Wormwood showing up in the mail from Silver Shamrock was a bit of a perfect storm for me. An eye-catching cover from Kealan Patrick Burke and a story from two top authors in the genre. Two top authors whose storytelling styles tend to be a little different, yes, but an anticipated collaboration nonetheless.

Meyer and Lutzke are in top form here. When I think of Chad Lutzke, I think of well-developed characters. People, especially younger people, I can really latch onto and empathize with. When I pick up a book that says Lutzke on the cover, I know I’m going to be gut-punched, and yet I’m never ready for it. When I open a Tim Meyer book, I never quite know what I’m going to get. He writes seamlessly in various subgenres, but you can always expect intensity. Wormwood has that in spades, and the penultimate chapter - the longest in the book - is an absolute masterclass is suspenseful storytelling.

Together, the two authors have written something in equal parts unforgettable, unputdownable, and surprisingly relatable. Our focus is on Baker Gray, the new kid. In the opening pages, he befriends Seb, another kid who borders on outcast. The two get on friendly terms with Cass, a girl who’s a little bit older than the boys, but seems to enjoy their company. The further we go down the rabbit hole, the more insinuation we get into Cass’ troubles and motivations. We see Baker get sucked into something of an obsession with this girl, and it’s understandable.

Meyer and Lutzke do a phenomenal job of tapping into the psyche of a 14 year old boy getting attention from a girl he has a crush on. The mental gymnastics that take place every day to overlook warning signs and do foolish things just because she bats her eyes and makes you think you have a chance. It would be very easy to look at Baker, to think his actions are unrealistic and there’s no chance anyone would let things spiral out of control the way they do. Equally interesting is watching Seb get drawn into events, because the authors don’t show us everything. We’re left with the Baker’s-eye-view of what Seb goes through, followed by the aftermath.

I opened this book at one in the afternoon on a Saturday, intending to read a few chapters, and before I knew it, the kids were looking for dinner, the sun was going down, and I was within ten pages of the end. Totally unable to perform any task until I learned how things were going to shake out. 

Wormwood saw a Thunderstorm Books release in November, but will see a wide e-book and paperback release on December 16th. In my opinion, this is a special book that fires on all cylinders. While it’s possible that it just hit me at the right time and plucked at my nostalgia strings, I think a lot of people are going to feel the same way. This is Chad Lutzke and Tim Meyer at their absolute best, working together in one cohesive voice, and playing to their individual strengths. I hope we see these two collaborate on something else in the future.


I received a copy from the publisher for review consideration.