Wicked Good is a page turner. The fast-pace of this book gripped me from page one. The story begins with Rory, a kid with Asperger's Syndrome getting into trouble in school and his mother, Archer trying to protect him. I thought Wicked Good would be a tale about family, and it is, but it is so much more. When Rory decides to look for his biological mother, Archer must fight to protect her son at the same time as let him follow this search through. Rory's quest, with the help of another troubled teen takes him to Bangor, Maine where Rory gets wrapped up in the history of the perfect storm, the Andrea Gail, and the Salem witch trials. The short, snappy chapters are so well-written that you cannot help but keep reading chapter after chapter to the end. This is a fabulous read for anyone, but especially if you have or know of a child with Aspergers Syndrome. I could not put it down.

Victoria Allman

author of SEAsoned: A Chef's Journey With Her Captain

Wicked Good is the story of a single mother raising a teenage boy with Asperger's. Rory walked the floor many nights considering suicide. His mother, Archer, was devoted, a brilliant lawyer, and tired as she balanced her demanding career with motherhood. There was constant stress from dealing with Rory's behavior. His father was little to no help. When Rory got an idea fixed in his mind there was no convincing or stopping him from doing what he wanted. When he discovered he was adopted he wanted to meet his birth-mother and there was no way Archer could convince him otherwise. What he discovered could destroy him.

Lewis and Faircloth are brilliant writers. I was quickly caught up in Wicked Good as the authors shed a much needed light on Asperger's. Too many do not know what it is or have never heard of it. The authors skillfully captured the behavior of a teen with Asperger's. What reader would not like Archer? Women will relate to the overwhelming feelings of inadequacy that she often faced. I found it sad that she turned to alcohol for comfort. Rory was an endearing character despite his behavior. It was obvious that he could not control his actions. My favorite character was Trish. In some ways she was the most mature person in the plot. When she reached out to Archer and offered comfort and wisdom, I had tears in my eyes.

The author is a master of characterization. The characters marched off the page and into my heart. I found myself wondering how much of a child's behavior comes from genetics and how much is environment. While much of the characterization may seem a bit hyperbole, it is necessary. The authors could not have made the characters lower keyed and successfully develop this tale. This book has a surprising twist towards the end that will please readers. I did not want this book to end. I'm hoping for a sequel. This would be the perfect plot for a movie. Well done!

Anne B.

Readers Favorite

Rory Falcon is a bundle of exasperating eccentricities—perpetual pacing, mile-a-minute talkativeness, an obsession with lawn mowers and antique gas cans, an incorrigible refusal to follow instructions or tolerate constraints—combined with a good heart that only his adoptive mother Archer can see. But as he pushes 16-years old, his quirks escalate to drinking, joyriding and muscular rages that can end with him blackening his mom’s eye. Archer, a frantically multitasking lawyer who’s up for a judgeship, blames her mothering skills for Rory’s behavior because there’s no one else to blame—least of all her ex-husband Wayne, a whiny man-child still looking to break into a theatre career. Then Rory and a high school hellion named Trish hare off in a stolen car to find Rory’s birth mother, and Archer embarks on a journey to recover her son and unearth buried family secrets that stretch all the way back to the Salem Witch Trials. In this entertaining dysfunctional romp, the authors cut the pathos with tart humor and vivid characterizations. Hurricane Rory is an indelible portrait of a high-­functioning autistic kid who’s both off-­putting and magnetic; veering between wild, foul-­mouthed tantrums, plangent sweetness and locked-­down obliviousness, he’s as much a mystery to himself as to everyone else.

KIRKUS, A Frazzled Tale of Extreme Parenting

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