I See You've Called in Dead
A Novel
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I See You've Called in Dead
Buy Now for $17.99
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Narrated by:
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Sean Patrick Hopkins
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By:
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John Kenney
About this listen
INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER
A 2025 NPR “Books We Love” Pick
USA Today April Pick
“Razor-sharp, darkly comedic, and emotionally piercing. With the satirical bite of Richard Russo’s Straight Man, the introspection of Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove, and the reinvention of Andrew Sean Greer's Less, Kenney’s vivid prose transforms the mundane into unexpected hilarity.”
—Booklist (starred review)
An Indie Next & LibraryReads Pick for April
Winner of the AudioFiles Earphones Award
The Office meets Six Feet Under meets About a Boy in this coming-of-middle-age tale about having a second chance to write your life’s story.
Obituary writer Bud Stanley isn’t really living his best life. He’s fallen into a funk after a divorce. (She left him for another man, who, in fairness, was far more interesting.) He’s not doing his job well. He’s given up on dating. And he’s about to be fired for accidentally publishing his own obituary one mildly drunken night (though technically the company can’t legally fire a dead person).
As Bud awaits his fate at work, he does the only logical thing: He goes to the wakes and funerals of total strangers to learn how to live again.
©2025 John Kenney (P)2025 Zibby PublishingCritic Reviews
“There are writers I turn to when I need a guaranteed laugh, and John Kenney is certainly among them. But John is also on a shorter, more rarified list of writers who can evoke a laugh and make you feel alive. That's no small feat given the title of his breathtaking new novel is I See You've Called in Dead. But that's John. And you will love him.” —Steven Rowley, author of The Celebrants
“I See You’ve Called in Dead is a riotously funny, poignantly introspective novel that dives headfirst into the absurdity of existence. Bud Stanley is an obituary writer who gets everything wrong—including accidentally publishing his own death notice. From botched blind dates to philosophical musings about life and death, Bud grapples with love, legacy, and the existential (and satirical) weight of being alive. But seriously . . . read this, it is laugh out loud funny. Perfect for fans of dark, heartfelt comedy.” —Weike Wang, author of Rental House
“I loved this beautiful book so much I couldn't put it down. Funny, charming, and so incredibly moving. I even cried. Ugh. John Kenney, what have you done to me?” —Gary Janetti, author of Do You Mind If I Cancel?: (Things That Still Annoy Me)
Wonderful and touching
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