Gary Phillips

Witnesses for the Dead: Stories Gary Phillips

A powerful anthology of stories inspired by real-life events that puts witnesses and bystanders front and center

Witnesses for the Dead is an all-original anthology of stories that are set in motion by the act of witnessing, of coming forward.

This collection, whose sixteen contributors include bestselling and award-winning crime fiction writers from all corners of the genre, is inspired by real-life events that continue to occupy the news when it comes to fraught confrontations between community residents and the police, or variations thereof.

The characters who populate the stories find themselves in unenviable positions of being an eyewitness to a murder or other serious crime. They choose, or are compelled to, take action rather than doing nothing, placing their own welfare at risk to see that the dead are avenged, the guilty are punished, and justice is served. It's either that or die trying.

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.