always love detective novels and I wasn't really sure what to expect with this one but I was so pleasantly surprised by how much this one grabbed my attention and didn't let go! I also didn't read the synopsis before picking it up (if there's ever evidence that covers sell, this was it), so the inclusion of supernatural elements into what otherwise started off as a very Yellowstone-coded story was FANTASTIC, and blended so well with the stark, guilt-laden, predatory overtures of the story. I absolutely devoured this novel and couldn't put it down - and while I had some guesses as to major plot points towards, the end, it was the kind of story where you just had to keep frantically paging through, because you could be right, you could be wrong, there's hints, there's red flags - exactly what I want in a thriller, and 12/10 was thrilled with this book. I haven't heard of this author but it appears he's written a number of children/YA books, and I hope he continues to write books for adult audiences because this was a treat!

[Andrea]

Special thanks to Simon & Schuster for the ARC!

Wolf Season was gripping. I could not take off the pages (but I had to because I had to work of course). It was so good it reminded me why I loved reading books, after years of being in a book slump. So you know a book is really good after it pulls you out of book slump!

One look at the cover and you’d think it’s the usual adult romance novel with the alpha male meeting this woman and fighting for their love and things like that. BUT NO. It is so much better! None of those cliches. It is a mystery, a thriller, from the prologue it already hooks you and pushes you to go further, like riding a river with all the twists and turns and you just happily go with it until you’re gobsmacked with a cliff with all the plot twists.

Totally recommended to read!

Extra thanks to Simon & Schuster for still sending me a copy after years of inactivity. I happened to stumble across their email and for some reason it made me want to open it and thank god I did!

[Melissa]

A story that seems straight out of The Brothers Grimm. Everett Johnson has returned to his hometown of Killdeer, Montana when he finds out his father is missing. Sheriff Dale Johnson went missing as he was investigating the mysterious death of seventeen year old Orsie Armel. As Everett begins searching for his father, he soon realizes that he needs to start by following his dad's trail for Orsie's killer as both are linked. Soon he is pulled into a history of strange deaths and missing persons cases that are linked to the isolated Armel women that live alone and stay away from men. The problem is that Everett is still in love with Bernadine Armel.

This book is definitely not what I thought it was going to be. A crime thriller with supernatural horror that had me trying to piece things together. I loved the twists and turns that made a story that could be an episode of the show Supernatural. Very well done.

[Kate Johnson]

**I won a copy from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.**

This book was an intriguing mix of components, like a good soup on a cold day. A gripping mystery mixed with family drama create the broth. Flawed, but engaging, characters combined with true love, jealousy, past traumas, and deeply rooted hearts desires provide the textures and flavors that keep you coming back for more. The vivid descriptions of the scenery round out this concoction in a way that hits every note in just right.

I would highly recommend anyone who enjoys a good mystery, with a sprinkling of paranormal magic, read this book! It is such a great example of what can happen when two genres combine to tell a good story.

[Darlene]

Wow!
This was a Goodreads Giveaway winner, and thank you very much.
I choose books that will take me on a different ride. Variety is the spice of life.
This helps me to expand and broaden my reading experiences!
Otherwise, I would probably not have picked this book up at the library.
I would add "thriller" to the "mystery" genre!
There was no waiting for the climax at the end of the book. It climaxed at the end of each chapter!
Wolf season captivated my attention at the beginning. I was totally and fully engaged - no leafing through the boring parts (there weren't any).
Good wishes your way Mr. King as you make yourself known as a brilliant writer.

[Steve Boyko]

This was an advanced reader copy (ARC) from NetGalley.

I enjoyed reading Wolf Season. The author did a fine job building a picture of the run-down town of Killdeer, Montana.

It started a little slowly, dwelling perhaps too long on the prodigal son returning home without a lot of action, but it picked up.

The novel mostly follows one character, but features flashbacks by a second character that fill in some back story / build the mystery. I am not sure this worked really well, but at least it was clear who was who.

Overall I enjoyed Wolf Season and would recommend it to people who like mysteries with a bit of a supernatural air.

[Lady at the BookStop (Sahithi)]

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this arc.
This was a fun read. Now, I'll be honest, I really wasn't expecting much going in. The writing seemed a little stilted, a little forced, and characters just didn't seem that believable. But, the story was there, and it was compelling enough to see it through the end. It was moody, atmospheric, and by the end, I completely forgot about my initial quibbles in the story's execution. If anyone wants to read a solid thriller with a splash of paranormal mystery, this one is for you.
This is a solid 3.5/5 in my opinion.

[Bre3924]

I won this through a Goodreads giveaway. This was my first book by this author, Wesley King, and he did not disappoint. There were a lot of characters, but the way he introduced them and included them in the storyline, it made it easy to keep track of who is who. Suspense was throughout the entire book and I was drawn in to the storyline immediately. The ending was not what I expected. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a well written, murder-suspense novel.

[Kelsie M.]

Wolf Season was an engaging and fast-paced read that kept me hooked. I finished the book in about 3 sittings. The story moves quickly without feeling rushed and the two leads, Everett and Bernadine, were compelling and easy to root for. The ending offered some exciting twists that tie everything together in a satisfying and memorable way.
Overall, this is a gripping story with strong pacing and a woodsy setting that enhances the tension and stakes throughout.

#GoodreadsGiveaway

[Holly]

I won this ARC on the goodreads giveaways, and I absolutely loved this book. It kept me guessing til the end. It was the perfect mixture of mystery, thriller, supernatural, horror, and a sprinkle of a young love carried to adulthood. 5 stars! I can't wait until Wesley King continues writing his adult fiction novels so I can read more. This was the first Wesley King novel I read, but I definitely won't be the last.

[Erin]

I started reading this book at a time when I was also re-watching Yellowstone and the similarities my mind created add an extra element of fun to the story. Families loving the land, living off the land, fighting for the land. Families torn apart, families fighting to stay together, families going through the motions of what is expected. Also, Montana.

The mystery of what happened to Orsie and then the Sheriff is well built and expertly unraveled.

[Katie]

🐺❄️ Wolf Season is not what I expected! Based on the cover and the fact that police procedural stories aren’t my jam, I didn’t expect it to be so stinking good! This book took me with it to Kildeer, Montana. I was so invested in the plot and once the Armels entered I was hooked. I loved the unsettling vibes they made me feel. This book is scary. It played out like a movie in my head and could be one!!
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the digital advance galley

[Trista Cremeans]

This mystery drove me crazy in a way that I was desperate for answers. Like Everett I was trying to track the clues and find answers all along the way. The characters are believable, and the small town feels real. I especially loved the uncanny nature of some of the residents, which reminded me so much of Appalachian stories, despite this taking place in Montana.

[Sandy]

I've won many Goodreads books over the years, and this is another that I may have never read if not for this generous giveaway. Thank you for the journey of this story. Every chapter had me solving the mystery only to keep me reading for the real answer.

[Trudy Krogulski]

I enjoyed reading this book. It is a murder mystery which is my preferred genre. The author did a great job of developing the characters; such that even though I did not figure out who the killer was before being revealed, I could still find it believable.

[Nena Taylor]

I enjoyed this mystery. The writing was very descriptive so that you could picture everything in the scene. The characters were realatable. It has twists and turns. This book grabs a hold of you and doesn't let you go. I highly recommend

[Aletha Pagett]

Although this book kept me engaged and wondering "who done it" until the end I would not give it 5 stars because I don't believe that using the F word on every page enhances the story. This book was received from Goodreads..






























+

[Cristina DaSilva]

When I first picked the book I thought it would be something I would really like. It seemed slow. I like murder and mystery but this one is not as exciting. Give it try you might have a different opinion.

[Megan]

I won this ARC through a Goodreads giveaway. I really enjoyed this book. It’s a thriller that keeps you on your toes throughout. I would suggest this book.

[Nicole Steele]

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I was not able to put it down and I wanted to keep reading it to find out what all happened. I would recommend this book to my friends and family.

[Michele Knopp]

Excellent read. Held my interest. Would like to read more from this Author

[Lori]

I really enjoyed this is a well written Murder suspense novel. I look forward to reading more from Wesley King.

[Jennifer]

Page turner. Could not put it down. Surprised, different, well written. Very enjoyable. If you like suspense this a book for you. Must read.

[Tracy]

Not at all what I was expecting that's for sure! The imagery was spot on...I could see the setting like I was smack in the middle of it!

[Jodi Luff]

A very enjoyable read, a whodunit with a twist!

[Nicole P]

4/5

twisty, atmospheric, and surprisingly romantic for a suspense novel, I quite enjoyed this