I See You've Called in Dead cover art

I See You've Called in Dead

A Novel

 Preview
This Season's Biggest Deal

£0.99/mo for 3 months + £10 Audible bonus

Auto-renews at £5.99/month after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 28 December, 2026.
More purchase options

I See You've Called in Dead

By: John Kenney
Narrated by: Sean Patrick Hopkins
Get this deal

Auto-renews at £5.99/mo. after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 28 December, 2026.

Buy Now for £13.72

Buy Now for £13.72

This Season's Biggest Deal | £0.99/mo for 3 months + £10 Audible bonus

£5.99/mo after 3 months - terms apply. Cancel monthly
Summary

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER
An NPR 2025 “Books We Love”
USA Today April Pick
An Indie Next & LibraryReads Pick
2026 Gotham Book Prize Finalist
Winner of the AudioFiles Earphones Award
2026 Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List 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)

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 Publishing Dark Humour Friendship Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Satire Witty
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic 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
All stars
Most relevant
Story meandered in places Good characters but a little patchy at times and there were quite a few inconsistencies. A “life-affirming” story that missed the mark a bit

Funny in places

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
An absolutely stunning and beautifully written. Heartfelt and thought provoking. I would thoroughly recommend a listen.

.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great humour- great narration. Moving. Sad. Quirky. Everything to make a great book. I’m now looking for more listens by both author and narrator

Loved it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A witty, darkly humorous yet surprisingly sad exploration of death, grief and the absurdities of life. Kenney has a clever way of making you laugh at things you probably shouldn’t, while quietly reminding you of life’s fragility and the inevitability of death. Beneath the sarcasm and humour lies a rather poignant story about loneliness, loss and trying to make sense of it all.
A book that manages to be funny and depressing in almost equal measure, but not one I loved quite as much as I’d hoped. After all, nothing says existential crisis quite like having a laugh about your own mortality!

Funny & sad

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book is a perfect - humour and thought provoking. It feels so real, so human. I will listen to it again and again

Everyone should read this book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews