There Used to Be People Here

In 1970s Mississippi, a Black detective and his reluctant new partner investigate a mysterious death that leads to a terrifying conspiracy where murder, racism, and the paranormal collide.

When a man enters the bathroom of a local gay bar in Wenton, Mississippi, and is later found dead under impossible circumstances, Samuel Barkley—the town’s only Black detective—is assigned to the case. Determined to keep his head down and earn a promotion, Samuel finds his plans complicated by Harvey, a temporary partner he can’t decide whether to trust or despise, and by a community whose suspicion and prejudice follow his every move.

As the investigation unfolds, Samuel uncovers evidence pointing to a long-buried cover-up involving what was reported as a plane crash. But what fell from the sky wasn’t an airplane. Something else arrived in Wenton—and it has no intention of leaving.

Blending mystery, horror, and speculative fiction, There Used to Be People Here combines the eerie atmosphere of The X-Files with the sharp social insight of S. A. Cosby. Exploring race, queerness, and the experience of being treated as an outsider, this gripping novel delivers equal measures of suspense, terror, and thought-provoking social commentary.