What to Read Next: Obits, Opioids, and Martians
Volume 9, Issue #3
Hi there, readers!
This is just my third book review newsletter of the year and I’m very happy to say that I’ll be coming to you more regularly from now on. All the major edits for my book manuscript were turned in last week and while there’s still plenty of work to be done, it’s a little more spread out from this point on. (It won’t hit store bookshelves for another 18 months, so don’t worry if you don’t hear about it much just yet!)
Today I’m covering a novel, a true crime book, and a comic I rather enjoyed — I’ll write more about it at some point, but for now I’ll just say that I’ve had a blast getting into comics and graphic novels here in 2026.
As always, I’d love to know what you’re reading and enjoying lately!
I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney
The premise of this book hooked me from the get-go: Bud Stanley, an obit writer, gets canned for accidentally publishing his own falsified obituary after a few too many drinks. During his time off, Bud ends up going to strangers’ funerals with a couple of friends in a quest to figure out the point of it all — “it” being life.
Kenney, an author I wasn’t previously familiar with, writes with an incredibly readable and believable style. There was a lot of wry humor, which is hard to pull off without being annoying, and the dialogue always felt genuine. What I perhaps most appreciated was Kenney’s beautiful depiction of male friendship; Bud and wheelchair-using Tim are the heart and soul of this novel. Their relationship is full of sarcasm and ribbing, but also deep love and earnest appreciation for each other.
There are times where the writing veers into being moralizing or overly sentimental, but I’m not a reader who minds that. I think humans are inherently forgetful creatures and sometimes we need these kinds of smack-you-in-the-face reminders of what’s really important in life. (Plus, the lessons don’t quite manifest in the way you’d expect them to.)
I loved this story from start to finish and actually wished it had been longer so that I could spend more time with these characters. I See You’ve Called in Dead is a lovely and life-affirming novel that I can heartily recommend to nearly every type of reader — which is a rare thing indeed. Nice work, Mr. Kenney!
Pain Hustlers by Evan Hughes
I first encountered this story in movie form — Pain Hustlers, starring Emily Blunt and Chris Evans, was an enjoyable and well-done crime drama. I only recently discovered that it started as a book, and boy am I glad I found it. Opioids, shady investment money, sexy pharma salespeople, and oodles of prescription fraud make for an irresistible true crime tale.
A pharmaceutical startup called Insys, founded by Indian-American entrepreneur John Kapoor, created and manufactured a fentanyl spray called Subsys. It had a much narrower use than the more well-known OxyContin — theoretically, it was only to be used for intense pain caused by cancer. Executives and reps soon began hawking it for all kinds of pain relief, though, which soon enough led to a number of big problems.
There are plenty of books about the Big Pharma side of the opioid crisis, but this one is unique for its more obvious criminal element, its startup vibes, and the company’s relatively quick downfall. Turns out when you have just a handful of docs responsible for the large majority of prescriptions, it quickly became obvious that patient care was not the primary motivation for doling out Subsys.
Pain Hustlers was a great read overall and Hughes did a bang-up job putting this story into the larger context of America’s opioid tragedy.
COMICS CORNER: Absolute Martian Manhunter, written by Deniz Camp and drawn by Javier Rodriguez
I didn’t know diddly squat about DC Comics’ “Absolute” line or the Martian Manhunter character before diving into this comic book on my buddy Jonny’s highest recommendation.
I was so blown away by the wildly creative art, the unique story, and the moving writing that I read it twice in the span of a week.
The gist is that FBI detective John Jones receives a form of superhuman empathy after being injured in an explosion at a coffee shop — deemed to be a random act of violence. Jones is dazed and haunted by the stories around him as he tries to solve a strange series of violent crimes and keep his own family together at the same time.
The central questions that run through the story are incredible powerful: Why do we do the things we do? How can we come to understand people’s actions and is it even worth doing so? What keeps us from opening up to those we love? Why do I do the things I do?
Martian Manhunter is a little out there at times (in a neon ‘80s-inpsired way), but I really enjoyed its creativity and moving story. It felt like something AI could never possibly come up with — part of why I’m enjoying comics lately, actually. If you’re a fan of comics, it’s a must-read; if you’re not into that format, it’s probably not your best entry point, but ya never know. What’s great about comics is that they don’t take much time investment compared to books.
Be good to each other,
-Jeremy
"What I perhaps most appreciated was Kenney’s beautiful depiction of male friendship." Yes, male friendship is a wonderful, whimsical sort of thing! Its manifestation is as odd as its formation.
Sharing some writing I did on this topic before I purchase I See You’ve Called in Dead: "If friendship is addition, male friendship is linear algebra: much less intuitive and orders of magnitude more complicated. It is a strange equation made up of aggression, degradation, hostility, loyalty, competition, and love."
More: https://www.whitenoise.email/p/from-boys-to-men-to-friends
I appreciate you highlighting some sequential art (comic book) options for folks to read. The format is unique and allows writers and artists to tell very unique stories that would not work well in other mediums (see Alan More's Swamp Thing or Frank Miller's 300). Keep up the great work!