Publication Date: March 26, 2026

This book was super creepy not only because I already have a horror at the thought of bugs burrowing into me whether they be ticks or bedbugs or something much worse like botflies or, as they are sometimes called, wolf worms. What made listening to this book (narrated by Hugo-award-winning Mary Robinette Kowal. Very cool; loved The Calculating Stars!) even more horrifying was at the same time I was editing a short story about a woman being menaced and attacked by everything from ants to centipedes. And, simultaneously, silverfish decided to invade my house. I am still shuddering.

But even without those things, the story would have been beyond creepy with the main character’s (Sonia Wilson) mean-tempered employer’s irrational behavior and the freaky Mr. Phelps who, despite his constant assertions of being a good Christian, was always suspect in his words and actions. I won’t give anything away, but there are some very good characters in the book who come to Sonia’s rescue over and over again. And I was not expecting that ending! But boy did I enjoy it. This book kept me entertained for many miles on my treadmill during this frigid winter.

T. Kingfisher

GoodReads says:

Something darker than the devil stalks the North Carolina woods in Wolf Worm, a new gothic masterpiece from New York Times bestselling author T. Kingfisher.

The year is 1899 and Sonia Wilson is a scientific illustrator without work, prospects or hope. When the reclusive Dr. Halder offers her a position illustrating his vast collection of insects, Sonia jumps at the chance to move to his North Carolina manor house and put her talents to use. But soon enough she finds that there are darker things at work than the Carolina woods. What happened to her predecessor, Halder’s wife? Why are animals acting so strangely, and what is behind the peculiar local whispers about ‘blood thiefs’?

With the aid of the housekeeper and a local healer, Sonia discovers that Halder’s entomological studies have taken him down a dark road full of parasitic maggots that burrow into human flesh, and that his monstrous experiments may grow to encompass his newest illustrator as well.