Gary Phillips Boeken

Inspired by recent true events, the stories in this collection revolve around the act of witnessing, focusing on characters whose lives are irrevocably altered by what they observe. These individuals grapple with the decision to come forward, take action, or retreat into the shadows. In "Envy," a shy wallflower witnesses a horrific event in his neighborhood, revealing unsettling truths about himself. Richie Narvaez's "The Gardener of Roses" follows a Puerto Rican college student evading the FBI after her accidental involvement in a "terrorist" plot. Gary Phillips tackles police corruption in "Spiders and Fly," while Sarah M. Chen's "A Family Matter" centers on a protagonist investigating a stranger's murder, prompting her to reevaluate Taiwan's political landscape. Additional stories explore themes involving a brothel, the film industry, immigrant detention centers at the Mexico-US border, World War II-torn France, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The narratives are incisive, darkly humorous, and at times terrifying, prompting readers to reflect: If I witnessed what they did, what would I do? Edited by Gary Phillips and Gar Anthony Haywood, the collection features contributions from acclaimed authors, including Pamela Samuels Young, Cara Black, Tod Goldberg, SJ Rozan, and others.

Adapting what may be the most popular of graphic novels, by the edgy Hard Case Crime author, adding layers and exploring the nature of morality. Faced with overwhelming poverty and a pregnant wife, a tragic, struggling comedian is forced to turn to crime. In his first heist, he is immersed in toxic chemicals that disfigure him bizarrely, driving him mad and thus giving birth to The Joker. For years, the Clown Prince of Crime has been caught in a dance of violence with his greatest nemesis, the Batman. Escaping Arkham Asylum, he plots his most lethal caper. This will be the ultimate punch line... his KILLING JOKE. In their mission to protect Gotham City, Batman and Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) pursue ruthless criminals such as the grandiose Maxie Zeus and Antonio "Python" Palmares. Simultaneously, Commissioner James Gordon and Detective Harvey Bullock take on a cartel distributing the latest designer drug--"giggle sniff," derived from a venom created by The Joker. This rapid-fire sequence of events spirals together to threaten Batman's closest friends and allies, and locks the two eternal foes in their ultimate death match. Copyright © 2017 DC Comics. BATMAN, THE JOKER, THE KILLING JOKE and all related characters and elements © & TM DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

"Los Angeles, 1963: African American Korean War veteran Harry Ingram earns a living as a news photographer and occasional process server: chasing police radio calls and dodging baseball bats. With racial tensions running high on the eve of Martin Luther King's Freedom Rally, Ingram risks ending up one of the victims at every crime scene he photographs. When Ingram hears a call over the police scanner to the scene of a deadly automobile accident, he recognizes the vehicle described as belonging to his good friend and old army buddy, the white jazz trumpeter Ben Kingslow, with whom he'd only just reconnected. The LAPD declares the car crash an accident, but when Ingram develops his photos there are signs of foul play. Ingram feels no choice but to play detective, even if it means putting his own life on the line. Armed with his wits, his camera, and occasionally his Colt .45, Harry Ingram plunges head-first into the seamier underbelly of LA society, tangling with racists, leftists, blackmailers, gangsters, zealots and lovers, all in the hope of finding something resembling justice for a friend." -- Provided by publisher

"Deke Kotto is a make-up-the-rules-as-you-go street cop with a marriage on the skids from his many dalliances and a disabled son he dotes on. Tim Brady is a happily married FBI agent who likes to bowl and figures to one day retire from the Bureau with his pension. But when forces conspire to send them both undercover, they end up working the same case from opposite sides. As Kotto delves into corporate espionage and white collar crime, Brady finds himself loving the hip hop street hustle...neither knowing who the other man really is and both in way over their heads...and headed for an inevitable showdown. But each figures to 'cowboy up' when the time comes. That is, if everything doesn't blow up first."--P. [4] of cover.