Witnesses for the Dead: Stories

Genres: General Fiction; Anthologies

Synopsis

How does witnessing a crime change a person? This powerful collection of stories by a star-studded roster of contributors examines this very question, with proceeds benefitting the Alliance for Safe Traffic Stops.

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 the crimes they see, but as they grapple with what to do—take action or retreat into the shadows—their lives are indelibly changed.
 
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?
 
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.

Release date: November 8, 2022

Publisher: Soho Crime

Print pages: 312

Sample

Introduction
 
When former First Lady Nancy Reagan introduced the phrase “Just Say No” to young Americans as an approach to avoid crack cocaine in the early 1980s, no one could deny how catchy it was. And as a tactic in the War on Drugs, it sounded so simple and easily adopted. But just saying “no” to some things is often difficult, if not impossible, and the slogan’s advice soon proved easier said than done.
     Similarly, “See Something, Say Something” suffers from this same dichotomy: it sounds so easy to do and yet is quite often anything but. Aside from the natural reluctance many have to get involved in other peoples’ business, reporting someone to the authorities over one infraction or another we just happened to witness feels something like only a snitch or a “rat” would do, to quote every film noir ever made. For in some cases, you can get yourself hurt or even killed for being a rat.
     Luckily for all of us, there are heroes among us who, when they saw something, they said something. Despite the possible consequences for them. Darnella Frazier is one such hero.
     Ms. Frazier at the time was a seventeen-year-old Black woman who, in recording George Floyd’s death at the hands (or rather, left knee) of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in May of 2020, helped lead to Chauvin’s eventual conviction on murder and manslaughter charges. People across the country, including Floyd’s family, have applauded her bravery and quick thinking in the face of police pressure to leave the scene, which they say made the guilty verdict possible.
     The stories in Witnesses for the Dead are inspired by Ms. Frazier’s courage in choosing to make George Floyd’s business her own. These tales are indeed about people driven, to lesser and greater degrees, to do the right thing, though what is “right” in some cases is purely subjective. The ideas some have about balancing the scales might give you, the ordinary, upright, pay-my-bills-on-time denizen, considerable pause.
     There are characters populating these pages who, rather than simply observing a crime, take the initiative to see that the guilty are punished and the victims receive justice. In some stories, our “heroes” are drawn into perilous situations against their will, and must fight to survive just to ensure what they’ve witnessed will matter.
     For the most part, the protagonists herein don’t wear uniforms or carry a badge—they’re ordinary people, sometimes shady people, who nonetheless take extraordinary steps to right a wrong. Given the choice between inaction and action, these men and women take the latter route, sometimes with great reluctance, and occasionally at great risk to themselves.
     As the editors of this collection, we hope you’ll find these stories entertaining as well as thought-provoking. You may not always find the actions of these characters “heroic,” but you might admire their courage in the face of danger enough to find such courage yourself, should the need ever arise. Because you never know when you might stumble upon something dark and frightening that you weren’t meant to see, and you’ll have to decide what to do about it. Pretend it didn’t happen or shine a light to answer an injustice?
 
When and if that time ever comes, we trust you’ll let what Darnella Frazier did be your guide.
     All royalties from this collection will be donated to the Alliance for Safe Traffic Stops.