Witnesses for the Dead: Stories

Inspired by recent true events, the all-original stories in Witnesses for the Dead are set in motion by the act of witnessing; the characters who populate these pages are not themselves the original perpetrators of crimes, but find their lives indelibly changed by what they see, as they grapple with coming forward, taking action, or retreating into the shadows.

In "Envy" by Christopher Chambers, a sweet, shy wallflower watches as something horrific happens in his neighborhood--revealing something horrific about himself. Agatha Award-winner Richie Narvaez's "The Gardener of Roses" sees a Puertorriquena college student on the run from the FBI for her accidental involvement in a "terrorist" plot. Anthony Award-winner Gary Phillips confronts police corruption in "Spiders and Fly." And the protagonist of "A Family Matter" by IPPY Award-winner Sarah M. Chen investigates the murder of a stranger, leading her to question the political structure of Taiwan entirely. Other stories feature a brothel, the film industry, immigrant detention centers at the Mexico-US border, World War II-torn France, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The stories are incisive, unflinching, wry, dark, and, in some cases, terrifying. You'll ask yourself: If I saw what they see, what would I do?

Edited by Anthony Award-winner Gary Phillips and Shamus Award-winner Gar Anthony Haywood, the collection includes contributions from NAACP Image Award-winner Pamela Samuels Young, New York Times bestsellers Cara Black and Tod Goldberg, Edgar Award-winner SJ Rozan, Agatha Award-winner Richie Narvaez, and more.