Short Synopsis
Amy Stewart follows her wildly successful national bestseller Wicked Plants with an investigation of the insects, worms, and spiders that have tormented humankind for centuries.

Full Synopsis
In this darkly comical look at the sinister side of our relationship with the natural world, Stewart has tracked down over one hundred of our worst entomological foes—creatures that infest, infect, and generally wreak havoc on human affairs. From the world's most painful hornet, to the flies that transmit deadly diseases, to millipedes that stop traffic, to the Japanese beetles munching on your roses, Wicked Bugs delves into the extraordinary powers of many-legged creatures.

With wit, style, and exacting research, Stewart has uncovered the most terrifying and titillating stories of bugs gone wild. It's an A to Z of insect enemies, interspersed with sections that explore bugs with kinky sex lives, creatures lurking in the cupboard, militant ants, and phobias that feed our (sometimes) irrational responses to bugs.

Wicked Bugs is a fascinating mixture of history, science, murder, and intrigue that begins—but doesn't end—in your own backyard.

"The narrator – Coleen Marlo – was terrific. . . . I felt like I was sitting around a campfire listening to ghost stories!" ---Rhapsody in Books Weblog

"Coleen Marlo's narration is very clear and well paced." ---Library Journal Starred Audio Review

"Fans of Ripley's Believe It or Not and Guinness World Records will love this quirky little science book.…Coleen Marlo has a grip on the creepiness factor, taking on passages that make you cringe with a gleeful intensity in her voice that brings out the dark humor. Her deadpan delivery draws you in and lulls you into letting your guard down, only to sneak up and clobber you with details that will have you shivering with dreadful delight." ---AudioFile

"Stewart amusingly but analytically profiles the baddest bugs around in quick but attention-grabbing snapshots of little creatures that pack a lot of punch." ---Booklist

"Stewart's prose is simple and to the point. She lets the little horrors she describes work in the [listener's] imagination without any hyperbolic help from her. Guaranteed to cause sympathy itching and other discomfort." ---Kirkus

New York Times Bestseller

Library Journal Audio