Witnesses for the Dead: Stories

Written by Gary Phillips

Narrated by Robertson Dean, Graciela Jones, Tamika Katon-Donegal and 5 more

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 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 looks on as something horrific happens in his neighborhood—revealing something horrific about himself.

Agatha Award–winner Richie Narvaez’s “The Gardener of Roses” sees a Puertorriqueña 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 saw, what would I do?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9781705075418

Gary Phillips

In addition to PM Press reissuing co-editor Gary Phillips’ The Jook, his mystery novella The Underbelly, was published as part of PM’s Outspoken Authors series. He is also editor and contributor to Orange County Noir, writes a regular column on pop culture on fourstory.org, Donuts at 2 A.M., and is writing two retro spy characters—Operator 5, set in the pulp period of the Great Depression, and super spy Derek Flint in the swinging sixties—for Moonstone Comics.