Graham Storrs

Dead America by Luke Keioskie

Let me come clean. Luke Keioskie is a friend, so I’m bound to be a bit biased about his work. On the other hand, he’s a friend I admire and respect for his work, so the fact that I like what he writes isn’t that big a surprise.

I first came across Dead America eighteen months ago when it was an unpublished manuscript that I got a sneak peek at, and I’ve been dying to read the whole thing ever since. The premise is just so good. People have stopped staying dead when they die. They’re not much different after death. They just tend to decompose a bit. The background to the book is a nation that is trying to come to terms with this new reality. The Newly Dead are pressing for the same rights as the living. The living are protesting on the streets that the Newly Dead are taking all the low-paid jobs. New businesses are springing up to serve the needs of the dead – especially the need for cosmetics and embalming.

The story, written in a hard-bitten, noir style – the perfect counterpoint to the horror and craziness of the setting – is about an ex-cop, P.I. trying to solve a murder and getting into more trouble than it seems he can handle. It’s fast paced and as good a P.I. story as you’ll read all year, but this particular noir detective story is a much darker shade of black than anything else you’ll find on the shelves. True to the genre, the story is told with a lot of humour – but that too is deliciously black.

To sum it up, Dead America was simply a terrific read. It was lively (and deadly) fascinating, allegorical, and great fun from beginning to end. I just hope there’s a sequel.

You can buy Dead America here.